Arlen Siegfreid (R-Olathe). (Photo by Stephen Koranda)A House committee is considering legislation that would establish an all faiths chapel in the Statehouse. House Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid (SIG-freed), an Olathe Republican, is sponsoring the bill. He hopes it will be a place for quiet reflection in the often busy Capitol. Siegfreid says the chapel won’t endorse any religion, so it should not run afoul of laws requiring separation of church and state.
Any construction costs would come from donated funds, not state tax dollars. Siegfreid says the Statehouse used to contain a chapel, but it was removed sometime in the 1970s. A committee is slated to vote on the bill later today (THUR).