Give a Yiti

Faith No More: Moderate Republicans in Revolt Jake Tapper of Salon, July 19, 2001 http://www.salon.com/politics/feature/2001/07/19/faith/index1.ht ml WASHINGTON - In another slap at President Bush's agenda, a group of perhaps 15 or so moderate Republicans staged a minor revolt in the House of Representatives Wednesday, temporarily derailing one of Bush's top legislative priorities by threatening to join with Democrats unless the bill drops a provision critics describe as threatening civil rights. The moderates, led by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., _object_ed to provisions in the faith-_base_d initiative bill that would allow religious charities that receive federal dollars to override state and local nondiscrimination laws. The resulting brouhaha caused the GOP House leadership to put off a vote on the bill, for fear they would lose the vote. The fracas began Tuesday night, when Foley tried to offer an amendment to the faith-_base_d initiative bill offered by Reps. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., and Tony Hall, D-Ohio. But in a 9-4 vote in the House Rules Committee, Foley was denied the ability to introduce his amendment. Foley's amendment would have stripped the bill of the provision that would allow religious charities that receive federal money to violate local and civil rights laws in their employment practices. Federal law currently exempts religious organizations from nondiscrimination laws, but they are not so exempted for secular positions in their affiliated charities. The Watts-Hall bill would change this, and many charities desire such a change