Email
Print
Text SizeFaith and Family Services Amendment Rally
Prepared Remarks of Governor Sonny Perdue
Faith and Family Services Amendment Rally
(Note: The Governor sometimes deviates from prepared remarks)
Thank you, Archbishop Gregory. It is an honor to have you here with us today, standing shoulder to shoulder in support of the good work of so many thousands of Georgians who give of their time and talents to meet the real human needs of their fellow citizens.
I thank all of you who have come here today to express support for the Faith and Family Services Amendment.
Georgians are a compassionate people, always ready to reach out and help a neighbor or a stranger in need. For many of us, that motivation to meet needs we see around us springs directly from our faith in God. We are called to serve.
I'm thankful that so many Georgians heed that call. Because in my two years as Governor, I have seen clearly that government alone cannot meet all the human needs of our citizens.
The state relies on faith-based organizations to deliver critical family and social services. In every corner of Georgia, we rely on dozens of faith-based providers to help care for children, the elderly, the homeless, the addicted, the mentally ill and all of our neediest fellow citizens.
And whether it is Safehouse Ministries or the United Methodist Church Prison Program, the Georgia Baptist Homes, Georgia AGAPE, Catholic Social Services or any of thousands of other organizations and ministries, the people of Georgia need your help.
We need your experience and resources, your volunteers and professional staff , and most importantly, your passion for service and your compassion for others.
The state needs you as partners. And that's really what the Faith and Family Services Amendment comes down to – being able to maintain those partnerships with faith-based organizations that help so many Georgians in need.
The issue we have is a clause in our Georgia Constitution that casts a cloud over the state's authority to contract with faith-based organizations to provide social services.
In the litigation climate we live in today, where people sue to take “under God” out of the Pledge of Allegiance or ban prayers at the President's Inauguration, it's just a matter of time before this provision becomes the basis of a lawsuit that could end any state partnership with your organizations.
In the past, individual state contracts with faith-based providers like the YMCA and the Salvation Army have been invalidated by the courts. That could happen at any time, with any faith-based initiative by any of your organizations.
But what I'm even more afraid of is a blanket court ruling that would strike down all state partnerships with faith-based providers. If you don't believe that can happen, you haven't been paying attention to some of the decisions our courts hand down.
A ruling like that would be a disaster for the kids who find shelter at Hephzibah Children's Home or the inmates served by Word of Faith Prison Ministries.
It would place additional hardship on the families of Alzheimer's patients who find help at the Albany Outreach Center.
It would be a devastating blow for our entire social services network in communities across the state if the state could no longer work with faith-based providers. It would undermine all of the good work you've heard about here today.
I believe Georgians in need deserve access to the best family and social services, delivered by the best providers, whomever they may be.
And I believe that folks are moved by faith to do good works, that's something we should celebrate and encourage as a state, not penalize and prohibit.
That's why I've asked Sen. Seth Harp to reintroduce the Faith & Family Services Amendment today.
We need to fix this problem so that faith-based providers have the same opportunity as anyone else to partner with the state and provide family and social services.
We can do that by simply bringing the Georgia Constitution in line with the guarantees of the U.S. Constitution.
It's a 12-word amendment that will ensure that faith-based organizations can provide those vital human services that our citizens rely on.
As you all know, there is a high bar to amending the state constitution. It has to pass both the House and the Senate by a two-thirds majority, before going on the statewide ballot to be ratified by the people.
I'm not worried about what Georgians will say. What's important now is for the people to let the General Assembly know they want the Faith and Family Services Amendment passed.
I believe they've gotten that message. In fact, I'm pleased to report that the Amendment was introduced in the Senate today with the signatures of 36 sponsors.
So I want to ask each of you to see if your state senator is on that list, and if they are thank them. If they're not, let them know how important the Faith and Family Services Amendment is for your ability to serve your community and ask them to support it.
And let your representatives in the House hear from you too.
You and the people you serve can make the case for the Faith & Family Services Amendment better than anyone else.
With your help, we'll get this amendment passed and get it to the people so that you can all get on with providing vital social services without the fear of a crippling lawsuit.
Thank you again for being here today. Thank you for all you do for our state.
May God bless each of you and your work and may God bless the great state of Georgia.