Governor Perdue Reintroduces Faith and Family Services Amendment

Governor Perdue Reintroduces Faith and Family Services Amendment

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the reintroduction of a proposal to amend the Georgia Constitution to allow faith-based social service providers to compete for state funds without facing discrimination. The constitutional amendment will be sponsored in the State House by Representative Vance Smith.

“As we witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, government is not always the best provider of social services,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “We should celebrate and encourage faith-based service programs, not penalize and prohibit them. I feel strongly that organizations acting on faith should not be excluded from partnering with state agencies to help Georgia’s neediest citizens.”

Georgia’s Constitution currently provides that “[n]o money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, cult, or religious denomination or of any sectarian institution.” This presents an even higher barrier to faith-based initiatives than the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Faith and Family Services Amendment will bring the Georgia Constitution in line with the United States Constitution.

The resolution will require a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate for passage. Upon passage, the amendment will appear on the November 2006 ballot and require a majority vote.

For the past two years those opposed to the measure were able to block its passage and cause faith based groups to remain subject to the threat of legal action.

Text of the Faith and Family Services Resolution

A RESOLUTION

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution, in a manner consistent with the United States Constitution, so as to prevent discrimination in the public funding of social services by allowing religious or faith based organizations to receive public aid, directly or indirectly, for the provision of such services; to provide for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other purposes.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Article I, Section II of the Constitution is amended by striking Paragraph VII in its entirety and inserting in lieu thereof a new Paragraph VII to read as follows:

“Paragraph VII. Separation of church and state. No Except as permitted or required by the United States Constitution, as amended, no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, cult, or religious denomination or of any sectarian institution.”

SECTION 2.

The above proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be published and submitted as provided in Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution. The ballot submitting the above proposed amendment shall have written or printed thereon the following:

All persons desiring to vote in favor of ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote “Yes.” All persons desiring to vote against ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote “No.” If such amendment shall be ratified as provided in said Paragraph of the Constitution, it shall become a part of the Constitution of this state.

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