WASHINGTON -- Congress has yet to approve President Bush's faith-based initiative, but several federal agencies are rewriting federal regulations in order to distribute millions of dollars to religious groups for social services.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to hand out $30 million to help small churches and other religious groups provide social services, according to The Associated Press.

Congress allocated the money last year for technical assistance to help religious groups learn how to apply for government money. HHS is allowing groups that win large grants to pass unlimited amounts of the grants to small religious groups that may use the money for startup costs and operations related to social service programs.

HHS isn't doing anything it shouldn't be, said Robert Polito, director of the HHS center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

"We wouldn't be called the faith-based office if we weren't trying to see how we can partner with the faith community," Polito said. "It would be great to have legislation, but there's a ton of stuff I can do without it."

Jim Towey, director of the White House faith-based office, said that even with agencies writing their own rules, the government will not pay for prayer.

"We are certainly going to be very zealous to make sure people aren't preaching on Uncle Sam's dollar," Towey said.

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said HHS' actions are scandalous.

"The administration seems to say, ‘We couldn't get the votes in Congress, so we're going to hijack every dollar we can and move it into faith-based ministries,' " Lynn said.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is gearing up to rewrite regulations governing eight grant programs that now bar religious groups if they are unwilling to hire people of all faiths, the AP reports. Education Department officials also are looking at rewriting some laws to allow after-school programs to use religion in their hiring decisions.