House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) has promised fellow lawmakers that “if the last Congress was the ‘Confrontation Congress,’ this Congress will be the ‘Implementation Congress.'” Religious activists say there is indeed a great deal of legislation they would like to see implemented, much of it unfinished business from the 104th Congress.
While the Republican revolution of November 1994 resulted in a turn to the right in fiscal matters, conservatives hoping for action on social issues were by and large disappointed. Religious groups in the 105th Congress have numerous priorities, but with little net change in the make-up of lawmakers’ ideologies, achievement remains uncertain.
—Family tax relief: The cornerstone bill is a $500-per-child tax credit, a long-time favorite of conservative pro-family groups. The 104th Congress passed this tax credit twice as part of budget packages ultimately vetoed by President Clinton. This time around, conservative groups will be pushing for “stand alone” legislation.
—Partial-birth abortion ban: Pro-life groups promise once again to attempt to pass a ban on this controversial late-term procedure. Last year, the House voted to override a presidential veto, but the override narrowly failed in the Senate. Pro-lifers admit that despite a more conservative bent in this Senate, chances of overriding another veto remain slim.
—Restricting federal abortion funds: Last year, conservative groups successfully helped to pass several bans on federally financed abortions. The first battle this year likely will occur in March over U.S. funds for International Planned Parenthood.
—Religious equality/school prayer: At the opening of the 104th Congress, Gingrich promised a bill on school prayer by July 4, 1995. But the session ended with no such vote, partially due to unresolved debates among conservatives over tow different measures introduced to allow greater religious expression in public schools. The debate is expected to be picked up again this session.
—School choice: Conservative Catholics and evangelicals will join forces to advance bills that would allow parents to use vouchers at private schools, including religious ones. These measures will be hotly opposed by church-state separationists.
—Parental rights: After a failed ballot initiative in Colorado that would have amended the state constitution to recognize parental rights “to direct and control the upbringing” of children (CT, Dec. 9. 1996, p. 76), conservative profamily groups will again seek federal legislation. Strong opposition from teacher’s unions and social workers kept any vote at bay in the 104th Congress.
—Homosexual rights: Homosexual-rights advocates are expected to renew efforts to seek “domestic partner” benefits or new civil-fights provisions based on sexual orientation. Conservative profamily groups say they will particularly be on the alert for any presidential directives expanding homosexual rights.
—Repealing welfare reform: Catholics and moderate-to-liberal Protestants have vowed to seek new legislative measures to repair what they say is the serious damage that welfare reforms adopted last year will inflict on the poor. Many of these groups will be pushing for child nutrition programs and new guidelines for welfare block grants to states.
—Euthanasia: In the wake of court cases on the local and federal level, some pro-life groups are considering development of bills to outlaw physician-assisted suicide.
—Persecution: Leaders of a new national movement to raise awareness about the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide are drafting a series of legislative responses, including diplomatic instructions, trade sanctions, restrictions on foreign aid, and new asylum guidelines for processing refugees who want to come to the United States.
Copyright © 1997 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
