TheWeekInCongress.com
Week Ending June 4, 2004
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
The President directs three more agencies to improve accommodating
the process through which faith based and community organization seek federal grants.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13342 Responsibilities of the Departments of Commerce
and Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration With Respect
to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
BRIEF
The President, through this Executive Order, (EO) expands to three more agencies his effort to improve the opportunities for faith-based and other community organizations to participate in the process of applying for and winning grants and other opportunities to do the business of the government. Agencies are expected to search for and remove “regulatory, contracting and other programmatic obstacles that would limit F-B&CO participation in the grant process.
Cost to the taxpayer: The Order appears to expect the agencies to accommodate the Faith-Based and Community organizations needs through existing budget resources.
MORE INFORMATION
The President puts forth that the Executive Order is intended to “help the Federal Government coordinate a
national effort to expand opportunities for faith-based and other community organizations and to strengthen
their capacity to better meet America's social and community needs."
To accomplish the intentions he directs the Secretaries of Commerce and Veteran’s Affairs and the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish in their agencies, Centers for Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives.
Each Center shall be supervised by a Director, appointed by the agency head in consultation with the
White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. (OFBCI)
Each agency shall provide its Center with appropriate staff, administrative support, and other resources to meet
its responsibilities.
Each Center shall begin operations no later than 45 days from the date of the EO.
The purpose of the agency Centers will be to coordinate agency efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and
other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith based and other community organizations in the providing
social and community services.
Each Center shall, to the extent permitted by law:
1. conduct, in coordination with the White House OFBCI, an agency-wide audit to identify all existing barriers
to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social and community
services by the agency, including but not limited to regulations, rules, orders, procurement, and other internal
policies and practices, and outreach activities that either facially discriminate against or otherwise discourage or
disadvantage the participation of faith-based and other community organizations,
2. coordinate a comprehensive agency effort to incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in
agency programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible;
3. propose initiatives to remove barriers identified including but not limited to reform of regulations, procurement,
and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities;
4. propose the development of innovative pilot and demonstration programs to increase the participation of
faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives.
5. develop and coordinate agency outreach efforts to disseminate information more effectively to faith-based and
other community organizations with respect to programming changes, contracting opportunities, and other agency
initiatives, including but not limited to Web and Internet resources.
In 180 days the Secretaries and the Administrator shall submit a report to the President that includes a description
of the agency's efforts in carrying out its responsibilities under the order, including but not limited to:
1. a comprehensive analysis of the barriers to the full participation of
faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social and
community services identified and the proposed strategies to eliminate those barriers; and
2. a summary of the technical assistance and other information that
will be available to faith-based and other community organizations
regarding the program activities of the agency and the preparation of
applications or proposals for grants, cooperative agreements, contracts,
and procurement.
The first report shall include annual performance indicators and measurable objectives for agency action. Each
report filed thereafter shall measure the agency's performance against the objectives set forth in the initial report.
An employee in each of the agencies will serve as the point of contact with the White House.
The agency actions directed by this executive order shall be carried out subject to the availability of appropriations
and to the extent permitted by law. ## All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in any form without written permission from
TheWeekInCongress.com