WASHINGTON — Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng wasted no time making her mark on Capitol Hill, as legislation the freshman lawmaker first introduced to close a gap in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts passed the House Wednesday.
An updated version of the bill Meng penned would allow funding from the $50.4 billion Sandy federal aid package to be allocated to houses of worship. The measure has not passed the Senate.
Meng, who has been in Congress for just six weeks and sits in the House’s Democratic minority, said many houses of worship in flood-ravaged areas provided assistance to local residents, but as religious institutions are legally unable to receive reconstruction grants for nonprofits.
“They’re continuing to suffer, and we want to make sure they’re taken care of,” said Meng, who previously served in the state Assembly.
The bill passed 354-72 despite opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued that it flouts the First Amendment ban on government support for religious worship.
A Democratic aide said that majority Republicans “saw a good idea in her bill” and shepherded it to passage in “a great win for Grace.”
It was not an easy victory, but it gave Meng an early opportunity to show she is a lawmaker who can work with colleagues from across the aisle.
Meng first offered her bill as one of 92 proposed amendments to the long-delayed $50.4 billion supplemental Sandy aid package the House passed on Jan. 15. But it was not one of just a dozen amendments that were selected to advance to the floor.
But with a little Republican help, Meng’s legislative concept made it to the floor in bill form — and it did so quickly.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) authored a new version of essentially the same bill, and Meng served as a co-sponsor, as did Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) and others.
On Wednesday, Meng sat quietly during a vote that spanned 15 minutes, watching as a screen above the Speaker’s chair tallied up those in favor, and those opposed.
“It’s very exciting,” Meng said afterward. “It’s been six weeks and I’m very thankful to leadership on both sides that we were able to pass this bill.”
An aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said her office is “actively working to pass the House bill in the Senate.”
A fellow co-sponsor, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-Bronx), said the bill seeks to promote fair treatment of nonprofits that were affected by disaster.
“If there’s a church next to a museum, why should we help the museum and let the church fend for itself?” Engel questioned.
Rabbi Marjorie Slome of West End Temple in the Rockaways, which was gutted by the storm, said rebuilding costs will far exceed the $1 million flood insurance policy the congregation had taken out on the building.
Slome said she was “relieved” by Wednesday’s vote, adding that her longing for the measure to become law does not contradict her belief in the principle of separation of church and state.
“But if my synagogue’s on fire, the fire department’s going to come and put it out,” Slome said. “This is really no different than a fire.”
jstraw@nydailynews.com
To post your comments, please, Sign in » . X