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January 11, 2002/27 Tevet 5762, Vol. 54, No. 17
Jewish groups hope for action in new congressional session
SHARON SAMBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - For all the talk of bipartisanship and change, the U.S. Congress ended the year much the same way as it began - sharply divided and unable to agree on major legislative issues.
Now, as issues unrelated to terrorism - which were nearly wiped off the congressional calendar after Sept. 11 -slowly make their way back on the nation's radar screen, Jewish activists are hoping to see more action when Congress returns to the Capitol on Jan. 23.
But those issues - from funding for religious groups to religious accommodation in the workplace - will be looked at through a different lens, as the greatest terrorist attack on U.S. soil continues to spur a reassessment of responsibilities and priorities.
"We keep reanalyzing where we are," said Reva Price, Washington representative for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. "Money spent on anti-terrorism issues means a constant reevaluation of other needs."
At the same time, many of these issues could continue to take a back seat given the growing problems of the economy, the effects of President Bush's tax cut and the inability of lawmakers to agree on an economic stimulus package.
In addition, campaigning for November's elections will begin during the summer, leaving only several months of full-time work on Capitol Hill.
The debate about anti-terrorism legislation, which passed quickly through Congress, is likely to resurface as other related bills make their way through Congress this year.
Jewish groups by and large backed the legislation, even as they worried about the balance between security needs and civil rights.
One major accomplishment of the last congressional session that drew approval from the organized Jewish community was the passage of the education overhaul bill, which stressed accountability for schools but left out the controversial issue of vouchers.
Jewish groups are divided on vouchers. Most organizations say vouchers, which provide government funds for students to attend parochial or private schools, violate church-state separation and drain money away from the public school system.
Other issues that lawmakers could not finalize in 2001 include:
- The Workplace Religious Freedom Act, which would strengthen provisions for religious accommodation, is in a stronger position now, according to Nathan Diament, director of the Orthodox Union's Institute for Public Affairs.
- Energy legislation, where reducing America's dependence on foreign oil is a major point of consensus but how to go about doing it is not. Most Jewish groups are opposed to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling.
And pro-Israel activists are also pushing measures related to Israel.
They hope to capitalize on the pro-Israel feelings expressed by lawmakers last year following terrorist attacks against the Jewish state.
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