Nonprofit Issues - Advocacy Blog

Advocacy Blog:

Advocacy Blog

Friday, March 25, 2005

Ideology Basis for Bush Administration Decisions
Check out an article by OMB Watch's Gary Bass and Adam Hughes on how ideology is the basis for Bush administration budget decisions.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 04:41:23 PM

Monday, March 21, 2005

Florida Spends More on Faith-Based Initiative
Florida is making a leap in faith-based initiatives, carving out more state and federal money for religious groups, even as the state awaits word from the Florida Supreme Court on whether one of its largest programs breaches the constitutional prohibition against government funding of religion.

Check out the article.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 03:04:30 PM

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Marc Stern, Asst. Exec of AJC, on Americorps Ruling
Marc Stern, the Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress, was interviewed by the Roundtable on Religion and Social Policy regarding the Amercorps Ruling.

Check out the interview here.

Also, look for a Watcher article next week summarizing the Americorps ruling.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 10:34:18 AM

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Congress Votes to Extend TANF for 3 Months
Congress has once again taken up legislation to reauthorize the nation's primary welfare program, but the House and Senate are not expected to act on a final bill until April at the earliest. To keep the program operating in the meantime, Capitol Hill lawmakers are extending expiration of the current law from the end of March to the end of June.

The re-authorizing legislation, the Personal Responsibility and Individual Responsibility for Everyone Act, better known as PRIDE, maintains current levels of funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program. The PRIDE legislation also maintains supplemental grants at the current level, but increases child care funding by $6 billion over five years, six times more than the level supported by the White House. In addition, it includes $1 billion more for social service block grants that fund child welfare, adult protective services and other services.

The reauthorized legislation would also continue to make funding available to faith-based social service providers, a key component of the welfare reform law passed in 1996. That law marked the first time statutory rights were provided that allowed religious groups to retain their religious character and autonomy when receiving federal grants to provide social services.

The renewal legislation also provides federal dollars for programs to promote responsible fatherhood and healthy marriages -- two components of President George W. Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. As passed by the Senate Finance committee, the legislation includes $100 million a year in matching grants for healthy marriage promotion, and another $100 million a year for research, demonstration programs and technical assistance that would be primarily focused on marriage. Another provision adds the responsible fatherhood programs.

For the whole scoop!

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 04:59:06 PM

What do you know? Here, too...
Another article about Bush dropping the non-itemizer.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 10:37:34 AM

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

AmeriCorps Ruling Allows Funding of Volunteers in Religious
A federal appeals court has ruled that the government may continue to subsidize an AmeriCorps program that places volunteer teachers in religious schools, a decision with potentially significant consequences for President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative.

The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was a setback for the American Jewish Congress, the New York-based nonprofit advocacy group that filed the lawsuit. The decision reversed a lower federal court by finding that the AmeriCorps program did not involve direct government funding of religious activity and did not violate the Constitution's Establishment Clause.

The appeals court also upheld AmeriCorps' direct payment of public funds to religious organizations for the reimbursement of expenses associated with the administration of the government-sponsored program.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 09:28:34 PM

Santorum's Own Faith-Based Initiative
The Hill has an article on Sen. Santorum's personal classes on Catholicism in his private Senate hideaway. It is not open to all Congressional Members - It is invite only. (Catholic Republicans that oppose abortion, it seems).

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 10:14:01 AM

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Jim Wallis Calls Budget "Un-Christian"
Interesting op-ed from Jim Wallis about how our budget is decidely "un-Christian".

The budget slashes funds to deperately needed social programs - and expects that faith-based organizations, given a pittance of money through faith-based grants, is going to make up for it. How is that possible when even faith-based grants are getting cut?

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Center for American Progress' Faith-Based Initiative Talking
The Center for American Progress posted its Faith Based Talking Points today. Check them out.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 02:57:09 PM

We Lost On WIA Yesterday...
First of all, thank you to anyone who sent out a letter or made a phone call to their Representative. Staffers told our coalition members that the phone calls and letters really did make a difference.

HR 27 passed yesterday, 224 to 200. The Scott Amendment to restore civil rights protections failed, 186 Aye -- 239 No. '

I'm really very proud of the work our coalition did. We had great leadership from groups like Americans United and ACLU.

Now, on to the Senate!

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 12:15:28 PM

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Bush Pushes Faith Based Initiative
President George W. Bush reassured a gathering of religious and civic leaders this morning (3/1/05) that he is committed to pursuing his Faith-Based and Community Initiative to expand the role of religious organizations in the delivery of government-funded social services.

"Hopefully you will be reassured that this initiative is one that has a lot of impetus, and be reassured that we want to help change America," President Bush said to some 250 guests attending the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

"I'm a results-oriented guy and faith organizations are achieving results we want." For the complete story.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 07:00:39 PM

Latest Entries by Theme

All Themes

Faith-Based Initiative

Elections and Issue Advocacy

Church Electioneering

Nonprofit Accountability

Charitable Giving

Speech and Lobbying Rights

Grants Streamlining

Charities and Security

General