AFA of PA ACTION ALERT     

February 9, 2009

Senator Specter Says He Will Side With Democrats on “Spendulus” Package

On Friday Senator Arlen Specter joined Republican Susan Collins (Maine) as the only two Republicans siding with the Democrats on the ‘Stimulus” bill. This move gives the Democrats the 60 votes they needed to move the bill forward. 

The anti-Christian components remain in the bill as an amendment to remove this clause offered by South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint failed.

Section 803 of the bill (p. 157), “Higher Education Modernization, Renovation and Repair”, establishes a multi-billion dollar grant program to renovate and repair public and private colleges and universities. The Senate Committee Report allocates $3.5 billion for this grant program (p. 65). Hidden within Section 803, on page 164 of the bill is a limitation on these funds which prohibits the money from being on facilities that are used for “sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission.”

·         This prohibition is very broad and extremely ambiguous. It would prohibit religious student groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or the Catholic Students Association, and community churches from using any facility that is renovated using these funds, even if they are currently permitted to use them. Institutions of higher education would have to choose between kicking these groups out and turning down tens of millions in federal funds.

The final vote is expected today.

If concerned, these are the steps you can take: 

1.)  E-mail Senator Casey using the web form: casey.senate.gov/contact/ and then call his D.C. office at (202) 224-6324 or the district office nearest you. 

Senator Casey’s district offices:

·        Harrisburg Toll Free: (866) 461-9159

·         Philadelphia (215) 405-9660

·        Pittsburgh (412) 803-7370

·        Scranton (570) 941-0930

·        Erie (814) 874-5080

·        Bellefonte (814) 357-0314

·        Allentown (610) 782-9470

            2.)   E-mail Senator Specter using the web form:     http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm 

And then call his D.C. office at (202) 224-4254 or the his district office nearest you. 

•  Philadelphia (215) 597-7200
• Pittsburgh (412) 644-3400
• Harrisburg (717) 782-3951
• Scranton (570) 346-2006
• Allentown (610) 434-1444
• Erie (814) 453-3010
• Wilkes Barre (570) 826 6265