mr. chairman , i rise in support of the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia , mr. scott . 
as written , the underlying bill will make it legal for faith-based organizations that receive federal funds and run job-training programs to discriminate in their hiring practices . 
throughout my life , i have fought against discrimination wherever it is practiced in our social , cultural , political and economic life . 
the language contained in this bill goes against that core principle . 
the president and i have our disagreements , but the one concern we do share is that sunday is generally regarded as the most segregated day of the week . 
the bill before us today encourages faith-based organizations to practice discrimination within their employment practices with federal funds during the workday week . 
i support the work of our religious institutions in sponsoring federal programs and delivering vital social and employment programs to our communities . 
i first sought elected office by the grace of our god and at the urging of my church . 
but supporters of this bill contend if you do not allow religious organizations to hire members of their own faith , we are denying religious institutions from participating in federal programs that deliver needed services to our local communities . 
in other words , they argue we are practicing religious bigotry . 
nothing can be further from the truth . 
in fact , i would suggest that this movement is reminiscent of the days of school desegregation when many parents withdrew their children from public school so they could attend so-called christian academies for the purpose learning . 
why does the federal government want to encourage that kind of action ? 
this bill does just that . 
i urge my colleagues to vote `` no . '' 