For 90 years, the Boy Scouts have been training America's youth in moral leadership, ethical decision making, and traditional values. The Scouts are as interwoven in American tradition as hot dogs, baseball, and apple pie.

Boy Scouts across the country are being told that they must find a new place to hold their meetings. That's why Congressman Van Hilleary of Tennessee's 4th District offered an amendment to H.R. 1, the No Child Left Behind Act. This amendment, which passed the House unanimously, requires facilities like schools that allow groups an "open forum" for meetings to also provide "equal access." This means the Boy Scouts can no longer be discriminated against because of their religious views or membership and leadership policies.

The Boy Scouts of America have remained true to its original purpose. Scouting helps strengthen character, develops good citizenship, and enhances both mental and physical fitness. They are nurturing, encouraging and fostering the best qualities in our future leaders, and they deserve our support.

As a former Cub Scout, Webelo, Boy Scout and Executive Committee Member of the Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, I will continue to look for ways to champion the great tradition of the Scouts.