00                         HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 9                                                                         
01 Recognizing May 2, 2019, as the National Day of Prayer; and proclaiming May 2, 2019,                                    
02 as a state day of prayer.                                                                                               
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:                                                                         
04       WHEREAS the National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance on which                                      
05 Americans are encouraged to give thanks, meditate peacefully, or take time out of the day to                            
06 visit a church, synagogue, or mosque and to pray to the deity of choice; and                                            
07       WHEREAS, every year, millions of Americans across the nation come together for                                
08 unified public prayer for the United States; and                                                                        
09       WHEREAS the National Day of Prayer calls on all people of different faiths to pray                              
10 for the United States and its leaders; and                                                                              
11 WHEREAS the origin of the National Day of Prayer is similar to the origin of the                                      
12 Thanksgiving holiday; President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving based on                                       
13 traditional observances in late fall that called for prayer and thanksgiving, and President Harry                       
14 S. Truman established the National Day of Prayer based on traditional observances in spring                             
15 that called for prayer and fasting; and                                                                                 
16       WHEREAS, because prayer has played a part in much of the history of the United                                  

01 States, the National Day of Prayer was created by a joint resolution of Congress in 1952 and                            
02 signed into law by President Harry S. Truman; and                                                                       
03        WHEREAS, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan designated the first Thursday in May                                 
04 as the National Day of Prayer; and                                                                                      
05       WHEREAS, since 1952, each President of the United States has issued a                                           
06 proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer; and                                   
07       WHEREAS the National Day of Prayer belongs to all Americans, and every                                          
08 American can observe the National Day of Prayer in the person's own way, expressing unity,                              
09 love, and respect for each other; and                                                                                   
10       WHEREAS many individuals, institutions, and religious groups in the state pray for                              
11 the state daily and will celebrate the National Day of Prayer;                                                          
12       BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives recognizes May 2, 2019, as the                                 
13 National Day of Prayer; and be it                                                                                       
14       FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives proclaims May 2, 2019,                                       
15 to be a state day of prayer and encourages the people of the state to join with others in the                           
16 community in expressing thanks and praying for communities and leaders in the state.