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Diocesan Social Action Office
May 13, 2013
In This Issue

 

Immigration Reform Needs Your Voice Now!

Debate Begins over Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Last week, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary began the markup process of Senate Bill 744, the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act," which would comprehensively reform our nation's immigration system.

The committee considered 32 amendments to the legislation, 21 of which were accepted, all but one of which with bi-partisan support. Among the amendments accepted included provisions to strengthen border security and require the government to apply its comprehensive border strategy to the entire Southern border, not just high-risk areas.

The committee also approved amendments that would increase oversight of Department of Homeland Security enforcement strategies, improve treatment of children and families in detention, and protect families affected by violence at the border. Among the amendments rejected were proposals to triple the number of officers on the southern border to 60,000 and require a double fence to be built before allowing provisional legal status to immigrants.

 

Message to Senate Judiciary Committee Members and Gang of 8

More Info

Call and Send the Message Below to Senate Judiciary Committee and Gang of Eight Members

  • PLEASE SUPPORT AMENDMENTS WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PERSONS WHO COULD QUALIFY FOR THE PATH TO CITIZENSHIP AND OPPOSE AMENDMENTS WHICH WOULD MAKE ELIGIBILITY MORE RESTRICTIVE.
  • PLEASE SUPPORT AMENDMENTS WHICH WOULD RESTORE AND STRENGTHEN THE CURRENT FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM - BASED UPON THE UNION OF A HUSBAND AND WIFE, AND THEIR CHILDREN - AND OPPOSE AMENDMENTS THAT WOULD WEAKEN THE SYSTEM.
  • PLEASE SUPPORT CURRENT PROVISIONS IN S. 744 WHICH STRENGTHEN PROTECTIONS FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, SUCH AS REFUGEES, ASYLUM-SEEKERS, AND UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN AND OPPOSE AMENDMENTS WHICH WEAKEN THOSE PROTECTIONS.

"Take Action" to email the message to the Senators in the Judiciary Committee and the Gang of Eight.

 

Dial 1-866-940-2439 to call in your message to the Senate Judiciary Members.

 

For the four other Gang of Eight members not on the Judiciary Committee, call the individual Senators' offices at the following numbers:
Sen. Marco Rubio: 202-224-3041 Sen. Bob Menedez: 202-224-4744
Sen. John McCain: 202-224-2235 Sen. Michael Bennet: 202-224-5852


 
Action Still Needed on Medicaid Expansion

Call State Senate Leadership:
We Need Medicaid Expansion in the Budget!
Call State Representatives to support a bill on Medicaid Expansion!
  

 

Will you take 5 minutes to send one email and make five calls to make sure the Ohio Senate restores Medicaid expansion in the state budget? It's critical that our lawmakers know that inaction and delay is bad for Ohio. If some form of healthcare expansion isn't restored in the state budget, inaction will cost Ohio taxpayers, small businesses, and jobs. Inaction will prevent families and communities from getting the healthcare coverage they need to be competitive. It could ultimately cost lives.

 

Call Key Senate Leaders:

  • Senate President Keith Faber - 614-466-7584
  • Senate Pro Tempore Chris Widener - 614-466-3780
  • Senate Finance Chair Scott Oelslager - 614-466-0626
  • Senate Finance Medicaid Sub. Com. Chair Dave Burke - 614-466-8049
  • Your Senator (Click here to find his/her #) Click here for alist of state senators from the Cleveland diocese with all contact information.
  • Use this sample script:

"Don't delay extending health coverage in the budget. There's no time to waste when $2 billion in state revenue, 25,000+ new jobs, and health coverage for 275,000 Ohioans with low income, mental health, and addiction needs are on the line".

 

For a complete list of representatives to the General Assembly from the Diocese of Cleveland, click  here.

  
To read the Catholic Conference of Ohio's recent legislative action alert urging
adoption of the Medicaid Expansion, press release, CCO's letter to legislators,
and position backgrounder from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
in support of the Medicaid Expansion, go to http://www.ohiocathconf.org.


We need to turn this around:

 

The Catholic Conference of Ohio, "because of their concern for the poor and vulnerable," has joined with Ohio's Catholic hospitals to support Medicaid expansion in Ohio. Through the Affordable Care Act, this expansion will increase access to health care and health care coverage to an estimated 275,000 uninsured eligible Ohioans who are below 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

 

The Conference states, "With the understanding that the Federal government will assume 100 percent of the cost of covering newly eligible individuals for the first three years and will cover 90 percent of the costs thereafter, we urge the Governor and the legislature, in the biennial budget, to include this expansion of Medicaid."

 

There is still time for the Ohio Senate to include Medicaid expansion in the state budget and extend health coverage to low-wage Ohioans but we need to ACT NOW. 

  

Congress to Take Up Farm Bill Reauthorization This Week
This week, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee will each begin discussion on reauthorization of the farm bill, which provides funding to nutrition assistance programs that provide help to millions of Americans in need.

The Senate bill is likely to include $4 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the next decade, formerly known as food stamps, and another $6 billion from conservation programs. It would also include spending reductions from changing commodity and crop insurance programs. House leadership released their own draft of the legislation on Friday, which would enact cuts of nearly $40 billion over the next ten years, including $20.5 billion from SNAP funding. 
  

The Senate Agriculture Committee's proposal was released last week, but it's still not too late to call! The committee is considering the bill right now!

Here's what we know about the bill:

  1. It cuts SNAP (formerly food stamps) by $4.1 billion over ten years. This cut will reduce monthly benefits for thousands of SNAP households. This worries us.
  2. It reforms international food aid programs to build greater agricultural capacity in developing countries while making our food aid system more effective and efficient. This encourages us, but we need an even stronger commitment.

Call 800-826-3688 today and tell Sen. Sherrod Brown to:

  1. Vote for any amendments that eliminate cuts to SNAP and vote against any amendments that cut SNAP.
  2. Vote against any amendments that cut international food aid. 
Sustainable agriculture groups worry that conservation programs will also see spending cuts, despite the popularity of these programs with farmers. Public support is needed to protect the Conservation Stewardship Program in particular, but other conservation programs are also on the cutting block.
There is a brief window of opportunity to make sure our elected officials get beyond partisan posturing and show their support for family farmers, protect and conserve farmland, and ensure an abundant supply of affordable, healthy food.

You can also contact Capitol Hill by calling 1-866-596-7030.
A Reminder from Catholics Confront Global Poverty

Over the next few weeks Congress will continue to tackle two very important issues, Immigration Reform and the Farm Bill. The decisions legislators will make during this month as much of the legislation moves through the committee review process will have a great impact on the final versions of the legislation later this summer. Our work on these issues are more of a marathon than a sprint, and at each stage your voice is needed!

 

One easy way to amplify your voice is to schedule a meeting at your Senators' and Representative's local office while they're on recess for the Memorial Day holiday during the week of May 27-31, 2013. While you may not be able to get a visit with your Senator or Representative, you should be able to meet with the District Director who can relay your message to your legislator. Research from the Congressional Management Foundation has shown that constituent visits carry a great deal of weight when legislators are making decisions about how to vote on legislation. For some basic guidelines on how to set up a visit, please refer back to this website(www.usccb.org) or call your local Diocesan Social Action Office (www.clevelandcatholiccharities.org/dsao).
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Cleveland, OH 44102

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