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Pledge bill passes, although future in doubt
March 25, 2003

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) - A bill requiring children to regularly recite the Pledge of Allegiance - a measure some thought would be bolstered by war - got caught up in political bickering and maneuvering Monday in the Minnesota House.

The House voted 113-19 to approve the bill, but a decision to marry the pledge measure with a move to repeal the Profile of Learning graduation standards puts the bill's ultimate passage in doubt.

It left bill sponsor Rep. Bruce Anderson in a sullen mood.

I'm really disgusted. Our country's at war for God sakes. - Howard Muraski, Army veteran

"It should have been a simple bill," said Anderson, R-Buffalo Township. "Now it's going to be a clouded situation."

The Senate had already passed its own Pledge of Allegiance bill. Senators are unlikely to accept the House version, meaning a joint committee would be formed to search for a compromise. The addition of the Profile of Learning provision makes a speedy resolution remote.

Maplewood resident Howard Muraski, an Army veteran of World War II, watched the two-hour debate from the House gallery and didn't like what he saw.

"I'm really disgusted," Muraski said. "Our country's at war for God sakes."

Anderson's bill would compel children in public schools to say the pledge at least once per week unless the school board votes annually to waive the requirement. Students who object to the pledge could sit out without punishment.

The bill also calls for more instruction in flag etiquette.

Private schools would be encouraged, but not required, to adopt a pledge policy.

Controversial items are often tacked onto popular bills to increase their chance of passage. In this case, opponents of the Profile want to force a vote in the Senate, where leaders have been reluctant to consider legislation that would abolish the show-what-you-know graduation requirement. The Profile amendment, which passed 88-44, wasn't the only one that raised tempers. On a party-line vote, the House refused an attempt by Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, to outlaw the sale of foreign-made U.S. flags in Minnesota.

While the Profile amendment caused some members to vote against the bill, others said they opposed the Pledge of Allegiance requirement on its own.

"You should never be compelled to tell your wife that you love her," said Rep. Keith Ellison, DFL-Minneapolis. "I would submit that love of country should be in the same category."

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