House Passes Bill To Allow FEMA Aid To Houses of Worship Damaged In Hurricane Sandy

As reported by the Huffington Post, by a vote of 354-72 yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 592, the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act.  The bill, which now goes to the Senate for consideration, adds houses of worship to the list of types of private non-profit facilities eligible for federal disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The change is aimed at assisting houses of worship in the Northeast that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Americans United and the ACLU opposed the bill on church-state separation grounds.