November 25, 2002
Faith-based funding dead in Senate
___By Kevin Eckstrom
___Religion News Service
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--The White House has pronounced President Bush's cherished faith-based initiative dead in the Senate and blamed Democrats for killing the plan because of misplaced civil-rights concerns.
___The plan's chief Republican sponsor, Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, tried to bring the measure to the Senate floor Nov. 14 for unanimous approval but was blocked by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who is concerned that federal money could be used for proselytizing and discrimination.
___With senators scheduled to leave town soon for the rest of the year, the faith-based bill was one of many that died for lack of time. The new 108th Congress that convenes in January will have to start from scratch.
___The Senate bill would have created $10.4 billion in incentives for charitable giving and would have enabled religious groups to compete for funds even if they had religious names or displayed religious symbols. A much stronger version passed the House last year but was roundly criticized for provisions that allowed religious groups to directly receive government money and skirt local anti-discrimination laws.
___"The legislation had billions of dollars in new money for charities and the people they serve, and now that money has just single-handedly been thrown in the trash," said Jim Towey, the White House director for faith-based and community initiatives.
___Majority Leader Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota said he would not schedule a floor vote unless Reed's concerns could be addressed first. The Senate simply did not have time for a long floor debate, he said.
___The faith-based bill may face a brighter future in the new Republican-controlled Senate, but its chief Democratic sponsor, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, said he will not support anything that resembles the Bush-backed House bill.
___"We're optimistic that we can pick up where we left off and pass a bill early next year," said Lieberman spokesman Dan Gerstein, who called the bill's death a "lost opportunity."
___Towey said the Lieberman-Santorum compromise was designed to sidestep the controversial church-state issues raised in the House bill.
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook