An update from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, an independent research project
of the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The public policy research arm of the State University of New York.

New! Obama Would Keep Faith-Based Office at White House

If elected President, Sen. Barack Obama would retain the White House Office of Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives and focus its efforts on reducing poverty, the Democratic presidential contender
said April 13 in a televised forum on religion. He added that government should partner with religious
organizations to provide social services as long as it is done within the requirements of the Constitution.

Obama's comments came during a televised 45-minute question-and-answer session at Messiah College,
a small private Christian College in Pennsylvania, a state that will hold election primaries April 22. The
forum was sponsored by Faith in Public Life, a group of self-described progressive religious leaders who
have said they want to “reclaim” the religious dialogue in politics from conservative Christians, who have
championed high-profile electoral topics in past elections. The forum underscored how pervasive religion
has become in the 2008 election as a focus of both the candidates' personalities and their positions on
various public policy topics.

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton, who also appeared at the forum prior to Obama in a
similar but separate question-and-answer session, did not specifically discuss President George W.
Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. She did speak, however, in more general terms about
partnerships between individuals, organizations and government to reduce poverty and provide international
relief efforts. Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican nominee for President, declined an invitation to
participate in the forum.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Washington Correspondent Anne Farris.

Click here to read a transcript of the discussion.

New! Plan to Fund Faith Groups that Help Ex-Convicts Becomes Law

With praise for the work of small nonprofits, including religious groups, President Bush on April 9 signed
into law a plan that would authorize $362 million in spending for services intended to improve ex-offenders'
chances of making a successful return to their communities after they leave jail.

The Second Chance Act authorizes funding to support mentoring programs, substance abuse treatment,
literacy classes, job training and other assistance intended to help ex-offenders stay out of jail for good.

The new law authorizes grants for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, for state and local governments to launch
or continue programs to improve ex-offenders' return to society. It also allocates competitive grants to
faith-based and community nonprofits to offer programs that link ex-offenders with mentors or that help them
seek and keep jobs.

It is the latest attempt to address growing rates of return to prison that have concerned law enforcement
and justice officials across the country in recent years. More than 650,000 prisoners are released from the
nation's corrections institutions each year, according to the federal government. Half of them are expected
to return to prison within three years for committing new crimes or violating conditions of their release.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes.

Click here to read a roundup of other news stories on the legislation.

New! Christian Prison Program, Found Illegal, Will Not Ask for Supreme
Court Review

Among the religious groups lauding the passage of the Second Chance Act is Prison Fellowship, a
Virginia-based evangelical Christian organization that offers services to offenders both in prison and
after their release. Last week, on the same day that President Bush signed the Second Chance Act
into law, Prison Fellowship let its deadline pass to request a Supreme Court review of a ruling that its
pre-release program in an Iowa prison was unconstitutional. A federal judge had found the program,
funded in part with tax dollars, to be so infused with religion that administrators could not isolate secular
components that could be legally supported with public dollars. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals later
agreed, though it rescinded an original order that Prison Fellowship repay the state $1.5 million for
services it provided.

In response to a question from the Roundtable about its decision, Prison Fellowship released this
statement: “Prison Fellowship and the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) have decided not to apply
for a writ of certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the 8th Circuit Appeals Court's ruling
regarding the IFI program in Iowa. We remain confident that the decision not to appeal the 8th Circuit's
ruling will have no effect on the other IFI programs operating in Texas, Minnesota, Kansas, Arkansas
and Missouri, all of which receive no government funding.”

Prison Fellowship officials declined to discuss the operation of its current programs further. As the
Roundtable's legal experts, George Washington University Law Professors Ira C. Lupu and Robert W.
Tuttle, have noted previously, operators of programs in public settings must remain aware of
constitutional rules barring government endorsement of religion, even when they are funded with private
dollars. The constitutionality of privately funded religious prison programs could remain in question if
participants receive preferential treatment or if the state provides in-kind contributions that amount to
taxpayer support.

Click here for more information on this case, available through a Roundtable resource page.

Weekly Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community
Organization Eligibility

The grant opportunities this week for community and faith-based organizations are through programs
administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Justice, and
by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs require specific technical expertise, or
experience in particular foreign countries.

Click here for the grants summary.

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

Obama Reinforcing Stereotypes, Clinton Asserts
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8095

MARIETTA; Church wins round in lawsuit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8096

Catholic health care: Religious restrictions spark debate
Denver Business Journal

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8094

Teaching hope; Director of faith-based recovery program seeks to help troubled girls help themselves
The Indianapolis Star (Indiana)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8091

Religion has big role in Muhlenberg tornado recovery: Faith-based group to help with rebuilding
Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8092

A Catholic Wind in the White House
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8097

LI charity pantries struggle to meet demand
Newsday (Melville, New York)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8099

Couple committed to helping kids;
JEFFERSON AWARD: Presented to Jesse and Palkiner Cottonham
The San Francisco Chronicle (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8100

Women of Witness hold Spring Tea
Coshocton Tribune (Coshocton County, Ohio)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8101

Clergy, Deputies Confront Gang Problem; Gathering Looks At Challenges Of Crime, Drug Abuse
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8102

Catholic schools in voucher talks
The Times-Picayne

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8110

Corrections receives grant
The Capital-Journal

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8109

County To Assist Homeless; Action Plan Sets Goal For Affordable Housing
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8114

Center to provide housing for homeless vets, the disabled
The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8103

Teaching girls it's OK to be a D.I.V.A.
San Antonio Express-News

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8104

Muslim health clinic wins group's praise
San Bernardino County Sun (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8105

Faith-Based Activists Get Results
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8106

Investing In Children: Craig Blakeslee and Matt Brennan
Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8107

Faith-based Eviction
The Dallas Voice

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8098

Coalition forms to meet neighborhood needs
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8116

Moving Ahead On Homeless; Turlock Groups Discuss Immediate Need; Cash To Draft A Plan Ok'd
Modesto Bee

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8117

Application process under way for Brian's Safehouse
The Register-Herald (Beckley, West Virginia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8118

Faith-based groups provide alternatives to health insurance
The Associated Press

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8119

Panel wants religious groups to have aid immunity
theadvocate.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8122

Religious-Themed Auto Tags Approved By Senate Panel
Palm Beach Post (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8123

Mission to close door to homeless Sunday; crisis prompts task force
The Bakersfield Californian

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8112

Church Fills To Listen To Woes of The Needy
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8113

Ministry Gets People Onto Two Wheels, Then On Their Feet
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8120

Judgment Day
Palm Beach Post (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8121

Weekly Opinion Roundup - 4/15/2008
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/news_opinion_4_15_08.cfm