Rep. Schmidt Newsletter: "For Love of Family, Country and . . . God?"

The phrase “In God We Trust” has been engraved on United States currency since 1864, and was formally made our national motto in 1956. But, until recently, if you tried to put that phrase on a United States flag Certificate of Authenticity, you were out of luck.

Under a program run by the Architect of the Capitol, constituents can purchase through their Representative or one of their Senators, a United States flag that has been flown over the Capitol. After the flag is flown, it is sent to the constituent with a Certificate of Authenticity supplied by the Architect’s office.

While constituents’ reasons for purchasing a flag flown over the Capitol vary, my office generally receives such requests from individuals who want to commemorate a day of significance in their lives or the lives of loved ones. In keeping with that purpose and to personalize the flag, personalized messages are permitted on the Certificate of Authenticity. Individual congressional offices will often work with constituents to ensure that the words on the certificate are appropriate and do not violate a rule prohibiting political or religious messages. As testament to the program’s efficacy, the Architect of the Capitol’s office reports that it fulfills an average of 100,000 flag requests each year and that the program’s popularity is “growing steadily.”

A set of rules has been put in place to regulate the flag program, including the Certificate of Authenticity. According to one rule, the personalized certificate cannot have a political or religious message. The current Acting Architect of the Capitol has interpreted that to mean that the message cannot make any reference to “God.”

I was first made aware of this interpretation when Representative Marilyn Musgrave told me that “God” had been censored from the flag certificate of one of her constituents. But, the situation came to a head last week when a young man from Dayton, Ohio, Andrew Larochelle, ordered a flag from Congressman Turner’s office to commemorate his achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. He planned to present the flag to his grandfather, a veteran and devout Catholic. He had requested that the certificate say, “This flag was flown in honor of Marcel Larochelle, my grandfather, for his dedication and love of God, Country and family.” The Architect’s office censored “God” from the inscription.

This is an important issue. Some in the United States have sought to use the First Amendment prohibition on the establishment of religion to drive God from the public square. Many would argue that the separation of church and state means that “God” should not be a part of our national motto, in the Pledge of Allegiance, or on our currency. But, the Architect’s office clearly went too far. The First Amendment goes beyond simply prohibiting the establishment of religion. It guarantees individuals the right to exercise their beliefs freely.

In cases dealing with the flag office, constituents generally purchase flags with their own money. Their personalized words on the Certificate of Authenticity are for their own enjoyment. The wording of the Certificate is in no way coercive or intrusive into the religious practices or non-practices of others. The Architect of the Capitol should not be the censor of personalized messages.

I was pleased to sign on to Congressman Turner’s letter to the Acting Architect of the Capitol and Speaker Pelosi. I am also a proud cosponsor of Mr. Turner’s bill to require the Architect to allow references to God on the personalized statements. However, I am most proud that, because Andrew Larochelle did not allow the Acting Architect to have the last word on this issue, the Architect relented, and “God” will now be permitted to appear on all Certificates of Authenticity.

If you would like a flag flown over the Capitol for you or someone you love to commemorate a special event please contact my office at 202.225.3164 and I would be glad to help.