Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2123, School Readiness Act of 2005
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2123, SCHOOL READINESS ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 22, 2005)
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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I oppose the rule because it allows the Boustany amendment. Let us be clear. First of all, faith-based organizations sponsor Head Start programs now. They have and they will continue to. My own church hosted a Head Start program. They sponsor the programs, just like everybody else, on a level playing field. They have to use the money for Head Start and they cannot discriminate in employment.
Any organization that can sponsor a Head Start program under that amendment can do it anyway if they agree not to discriminate. We are talking just about discrimination. We are not talking about allowing groups to sponsor Head Start programs. We are talking about allowing them to discriminate in employment with the Federal money.
Now they can still discriminate with the church money, just not with the Federal money. This discussion really represents a profound change in civil rights discussions, because there was a time traditionally if an employer had a problem with somebody's religion, the employer has a problem because the weight of the Federal Government would come down supporting the victim. Now we are talking about what rights the group has to discriminate against the victim.
If we are talking about religion, we are also talking about race because if you can discriminate based on religion, some religions are virtually all white, others virtually all black. So if you can discriminate based on religion, you can discriminate based on race. Where is your moral authority to tell somebody with their private money what they can do and cannot do, if you are going to turn around and allow people to discriminate with Federal money?
Mr. Speaker, that is wrong and a rule that allows that is wrong. There used to be a time when parents would have to describe to their children why they could not eat at the lunch counter, why they had to sit in the back of the bus, why they could not get a job at certain firms. And now we are going to have to have parents tell children why they could not get a job at the Head Start program while their neighbors could get a job at the Head Start program.
I want to remind Members that any organization can sponsor the federally funded Head Start program now if they agree not to discriminate. We do not need to turn the clock back, and we also do not need a rule that allows this to ruin the Head Start program.
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