§300x–65 Services Provided by Nongovernmental Organizations

Summary

Stops governments from denying federal substance-abuse money to private groups or people because of religion, and lets religious groups take those funds without losing their religious identity. States may hire or give grants to private groups, including churches and other faith-based groups, so long as the program does not break the First Amendment rule against government favoring a religion. Religious groups keep control over their beliefs and how they practice them. Governments cannot force them to change their internal rules or remove religious symbols to get money. People getting services must be told about their rights. If someone objects to a provider’s religious character, the government must, within a reasonable time, give that person a nearby alternative provider whose services are at least equal in value. Religious providers may require staff who work on the program to follow rules against drug or alcohol use, and their usual religious hiring exemptions stay the same. Religious groups must follow the same accounting rules as other private groups, keep government funds in a separate account, and only those government funds can be audited. No government grant money may pay for worship, religious teaching, or trying to convert people. If state or local money is mixed with federal money, the same rules apply. A middleman group that selects providers under a government contract must follow these duties too but keeps its other rights as a private group. Anyone whose rights are violated can sue in federal or state court to stop the violation.