Illinois Legislature Overrides Veto of Required Moment of Silence

The Illinois legislature has overridden Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto of SB 1463, the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act, according to yesterday's St. Louis Post Dispatch. (See prior related posting.) The bill requires public school teachers to begin each school day with a "moment of silence"for prayer or reflection. The governor's veto message said that the previous optional moment of silence struck "the right balance between the principles echoed in our constitution, and our deeply held desire to practice our faith." The vote to override in the Senate last week was 42-9; the vote yesterday in the House was 74-37.