ATLANTA -- After several years of unsuccessful efforts by Republicans, a Democrat-backed plan to allow faith-based charities to tap into government funds has cleared its first hurdle in the General Assembly.
A House committee unanimously approved a bill yesterday that would permit religious organizations to draw upon government aid for various services, such as drug treatment programs.
The measure now goes to the full House.
For the past two years, Republican lawmakers have pushed a proposed amendment to the Georgia Constitution, which currently prohibits using state money to benefit religious groups.
The new bill, which Gov. Roy Barnes is including in his legislative agenda, doesn't go as far as the Republicans would like, but is a good start, Rep. Charlie Smith, the governor's floor leader in the House, told the committee.
"We want to take this relatively small step now to see how it works,'' said Smith, D-St. Marys.
The legislation would let Georgia take advantage of a federal law that allows state and local governments to aid faith-based charities in providing services through certain federal programs.
The types of programs include substance abuse and welfare to work, Smith said.
Religious organizations receiving funding would not be allowed to refuse services to someone not of their faith and the money could not be used for religious instruction or proselytizing.
But Debbie Seagraves, head of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said such restrictions would go against the primary purpose of faith-based groups. The ACLU has a long history of advocating the separation of church and state.
"It's not just to keep religion out of government, it's keeping government out of religion,'' said Seagraves.
She questioned whether religious organizations would want to have such strings attached to their activities.
But Rep. Clint Smith, R-Dawsonville, one of the bill's co-sponsors, said he has visited churches across Georgia and found most religious leaders favor the idea. Smith, also a sponsor of the Republican measure, said it would "level the playing field'' between religious and non-religious groups competing for government funding.
"It allows faith-based organizations to bid fairly for these projects,'' he said.