News In Brief

Former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett and Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., are pushing a package of bills as part of an initiative to "highlight and encourage the character-shaping institutions of American society" and "shift authority and resources beyond the government."

Mr. Bennett, the author of The Book of Virtues , has become a well-known critic of what he views as the degradation of American culture. Last week, he also joined Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., in launching a campaign against daytime talk shows that often focus on what Mr. Lieberman called "sexual deviancy."

His initiative with Mr. Coats, the "Project for American Renewal," which was announced earlier this fall, is focused on 19 bills designed to foster conservative...