FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2020 Family Policy Alliance Applauds Female Athletes’ Letter to NCAA The letter, signed by over 300 athletes, calls on the NCAA to keep its events in Idaho following new law to protect female athletes COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado— Family Policy Alliance, a national pro-family ministry, applauds the inspiring female athletes who today sent a letter to the NCAA in support of Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The newly signed law requires that girls’ sports be reserved for biological girls, a provision that ensures female athletes have fair and equal opportunity at athletic titles, scholarships, and other elite opportunities. While the ACLU and its allies have pressured the NCAA to ban its events in Idaho because of the law, today’s letter sends a strong message that female athletes want these protections and would support the NCAA in a decision to continue its events in the state. Family Policy Alliance recently organized its own letter to the NCAA signed by thousands of individuals – both athletes and concerned citizens – urging the NCAA not to bow to the ACLU’s bullying demands. More broadly, Family Policy Alliance has led the charge to Save Girls’ Sports in Idaho and beyond, including playing a key role in the passage of Idaho’s new law. The organization has garnered thousands of signatures on a separate petition asking state leaders to follow Idaho’s lead in passing laws that Save Girls’ Sports. Family Policy Alliance plans to promote similar legislative efforts in additional states. Family Policy Alliance thanks Alliance Defending Freedom and Save Women’s Sports for their work gathering signatures for this letter, and hopes that the NCAA will respond by continuing its events in Idaho. No matter what, Family Policy Alliance will continue to stand for female athletes in Idaho and beyond. Media Contact: Robert Noland, (719) 308-2822, Media@FamilyPolicyAlliance.com ### Family Policy Alliance works to advance biblical citizenship and promote good public policy that protects religious freedom, families, and life.

For Immediate Release
June 30, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court Espinoza Decision a Win for Children

Family Policy Alliance praised the decision as an example of government working for families

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado—In today’s Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court supported the freedom of parents to choose the best education for their children, including education in private, faith-based schools. Family Policy Alliance praised the decision as a win for parents, religious freedom, and—most importantly—for children.

Autumn Leva, Vice President of Strategy for Family Policy Alliance, explained why the decision is a win: “We believe that children win when their parents can choose the best education for each child, and that no government should place limitations on a child’s future because of her zip code or her family’s income.”

In 2015, the state of Montana passed into law a tax-credit scholarship program designed to help low-income families, especially single mothers, send their children to the best schools for them—including private faith-based schools. The law was originally authored by Montana Family Foundation.

Then the Montana Department of Revenue issued a rule declaring that children receiving the scholarships could not use them at faith-based schools. Three mothers who believed their children would be better off at faith-based schools filed a lawsuit in response.

Sadly, the Montana Supreme Court issued an opinion in 2018, stating that it believed Montana’s Constitution allows the state government to discriminate against faith-based schools based on a provision historically used to prohibit government funds from going to faith-based schools (also known as a “Blaine Amendment”), and it struck down Montana’s good scholarship program.

Many states have discriminatory “Blaine Amendments” in their Constitutions. These Amendments arose in the 1870’s as a way to keep Catholic influence out of the largely Protestant public schools during a time of high anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant bias in America. Blaine Amendments are old dinosaurs in the law based on interdenominational conflicts that should go extinct.

As the conflict over Montana’s scholarship program reached the Supreme Court, Jeff Laszloffy, who serves as President of the Montana Family Foundation representing family values in the state, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case defending the law on behalf of Montana’s families.

Family Policy Alliance and the state family policy councils also rallied state lawmakers to file another friend-of-the-court brief in the case, showing a strong state support for advancing school choice. Many state lawmakers who are alumni of Family Policy Foundation’s Statesmen Academy signed onto this brief. Justice Alito referenced both briefs by Montana Family Foundation and the state lawmakers in his concurring opinion supporting education choice for families.

Jeff Laszloffy said that the decision today helps more children than just those in Montana: “This decision was a huge victory for Montana kids and clears the way for Montana to join 42 other states that allow students the freedom to choose a school that fits them best.”

President Trump, who supports school choice for children as a civil rights issue, also issued a statement today in support of the Court’s decision, saying “no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing school.”

The Supreme Court declared that families in Montana should be free to choose the education that best suits their children—including in faith-based schools, that the old Blaine Amendment used to invalidate the scholarship program is bigoted and discriminatory, and that faith-based schools can’t be disqualified from a school choice program just because they are faith-based.

Leva concluded: “Today’s decision is a celebration of how children are the real winners when elected leaders at all levels and every branch of government use the power given to them by the people to work for the people and the values we hold dear.”

Media Contact:

Robert Noland, (719) 308-2822, Media@FamilyPolicyAlliance.com

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Family Policy Alliance works to advance biblical citizenship and promote good public policy that protects religious freedom, families, and life.