Job Training Improvements Act of 2005

JOB TRAINING IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 02, 2005)

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) for yielding me this time.

First, let me clarify what this amendment is not about. This amendment is not about whether faith-based organizations do a terrific job in our communities and around the world in providing services. They do, and they are doing that every day. Catholic Charities, Jewish Federation, and a whole variety of Protestant denominations currently receive Federal dollars to provide services in our community and around the world. Indeed, many of them receive money today to provide job training services, and they do a good job.

And guess what, today they are doing it under current law which says when they receive those Federal tax dollars, they may not discriminate in who they hire based on religion, and not one of those organizations has come to me and said we could do a better job in providing job training services if only you would let us discriminate based on religion. That is what this is all about.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not say in any way that religious organizations can take taxpayer dollars and then discriminate in their hiring based on religion when they are providing services based on those dollars. The issue is very simple. Taxes are paid by Christians, by Jews, by Muslims, by people of all denominations. We are now using those resources to provide to faith-based organizations, and what the bill would allow people to do is to say to somebody who is coming to apply for a job to provide job training services, you know what, we know you are qualified, we know you have a great education, know you can do a good job in providing job training services, but you are the wrong religion. We do not want you because you are Christian, we do not want you because you are Jewish, we do not want you because you are the wrong religion. That is a terrible message to be sending to people throughout this country. In fact, it is a great irony that in a bill that is designed to provide job training to help more people get jobs, we would put in a provision that would deny someone an opportunity to get a job providing job training based on their religion.

I urge my colleagues to stick with the current law, because what the underlying bill does is eliminate current law and give a green light that allows people to discriminate based on religion, a terrible message to send. Let us not do it.

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