mr. chairman , i rise in opposition to the scott amendment , which seeks to strike important protections for religious organizations included in the bill . 
i am frankly appalled at the scale of the rhetoric being presented by the minority party on this issue . 
we know that many religious organizations in our hometowns and across america provide invaluable job training services in our communities . 
we must help religious organizations , whether they be churches , synagogues , or mosques , maintain their integrity while continuing to provide these vital services to those in need . 
this debate is about whether a religious organization should have the ability to select employees who share common values and sense of purpose . 
this is not saying that they will not hire people of other religions but we will not force them to do so . 
this is a vital criterion for all organizations , especially religious ones . 
a secular group , such as planned parenthood or the sierra club , that receives government money , is currently free to hire based on their ideology and mission but still use federal funds in accordance with the terms of the program . 
how can we allow this for groups such as these and not allow it for groups that are religious by nature ? 
others who oppose these hiring protections for religious organizations talk about discrimination . 
the only discrimination that would take place here is if we do not include these protections . 
without them we would be discriminating against religious organizations just because they are religious . 
religious organizations should be allowed to apply for the same amount of government money for services they provide that nonreligious organizations do . 
if we deny them these protections , many of them would have to compromise their missions or not apply at all for assistance in implementing these services . 
the real question here should be , do we want to be telling religious organizations whom they can hire and can not hire ? 
no . 
nowhere in the civil rights act of 1964 does it state that a faith-based organization loses its rights if it accepts federal funds . 
our nation was founded by those fleeing religious persecution and seeking religious freedom . 
for us to forget that and to place restrictions of this sort on our churches is contrary to the very foundation of this great nation . 
i implore each and every one of my colleagues to take a long hard work at what message we would be sending to oppressed people across the globe if we do not include these important protections for religious organizations . 
if we approve this amendment , we could be seriously damaging the integrity and mission of these faith-based institutions that only seek to serve our communities . 
i urge the members to oppose this amendment and support these important protections for religious organizations that want to provide job training services to our communities . 
