March 17, 2015

Senator Mike Enzi 379A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Senator Mike Lee 316 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senators Enzi and Lee:

We, the undersigned, representing hundreds of thousands of Americans, want to thank you for your leadership in reintroducing two key pieces of legislation designed to ensure that charities, non- profits, and small business owners with religious beliefs or moral convictions about marriage are not penalized by the government for their beliefs.

The Marriage and Religious Freedom Act would prevent the federal government from discriminating in programs, grants, contracts, and tax treatment against individuals who believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Such protections are urgently needed in light of new federal agency conditions requiring endorsement of same-sex relationships in order to compete for certain federal grants. In addition, the President’s problematic July 2014 Executive Order jeopardizing the ability of businesses and faith-based organizations that contract with the federal government to hire and administer programs according to their religious beliefs is deeply troubling. The government should not deem longstanding providers of important public services ineligible to compete for federal funding simply because of their beliefs about marriage. This bill would stop these harmful and arbitrary government penalties.

Similarly, S. 667, the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, would ensure that faith-based adoption and foster care providers working with birth moms, parents, and community stakeholders to serve needy children can continue to provide services in their respective locales. S.667 would address discriminatory actions like those taken by Illinois, Massachusetts, D.C. and San Francisco to force faith-based providers to halt services simply because of their belief that kids do best with a mom and a dad. Indeed, the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act reflects its name—it ensures the inclusion of all providers and particularly those faith-based entities who have offered the bulk of orphan care since our nation’s founding. States that choose to discriminate against faith-based organizations despite this bill’s prohibition would face a reduction in federal funding under this bill, an important deterrent to future targeting.

We as individuals and organizations wish to remain active participants in and contributors to our communities. These bills ensure that we can continue to do so while also living in accordance with our beliefs about marriage and the family. Significantly, an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that we should have this freedom. Just last month, new polling from WPA Opinion Research and Family Research Council showed that 81% of Americans believe that individuals like us should be able to live and work in accordance with our belief in marriage as between a man and a woman.

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While Americans in general continue to debate the meaning of marriage in the lead up to Supreme Court review of state marriage laws this spring, one thing is clear: millions of Americans who continue to affirm the historic understanding of marriage should remain free from government discrimination.

Again, we thank you for your leadership in introducing and advocating for this important legislation.

Sincerely,

Tony Perkins Most Reverend Thomas Wenski President Archbishop of Miami Family Research Council Chairman, USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development Gary L. Bauer President Most Reverend William E. Lori American Values Archbishop of Baltimore Chairman, USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious David Stevens, MD, MA (Ethics) Liberty CEO Christian Medical Association Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone Archbishop of San Francisco Tom Minnery Chairman, USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and President and CEO Defense of Marriage CitizenLink Russell D. Moore Richard A. Viguerie President Chairman Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission ConservativeHQ.com Penny Nance Mathew Staver President and CEO Founder and Chairman Concerned Women for America Liberty Counsel Legislative Action Committee

Brian S. Brown Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr. President Chairman National Organization for Marriage High Impact Leadership Coalition

Michael A. Needham Star Parker CEO President Heritage Action Center for Urban Renewal and Education

Dr. Ron Crews Carrie Gordon Earll CH (COL) USAR Retired Vice President, Government and Public Policy Executive Director Focus on the Family Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty

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Rick Scarborough Colin A. Hanna President President, Let Freedom Ring Vision America Action Co-Chair, The Weyrich Lunch

Keith Wiebe Curt Levey President President American Association of Christian Schools The Committee for Justice

Thomas J. Cathey, EdD Nicole Theis Director for Legal Legislative Issues President Association of Christian Schools International Delaware Family Policy Council

Dan Weber David Fowler CEO President Association of Mature American Citizens Family Action of Tennessee, Inc.

Joel Grewe Dale Bartscher Director Executive Director Generation Joshua Family Heritage Alliance Action (SD)

Susan A. Carleson Julie Lynde Chairman/CEO Executive Director American Civil Rights Union Cornerstone Family Council, Idaho

Andrea Lafferty Phil Burress President President Traditional Values Coalition Citizens for Community Values Action

William J. Murray Allen Whitt Chairman President Religious Freedom Coalition Family Policy Council of West Virginia

Austin Ruse Jim Minnery President President C-FAM Alaska Family Action

Elaine Donnelly John Helmberger President CEO Center for Military Readiness Minnesota Family Council

C. Preston Noell III Kent Ostrander President Executive Director Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. The Family Foundation (KY)

Robert Knight Michael Geer Senior Fellow President American Civil Rights Union Pennsylvania Family Institute

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Peter Wolfgang President Family Institute of Connecticut Action

Rev. Jason J. McGuire Executive Director New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms

Joe Ortwerth Executive Director Missouri Family Policy Council

Gene Mills President Louisiana Family Forum

Andrew Beckwith President Massachusetts Family Institute

Jonathan Saenz President Texas Values

Len Deo Founder & President New Jersey Family Policy Council

Jonathan Gardner Executive Director New Mexico Center for Family Policy

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