Home : Religion and Belief : Government-Funded Religion

ACLU Endorses Legislation to Overturn Bush Executive Order That Allowed Discrimination in Workplace (06/25/2003)
WASHINGTON - On the 62d anniversary of the first Presidential executive order banning government-funded religious discrimination, the American Civil Liberties Union today endorsed new legislation that would void President Bush's executive order that imposed by White House fiat much of his plan for government-funded religion. The ACLU said that the bill would stop blatant discrimination by religious groups in how they hire and to whom they provide taxpayer-funded services.

ACLU Urges Congress To Reject Voucher Scheme in District of Columbia; Says Plan Hurts Already Disadvantaged Kids (06/24/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today told lawmakers that if they approve a voucher program for the District of Columbia they will be funneling money away from an already debt-ridden public school system, putting most of the District's almost 80,000 public school students at a further disadvantage.

ACLU Says White House Support for Religious Discrimination Is Not Shared by Congress or the American Public (06/24/2003)
WASHINGTON - Reacting to a new White House report arguing for taxpayer-funded religious discrimination, the American Civil Liberties Union today said that the President's clear support for religious discrimination is not shared by most of Congress and the American people.

As House Narrowly Adopts Bill to Allow Federally Funded Discrimination, ACLU Calls on Senate to Once Again Protect Civil Rights (05/08/2003)
WASHINGTON - As the House narrowly passed legislation to permit federally funded religious organizations to discriminate against employees based on their beliefs, the ACLU today called on the Senate to preserve current civil rights protections in federal job-training programs. The ACLU said that House legislation includes unnecessary provisions that will undo key federal protections for potential employees.

ACLU Urges Congress to Oppose Federally Funded Discrimination; Calls Legislation an Unnecessary and Dangerous Measure (05/07/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today joined with members of Congress and religious leaders to voice opposition to H.R. 1261, the Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act. The legislation would allow federally funded religious organizations to discriminate against employees based on their religious beliefs.

ACLU Urges Congress to Oppose Taxpayer Funding of Church Construction; Hearing Comes on Heels of Faith-Based Defeat in Senate (04/28/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged lawmakers to oppose a proposed federal rule change that would allow taxpayer money, currently earmarked for single parent aid and housing for the homeless, to fund physical construction of churches and other religious buildings.

ACLU Says Compromise Faith-Based Bill Should Serve as "Lesson for the White House" (04/09/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today called a Senate compromise on legislation to implement parts of President Bush's faith-based initiative a strong signal to the White House that it should abandon efforts to allow religious groups benefiting from taxpayers' dollars to discriminate based on religion in their hiring practices.

ACLU of Florida Demands Recall of State Health Department's Religious AIDS Brochure (04/03/2003)
MIAMI--Saying that it is inappropriate for a public health agency to distribute religious material, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today called upon Florida health department officials to immediately recall AIDS education brochures that contain Biblical references and ask readers to "answer Jesus' call" by reaching out to people with HIV and AIDS.

ACLU Decries Latest Blow to Equal Opportunity Programs; HUD Rule Change Would Discard Key Hiring Protections (03/07/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today decried an obscure proposed policy change at the Department of Housing and Urban Development that would strip key equal opportunity protections from a $4 billion federal community development program.

ACLU Says Taxpayer-Funded Faith-Based Drug Treatment Would Jeopardize Quality of Care for Neediest Americans (02/27/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today told lawmakers that a new voucher program for religious social service providers, announced last month in the State of the Union address, would dramatically diminish the quality of care for beneficiaries.

Welfare Reform Must Aim to Eliminate Poverty and Protect Civil Rights; Current Legislation Not Up to Task, ACLU Says (02/13/2003)
WASHINGTON - Saying that an effective welfare system must have poverty reduction as its highest priority, the American Civil Liberties Union today warned Congress that welfare reform legislation set for consideration this afternoon in the House is not up to the task and would, in many cases, open doors in the states to significant violations of the core civil liberties of welfare recipients.

ACLU Warns Against Framework Bill For Taxpayer-Funded Religious Discrimination (02/05/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed concern at the Senate markup of a non-controversial segment of the President's faith-based bill, saying that the benign legislation could easily be amended after markup to legitimize in statute taxpayer-funded religious discrimination.

ACLU Says Latest Faith-Based Bill Supports White House Push For Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination (01/30/2003)
WASHINGTON - Responding to this afternoon's reintroduction of legislation designed to further the President's faith-based initiative, the American Civil Liberties Union today said the new bill is just as troubling as its predecessors and would result in taxpayer-funded religious discrimination.

President to Propose New Faith-Based Initiative in State of the Union; ACLU Says Plan Would Jeopardize Quality of Care for Neediest Americans (01/28/2003)
WASHINGTON - Responding to reports that the President's State of the Union address tonight will include a request for Congress to fund a new voucher program for religious social service providers, the American Civil Liberties Union today said that the White House plan would dramatically diminish the quality of care for beneficiaries.

ACLU Blasts New Bush Policy Allowing Construction Of Religious Buildings With Taxpayer Dollars (01/23/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today criticized a federal policy change proposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that will allow religious groups to use taxpayer dollars -- previously set aside to house single parents, the homeless and people with AIDS -- to finance the construction and renovation of their houses of worship.

ACLU Blasts Bush Executive Order Allowing Discrimination in Workplace (12/12/2002)
WASHINGTON - In response to President Bush's new executive order that imposes by White House fiat much of his plan for government-funded religion, the American Civil Liberties Union said the sure result of the move will be blatant discrimination by religious groups in how they hire and to whom they provide taxpayer-funded services.

ACLU of Florida Condemns President Bush's Executive Order on Faith-Based Initiatives (12/12/2002)
MIAMI -- Saying President Bush's Executive Order directing federal agencies to make tax dollars available to religious organizations is unnecessary and dangerous, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today voiced its strong opposition to the President's plan.

ACLU of San Diego Hails Appeals Court Decision on Sale of Soledad Cross (10/22/2002)
SAN DIEGO-The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego today hailed a ruling by an 11-judge appeals court panel that denied four separate requests by the city of San Diego to reconsider a June 2002 finding that the city violated the California Constitution when it gave unfair advantage to a religiously oriented organization in the sale of a city-owned park.

Latest Government Funding of Controversial Religious Programs One More Reason Not to Pass Faith-Based Plan Without Protections, ACLU Says (10/09/2002)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today said that recent reports that the government is circumventing Congress and doling out taxpayer dollars to religious social services groups that engage in discrimination is one more reason not to pass the White House faith-based plan.

Florida Court to Hear Arguments in Lawsuit Challenging School Voucher Scheme (07/09/2002)
TALLAHASSEE, FL -- A state court will hear arguments today on the constitutionality of Florida's statewide school voucher program in a case brought by a legal team including the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.