IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 170

Encouraging corporations to contribute to faith-based organizations.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 20, 2001

Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin (for himself, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Mr.

WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. HAYES, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr.

DOOLITTLE, Mr. PENCE, Mr. LARGENT, Mr. JONES of North Carolina,

Mr. GOODE, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. SCHAFFER, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr.

SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. SMITH of Michigan, Mr. VITTER, Mr.

HILLEARY, and Mr. SUNUNU) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Encouraging corporations to contribute to faith-based

organizations.

Whereas America’s community of faith has long played a

leading role in dealing with difficult societal problems

that might otherwise have gone unaddressed;

Whereas President Bush has called upon Americans ‘‘to revive the spirit of citizenship . . . to marshal the compassion of our people to meet the continuing needs of our

Nation’’;

Whereas although the work of faith-based organizations

should not be used by government as an excuse for back-
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ing away from its historic and rightful commitment to

help those who are disadvantaged and in need, such organizations can and should be seen as a valuable partner

with government in meeting societal challenges;

Whereas every day faith-based organizations in the United

States help people recover from drug and alcohol addiction, provide food and shelter for the homeless, rehabilitate prison inmates so that they can break free from the

cycle of recidivism, and teach people job skills that will

allow them to move from poverty to productivity;

Whereas faith-based organizations are often more successful

in dealing with difficult societal problems than government and non-sectarian organizations;

Whereas, as President Bush recently stated, ‘‘It is not sufficient to praise charities and community groups; we must

support them. And this is both a public obligation and

a personal responsibility.’’;

Whereas corporate foundations contribute billions of dollars

each year to a variety of philanthropic causes;

Whereas according to a recent study produced by the Capital

Research Center, the 10 largest corporate foundations in

the United States contributed $1,900,000,000 to such

causes;

Whereas according to the same study, faith-based organizations only receive a small fraction of the contributions

made by corporations in the United States, and 6 of the

10 corporations that give the most to philanthropic

causes explicitly ban or restrict contributions to faithbased organizations: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That—
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1 (1) Congress calls on corporations in the United

2 States, in the words of the President, ‘‘to give more

3 and to give better’’ by making greater contributions

4 to faith-based organizations that are on the front

5 lines battling some of the great societal challenges of

6 our day; and

7 (2) it is the sense of Congress that—

8 (A) corporations in the United States are

9 important partners with government in efforts

10 to overcome difficult societal problems; and

11 (B) no corporation in the United States

12 should adopt policies that prohibit the corpora13 tion from contributing to an organization that

14 is successfully advancing a philanthropic cause

15 merely because such organization is faith based.

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