Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Chairman, since the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, our Nation has moved inexorably toward the elimination of all forms of discrimination in government contracting and in the private sector. This bill rolls back that commitment that would enshrine the principle of religious discrimination in one of our most important job training programs at a time when many Americans are losing their jobs and need the help these programs offer.

Members on the other sides of the aisle say that this would roll back the ability of churches and synagogues to discriminate on the basis of religion now. Nonsense. They can discriminate. No one tells the Catholic Church they have to hire women priests. No one tells the Catholic Church or any other church or synagogue they have to hire a janitor of a different religion. Nor would this amendment. What this says is that with Federal funds, they cannot discriminate. With their own funds they still can.

President Reagan, who signed the original version of this legislation 23 years ago, did not think it was necessary to allow employment discrimination with Federal funds. No one should ever be told that they cannot hold a job simply because they profess the wrong faith. And why is this necessary? Are religiously affiliated charities unable to participate in federally social services programs? Is there a single Member of this House who has not held secure government funds for such programs? For Catholic Charities? The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies? The Jewish Federation, and countless others? We all get these funds. That is no secret.

The only thing required of these organizations is that they play by the same rules as everyone else. They cannot make professing religious faith a precondition of receiving social services paid for with the taxpayers' dollars, and they cannot discriminate in employment when those jobs are paid for with taxpayers' dollars.

We have all heard about the bad old days when signs hung in windows: ``No Catholics need apply,'' ``No Jews need apply. Fill in one's favorite denomination. That is wrong. People of every faith pay their taxes, and we have no right to deny them employment paid for by those taxes.

It is wrong. It is unAmerican. It is immoral. It is unnecessary, and it is unprecedented.

These are the armies of compassion. Religious discrimination with taxpayers' dollars is not compassionate. I urge support for the amendment.