{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400790", "Bill to End Discrimination Against Houses of Worship Moves One Step Closer to House Vote", "2017-12-01", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Language allowing houses of worship to receive vital federal disaster assistance was included in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (HR 4460), which passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday by a voice vote. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Language allowing houses of worship to receive vital federal disaster assistance was included in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (HR 4460), which passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday by a voice vote. \r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cWe are thankful that critical language allowing disaster relief to go to churches, synagogues, and mosques was included in the disaster reform bill,\u201d Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of the original legislation giving churches access to the relief, stated.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cThey have been centers of service for communities devastated by natural disasters, like after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, or Hurricane Harvey just this year, providing food, supplies, counseling and other aid despite often suffering damage to their own facilities; they should not be shut out of needed relief and should be treated like other non-governmental organizations.\u201d  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 The bill that was advanced on Thursday included the exact language from the bipartisan bill The Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2017\u00a0(H.R. 2405), introduced in May by Smith and lead Democrat Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ).  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 That bill enabled houses of worship, currently shut out of receiving federal disaster assistance because of their religious status, to have equal access to this critical aid as secular groups have. Under the bill, FEMA would judge the eligibility of churches and religious groups for disaster relief as they would for all private-non-profits, regardless of their religious status.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cFive years after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on many churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, and months after hurricanes pounded Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, houses of worship are still not permitted to receive disaster relief funding from FEMA,\u201d said Congresswoman Meng, co-author of the original legislation giving houses of worship access to the relief.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cThis continues to be extremely unfair and it\u2019s way past time to change this misguided policy. Our provision\u2014which first passed the House in 2013 as the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act\u2014would finally accomplish that goal, and I urge all my colleagues in the House to support it. Many houses of worship provide critical assistance to the communities in which they are located. These include crucial services such as child care, food pantries and other vital programs. They must no longer be treated differently than other nonprofit entities,\u201d Meng stated.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cThis legislation is critical. Organizations should not be denied federal assistance in times of need just because of their religious affiliations,\u201d Rep. King stated.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cI am thankful that language was included to allow houses of worship to be eligible for disaster relief and emergency assistance on terms equal to others,\u201d Rep. Franks stated. \u201cIn light of the numerous natural disasters that have blighted our nation during the last weeks, those communities affected rely on special assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to get back up and running. As it stands, FEMA discriminates against nonprofits that are religious in nature \u2013 churches and synagogues, for example \u2013 by denying them applications for grant funding to help them rebuild. Our religious communities are the backbone for charity and public service in our nation. They are our \u2018little platoons\u2019 ready to help the public in troubling times.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Recently, the Administration had expressed its support for this policy in its $44 billion request to House leadership for hurricane recovery efforts:  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cIn addition, the Administration notes its support for legislation that would make houses of worship eligible for disaster relief funding (provided they meet the other relevant criteria for private non-profit facilities) and offers technical assistance regarding the timeframe for applicability,\u201d Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, stated in a letter to Speaker Ryan.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Smith, Meng, and King originally introduced the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013 (H.R. 592) after Superstorm Sandy inflicted billions of dollars of damage to the Northeast and churches were barred from receiving FEMA assistance. A consortium of faith-based entities, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Republican Jewish Coalition, Christian Legal Society, Agudath Israel of America, the International Conference of Evangelical Christian Endorsers, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America have come out in support of Smith\u2019s policy proposal. The bill passed the House overwhelmingly 354-72, before being held up in the Senate. In 2015, Smith, Meng, and King reintroduced the act as HR 3066.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cNatural disasters do not discriminate when they strike, and neither should our government discriminate as to which groups are eligible for disaster relief,\u201d Smith stated.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400790"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0194310452789068, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}