Thursday July 19 7:08 PM ET
By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved President Bush's plan to funnel more money to religious charities, a controversial cornerstone of his ''compassionate conservatism.''
On a largely party line vote of 233-198, the Republican-led House sent the measure to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where its fate is in doubt because of complaints it would violate separation of church and state and permit federally funded discrimination in charitable efforts.
House passage came a day after Republican leaders put down a rebellion by some of their own members who voiced similar objections.
Shortly before Thursday's House vote, Republican leaders vowed to resolve such concerns after the bill reaches the Senate.
``As sponsors of the bill, (Democratic Ohio Rep. Tony) Hall and I are willing to make a commitment to more clearly address this matter in (a House-Senate) conference,'' said House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma.
Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat and a leading foe of the bill, was not appeased, saying the House should not approve any flawed legislation.
``When I heard this was the faith-based bill, I thought they were talking about faith in God, not faith in the Senate,'' Frank said.
The bill would boost support for religious charities by making them eligible for more federal grants and by expanding tax deductions for charitable donations.
Bush, in a statement, saluted the House for passing the bill, saying: ``Congress has taken an important step toward building a stronger and more caring community.''
The president urged the Senate to act promptly on the legislation, making no mention of any possible changes to it.
Proponents of the bill -- who include the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity International and the U.S. Catholic Conference -- argue the measure would provide a needed escalation in the war on poverty.
Foes -- who include a number of other religious groups, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- complain it would roll back civil rights.
Critics charge that the bill would allow for the first time federally funded discrimination since it would provide grants to church groups that now have an exemption from the 1964 Civil Rights Act so they can hire people based on their beliefs.
Fearful such bias could extend to the providing of social services, foes unsuccessfully pushed an amendment that would require religious charities that receive federal grants to adhere to state and local anti-discrimination laws.
As the House prepared to vote on Thursday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (news - bio - voting record), a Texas Democrat, stood on the House floor and declared, ``Today is a referendum on discrimination.''
CHURCH AND STATE
Watts, the only black Republican in Congress, said as a beneficiary of the nation's civil rights laws he does not want to weaken them or violate separation of church and state.
``This bill is not about church. It is not about state,'' Watts said. ``It's about people in the trenches every day having more resources to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless.''
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, in touting the bill, said this ``is a compassionate idea, yet conservative ... We need to give it a try.''
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, of South Dakota, made it clear the measure faced a tough time in his chamber.
``I can't imagine that we could pass any bill that would tolerate slipping back into a level of tolerance that would be unacceptable in today's society,'' Daschle declared.
It was unclear what, if any, changes could be made to satisfy Democrats yet also let religious groups, as Republicans demand, maintain an exemption from anti-discrimination laws.
Sen. Rick Santorum (news - bio - voting record), a Pennsylvania Republican and a lead proponent of Bush's initiative, said: ``I don't know exactly what the answer is. There may be things we can do to mollify some of the concerns without destroying the underlying exemption.''
Initially, the bill would have provided about $90 billion over 10 years for additional tax breaks for charitable giving, but the figure was cut back to $13.3 billion.
Democrats complain that even at the reduced price tag, the federal government cannot afford it and that Congress may have to dip into the Medicare or Social Security (news - web sites) trust funds to finance it. Republicans disagree and contend that the program can be funded without reaching into either trust fund.
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