The regulations proposed by the Department of Commerce would remove current restrictions that bar the federal government from releasing federally funded property to private organizations if it will, at any point, be used for inherently religious activities. Our comments urged the Commerce Department to reject the proposed rule. The comments focused on the fact that the current restrictions on using federally funded property for religious purposes are mandated by Supreme Court precedent (both Tilton and Nyquist). And, we expressed our disappointment that the current Administration would propose abolishing constitutional protections that even the Bush Administration deemed necessary. In addition, we objected to the proposed rule because it conflicts with the process and "fundamental principles" established by Obama's Executive Order 13,559. In particular, the proposed rule would ignore the mandate to "promote uniformity in agencies' policies that have implications for faith-based and other neighborhoods organizations and in related guidance."
MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/legislative/coalition-of-organizations-submits-comments-on-proposed-faith-based-regulations
