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Skriven 2006-03-09 23:33:46 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603093) for Thu, 2006 Mar 9
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Fact Sheet: Compassion in Action: Producing Real Results for Americans Most
in Need
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 9, 2006

Fact Sheet: Compassion in Action: Producing Real Results for Americans Most
in Need




Today, President Bush Addressed The Second White House National Conference
On Faith-Based And Community Initiatives, Highlighting The Important Role
Corporations And Foundations Play In Funding Social Services.
  þ President Bush Announced There Was An Increase In Competitive Federal
    Grants To Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) For The Third Straight Year.
    More than $2.1 billion in grants were awarded to religious
    organizations in FY2005 by seven Federal agencies.
  þ This Week, The President Signed An Executive Order Creating The Center
    For Faith-Based And Community Initiatives In The Department Of Homeland
    Security (DHS). The Center will coordinate DHS's efforts to remove
    regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the
    participation of faith-based and community organizations in its
    provision of social and community services, including disaster relief
    and recovery services.

The President's Initiative Is Producing Real Results For Americans In Need

Continued Increase In Federal Dollars To Faith-Based Organizations. Recent
data from a review of more than 23,000 grants provided by the U.S.
Departments of Heath and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), Justice (DOJ), Labor (DOL), Education, and Agriculture,
and the U.S. Agency for International Development showed:
  þ In Fiscal Year 2005, More Than $2.1 Billion In Competitive Grants
    Across Seven Federal Agencies Were Awarded To Faith-Based Organizations
    - Nearly 11% Of The Total Funding Awarded Through 130 Programs And 28
    Program Areas. This is up from last year when $2.004 billion in grants
    were awarded to faith-based groups across the same agencies. Since
    2003, HHS, HUD, DOJ, DOL, and Education have seen a 38% increase in the
    number of grants to faith-based groups - an increase of 616 grants over
    2003; and a 21% increase in grant money awarded to faith-based
    organizations - an increase of more than $239 million.
  þ Faith-Based Organizations Are Consistently Winning A Larger Share Of
    Competitive Funding. HHS programs represented the majority of available
    funding included in the report. HHS has seen a 64% increase in the
    amount of funding to FBOs since FY 2002 - from $477 million to $780
    million. To access the full report, go to
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/data-collection-2005.html.

Helping The Poor Access New, Effective Programs. President Bush has created
programs that mentor children of prisoners, train re-entering prisoners,
treat addicts in the program of their choosing, discourage at-risk youth
from gang activity, and provide technical assistance to small organizations
seeking to help more people in need. From 2002 to 2006, President Bush
requested $1.35 billion for these targeted initiatives, and Congress has
appropriated $742 million. The President's 2007 budget calls for an
additional $323 million for these programs, including funds for a new
effort combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in minority communities.

Victory In The Federal Courts. Two important recent Federal Court decisions
upheld President Bush's approach to FBOs and their rights. In American
Jewish Congress v. Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the right of
AmeriCorps grant recipients to teach religious and secular subjects in
religiously affiliated schools. In January 2006, the Supreme Court declined
review of the decision, leaving the Court of Appeals' ruling intact. In
October 2005, in the case of Lown v. Salvation Army, a Federal District
Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that churches and
religious organizations retain their hiring autonomy when they receive
Federal financial assistance. The court recognized FBOs do not become an
arm of the government merely by receiving funding to provide social
services.

Expansion Of Individual Choice. President Bush believes Americans in need
should have the right to access services from the program of their choice.
To date, Congress has appropriated nearly $300 million for the Access to
Recovery drug treatment initiative announced by President Bush in his 2003
State of the Union Address. The President's 2007 budget expands individual
choice in job training by proposing $3.4 billion for Career Advancement
Accounts; provides $100 million for students in failing schools to find
quality education; and built upon the President's Access to Recovery
program by providing incentives for states to convert substance abuse block
grants to permit individual choice.

Protecting The Rights Of Faith-Based Organizations. In February 2006,
President Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which reauthorized
welfare reform for another five years. The legislation also extended for
five years a policy called Charitable Choice, which allows faith-based
groups providing social services to receive Federal funding without
altering their religious identities or changing their hiring practices.
  þ Under The Deficit Reduction Act, Charitable Choice Provisions Will Now
    Apply To Two New Grant Programs Focusing On Supporting Healthy
    Marriages And Responsible Fatherhood. Faith-based and community groups
    are particularly effective in providing services in these areas.
  þ The President Continues To Seek Congressional Action Providing
    Charitable Choice Protections To Other Social Service Programs.

Ending Discrimination Against Faith-Based Organizations. During the
President's first term, Federal agencies promulgated fifteen final rules,
including general rules covering funding from seven agencies; three
regulations implementing Charitable Choice statutes; a DOL regulation
implementing the amendment of EO 11246; and three regulations changing
discriminatory language in specific HUD, Veterans' Affairs, and DOL
programs. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Commerce published an
interim final rule in August 2005 strengthening the Department's commitment
to a level playing field for faith-based and community organizations. These
regulations all clarify FBOs' eligibility to participate in Federal social
service programs on the same basis as any other private organization and
prohibits religious discrimination by distributors of Federal funds.
  þ New Data Suggest Faith-Based Organizations Fare Poorly When State And
    Local Governments Administer Federal Formula Grants. In a first-ever
    look at five formula grant programs, FBOs received a small amount of
    funding, ranging from 1.7% to 5.5% -- a funding level
    disproportionately low to the number of FBO grant applicants.
  þ Significant Federal Funding Is Devoted To Programs Operating Under
    Statutes Limiting Competition, Thereby Maintaining Funding For
    Providers Regardless Of Their Performance. The three largest
    competitive grant programs at HHS (with combined funds in excess of
    $8.3 billion) operate under statutes that limit competition. For
    example, only 5.9% of Head Start funds went to FBOs in FY2005.

Taking The Faith-Based And Community Initiative To The Heartland. President
Bush continues working to ensure that equal treatment for faith-based and
community organizations extends to the State and local administration of
Federal grant programs. Thirty-two Governors (20 Republicans and 12
Democrats) and over 115 Mayors have established an office or liaison for
faith-based and community initiatives, and the White House Office of
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) has held a series of regional
conferences to ensure State and local administrators of Federal funding
understand and implement equal-treatment regulations.
  þ The Administration's Efforts Are Spreading Compassion And Assisting
    Americans In Need. For example, when the Department of Agriculture and
    HHS learned State health and human services agencies were routinely
    denying recovering addicts food stamp benefits because they were
    receiving rehabilitation services from faith-based recovery centers,
    these Federal agencies issued a joint letter to the Governors of every
    State clarifying the rules governing the Food Stamp Program. No
    recovering addict should be forced to choose between accessing
    effective treatment and retaining eligibility for food stamps, and
    guidance to that effect is being sent to all States.

Compassion Following The Gulf Coast Hurricanes. The compassionate response
of faith-based and community groups to Gulf Coast hurricane victims is a
reminder of the vital importance of these groups and the President's
Initiative. The new DHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
will help integrate faith-based and community organizations into Federal,
State, and local emergency response plans, enabling cooperation between
these grassroots groups and various levels of government in disaster
response efforts.

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