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Written by Adelle M. Banks
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Thursday, 23 December 2010 18:30 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. (RNS) — President Barack Obama signed an executive order Nov. 17 that reforms the White House’s faith-based office in a bid to improve transparency and clarify rules for religious groups that receive federal grants.
The nine-page order reflects numerous recommendations made more than six months ago by a blue-ribbon advisory council charged with streamlining and reforming the office created under former President George W. Bush.
“The recommendations that they’ve put forth make really concrete and tangible improvements to the government’s relationship with faith-based organizations,” said Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
The executive order, however, does not address controversial questions of whether grant recipients can hire and fire based on religion. Administration officials have said those questions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Obama’s order implements most of the dozen reform recommendations crafted by the council’s task force on internal reform, which included a former Bush administration staffer and church-state separationists.
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