Legislation unveiled on Thursday by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) would ensure that faith-based groups are able to continue to provide child welfare services like adoption and foster care.
Kelly and Rep. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) introduced the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act so that faith-based groups are not cut out of government contracts that provide adoption and foster care services based on religious beliefs, according to a press release.
“This bill is about fairness and inclusion,” Kelly said. “It is about ensuring that everyone who wants to help provide foster or adoptive care to children is able to have a seat at the table. Faith-based organizations have historically played a downright heroic role in caring for our nation’s most vulnerable and needy kids. In so many ways their work is unparalleled.”
Religious groups cannot provide foster care or adoption services without a government contract, grant or license. In some states – including Massachusetts, California and Illinois – government agencies have refused to contract with religious groups, according to the legislation.
“There is no good reason why any of these care providers should be disqualified from working with their government to serve America’s families simply because of their deeply-rooted religious beliefs,” Kelly said.
The bill would prohibit any governmental agency that receives funding for child welfare services through certain provisions of the Social Security Act from discriminating against child welfare service providers based on religious beliefs.
“Faith-based charities and organizations do an amazing job of administering adoption, foster care and a host of other services,” Enzi said. “Limiting their work because someone might disagree with what they believe only ends up hurting the families they could be bringing together.”