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. SHAD-
EGG, 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 resolu-
tion; 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 re-
vive the spirit of citizenship . . . to marshal the compas-
sion 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-
•HCON 170 IH
ing away from its historic and rightful commitment to
help those who are disadvantaged and in need, such orga-
nizations 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 addic-
tion, provide food and shelter for the homeless, rehabili-
tate 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 govern-
ment and non-sectarian organizations;
Whereas, as President Bush recently stated, ‘‘It is not suffi-
cient 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 organiza-
tions 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 faith-
based organizations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That—
•HCON 170 IH
(1) Congress calls on corporations in the United
States, in the words of the President, ‘‘to give more
and to give better’’ by making greater contributions
to faith-based organizations that are on the front
lines battling some of the great societal challenges of
our day; and
(2) it is the sense of Congress that—
(A) corporations in the United States are
important partners with government in efforts
to overcome difficult societal problems; and
(B) no corporation in the United States
should adopt policies that prohibit the corpora-
tion from contributing to an organization that
is successfully advancing a philanthropic cause
merely because such organization is faith based.
Æ