Support Our Scouts Act

The Support Our Scouts Act of 2005 was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 to prevent Local, State and Federal agencies from reducing their support for the Boy Scouts of America (and other youth organization). The bill was passed in the wake of a number of controversies involving the Boy Scouts of America, such as their exclusion of gays and atheists, and subsequent attempts to limit government support of the organization.

Legislative language

In particular, the bill states:
*"No Federal law... shall be construed to limit any Federal agency from providing any form of support for a youth organization (including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America)that would result in that Federal agency providing less support to that youth organization... than was provided during the preceding fiscal year."

*"The Secretary of Defense shall provide at least the same level of support under this section for a national or world Boy Scout Jamboree as was provided under this section for the preceding national or world Boy Scout Jamboree."

*"No State or unit of general local government that has a designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum and that is a recipient of assistance under this title shall deny equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any youth organization, including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, that wishes to conduct a meeting or otherwise participate in that designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum."

In July 2005, the Senate voted 98 to 0 to include the bill in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (H.R.1815, Sec. 1058)ref|Bill, which was signed into law on December 30, 2005. ref|BSALegal

Impact

It is unknown what the ultimate effects of this act will be on the on-going controversy regarding governmental support of the Boy Scouts. However, Scout leaders welcomed the legislation because it protected them "against constant attempts to exclude the organization from the public realm." ref|BSALegal

ee also

*Boy Scouts of America membership controversies
*Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act

External links

* [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.1815.ENR: Full Text of the Act] from the Library of Congress (See Section 1058.)
* [http://www.bsalegal.org/supporto-241.htm Article] on the Support Our Scouts Act from the Boy Scouts of America
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060623182522/http://scoutingforall.org/articles/2006021202.shtml Article] on the Support Our Scouts Act from a site critical of the Boy Scouts of America

References

#Note|Bill cite web| url=http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00204
work=US Senate|title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 1st Session |accessdate=February 27|accessyear=2007
#Note|BSALegal cite web
url=http://www.bsalegal.org/supporto-241.htm|work=BSA Legal|title=Congress and President Protect Scouts Access to Government Facilities|accessdate=February 27|accessyear=2007