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AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs over rules he says discriminate against religious groups.
The state housing agency oversees several programs related to affordable housing and combating homelessness. They also help distribute state and federal funding for these programs. Under their rules, funds received for homelessness programs cannot be used for religious activities.
Paxton said these rules are unconstitutional and require a religious organization to “alter or abandon core elements of its faith.”
What they’re saying:
“State agencies have no authority to force Christians and other religious organizations to censor their beliefs just to serve their communities,” Paxton said. “Constitutionally protected religious liberty must be upheld in Texas and across the country. These TDHCA’s provisions within certain programs, which deter funding from going towards churches and religious organizations, must be struck down.”
The agency administers programs such as the Emergency Solutions Grant, Housing Stability Services program and the Bootstrap Loan program. While none of these programs specifically prohibit religious organizations from applying, they state the funds cannot be used for “explicitly religious activities such as worship, religious instruction or proselytization.”
The lawsuit states these conditions are unconstitutional “because they condition participation in a government benefit on theological choices about worship, instruction, or proselytization, and they impermissibly compel governmental oversight into theological decisions.”
Paxton said in a release that he was “committed to striking down any provisions that would undermine religious liberty and take away federal and state funding opportunities based on religious views.”
Paxton sues to block university work-study programs
The lawsuit is the second this month that targets a state agency for its religious policies.
Paxton sued the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Nov. 12 over the Texas College Work-Study Program, the WORKS internship program and other programs that require employers to provide the student with employment that is “nonpartisan and nonsectarian.”
What they’re saying:
“These anti-Christian laws targeting religious students must be completely wiped off the books,” Paxton said of the programs. “Our nation was built by patriotic Americans who had the freedom to express their religious beliefs without fear of being targeted, and we will honor that heritage by upholding the First Amendment in Texas.”
The Source: Information in this article comes from a release from Attorney General Ken Paxton. Information about the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs comes from the agency’s website.