[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13720]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



DIVERSE COMMUNITY GROUPS OPPOSE H.R. 7, COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS ACT OF 2001

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, today the House was scheduled to vote on 
H.R. 7, the so-called Charitable Choice Act. However, the House 
Republican leadership had to delay the vote because of objections from 
both Republicans and Democrats alike that this bill would allow 
discrimination in job hiring based on a person's religious faith when 
using Federal funds.
  Mr. Speaker, the truth is that we all support the good work of 
thousands of faith-based charities across this country. But the truth 
is also that, as more Members of Congress and more American citizens 
learn about what is actually in H.R. 7, the support for this bill is 
faltering badly.
  Over 1,000 religious leaders, pastors, priests and rabbis have signed 
a petition urging this Congress tomorrow to oppose the President's 
faith-based charity bill.
  Why? Because it would harm religion, not help religion.
  Why? Because it would not only allow discrimination in job hiring 
using Federal dollars, it would actually subsidize such discrimination.
  Mr. Speaker, let me mention some of the diverse religious and 
education and civic groups and civil rights groups that stand firmly 
opposed to the passage of H.R. 7: The American Association of School 
Administrators; the American Association of University Women; the 
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; the 
American Federation of Teachers; the American Jewish Committee. The 
Anti-Defamation League opposes this bill, along with the Baptist Joint 
Committee on Public Affairs, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, 
the National Education Association, and the National PTA.
  Mr. Speaker, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. opposes this bill, along 
with the Episcopal Church U.S.A., the Interfaith Alliance and the 
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society, along 
with many other religious and civic groups strongly oppose the passage 
of this bill on the floor of the House tomorrow.
  Mr. Speaker, let me talk about what is wrong with this bill. Let me 
emphasize three points: First, the bill is unnecessary. It is 
unnecessary. Under long-standing law in this country, the Federal 
Government has been able to support faith-based groups under several 
conditions and several proper conditions. First, that they not be 
directly churches or houses of worship. That if churches want to do 
faith-based work with Federal dollars, they should set up a separate 
501(c)(3) secular organization. Then those groups cannot proselytize 
with tax dollars, and they cannot discriminate in job hiring with those 
tax dollars.
  Under those limited but important conditions, for decades faith-based 
groups such as Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services have 
received Federal dollars to help social work causes without 
obliterating the wall of separation between church and State. So the 
bill is simply a solution in search of a problem.
  Secondly, as I mentioned, this bill not only allows discrimination 
against American citizens based on their religion, it subsidizes it. 
Let me be specific. If this bill were to become law and a church 
associated with Bob Jones University were to receive a Federal grant 
under the program, that church could use our tax dollars to put out a 
sign that says no Catholic need apply here for a federally funded job. 
Mr. Speaker, that is wrong.
  In the year 2001, over 200 years after the passage of the Bill of 
Rights, no American citizen should have to pass someone else's 
religious test to qualify for a federally funded job. No American 
citizen, not one, should be fired from a federally funded job simply 
and solely because of that person's religious faith.
  Next, I would point out that this bill basically is built on a 
foundation of a false premise, the false premise that somehow if the 
Federal tax dollars of this government are not going directly to our 
houses of worship and our synagogues and mosques, that is somehow 
discrimination against religion. I think Mr. Madison and Mr. Jefferson 
would be shocked by that suggestion of discrimination against religion. 
I think they would have argued that the Bill of Rights for 200 years 
has not discriminated against religion. The Bill of Rights has put 
religion on a pedestal above the long arm and reach of the Federal 
Government, both Federal funding and the Federal regulations that 
follow.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7 is a bad bill for our churches, our religion, our 
faith and our country. I urge a ``no'' vote tomorrow.

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