'Faith-based' battle begins again in Congress.The new Congress has moved quickly to take up a bill advancing the Bush administration's much-touted "faith-based" initiative. In mid February, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved the Job Training Act, which contains a provision allowing federal funds Federal Funds Funds deposited to regional Federal Reserve Banks by commercial banks, including funds in excess of reserve requirements. Notes: These non-interest bearing deposits are lent out at the Fed funds rate to other banks unable to meet overnight reserve to be used by "faith-based" agencies that discriminate dis·crim·i·nate v. dis·crim·i·nat·ed, dis·crim·i·nat·ing, dis·crim·i·nates v.intr. 1. a. in hiring based on religion. The bill (H.R. 27) is likely to be ready for consideration on the House floor early in March. Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a religious freedom advocacy group in the United States which promotes the separation of church and state, a legal doctrine seen by the AU as being enshrined in the Establishment criticized the panel for approving the bill. "This bill forces taxpayers to subsidize sub·si·dize tr.v. sub·si·dized, sub·si·diz·ing, sub·si·diz·es 1. To assist or support with a subsidy. 2. To secure the assistance of by granting a subsidy. religious discrimination in publicly funded job-training programs," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn Reverend Barry W. Lynn (born 1948 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) has been the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1992.[1] , Americans United executive director. "Some members of Congress, with the president's backing, are seeking to roll back vitally important civil rights protections. Everyone who cares about fairness in federal hiring should be concerned." Americans United, working with a coalition of education, religious, civil liberties and other public interest groups, urged the full House to dump the "faith-based" provision from the jobs bill. |
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