What a Difference a New Congress Makes

For Immediate Release
Contact: Lori Lipman Brown, (202) 299-1091
March 15, 2007

Amendment promoting employment discrimination dies in committee.

The religious right, having lost its access to key leadership positions, tested the new leadership of the 110th Congress yesterday. During committee markup of H.R. 1429 "Improving Head Start Act of 2007," Rep. Luis G. Fortuno (R-PR) attempted to insert an amendment allowing religious organizations running Head Start centers to use federal dollars to discriminate against job applicants on the basis of their religion. After a long partisan debate this amendment was defeated.

"We are not going to permit Republican leaders to write discrimination into the Head Start law," said Rep. George Miller (D-CA) Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. "Federal dollars should never be used to promote discrimination against workers simply because of their religious beliefs."

A similar amendment was passed in the House during the last Congress, but fortunately the legislation died in the Senate. The Secular Coalition for America thanks the new House Democratic leadership for their firm resolve in defeating this harmful amendment.