mr. chairman , i rise today to oppose the boustany amendment to the school readiness act of 2005 ( h.r. 2123 ) . 
this amendment would abolish long standing civil rights protections that ensure federally funded jobs in the head start program are not subject to discrimination . 
at a time when 37 million americans endure the plight of poverty , congress is tragically debating an amendment that would undermine a successful anti-poverty program . 
head start provides disadvantaged children with a genuine head start in life to outrun the clutches of limited opportunities . 
while h.r. 2123 is not a perfect bill , it positively maintains the successful federal-to-local structure of head start and wisely promotes `` smart accountability. '' mr. chairman , the boustany amendment needlessly dismantles the bipartisan spirit of the underlying bill in an attempt to rectify a nonexistent problem . 
for decades , faith-based organizations that provide head start services have ably met the needs of children , while adhering to the law protecting their 198 , 000 teachers and 1.4 million volunteers from employment discrimination . 
the boustany amendment would repeal those protections , allowing faith-based head start providers to establish a `` religious test '' to dictate personnel decisions for positions funded with federal tax dollars . 
in fact , the boustany amendment could allow discrimination on practically any basis . 
those whose race , gender , or lifestyle are not aligned with a particular interpretation of faith could be prohibited from federally funded employment under the guise of preserving religious expression . 
for instance , in deciding who gets hired and fired from head start , do we really want an individual 's position on contraception or creationism to be equally as relevant as their professional qualifications ? 
head start teachers should be judged not by faith , but by teaching ability . 
that is why hundreds of faith-based and civil rights organizations are leading the fight against this discriminatory amendment . 
the boustany amendment is a poison pill that represents the worst of partisan politics . 
at a hearing held by the government reform subcommittee on criminal justice , drug policy and human resources , of which i am the ranking member , david kuo , former deputy director of the white house office of faith-based and community initiatives , testified that : `` at the same time , many members of the president 's own party expressed equal parts apathy and antipathy towards this agenda . 
money for the poor ? 
why it will just get wasted , they said ... .. 
all we really need to do is make sure that we have a huge political fight over religious charities right to hire and fire based on their own faith . 
that way republicans will be seen as fighting for religion and democrats will be seen as fighting against it . 
`it is a good fight to have , ' i heard time and again . 
a good fight for partisanship perhaps , but less good for the poor. '' his words are telling of how some in this body are using religion to divide the nation and to enact federally subsidized discrimination . 
that is most unfortunate . 
as many of my colleagues have pointed out and i will repeat for emphasis -- current law already supports the notion that faith-based organizations can use its own private funds to decide who it wants to hire on the basis of religion , they simply can not discriminate in hiring with american taxpayers ' dollars . 
discrimination with federal dollars is the real issue , not faith-based organizations providing head start services . 
faith-based organizations are and will continue to be critical partners in providing these services . 
mr. chairman , in this new century so rich with opportunities to right the wrongs of our past , let us embrace our democratic values and put the needs of our children ahead of partisan political interests . 
i encourage my colleagues to vote `` no '' on the boustany amendment , and if passed , to vote `` no '' on final passage . 
