Tools for Community Initiatives Act - Establishes the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (the Office) in the Executive Office of the President. Requires the Director of the Office to encourage faith-based and community initiatives and work to eliminate improper Federal barriers so as to allow faith-based and community entities to compete for Federal funding to the fullest opportunity permitted by law, including by: (1) developing, leading, and coordinating policies with respect to such initiatives; (2) coordinating public education activities designed to mobilize public support for such initiatives; (3) advising the President on options and ideas to assist, strengthen, and replicate successful initiatives; (4) developing and implementing strategic initiatives in keeping with policies that will strengthen families, communities, and the institutions of civil society; and (5) working to eliminate unnecessary legislative and regulatory barriers which impede the efforts of such initiatives to solve social problems.
Requires the heads of the Departments of Education, Labor, Justice, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Commerce, and Veteran Affairs, the Agency for International Development, and the Small Business Administration to designate a liaison to coordinate the activities of the department or agency with the Office. Lists designated department or agency liaison responsibilities.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1054 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1054
To establish the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 2, 2005
Mr. Green of Wisconsin introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Tools for Community Initiatives
Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established in the Executive Office of the President the
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (hereafter referred to
as ``the Office'').
SEC. 3. DIRECTOR.
(a) Director.--The head of the Office shall be the Director of the
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, who shall be appointed
by the President.
(b) Pay of Director.--Section 5314 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended by inserting after the item relating to the Administrator of
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services the following new item:
``Director of the Office of Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives.''.
(c) Interim Director.--The individual serving as the Director of
the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives on the date of the
enactment of this Act may serve as Interim Director until such time as
a Director is appointed by the President in accordance with subsection
(a).
SEC. 4. RESPONSIBILITIES.
(a) In General.--The Director shall encourage faith-based and
community initiatives and work to eliminate improper Federal barriers
so as to allow faith-based and community entities to compete for
Federal funding to the fullest opportunity permitted by law.
(b) Specific Duties.--In carrying out the responsibilities of the
Office, the Director shall--
(1) develop, lead, and coordinate policies with respect to
faith-based and community initiatives;
(2) support faith-based and community initiatives,
especially those serving at-risk youth, ex-offenders, the
homeless and hungry, substance abusers, those with HIV and
AIDS, and welfare-to-work families;
(3) work to expand the role of faith-based and community
initiatives through executive action, legislation, regulation,
and Federal and private funding;
(4) ensure that the policy decisions made by the
administration and the Federal Government are consistent with
stated goals with respect to faith-based and community
initiatives;
(5) help to integrate policies affecting faith-based and
other community organizations across the Federal Government;
(6) coordinate public education activities designed to
mobilize public support for faith-based and community
initiatives by encouraging volunteerism, special projects,
demonstration pilots, and public-private partnerships;
(7) encourage private charitable giving to support faith-
based and community initiatives;
(8) advise the President on options and ideas to assist,
strengthen, and replicate successful faith-based and community
initiatives;
(9) provide policy and legal education to State, local, and
community policymakers and public officials seeking ways to
support and encourage faith-based and community initiatives;
(10) develop and implement strategic initiatives in keeping
with policies that will strengthen families, communities, and
the institutions of civil society;
(11) showcase and herald innovative grassroots nonprofit
organizations and civic initiatives;
(12) work to eliminate unnecessary legislative and
regulatory barriers which impede the efforts of faith-based and
community initiatives to solve social problems;
(13) monitor the implementation of policies with respect to
faith-based and community initiatives by the Centers for Faith-
Based and Community Initiatives established within certain
departments and agencies of the Federal Government; and
(14) work to establish high standards of excellence and
accountability for faith-based and community initiatives.
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Officers.--The President shall assign to the Office such
officers in addition to the Director, if any, as the President, in
consultation with the Director, considers appropriate to discharge the
responsibilities of the Office.
(b) Staff.--The Director may appoint such employees as necessary to
carry out the functions of the Office.
(c) Resources.--The President shall, in consultation with the
Director, assign or allocate to the Office such resources, including
funds and other resources, as the President considers appropriate in
order to facilitate the discharge of the responsibilities of the
Office.
(d) Obtaining Official Data.--The Office may secure directly from
any department or agency of the United States information necessary to
enable it to carry out this Act. Upon request of the Director, the head
of that department or agency shall furnish that information to the
Office.
