Legislative Update
AACS Legislative Update
I. Bills That Have Been Introduced in the 110th Congress
Religious Liberty
- Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1592, S. 1105)
The Hate Crimes bill, also termed "Thought Crimes bill," provides federal assistance to states, local jurisdiction, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes. The assistance involves financial grants as well as “technical, forensic, prosecutorial” assistance in the investigation and prosecution of “hate” crimes. This bill would establish a separate federal offense for “hate crimes,” and also add “sexual orientation” and “gender bias” to the list of classes protected under the U.S. criminal code. On May 3, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1592 with a vote of 231-180. The Senate version of the bill was attached to the Defense Authorization Bill (DoD) as an amendment on September 27, 2007. The amendment passed 60-30. The Senate DoD bill moved to conference with the DoD bill from the House where the differences between the two bills were to have been worked out. The hate crimes amendment was later stripped from the DoD package and is currently still in the Senate as a stand-alone bill. President Bush has said he will veto hate crimes because it is "unnecessary and unconstitutional."
Please encourage your Senators to OPPOSE this legislation.
- Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 (H.R. 3685)
On September 27, 2007, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced H.R. 3685 which would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. After several versions, the final bill contains an exemption for religious organizations protected under the Title VII Civil Rights Act. However, the bill does not provide protections for the religious freedoms of employers and employees in a workplace that is not a religious institution. The bill passed the House of Representatives on November 7, 2007, with a vote of 235-184. On November 13, 2007, Sen. Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) placed the bill on the Senate calendar.
Please encourage your Senator to OPPOSE this legislation.
- David’s Law (H.R. 254)
On January 5, 2007, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) introduced H.R. 254 which would establish a new federal offense for hate crimes and separate federal criminal prosecution for crimes that qualify for prosecution under the new statute. Specifically, hate crimes would encompass any violent act that is committed because of actual or perceived identity such as gender, disability, religion, ethnicity, or sexual “orientation.” The bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. There are currently 3 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative to OPPOSE this legislation.
- Hate Crime Statistics Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 1164)
On February 16, 2007, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) introduced H.R. 1164, which amends the Hate Crime Statistics Act to require the U.S. Attorney General to collect data about crimes that “manifest evidence of prejudice based on gender.” The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. There are currently 6 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative to OPPOSE this legislation.
- The Pledge Protection Act of 2007(H.R. 699)
On January 29, 2007, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) reintroduced H.R. 699 which removes the issue of the Pledge’s constitutionality from the jurisdiction of the federal courts. The bill contains the same language as the bill that passed the House in September 2004 by a vote of 247-173. The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. There are currently 114 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Religious Freedom for Providers of Adoption, Foster Care, and Child Welfare Services Act (H.R. 289)
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Loyalty to Our Legacy Act of 2007 (H.R. 3908)
On October 18, 2007, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) introduced H.R. 3908 which would keep reference to God and faith from being removed from exhibits on the grounds of the Capitol and in the new Capitol Visitors Center. Specifically, the bill would direct the Architect of the Capitol to ensure that the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the national motto "In God We Trust are each displayed prominently in the Capitol Visitors Center. It would also prohibit the Architect from removing or refusing to include language or other content from exhibits and materials on the ground that the language contains religious references or Judeo-Christian content. The bill was referred to the House Committee on House Administration and currently has 44 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007 (H.R. 2905)
On June 28, 2007, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced H.R. 2905 which would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating the Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine would require all broadcasters to allow air time for the discussion of controversial issues, and to include all views in the discussion of those issues. This would mean that conservative talk radio and Christian radio would be required to air shows which offered views that were in opposition to their purpose. Rep. Pence's bill would prevent the Fairness Doctrine from being reinstated. The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet and has 204 cosponsors. On 10/17/2007, a motion was filed to discharge the Rules Committee from consideration of H.Res. 694. H.Res. 694 provides for the consideration of H.R. 2905. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures for further action. (Discharge Petition No. 110-3: text with signatures.)
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
Education
- Children's Hope Act (H.R. 2706)
On June 13, 2007, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) introduced H.R. 2706 which would provide for an education tax credit which is dependent on enactment of state qualified scholarship tax credits and which is allowed against the Federal income tax for charitable contributions to education investment organizations that provide assistance for elementary and secondary education. The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Ways and Means. There are currently 29 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Improving Supplemental Education by Ensuring Parental Awareness Act (H.R. 2203)
On May 8, 2007, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) introduced H.R 2203 which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to increase student access and participation in supplemental educational services. Specifically, the bill would require school districts to allow public school choice and/or supplemental educational services for those students in failing schools. It require greater accountability from local educational agencies to be more transparent in their processes and more effective in providing information and assistance to parents of students in failing schools. The bill has been referred to the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education and currently has 11 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
- A-PLUS Act of 2007 (H.R. 1539 and S. 893)
On March 15, 2007, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) introduced the Academic Partnership Leads Us to Success (A-PLUS) Act of 2007. This bill gives more decision making to parents and teachers in public schools by 1) giving states the maximum freedom to implement initiatives that work in their state, 2) reducing regulatory burdens associated with federal education programs so that educators can focus on teaching rather than filling out paperwork, and 3) ensuring that states are held accountable to schools, parents, and the general public for advancing the academic achievement of all students, especially the disadvantaged students. The House bill currently has 64 cosponsors and has been referred to the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. The Senate companion bill is S. 893 which has 7 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative and Senators to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Empowering Parents through Choice Act (H.R. 1486 and S. 1014)
On March 13, 2007, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon introduced H.R. 1486 which would award scholarships of up to $4000 to students attending schools identified as in need of restructuring under NCLB. The bill also allows states, school districts, and private and non-profit organizations to compete for additional funds dedicated to intensive supplemental educational services to children in schools identified for restructuring. The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. There are currently 12 cosponsors. The Senate companion bill is S. 1014 which has 5 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative and Senators to SUPPORT this legislation.
