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| -Land of the Free |
| Congress' budget deal affirms church access to FEMA disaster aid |
| 2018-02-12 |
| [Wash Times] Churches for decades have had to fend for themselves when hurricane winds ripped off the chapel roof while the nonprofit YMCA next door ‐ because it’s not religious ‐ pocketed Federal Emergency Management Agency payments to repair similar damage to its building. That treatment of houses of worship was written out of U.S. law last week. A provision tucked into the budget deal that President Trump signed into law Friday put churches on equal footing with YMCA, senior centers and other nonprofit groups when it comes to FEMA disaster relief. The Bipartisan Budget Act made churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship permanently eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program grants, which can pay for the removal of debris and repairs to buildings, parks and recreational facilities owned by nonprofits. "Congress has delivered a big victory for houses of worship," said Diana Verm, legal counsel at the nonprofit religious liberty law firm Becket that represented Texas churches and Florida synagogues last year in challenging the FEMA policy. "This is a happy ending for a long story for houses of worship responding to disasters." |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
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| Posted by: Woodrow 2018-02-12 13:27 |
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| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2018-02-12 09:37 |
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| Posted by: Skidmark 2018-02-12 07:47 |