Policy Update: Progress, Concerns, and Questions as Congress Considers the Vulnerable

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By Yonce Shelton

On March 16, the Senate adopted a $2.8 trillion Fiscal Year 2007 budget resolution (S Con Res 83) by a vote of 51-49.  The House took its first step toward a budget resolution on March 29, when the House Budget Committee approved a $2.8 trillion blueprint (by a vote of 22-7), which will be sent to the full House for debate.  The final House resolution is expected to differ from the Senate’s, necessitating a “conference committee” to resolve differences. 

The Senate went much further than the House Budget Committee in addressing social needs.  Its resolution added $7 billion for health, social services, education and training, and increased funding for low-income energy assistance by $3.3 billion.  The House Budget Committee rejected an amendment to provide the $7 billion.  The Senate also resisted efforts to cut the growth in spending for entitlement (mandatory) programs, cap discretionary funding (levels must be decided each year) for future years, and cut $10 billion from Medicare. The House Budget Committee, however, cut mandatory spending by $6.8 billion over five years, including $4 billion from programs aimed at helping low-income families.  Its resolution would also provide $9 billion less for discretionary programs than is needed just to keep pace with inflation.  The result would be cuts to education, health care, and other public services.      

Both budget resolutions make room for $228 billion over five years in tax cuts for upper-income people. For more details, click here.

On March 27, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved (12-6) a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, include a temporary work program, and not criminalize humanitarian service providers who help undocumented immigrants.  This is in contrast to HR 4437  passed in December by the House, which would expand the definition of smuggling so broadly that anyone who provides basic social services to undocumented immigrants (faith-based organizations included) could be legally prosecuted.  HR 4437 would also give state and local police the authority to detain and deport undocumented immigrants and make it more difficult for asylum seekers to stay in the U.S.

The immigration debate has now moved to the full Senate.  In addition to the Judiciary Committee bill, Senator Frist (R-TN) has introduced a bill that would increase border security and create harsher penalties for those who enter the country without proper documentation, but would not create any new work or citizenship programs. 

Call to Renewal and many religious groups believe comprehensive immigration reform should address the root causes of migration, provide a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, establish appropriate worker protections for both U.S. and foreign-born workers, and remove the unnecessary and harmful legal obstacles that currently keep families separated across borders for decades.  We hope that the Senate will approve a bill similar to the Judiciary Committee’s bill – not Senator Frist’s bill or a bill similar to HR 4437.  Click here to learn more and take action.

Yonce Shelton is the National Coordinator and Policy Director of Call to Renewal

Conference Corner

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By Suzannah Kirk

Inspiration. Challenge. Encouragement. Fellowship. This is only the beginning of what took place on the Vanderbilt campus in Nashville, Tennessee, from March 3-5 at the C.O.O.L. National Idealist Conference. Organized by Idealist.org, this conference is the largest gathering of college students and administrators from across the country around issues of social justice, sustainability, political advocacy, grass-roots activism, and more. Sojourners/Call to Renewal was one of over 50 non-profits who sponsored the conference. With over 150 workshops to choose from, attendees were flooded with opportunities to explore and dig deeper into areas of personal interest.

The session I enjoyed most was entitled “Prophetic Advocacy: How Religious Faith Can Create Social Change.” I found its content to be extremely applicable to my life as a social justice activist at a Christian university where social change is not often a part of discussions. This workshop was led by Call to Renewal’s Christa Mazzone, as well as two members of Church World Service.

Christa and the members of Church World Service spoke about the importance of charity being accompanied by justice. Charitable works alone will never be enough because they do not address the root causes of injustice. As Christians, we are called to “loose the chains of injustice and… set the oppressed free” (Isaiah 58:6). However, we are also called to provide for the needs of those experiencing injustice and oppression, as verse 7 in this same chapter of Isaiah calls on us to share our food with the hungry, provide shelter to the homeless, and clothe those who are naked.

The majority of my school’s student population is much more willing to answer a request for charity than one which asks for their commitment to working for justice. This conference has challenged and encouraged me to work to help my fellow students become aware and ultimately accept this truth. As people of faith, may we work together for justice in our world and sacrificially give of our own resources to those who are experiencing oppression. This is our work everyday, especially in this season of Lent.

