Published December 23, 2024
On December 23, 2024, EPPC scholar Natalie Dodson submitted a public comment on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service’s notice, which includes an expansive nondiscrimination policy.
As Ms. Dodson explained:
The notice provides no explanation or sources for its “Non-Discrimination Policy,” nor does the agency explain how the policy fits into the existing conservation programs. In the absence of an explanation, I am concerned that these requirements will be interpreted in unlawful and harmful ways. Furthermore, the Department fails to address the broad constitutional and statutory protections for religious “employees[] [or] institutions” participating in the services described in the notice.
Ms. Dodson urged the Department to clarify the scope of its nondiscrimination requirements, ensure such requirements are consistent with the law, and acknowledge constitutional and statutory protections for religious employees and organizations.
Natalie Dodson is a Policy Analyst at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where she works on a range of initiatives focusing on sexuality, gender ideology, religious liberty, healthcare rights of conscience, abortion, and nondiscrimination in EPPC’s Administrative State Accountability Project (ASAP).
