In the filing of Virginia House Of Delegates Bill Number 9: State Police Volunteer Chaplaincy Program, Delegate Charles W. Carrico Sr. (R-Grayson County) is back with a bill to allow members of the state police who have ministerial training to volunteer as chaplains and deliver prayers and benedictions at police events. While the volunteers would be asked to “respect and be sensitive to the religious beliefs of the employees and their families,” the superintendent of state police would be barred from limiting the volunteer chaplain’s religious expression.

This is Carrico’s latest attempt to allow state police chaplains to prayer in Jesus’ name at official functions. Six chaplains resigned last year after the state police superintendent issued an order requiring that prayers be nondenominational.

Carrico proposed a similar measure during the 2009 session which passed the House of Delegates but died in a senate committee on a 8 to 7 vote, as Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine threatened a veto. Might the measure find new life with a Republican in the governor’s mansion? The composition of the committee hasn’t changed, so it might be unlikely, but it will be interesting to see where Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell falls on the issue.

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