One Iowa in the News: Ethical questions smolder around IFPC’s taxpayer assistance

from The Iowa Independent.

The Iowa Family Policy Center, a division of The Family Leader, did not comply with federal-grant protocol when it relinquished the last year of federal funding it received for a controversial marriage-counseling program, according to documents obtained by The Independent under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

At the center of the controversy is the recent revelation that the Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) might have used taxpayer dollars to wage a campaign against same-sex marriage in the state.

...After filing a records request with ACF [Administration for Children and Families], The Independent discovered that IFPC never filed the required documentation.

...While neither ACF nor The Family Leader will answer questions about the process, larger ethical questions remain concerning the funding of the grant itself.

In her explanation as to why IFPC will not comment on the Healthy Marriage grant, [Family Leader spokesperson Julie] Summa referenced the Associated Press article that sparked outrage among LGBT-rights groups in Iowa because it showed a funding overlap for the taxpayer-funded program and the political anti-same-sex-marriage campaign. Adding to the ire was the revelation gay and lesbian couples were shut out of the marriage-counseling program. LGBT-advocacy group One Iowa launched a petition asking The Family Leader to return the $2.2 million dollars it received in grant funding back to America’s taxpayers.

Read the full article from The Iowa Independent.
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