ICM CALL TO ACTION ALERT: Act Today! Yes to Restorative Justice and the Children's Code Re-write; Yes to Restoring Child Victims of Sexual Exploitation; No to Hindering Assistance to the Working Poor; No to Barring Immigrant Children Access to a Public Education

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People of faith are called by that faith
to speak for all children.

February 27, 2012

THE CHILD PROTECTION AND PUBLIC SAFETY ACT (HB 641)

(Say "Yes" to Restorative Justice)

Last week, "The Child Protection and Public Safety Act" (Children's Code Rewrite) was passed out of committee by House Judiciary as HB 641 Substitute. The expectation is for a full House vote in the very near future.

Action to take: Contact your state representative TODAY and encourage him/her to vote "Yes" on HB 641.

Find out who your state legislators are by clicking on the link below: Find Your Legislators

CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING

SB 316 - SEX CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN: SENATE VOTES TO EXTEND STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

SB 316 (Sen. Bethel) was passed unanimously by the Senate on February 23. SB 316 extends the statute of limitations related to sex crimes against children. It gives a victim up to 10 years from his/her 18th birthday to report the abuse and up to 15 years if the crime involved forcible rape. The bill is now in the House for consideration.

Actions to take: (1) Please contact your state senator and thank him/her for their support of victims of sexual abuse. (2) Please contact your state representative and encourage him/her to vote "Yes" on SB 316.

If you do not know who your state legislators are, just use this link: Find Your Legislators.

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HB 1078 - EXPUNGE DELINQUENCY RECORD OF CHILD VICTIM OF SEXUAL ABUSE/SEX TRAFFICKING

HB 1078 (Neal) provides for the court to modify orders of delinquency and seal court records for children who are charged with the crime of prostitution, but who are actually victims of sexual abuse or sex trafficking. HB 1078 is a step in the right direction to helping children overcome the damage inflicted upon them by their abusers.

Action to take: Please contact members of the

House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee

and (1) let them know that you support HB 1078 and (2) encourage them to move the legislation out of committee prior to March 7, Crossover Day, so that it can be voted upon by the full House.

If a member of this committee is your state representative, please let him/her know that you are a constituent. If you do not know who your state legislators are, just use this link: Find Your Legislators.

CUTS TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS PASSED BY THE SENATE - BILL MOVES TO THE HOUSE

SB 447 (Sen. Millar) adds an additional week to the waiting period for unemployment insurance; and reduces the maximum unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to a sliding scale of 12 to 20 weeks.

Take Action Now: Please contact your state representative TODAY and let him/her know that you support keeping children out of poverty and encourage him/her to vote "NO" on SB 447.

New article on SB 447 (ajc.com)

If you do not know who your state representative is, just use this link: Find Your Legislators.

VOTE "NO" TO NEGATIVELY IMPACTING POOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

"NO" TO SB 292, SB 312

SB 292 (Sen. Albers) and SB 312 (Sen. Ligon) are scheduled for another hearing by the Senate Health and Human Services committee today, Monday, Feb. 27, at 3:00 p.m. in Room 450 CAP. These bills negatively target the working poor of our state by placing undue financial burdens upon struggling families who are trying to care for their children and by imposing "suspicionless" drug tests on persons simply because they are in need of public assistance.

These bills also assume that an already strapped non-profit community is in the position of "taking care of" the inevitable increase in the number of hungy and neglected children that these bills will generate.

Please contact the following members of the Senate Health and Human Services committee and encourage them to vote "No" on SB 292 and SB 312.

Unterman, Renee S., Chairman

Carter, Buddy, Vice Chairman

Goggans, Greg, Secretary

Shafer, David, Ex-Officio

Henson, Steve, Member

Paris, Miriam, Member

Tate, Horacena, Member

Wilkinson, John, Member

If a member of the committee represents your district, please let him/her know that you are a constituent.

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"NO" TO HB 861

HB 861 (Harden) is a House version of Senate bills SB 292 and SB 312. In addition to mandating "suspicionless" drug tests for persons who simply apply for public assistance, HB 861 also requires that upon the arrest of a "suspect" in a drug-related offense, the involved law enforcement agency must send the individual's information to the department of human services to discover if the "suspect" is receiving TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).

