Thank you all for tuning into today’s National Faith Leaders Call to hear about the Administration’s ongoing efforts to protect religious liberty. We have provided follow-up information and resources below for you to read and share with your networks.
Final Rule on Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations in Department-Supported Social Service Programs
This week, The Department of Justice announced a joint final rule with eight other Agencies — the Agency for International Development and the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Veterans Affairs — to implement President Trump’s Executive Order No. 13831, on the Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.
To read and share the full press release click HERE.
This final rule does the following:
1. Ensures that religious and non-religious organizations are treated equally by the federal government, and
2. Clarifies that religious organizations do not lose their religious liberty protections and rights just because they participate in federal programs and activities.
U.S. Department Of Labor Final Rule To Implement Legal Requirements For Religious Exemption
Last week, The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) released its “Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause’s Religious Exemption” Final Rule. This rule will encourage the full and equal participation of religious organizations as federal contractors. Religious organizations, many of them small nonprofits, provide such essential services as feeding the hungry, supporting refugees, and educating our nation’s students. To read and share the full press release click HERE.
Thank you for all your prayers and all the ways you are serving your communities during this season. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year.
All the best,
Amanda Robbins
Associate Director
White House Office of Public Liaison