DeLay Pushes Religious Right Agenda With House GOP.

House Republican Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas has introduced a "wish list" of possible legislation that reads like it was drafted by the Religious Right.

At the first meeting of the newly elected GOP leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives, DeLay presented several bills to be considered in 1999 that are backed by groups like the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family.

Many of the items on DeLay's agenda are measures that were introduced in the last Congress but failed to become law. They included the "Ten Commandments Defense Act," a ban on so-called "partial birth" abortions and a ban on human cloning. Newer items introduced at the meeting included a permanent funding plan for school abstinence programs and stronger anti-pornography restrictions.

Religious Right leaders, many of whom became increasingly critical of congressional Republicans for failing to act on issues important to them during the 105th Congress, appear to be satisfied with DeLay's announced agenda. Marty Dannenfelser, director of government relations for Gary Bauer's Family Research Council, was quoted as saying that the list of priorities is a "good starting point." (For a additional information on Congress' agenda for 1999, see "Instant Replay," page 8.)