Like its companion senate bills SB 292 and SB 312, HB 861 promotes a contemptuous mentality when it comes to the children and families who are struggling the most during this economic downturn.

Action to take: Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee today and encourage them to vote "No" on HB 861.

If a member of this committee represents your district, please let him/her know that you are a constituent.

CHOOSE HOSPITALITY FOR CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANT FAMILIES

"NO" TO SB 458 / HB 59

Once again, we are standing at the crossroads of determining the character of our state. The Senate Judiciary committee voted "Yes" last Thursday to SB 458. Like HB 59, SB 458 proposes to bar undocumented children from attending Georgia's public colleges and universities.

However, an article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution sheds much needed light on this issue (Read more...):

Federal law does not bar illegal immigrants from attending public colleges, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency wrote in 2008 that "... individual states must decide for themselves whether or not to admit illegal aliens into their public postsecondary institutions."

University System Chancellor Hank Huckaby said they are complying with federal law because illegal immigrants do not receive the public benefit of taxpayer-supported in-state tuition. Instead they are charged out-of-state rates, which are about three times more expensive.

Huckaby said the system's current policies are working and should be allowed to continue. A new rule bars these students from attending any college that has turned away academically qualified students. This applies to University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State, Georgia Health Sciences and Georgia College & State universities.

Of the system's 318,000 students, about 300 are "undocumented," Huckaby said. Last year, the system had about 500, and the drop shows the new rules are working, he said. Students are "undocumented" if they don't produce documents to show they have a lawful presence, so they may or may not be in the country legally.

"It is a difficult issue," Huckaby said. "We think the policy we have in place is a balanced one."

Action to take: Contact your state senator and representative and encourage them to Vote "NO" on SB 458 and HB 69. If you do not know who your state legislators are, use this link to find out: Find Your Legislators.

JOIN ICM IN BUILDING A "BRIDGE TO HARMONY"

"Religious persecution anywhere is a threat to religious freedom everywhere." Whether it is the imprisonment of pastors Sadegh-Khanjani and Yousef Nadarkhani by the Iranian government or one of the 1,322 "religious-bias" hate crimes in the United States, the victims deserve more than our shock and our silence. They deserve our commitment to build relationships of understanding, appreciation and respect across boundaries of religious institutions and spiritual practices.

Become a bridge builder and help build the "Bridge to Harmony" by sharing your stories of encouragement on ICM's facebook page of how you have reached out or how you plan to reach out in peace and friendship to persons not of your own faith tradition.

SPIRITUAL WITNESS FOR CHILDREN

One of the most important things faith communities can do for children is to pray for them.

Every child is a child of God and deserves justice and compassion. Every child deserves our prayers.

ICM encourages every faith community to become a spiritual witness for children. Hold a worship service in your church, synagogue, mosque or temple and invite others to join in praying for the well-being of all children.

ICM Mission and Goals

The Interfaith Children's Movement (ICM) is an interfaith, grassroots, advocacy movement dedicated to improving the well-being of children in Georgia. ICM was formed in 2001 as an intentional association of individuals and communities of faith from all religious traditions.

The Interfaith Children's Movement strives to be a voice for all Georgia children, but especially the poor and marginalized whose voices are often unheard.

ICM works closely with Georgia's policy-oriented child advocacy organizations, such as:

JOIN ICM FEB. 28 FOR CHILDREN'S DAY AT THE CAPITOL

Join Interfaith Children's Movement and 24 partner advocacy organizations for the first-ever Children's Day at the Capitol this Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Georgia State Capitol (Second Floor, South Side).

Children's Day is an opportunity for elected officials, decision makers and the public to learn more about the issues that affect Georgia's children - issues ranging from early childhood to education, from child health to transitioning youth. By speaking with a variety of child advocates, people can better understand how investing in Georgia's children through good public policy is a win for children and the state. Children's Day is a great opportunity for child advocates to unite as one powerful voice for Georgia's children.

Please take a few minutes this Tuesday to stop by Children's Day at the Capitol, pick up some information, chat with other advocates and have a snack. Georgia's children thank you!

IN THE NEWS

Atlanta Ranks Fifth in Child Poverty (WABE 90.1)

Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking (HR 1161) WABE interview with Sen. Renee Unterman of the Georgia General Assembly

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