WASHINGTON — For all the talk of bipartisanship and change, Congress ended the year much the same way as it began — sharply divided and unable to agree on major legislative issues.
Now, as issues unrelated to terrorism, which were nearly wiped off the congressional calendar after Sept. 11, slowly make their way back on the nation’s radar screen, Jewish activists are hoping to see more action when Congress returns to the Capitol on Jan. 23.
But those issues — from funding for religious groups to religious accommodation in the workplace — will be looked at through a different lens, as the greatest terrorist attack on U.S. soil continues to spur a reassessment of responsibilities and priorities.
The debate about antiterrorism legislation, which passed quickly through both houses, is likely to resurface as other related bills make their way through Congress this year.
Jewish groups by and large backed the legislation, even as they worried about the balance between security needs and civil rights.
“We supported the bill because there was a clear and present danger of terrorism, and it was important for Congress to move quickly,” said Richard Foltin, legislative director for the American Jewish Committee.
Now Jewish groups will be watching how the bill is implemented — and how it affects other legislation.
For example, Jewish groups are fighting to maintain the rights of immigrants while recognizing the need for stricter measures to ensure greater security.
One major accomplishment of the last congressional session that drew approval from the organized Jewish community was the passage of the education overhaul bill, which stressed accountability for schools but left out the controversial issue of vouchers.
The Supreme Court is poised to rule on the constitutionality of school vouchers sometime this spring.
That ruling is likely to affect other church-state issues, such as allowing federal money to go to religious groups that provide social services.
That controversial issue, also called charitable choice, rallied many groups against the larger faith-based initiative whose passage was supposed to be a priority for Bush.
The faith-based initiative lost steam not only because it was displaced along with other issues after Sept. 11 but also because the Democratic-controlled Senate chose not make it a priority.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) are now fashioning a bill that appears to omit most of the controversial aspects of charitable choice, while increasing tax incentives for charitable giving.
Other issues that lawmakers could not finalize in 2001 include:
*The Workplace Religious Freedom Act, which would strengthen provisions for religious accommodation, is in a stronger position now, according to Nathan Diament, director of the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs.
*Energy legislation, where reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil is a major point of consensus but how to go about doing it is not. Most Jewish groups are opposed to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling.
One thing Congress is expected to do this year is officially end the application of trade restrictions to Russia and stop the historic Jackson-Vanik law that helped ensure the emigration of tens of thousands of Soviet Jews. Bush called for the change in November.
AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, as always, will work to ensure that Israel gets its annual foreign aid package. Last session, Congress agreed to the full amount for Israel requested from the Bush administration — $2.04 billion for military aid and $720 million for economic needs.
A number of lawmakers spoke out against Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat in Congress, but more forceful language demanding that Bush impose sanctions on the Palestinians if they do not end or prevent terrorism and stop anti-Israel incitement was not included in the foreign aid bill.