House Passes Bill Allowing Government-Funded Religious Discrimination

Press Releases - Interfaith Alliance: "House Passes Bill Allowing Government-Funded Religious Discrimination | September 22, 2005

Today, The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment and a bill to allow government-funded religious discrimination

The School Readiness Act (H.R. 2123), a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Head Start program, was passed 48-0 in committee. However, during floor debate Thursday, Rep. Charles Boustany Jr. (R-LA) added an amendment allowing Head Start providers to exercise religious discrimination in choosing teachers and volunteers. As a result, the final vote on the bill (231-184) was stripped of the unanimous, bipartisan support displayed in committee.

"The Interfaith Alliance is very disappointed in the members of Congress who insist on reacting to one crisis by beginning another one," said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of The Interfaith Alliance. "The Boustany amendment is a prime example of political opportunists taking advantage of a national tragedy to institute policies that are unconstitutional and have been previously rejected by the Congress."
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"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the levees protecting religious liberty are being breached, and the wall between church and state is cracking," Gaddy said. "If those in Congress who seek to repeal religious liberty safeguards are successful, thousands of children, teachers and parent volunteers who have dedicated themselves to this program could find themselves no longer welcome at religiously-affiliated Head Start programs because they are of a different faith than the sponsoring organization."