Suzannah Kirk is a student at Seattle Pacific University

Anti-Poverty Resources

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Compiled by Laurna Strikwerda

2007 Budget Resources:

A Faith Reflection on the Federal Budget. The Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs has published an updated statement on the federal budget, which is available here.

The President’s Budget: A Preliminary Analysis, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, February 10, 2006. This report outlines the specific cuts to entitlement programs proposed in President Bush’s budget in detail. It is available here.

Women and Children Last—Again: An Analysis of the President’s FY 2007 Budget, National Women’s Law Center, 2006. This document specifically examines the impact of the President Bush’s budget proposal on women and girls. It is available here.

Additional publications on the budget can be found on the Coalition for Human Needs website.

Community Building Resources:

Communities First, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, 2006. This new resource is designed to help move congregations towards engaging with their community. It is designed to help churches with developing vision, learning about policy and pursuing advocacy work. It is available here.

Domestic Anti-Poverty Resources

Hunger and Homelessness Survey, US Conference of Mayors, December, 2005. The US Conference of Mayors has published a report on the need and availability of emergency food and housing services in 24 major cities. It is available on their website.

Poverty Pulse, Wave VI, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, January 2006. This detailed resource uses statistics to describe Americans’ current attitudes toward and perceptions of poverty in the United States. It is available here.

Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America, Michael Yankoski, Multnomah Publishers, 2005. In this book, Yankoski describes his time living as a homeless person in six American cities over a five month period, and the effect it had on his Christian faith. www.undertheoverpass.com.

Global Poverty

Faith Study Guide on Global Poverty, Mark Harrison, Friendship Press. This 64 page study guide is centered on the Millennium Development Goals and is designed for church or Sunday school groups. It is available for sale here.

Forgotten Families, Jody Heymann, 2006. This book examines the lives of a working family in Honduras, the US and Vietnam to find what problems face poor families around the world. Heymann also looks at solutions countries have implemented to improve family life, providing a vision of a more just global society. Information is available from the Center for Law and Social Policy: www.clasp.org.

Peace and Justice Resources, Church World Service. CWS has educational resources and materials that congregations can use in worship to raise awareness about global poverty available here.

A Primer on Poverty and Hunger. World Vision has a summary of key statistics on global poverty and hunger, available on their website.

Health Care Resources:

Center for Health Care Reform Resources. The Center for Health Care Reform has put together a resource for communities to promote short-term advocacy for children’s access to health care and long-term advocacy for changing the health care system to be more equitable for all. The resource includes study guides, bulletin inserts and PowerPoint material. For more information, please contact Mary Pinkerson at the Center for Healthcare Reform: mary.pinkerson@stjoe.org, (714) 347-7741, or go online.

The Dialogue resources , Our Health Care Future. Our Health Care Future has a website with resources for communities to host day long events to bring diverse groups together to talk about health care and what can be done to improve our health care system. Information is available on their website.

Making Public Programs Work for Communities of Color: An Action Kit for Community Leaders, Families USA, 2006. This tool kit is designed for community leaders and provides detailed information on access to health care, strategies for influencing policy, case studies on the work of grassroots and faith-based organizations, as well as detailed information public health programs. It is available on the Families USA website.

Lenten Resources:

Lent 2006. The United Methodist Church has developed a Lenten devotional resource that focuses on social justice and activism. Word and PDF versions are available on their website.

Lenten Fast from Violence Resources 2006, World Council of Churches.The WCC resource focuses on healing in five areas: global poverty, public debate, environment, self-inflicted violence and systemic violence. It is available here.

Living Wage:

A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future, Holly Sklar and Paul Sherry, American Friends Service Committee and National Council of Churches USA, October 2005. This document details why increasing the minimum wage is a moral imperative and why it contributes to a healthy economy. It is available on the Let Justice Roll website.

Teen Pregnancy Resources

Faith, Hope, and Love: How Latino Faith Communities Can Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2005. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has released this new resource guide for Latino faith leaders to use in their congregations and communities. It is available in English and in Spanish.

Nine Tips for Faith Leaders and Putting What Works to Work, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. This organization also has several new resources on preventing teen pregnancy, including brief fact sheets, resources for faith leaders and reports for their “Putting What Works to Work” project.

Spanish Language Resources

Consultation Worship Resources, Church World Service.Church World Service has several Spanish language resources on trade justice in North America >available in Spanish here.