SEC. 6. DESIGNATED DEPARTMENT OR AGENCY LIAISON.
(a) In General.--The head of each designated department or agency
shall designate a liaison who shall be responsible for coordinating the
activities of that department or agency with the Office.
(b) Responsibilities of Liaison.--Each designated department or
agency liaison shall--
(1) conduct, in coordination with the Office, a review of
the policies and procedures of the designated department or
agency to identify any barriers to the participation of faith-
based and community initiatives in the delivery of social
services by such department or agency, including, but not
limited to, regulations, rules, orders, procurement, outreach
activities, and other internal policies and practices that
either facially discriminate against or otherwise discourage or
disadvantage the participation of faith-based and other
community organizations in Federal programs;
(2) coordinate a comprehensive effort to incorporate faith-
based and community initiatives in the programs and initiatives
of the designated department or agency;
(3) propose initiatives to remove barriers identified
pursuant to the review conducted under paragraph (1);
(4) propose the development of pilot and demonstration
programs to increase the participation of faith-based and
community initiatives in Federal, State, and local initiatives;
and
(5) develop and coordinate the outreach efforts of the
designated department or agency to disseminate information to
faith-based and community initiatives with respect to
programming changes, contracting opportunities, and other
initiatives.
(c) Annual Report.--Not later than March 31 of each year, each
designated department or agency liaison shall submit to the Office an
annual report which shall include the following:
(1) A description of the efforts by the designated
department or agency liaison to carry out the responsibilities
under subsection (b).
(2) A comprehensive analysis of the barriers to the full
participation of faith-based and community initiatives in the
delivery of social services pursuant to the review conducted
under subsection (b)(1).
(3) A summary of information made available to faith-based
and community initiatives under subsection (b)(5).
(d) Designated Department or Agency.--For the purposes of this
subsection, ``designated department or agency'' means a department or
agency of the Federal Government with a Center for Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives, and shall include the following departments and
agencies:
(1) The Department of Education.
(2) The Department of Labor.
(3) The Department of Justice.
(4) The Department of Health and Human Services.
(5) The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(6) The Department of Agriculture.
(7) The Agency for International Development.
(8) The Department of Commerce.
(9) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
(10) The Small Business Administration.
SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) Federal financial assistance for social service
programs should be distributed in the most effective and
efficient manner possible;
(2) the Nation's social service capability will benefit if
all eligible organizations, including faith-based and other
community organizations, are able to compete on an equal
footing for Federal financial assistance used to support social
service programs;
(3) in the administration or distribution of Federal
financial assistance, no organization should be discriminated
against on the basis of religion or religious belief;
(4) the Federal Government must implement Federal programs
in accordance with the establishment clause and the free
exercise clause of the first amendment of the Constitution;
(5) consistent with the free exercise clause and the free
speech clause of the Constitution, faith-based organizations
should be eligible to receive Federal financial assistance and
to participate fully in any social service program supported
with Federal financial assistance without impairing their
independence, autonomy, expression, or religious character;
(6) any organization that receives Federal financial
assistance to provide social services should be prohibited from
discriminating against beneficiaries or potential beneficiaries
of the services it provides on the basis of religion, religious
belief, refusal to hold a religious belief, or refusal to
participate in a religious practice;
(7) an organization that engages in inherently religious
activities, such as worship, religious instruction, and
proselytization, should be eligible to receive Federal
financial assistance, provided that the organization offers
such religious activities separately in time or location from
any program or service supported with direct Federal financial
assistance, and that participation in any such religious
activity must be voluntary for any beneficiary of a social
service program supported with Federal financial assistance;
(8) any faith-based organization that receives Federal
financial assistance should be able to retain its independence
and to continue to carry out its mission, including the
definition, development, practice, and expression of religious
beliefs, provided that it does not use Federal financial
assistance to support any inherently religious activity, such
as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization;
(9) any faith-based organization that receives Federal
financial assistance should be able to use its facilities to
provide social services supported with Federal financial
assistance, without removing or altering religious art, icons,
scriptures, or other symbols from these facilities; and
(10) any faith-based organization that receives Federal
financial assistance should be able to retain any religious
terms in the organization's name, take religion into account in
selecting board members, and include religious references in
any organization mission statements or other chartering or
governing documents.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Government Reform.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line