Lynn C. Woolsey: “I will begin by correcting two misunderstandings about this amendment. First, it would not keep faith-based…”

“I will begin by correcting two misunderstandings about this amendment. First, it would not keep faith-based organizations from hiring members of their own religion with their own funds in the exercise of their faith. Second, it would not keep faith-based organizations from participating in job training programs under this bill. What this amendment says is that if a faith-based organization accepts Federal funds for job training, then in delivering job training, it cannot engage in religious discrimination. Yesterday President Bush called on Congress, and let me quote, ``to judge faith-based groups by results, not by their religion.'' Well, current law does judge faith-based organizations by results, not by their religion. But sadly, the supporters of H.R. 27 would allow federally-funded job training programs to judge job applicants by their religion, not by their results. Under H.R. 27, a faith-based grantee could refuse to hire the best qualified person for the grant or even fire its best worker because they are not the right religion. That is wrong, it is unconstitutional, and it is bad policy. When people who desperately need a job seek help, they do not care about the religion of the person helping them, they do care that the person helping them was hired because he or she was the best qualified person, and they do care that the person helping them is not concerned about their religion.”