Fe, Esperanza et Amor. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s resource for faith leaders is available in Spanish here.

Pobreza en los EE.UU, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB has a complete Spanish version of its website on poverty and the USCCB’s social justice campaign. It is available here.

Recursos en Español , NETWORK. NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobbying group, provides several resources in Spanish, including information on contacting elected officials and the basic tenets of Catholic social justice doctrine. They are available on their website.

Laurna Strikwerda is the Policy and Programming Intern at Call to Renewal

In the News

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By Duane Shank

The Senate Judiciary Committee broke with the House's get-tough approach to illegal immigration and sent to the floor a broad revision of the nation's immigration laws that would provide lawful employment to millions of undocumented workers while offering work visas to hundreds of thousands of new immigrants every year.

Churches resist tougher immigration laws America 's faith communities are keeping careful watch as Congress wrangles over border security - a process expected to yield the most dramatic changes in immigration policy since the 1980s - and many religious leaders don’t like what they see so far.

In housing, loans to minorities rise, but at a price as housing advocates say that the sub prime market unfairly targets minority and low-income neighborhoods.

Faith coalitions aid evacuees -  Churches, mosques, and synagogues have stepped forward to provide Katrina evacuees the kind of assistance that government can't.

The $2.8 trillion election-year budget blueprint forsakes President Bush's tax cuts and Medicare curbs and smashes his cap on spending.

The Washington Post in an editorial asked – “What would it take to get the federal budget in balance-honest, no-gimmick, no-fooling balance-without raising taxes? … It would require cuts so deep and wide as to be unimaginable as a matter of politics and unwise as a matter of policy.”

Duane Shank is the Policy Advisor at Call to Renewal

Mark Your Calendar March 2006

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Compiled by Laurna Strikwerda

Funding Opportunities:

The F. B. Heron Foundation provides grants to community organizations that focus on strengthening low-income communities and individuals. Information on grants is available on their website.

Events

CCDA Institutes

April and May 2006, Various Cities

The Christian Community Development Association will be hosting brief seminars on topics like community organizing, gentrification and leadership development. Information on the institutes is available here.

To the Streets: National Sleep-Out and Day of Action

March 31, 2006, Chicago, IL/National

To the Streets is a coalition of advocates concerned about homelessness. On March 31 st, To the Streets will sponsor a sleep-out in Chicago to raise awareness about homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in the US. Local groups in cities across the country will also be holding sleep-outs. More information is available here.

22 nd Annual Hunger Cleanup

April 8, 2006, National

On April 8, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness will sponsor its annual Hunger Cleanup and send students across the country to help repair shelters, food pantries and community centers. To ensure that the organizations are able to continue their work throughout the year, participants will also raise money for the community service providers they assist. More information is available here.

Strategic Plan to End Child Hunger

April 18, 2006, Washington, DC

This event, focusing specifically on ending child hunger in D.C., is the result of collaboration between Share Our Strength and D.C. Hunger Solutions and will feature business, non-profit and community leaders, as well as D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams. Details are available here.

National and Global Youth Service Day

April 21-23, 2006, Nation-wide

This service day is sponsored by Youth Service America, which is dedicated to engaging youth and helping create a culture of service. In April, millions of youth will participate in tutoring, disaster relief, community education and health advocacy work. More information is available on the Youth Service America website.

Cover the Uninsured Week

May 1-7, 2006, Nation-wide

May 1-7 is Cover the Uninsured Week, which is designed to increase focus on enrolling uninsured people in public programs, making employment-based health care secure, and supporting health care professionals. Information is available here.

National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

May 3, 2006, Nation-wide

The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is organized to reach teens directly through an innovative, online quiz. On May 3, 2006 (and for a few weeks thereafter), teens will be encouraged to go online to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy's website -- www.teenpregnancy.org -- to take a short, engaging, and informative quiz that asks teens to reflect on the best course of action in a number of tough and realistic sexual situations. For more information and resources, click here.

Leadership Institute for Christian Community Development

May 15- June 3, 2006, Chicago, IL

The LICCD will include courses on Christian political advocacy, housing and economic development, and strengthening communities. The LICCD is at North Park University and is designed for lay leaders, graduate students, pastors and anyone with a deep interest in faith-based economic development. More information is available on the North Park website.

Laurna Strikwerda is the Policy and Programming Intern at Call to Renewal