Family
- SAFE Act of 2007 (S. 519 IS)
On February 7, 2007, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced S. 519, which would “modernize and expand” the reporting requirements regarding child pornography in order to facilitate cooperative private and governmental efforts to combat child pornography. Specifically, the bill would require electronic communication service providers to maintain records regarding child pornography evidence reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for at least 180 days after the original reporting. The bill would also require the U.S. Attorney General to report annually to Congress on the number of child pornography cases investigated and prosecuted by the Department of Justice. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. There are currently 6 cosponsors. The House companion bill is H.R. 876 IH which has 18 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Senators to SUPPORT this Legislation.
- The Kids Act of 2007 (S. 431)
On January 30, 2007, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduced S. 431, “Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007.” The bill would require a convicted sex offender to register “any email address, instant message address, or other similar Internet identifier the sex offender used or will use to communicate over the Internet” with the National Sex Offender Registry. The Department of Justice would then provide this information to social networking sites for the purpose of comparing the database with user profiles of the social networking website in order to protect children from online sexual predators. The House companion bill, H.R. 719, passed the House by unanimous suspension of the rules and was received in the Senate on November 15, 2007. The bill is currently in the Senate Judiciary committee.
Please encourage your Senators to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Protecting Children from Indecent Programming Act (S. 1780)
On July 12, 2007, Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced S. 1780 which would give explicit approval to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make a "single word or image" indecent and administer fines accordingly. This would counteract the recent ruling by the Second Circuit Court which found that the FCC does not have the authority to fine stations for so-called "fleeting" or single utterances or expletives on television. (This ruling was in response to a lawsuit against the FCC by a station which had been fined by the FCC for a fleeting expletive). A year ago, the Broadcast Decency Act was signed into law, and the ruling by the Second Circuit Court undermines this legislation. S. 1780 would uphold the Broadcast Decency Act, and strengthen the authority of the FCC to administer fines for indecency on the public airwaves. The bill has passed out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and has been placed on the fast track to the Senate floor. There are currently 7 cosponsors. The House companion bill is H.R. 3559 and has 19 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Senators and Representatives to SUPPORT this legislation.
- The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (S. 356 and H.R. 3442)
On January 22, 2007, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) introduced S. 356, which would require abortion clinics and abortion doctors to fully inform women about the pain that their unborn child will feel during an abortion. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Labor, and Pensions. There are currently 28 cosponsors. A companion bill was introduced in the House (H.R. 3442) by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) on August 3, 2007, and has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The House currently has 118 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Senators to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Ultrasound Informed Consent Act (S. 2075)
On September 20, 2007, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) introduced S. 2075 which would require a doctor performing an abortion also perform an ultrasound for the pregnant woman and allow her to view the images before the abortion. The bill was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and currently has 8 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Senators to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 4133)
On November 9, 2007, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced H.R. 4133 which would amend Title X of the Public Health and Service Act to prohibit family planning grants from being awarded to any entity that performs abortions. Earlier last summer, Rep. Pence offered a similar bill as an amendment to the House appropriations bill (H.R. 3043) to defund Planned Parenthood. The amendment failed to pass by a vote of 189-231. The current bill, H.R. 4133, was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and currently has 42 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representative to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Sanctity of Human Life Act (H.R. 4157)
On November 13, 2007, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) introduced H.R. 4157 which provides that human life begins at fertilization. By defining the beginning of life, this bill furthers the point that abortion at any stage of pregnancy and embryonic stem cell research destroy human life. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and has 48 cosponsors.
Please encourage your Representatives to SUPPORT this legislation.
- Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (H.R.3. PCS)
Passed by House and Senate. Vetoed by President Bush on June 20, 2007.
II. Issues We Are Watching:
Education
· No Child Left Behind Reauthorization*
· A Plus Act*
· Children's Hope Act*
· Business Supporting Education Act
· Empowering Parents Through Choice Act*
· Tax and Education Assistance for Children Act
· Dollars to the Classroom
· Child Care Regulations
· Head Start
Religious Liberty – Judicial Issues
· Opposing Hate Crimes Legislation*
· Employment Non-Discrimination Act*
· Faith-based hiring protections
· The Public Expression of Religion Act
· Pledge Protection Act*
Family
· Marriage Protection Amendment
· Parent's Right to Know Act
· Permanent Repeal of Marriage Penalty
· Protecting Children from Predators*
Life Issues
· Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act
· Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act*
· Genetic Non-Discrimination Act*
· Human Cloning Prohibition Act*
· Stem cell research – supporting alternatives to embryonic stem cell research*
*Issues that have related bills in the 110th Congress
