May 13, 2003

NEW YORK - The U.S. Senate should restore a prohibition against discrimination in hiring when it considers a major job training bill, according to a United Methodist executive.

In a May 9 statement, the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, called the removal of such a prohibition by the House of Representatives "retrogressive social legislation."

The version of the Workforce Investment and Adult Education Act (H.R. 1261), passed May 8 by the House, would allow religious agencies with federal work force grants or contracts to discriminate in hiring on the basis of religious belief. Such action has been prohibited since the legislation was first introduced during the Reagan administration, Day pointed out.

United Methodist Church policy requires church-related agencies that deliver services using tax dollars to take skill, competence and integrity, not religious factors, into account when hiring, he noted. He urged the U.S. Senate to restore the previous provisions when it considers the work force bill.

The Board of Global Ministries relates to dozens of community centers and other community-based programs in the United States, many of which provide public services using government funds.

"Religion has no business accepting government money to foster its own private interests, important as those may be," Day said in his statement, "and government has no business offering money to religious groups with the suggestion that they may use it in ways that discriminate among clients and/or staff."

The full text of the Rev. R. Randy Day's statement follows:

I am deeply distressed that the U.S. House of Representatives on May 8 adopted a revision of the Workforce Investment and Adult Education Act (H.R. 1261) that would allow religious organizations holding federal contracts and grants in the jobs arena to discriminate in hiring on the basis of religious belief or affiliation.

This is retrogressive social legislation. A prohibition on any form of discrimination in matters of clientele or staffing has been a good and necessary part of federal workforce legislation for more than two decades. It should be extended as a matter of sound policy and just treatment where public funds are involved.

I take this position as the head of an organization related to dozens of local institutions and programs that receive federal workforce funds. The United Methodist Church has positive guidelines against discrimination on the basis of religion in the delivery of government-funded services by church-related agencies.

Our General Conference, the only entity that speaks for The United Methodist Church, adopted a resolution in 2000 making it very clear that we oppose such discrimination. The resolution states: "Skill, competence, and integrity in the performance of duties shall be the principle consideration in the employment of personnel and shall not be superseded by any requirement of religious affiliation."

I offer this tried and true open hiring policy as a model to any faith-based organization that is serious about the delivery of publicly funded services to the public. Religion has no business accepting government money to foster its own private interests, important as those may be; and government has no business offering money to religious groups with the suggestion that they may use it in ways that discriminate among clients and/or staff.

The action in the House of Representatives is an abandonment of the American guarantee of non-discrimination in the use of public resources. It should be reinstated by the Senate when that chamber acts on the workforce measure.

Rev. R. Randy Day
General Secretary
General Board of Global Ministries
The United Methodist Church

United Methodist News Service