On Feb.18, staff from Michigan Catholic Conference and St. Vincent Catholic Charities in Lansing testified in support of measures that ensure faith-based child placement agencies are able to continue operating in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs. MCC issued the following statement after the hearing in the House Families, Children, and Seniors Committee on House Bills 4188-4190:
"Supporting diversity in child placement protects the presence of faith-based entities, which in turns guarantees more placements and moves more children out of the foster care system. This legislation puts children first and solidifies a public/private partnership that has been in practice now for decades ... The State of Michigan has worked aggressively in recent years to strengthen its partnership with faith-based agencies in order to move more children out of foster care. This is good public policy for those who believe in diversity in child placement and having tolerance toward differing religious beliefs and cultures."
No vote was taken in the committee this week on the measures, which are sponsored by Representatives Andrea LaFontaine (R-Columbus Township), Harvey Santana (D-Detroit) and Eric Leutheuser (R-Hillsdale). Further action is expected in the coming weeks.
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