After weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved a bill that would radically change the way Head Start programs are administrated and allow for religiously based job bias.

By a 217-216 vote in the early morning hours of July 25, the House passed H.R.2210 after rejecting an attempt to remove a controversial provision that permits religious groups operating Head Start centers to hire people based on their religion.

The House bill, dubbed the “School Readiness Act of 2003,” would allow religious groups that run Head Start programs to reject job applicants who fail to meet religious criteria and to fire staff members who do not conform to religious doctrine or conduct.

The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, deplored the House’s action.

“The House has just passed a terribly flawed bill,” said Lynn. “There is no justification for allowing employment discrimination in federally funded programs. This advances the Bush administration’s ‘faith-based’ initiative at the expense of civil rights and civil liberties.

“Religious leaders from a broad array of faith communities have expressed opposition to publicly funded religious discrimination,” added Lynn. “Representatives of President Bush’s own Methodist denomination have come out against this. We must not allow Congress to roll back our constitutional protections.”

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to strip the hiring discrimination provision from the “School Readiness Act.” But that amendment was defeated by a 231-199 vote before the House went on to approve the bill.

AU’s Lynn urged the Senate to defeat the House’s proposed changes to Head Start, which is designed to provide poor families with education and health-care assistance for their youngsters.

“We hope the Senate defeats this ill-conceived change to Head Start,” Lynn said.

Do you think this is fair? This would mean someone like myself or my girlfriend who has a degree in child psycology among other things, might not get a job based on our religious belief!!