US Labor Department isuues final rule extending religious liberty protection to participants in federally funded job training, social service programs

"The U.S. Department of Labor and eight other federal agencies today published a final rule that will provide new religious liberty protections for beneficiaries of federally funded social service programs, while also adding new protections for the ability of religious providers to compete for government funds on the same basis as any other private organization.

The final rule provides that a beneficiary who participates in a domestic job training or other social service program offered by a faith-based organization funded by direct federal financial assistance must be notified in writing that they cannot be discriminated against based on religion. They also cannot be required to attend or participate in any privately funded religious activities offered separate from this federally funded program and may request an alternative provider, if the beneficiary objects to the religious character of the organization.

The final rule also requires that all decisions about federal financial assistance be based solely on merit, without regard to an organization’s religious affiliation or lack of affiliation. The regulations, published after public notice and comment, formally implement Executive Order 13559..."
Religions liberty protection

The Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program
"As mandated in the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program Act, we examined United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations, published in November 2008, designed to decrease benefit fraud. We concluded that USCIS has taken steps that can reasonably be expected to reduce fraud in special immigrant nonminister petitions, but that it is not possible to determine the exact amount of fraud reduction attributable to the new regulations.

Adjudicators find nonminister petitions challenging, but the regulation has provided important tools, like an attestation requirement for petitioning organizations, to help identify fraudulent cases. Adjudicators said that the new process provides effective fraud deterrence.

USCIS managers said that more subtle fraud is expected to persist. We are making 5 recommendations to facilitate enhancements to the existing regulatory scheme..."

Enforcing Religious Freedom in Prisons.
U.S. Commission on Civil Right,Sept. 2008
CR1.2:R 27/4/CD
"This report focuses on the government’s efforts to enforce federal civil rights laws
prohibiting religious discrimination in the administration and management of federal and state prisons. Prisoners in federal and state institutions retain certain religious exercise rights under the Constitution and statutes including the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), and the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). Many states have similar provisions in their state constitutions and in state law modeled on RFRA. These rights must be balanced with the legitimate concerns of prison officials, including cost, staffing, and, most importantly,
prison safety and security. Reconciling these rights and concerns can be a significant challenge for penal institutions, as well as the courts..."

EEOC ISSUES COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE ON RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
"The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued a new Compliance Manual Section regarding workplace discrimination on the basis of religion.

The Section includes a comprehensive review of the relevant provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the EEOC’s policies regarding religious discrimination, harassment and accommodation. The EEOC also issued a companion question-and-answer fact sheet and best practices booklet. All three documents are available on the agency’s web site at www.eeoc.gov."