A legislative panel on Tuesday advanced the Arkansas Department of Public Safety’s request for $500,000 to help “nonprofit ideology-based/spiritual/religious entities” enhance security measures, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
In other words: Arkansas’s Republican-controlled government is developing a bold plan to transfer money directly from state to church.
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The Arkansas Legislative Council’s Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee recommended that the full legislative council approve the $500,000 in state restricted reserve funds, which the Department of Public Safety says will be spent on “Right to Worship Safely” grants to various religious entities. These grants will fund physical security measures to prevent and respond to “terrorist threats and extremist attacks.”
The panel recommended approval of the funds despite the Department of Public Safety, by its own admission, having “no parameters” in place for the size of the grants or determining which entities will receive grants.
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Col. Mike Hagar of the Arkansas State Police is secretary of the department. Hagar told the legislative panel that the department doesn’t “know what to expect” because the program is new and that the department does not know whether they will “receive five or 500” grant applications.
Last month, department official Karen Perry told the legislature that the purported need for these grants stems from Gov. Sarah Sanders’ promise “to aid the Jewish community during the recent rise of antisemitic rhetoric crime.”
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Despite “antisemitic rhetoric” not actually being a crime under the First Amendment or the Arkansas Constitution, this framing suggests that most funds will likely wind up going to synagogues or other Jewish worship centers. But with no rules in place for the program, who knows?
And considering Hagar recently testified at the Capitol in favor of increased government secrecy on how taxpayer money is spent, it’s natural to worry this program might not be the most constitutional play. Hagar testified in favor of concealing the governor’s travel and security expenses and details from public disclosure — not just on a temporary basis, but forever. Should we trust him to determine which religion to favor with these new funds?
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The grants will be awarded by an eight-person committee, according to Hagar. The program is scheduled to begin accepting applications on Jan. 1. Hagar did not say if or when the department plans to come up with any kind of written, concrete guidelines for disbursing the money or ensuring that it’s used for its intended purposes.
The grant program sounds like an especially good deal for churches, which pay no taxes but now can tap taxpayer funds to pay for security guards, motion sensors and the like. Come to think of it, some Arkansas churches are suddenly in line for plenty of other state money thanks to Sanders’ new program to send thousands of dollars in education vouchers to any family who wants to forgo public schools in favor of church, private or home schools.
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December 13, 2023 at 09:20PM
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Money to flow to church from state under proposed security grant program - Arkansas Times
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