Rachel Anderson and Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies
A unique public health crisis requires compassion, care, and resilience from all sectors of society. Religious communities have sprung into action, sustaining social ties in a time of social distance and caring for those most at risk of homelessness, food insecurity, and isolation. These same religious communities and faith-based institutions will need support now and as the crisis persists. As Congress and the Administration undertakes emergency measures, it should take care to safeguard the sacred sector, attending to both faith-based organizations and their employees. CPJ recommends all emergency policies do the following:
Empower faith-based organizations to contribute to the social safety net while preserving their religious freedom, enabling funds to flow to faith-based organizations without restrictions that limit their religious freedom.
Mitigate expected economic hardship for faith-based organizations as well as their employees by rapidly reimbursing employers for mandated sick and family leave payments. The unemployment insurance safety net should be expanded so that groups excluded from coverage - clergy, employees of religious organizations as well as gig-economy and contingent workers - are included.
Incentivize charitable giving in this time of economic and social crisis. Congress should enact a universal charitable deduction that gives a deduction on taxes owed to all taxpayers who contribute to the charitable sector.
The COVID-19 crisis presents our nation with not a sprint, but a marathon. Public policy responses must respond to urgent needs while protecting those institutions -- including religious communities, faith-based charities, and the family -- that help keep our society strong.