LANSING, MI -- Sixty years after Congress added the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, Michigan state Sen. Rick Jones wants to make sure the phrase is never removed.

Jones's office announced Thursday that the Senator's first legislative introduction of 2014 will be a resolution urging Congress to "forever keep" the religious reference in the pledge.

"These small yet powerful words, 'nation, under God,' were first spoken by President Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address," Jones (R-Grand Ledge) said in a release. "They gave our nation strength to persevere then and are the thread that holds us together, still today," said Jones. "Congress must safeguard these words in our nation's Pledge as a testament to the founding ideals that led our country to prosperity."

State Rep. Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt) is expected to introduce a similar measure in the House. The resolutions honor former Michigan lawmakers -- U.S. Reps. Charles Oakman and Charles Rabaut, along with U.S. Sen. Homer Ferguson -- who pushed to add "under God" to the pledge.

A new Michigan law that took effect last year requires Michigan schools to provide students with the opportunity to recite the pledge each day. The law does not require students to recite the pledge, however, and seeks to ensure students are not penalized or bullied if they do or do not participate.

Congress is not actively trying to remove "under God" from the pledge, but the language has been challenged in the courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2004 overturned a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the phrase endorsed religion and violated the First Amendment. The Massachusetts Supreme Court is currently considering a challenge in that state, where plaintiffs claim the phrase "validates believers as good patriots and it invalidates atheists as non-believers at best and unpatriotic at worst."

Federal lawmakers added "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. Two years later, Congress adopted "In God we trust" as the official motto of the United States.

Back in 2011, the U.S. House adopted a non-binding resolution reaffirming that motto and encouraging its display in all public buildings, schools and other government institutions. U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Caledonia) was one of only nine House members to vote against the resolution, a fact his primary challenger highlighted this week in a press release criticizing the incumbent's "bizarre, out of touch" record.

Amash, who explains all his votes on Facebook, wrote at the time that he thought it appropriate to display "In God we trust" in some public buildings but did not think it necessary to push its use through a resolution.

"The fear that unless 'In God We Trust' is displayed throughout the government, Americans will somehow lose their faith in God, is a dim view of the profound religious convictions many citizens have," Amash said. "The faith that inspired many of the Founders of this country -- the faith I practice -- is stronger than that. Trying to score political points with unnecessary resolutions should not be Congress's priority."

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter.