June 22, 2015

The Honorable

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative,

On behalf of our members nationwide, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee

(CWALAC) wishes to express our support for Rep. Gary Palmer’s (R-Alabama) amendment that would

prohibit funds from being used to implement Washington D.C.’s Reproductive Health Non-

Discrimination Amendment Act (RHNDA) to H.R.5485, the Financial Services and General Government

Appropriations Act of 2017. Additionally, we wish to express our opposition to both Rep. Eleanor

Holmes Norton’s (D-District of Columbia) amendment granting D.C. budget autonomy and Rep. Alan

Grayson’s (D-Florida) amendment to strike the longstanding Smith Amendment prohibiting abortion

funding through the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).

RHNDA is an assault on our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of religion, speech, and association, as

well as a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and other federal laws. RHNDA requires an

organization to hire or retain individuals whose speech or conduct is inconsistent with the organization’s mission. It would also require organizations to subsidize elective abortions in their employee health plans.

CWALAC will score in favor of the Palmer amendment prohibiting funding to implement RHNDA

in D.C. Federal funding should not be used to infringe upon First Amendment protections in Washington,

D.C., or elsewhere.

D.C. often serves as the incubator for radical policy. Granting D.C. budget autonomy would concentrate

power in a way the founders intentionally tried to prevent. D.C. was purposefully placed under the

umbrella of federal oversight, and the Constitution grants supreme legislative authority to Congress over

the District of Columbia. For these reasons, CWALAC reserves the right to score against Rep.

Norton’s (D-District of Columbia) unconstitutional Amendment to H.R. 5485 that would strike such

authority as this initiative removes necessary, constitutionally mandated Congressional oversight.

In addition to these two amendments, CWALAC reserves the right to score against Rep. Allen

Grayson’s (D-Florida) Amendment to strike the Smith Amendment stopping abortion funding

through the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). The Smith Amendment is a

longstanding provision that makes no funds available “ to pay for abortions or administrative expenses in

connections with health plans under the FEHBP which provides any benefits or coverage for abortions.”

We urge you to oppose this language and ensure it is not added to the Financial Services and General

Government Appropriations Act of 2017.

Sincerely,

Penny Nance

President and CEO

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee