Governor Perdue Renews Call for HOPE Chest, Faith-Based Services Constitutional Amendments

Governor Perdue Renews Call for HOPE Chest, Faith-Based Services Constitutional Amendments

ATHENS, Ga. – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today his intentions to include in his 2007 legislative agenda two proposals to amend the Georgia Constitution – the HOPE Chest and the Faith and Family Services amendments. Both proposals were introduced and debated in the previous session of the Georgia General Assembly, but neither received the necessary two-thirds approval of both the House and Senate.

“We need to preserve lottery funds for the HOPE scholarship and Pre-K, and we cannot afford to have the state continue discriminating against organizations simply because they are faith-based,” Governor Perdue told state legislators gathered in Athens for the Biennial Institute.

“We must be committed to providing each and every child the opportunity for a brighter future. These are the kinds of issues that Georgians expect us to follow through on after last month’s elections.”

Since taking office, Governor Perdue has put an end to the use of lottery funds for projects that should be appropriated from other sources, if at all.  The HOPE Chest amendment would put a permanent end to redirecting lottery funds for projects other than HOPE or Pre-K.

Between the 1994 and 2003 fiscal years, legislators appropriated more than $1.8 billion in lottery revenue on budget items outside of HOPE and Pre-K programs. That number has dropped to zero since Perdue has served as Governor.

The Faith and Family Services Amendment will change the Constitutional prohibition on faith-based service programs receiving state funds to care for Georgia’s most vulnerable 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 U. S. Constitution. 

Both proposed amendments will require a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate.  Upon passage, the amendment will appear on a future election ballot and require majority approval of the state’s voters.

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