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House Votes 234-195 to Allow
Religious Anti-Gay Bigotry

Biased 'Faith-Based' Charities Cheering Republican Clout

Biased 'Faith-Based' Charities Cheering Republican Clout

Compiled By GayToday

Mr. Cheney supported the anti-gay measure that has been condemned by civil rights groups

Washington, D.C.-- A 234-195 House vote on Thursday thwarted an effort that would have required faith-based organizations receiving federal funds to adhere to state and local laws prohibiting discrimination and has been condemned by the bi-partisan Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Thursday's anti-gay vote orchestrated by the Republican leadership and sanctioned by President Bush and Vice President Cheney makes this version of the president's faith-based initiative untenable and a direct threat to state and local civil rights laws, HRC asserts.

"This regrettable vote gives a free pass to publicly funded religious charities who want to circumvent state and local nondiscrimination laws," said HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch.

"With the help of Bush, Cheney, and the Republican leadership we have an exclusionary bill that will force many Americans to publicly subsidize their own discrimination. This leaves us with no choice but to actively oppose this legislation, which until now, we were working to ensure safeguarded the principles of nondiscrimination."

Terri Schroeder, an ACLU Legislative Representative, said "The House made a grievous mistake Thursday. It took the first step toward legalizing discrimination by religious organizations which receive federal funds and further entangled government with religious institutions across the country.

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"For 60 years, the federal government has demanded that tax dollars be used to protect fairness, equity, and equal opportunity," Schroeder said. "If the faith-based legislation becomes law, Congress and the Administration will have, in one dramatic change, laid waste to the crucial civil rights protections put in place during World War II under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt."

Thursday's key vote was a "motion to recommit", a procedure that addressed concerns that taxpayer money is not used to fund groups that discriminate. There were two parts to this motion. The first dealt with religious discrimination and stipulated that a person of any faith will not be excluded from working at a faith-based charity if the job is funded by taxpayer funds.

The second dealt with sexual orientation and required faith based charities receiving federal funds to adhere to state and local laws and ordinances that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and other groups not protected by federal law, such as unwed mothers.

Thursday's vote followed Tuesday night's defeat of Rep. Mark Foley's, (R-Florida), amendment in the Rules Committee that would have addressed this problem and was the last chance the House had to fix the bill's deficiencies. Additionally, a Democratic substitute amendment that contained a number of issues was defeated.

"This was a hollow victory for the administration and the House leadership because in ignoring pleas to fix the bill's shortcomings, they have made passage in the Senate demonstrably more difficult," said HRC's Executive Director.

"We are also struck by the incongruous position of 'states rights' conservatives who have long trumpeted local control, only to run roughshod over state and local civil rights laws in order to ram through this discriminatory initiative."

HRC says it will now shift its focus to the Senate to work with its bipartisan allies to ensure any faith-based bill is fair, inclusive and represents all Americans.