Posts — Protect Thy Neighbor

A project of Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Samantha Sokol

Ignoring The Best Interest Of Kids, House Republicans Pass Amendment To Allow Adoption Agencies To Discriminate

House Republicans amended a spending bill to include language that would allow adoption and foster care agencies that receive federal funding to discriminate against qualified prospective parents and children in need based on the agency’s religious beliefs. The result: Kids could be denied stable, loving homes with prospective parents who are LGBTQ, single, previously divorced or even the “wrong religion.”

Uncovering Project Blitz: Fighting A Secret, Coordinated Legislative Strategy To Undermine Religious Freedom In The States

Every legislative session, AU tracks hundreds of state bills that, if passed, would undermine religious freedom in nearly every state. We often see trends arise across states. Lawmakers in different states introduce similar bills, and sometimes even the same exact bills with the same exact language. And we can usually figure out why that happens: conservative lobbying groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and state Focus on the Family affiliates often shop model bills around to state legislators, who then introduce these model bills in their states. The lobbying groups also share strategies with legislators to help pass their bills. The result: Similar harmful bills appear and pass in many different states in a nationwide onslaught.

Federal FADA Hearing Set for July 12

It's official: Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced that he has scheduled a hearing on this harmful legislation for July 12, 2016 at 10:00 AM.