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May 15, 2008

Fla. Residents Will Vote on Government Money for Religious Programs

Voters in Florida will decide this fall whether to repeal a law prohibiting public dollars for so-called faith-based programs and groups, reports The Washington Post.

The Blaine Amendment, which exists in 36 states besides Florida, does not allow religiously affiliated groups to receive government money. A citizen panel in Florida, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, has voted to include a measure on the November ballot stating that “individuals or entities may not be barred from participating in public programs because of their religion.”

Patricia Levesque, the panel member who led support for the measure, cited a 2004 court decision that blocked then-Gov. Jeb Bush’s voucher program, which would have used government money to allow students in failing public schools to enroll in parochial and private schools.

But opponents of the measure say that faith-based groups that provide secular social services in a nondiscriminatory way are not affected by the Blaine Amendment or the 2004 court decision.

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