Legislation
would eNsure fair treatment for houses of worship damaged in natural disasters Bill passed
U.S. House with overwhelming bipartisan support in
2013 FEMA
shouldn’t discriminate

WASHINGTON—Archbishop William E.
Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop
Mitchell T. Rozanski, bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts and
chairman of the USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs,
urged Members of Congress to support passage of the Federal Disaster
Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2017 (H.R. 2405 / S. 1823). An
almost identical bill passed the House in 2013 with overwhelming bipartisan
support.

In September 27 letters to the
House and Senate, in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and
Maria, Archbishop Lori and Bishop Rozanski asked Representatives
and Senators to support the legislation, which would ensure the fair and
equal treatment for houses of worship damaged in natural disasters by enabling
them to seek aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The letters noted that the
“legislation is consistent with Supreme Court jurisprudence, which recognizes
the right of religious institutions to receive public financial aid in the
context of a broad program administered on the basis of religion-neutral
criteria.” The letters note the 2017 Trinity Lutheran Church case
decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which provides a firm legal foundation
for such assistance.

Archbishop Lori and
Bishop Rozanski explained that “houses of worship often play an
irreplaceable role in the recovery of a community” after a natural
disaster.

“Discrimination that treats houses
of worship as ineligible for federal assistance in the wake of a natural
disaster, beyond being a legal violation, hurts the very communities most
affected by the indiscriminate force of nature,” said Archbishop Lori
and Bishop Rozanski.

Links to each of the letters can be found here: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/Letter-of-Support-to-House-for-Federal-Disaster-Assistance-Nonprofit-Fairness-Act-of-2017.pdf

www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/Letter-of-Support-to-Senate-for-Federal-Disaster-Assistance-Nonprofit-Fairness-Act-of-2017.pdf

A backgrounder is available
at: https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/Federal-Disaster-Assistance-Nonprofit-Fairness-Act-2017-Fact-Sheet.pdf

—

Keywords: Archbishop William Lori,
Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB,
Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2017, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, FEMA, religious liberty, religious freedom, houses of
worship, disaster relief.

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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops