|
|
|
|
|
Farewell and Thank You, Holy Father!
 On February 11 His Holiness Benedict XVI announced that he would be resigning at the end of the month. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has prepared a special webpage on the resignation, which includes a brief biography of the pope and reflections on his legacy. Let us offer prayers of thanksgiving for the service of Pope Benedict and beseech the Holy Spirit to guide the Church as a new pope is selected.
|
|
Lent Begins
In a Washington Post blog this week Sister Mary Ann Walsh, the Director of Media Relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, writes:
"Ash Wednesday, the day to be unabashedly Catholic, is February 13. It's the day when a smudge on the forehead, for those who understand it, means I'll try to be better. I'll do what Lent asks: more prayer, more sacrifice, more almsgiving."
This Lent the U.S. bishops are especially urging Catholics to make going to confession an important part of their spiritual practice. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has created a special webpage providing resources and suggestions to assist individual Catholics and parishes in observing Lent.
|
|
Why We Do What We Do
During his pontificate, His Holiness Benedict XVI has placed great emphasis on the role of Christian Love. The encyclical Deus Caritas Est opens with a passage from John's Gospel: "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16). The pope goes on to observe that our love "needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community." (par 20, Deus Caritas Est).
The Church organizes its loving response to people in many ways - Catholic Charities agencies, pregnancy resource centers, food pantries, outreach to immigrants and to the homeless. All of these ministries are animated by the same spiritual insight, that we are all made in the image and likeness of God.
Out of the same loving concern, the Church does not hesitate to enter into the public square and seek the enactment of laws and public policies that will protect the sanctity and dignity of all persons. In Deus Caritas Est the pope observes: "Building a just social and civil order, wherein each person receives what is his or her due, is an essential task which every generation must take up anew." (par. 28).
|
|
MCC Issues Statement on Health Care Reform
The Missouri Catholic Conference has issued a statement on health care reform legislation now under discussion in the Missouri General Assembly. Legislators are tackling a number of bills that would either expand Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that provides health coverage to the poor, or reform the existing program.
The statement urges lawmakers to clearly prohibit funding or promotion of abortion or other life destroying practices. A plea is made that legislators pay special attention to the health care needs of the very poor. Of special concern to the MCC are proposals that would reduce health coverage for pregnant women. Women with access to prenatal care enjoy better health than women denied these services, and their unborn children benefit as well.
|
|
House Budget Committee Poised to Decline
Medicaid Expansion Dollars
The federal government is offering states billions of dollars to expand their Medicaid programs to cover lower-income adults and parents, but the Missouri House Budget Committee is not inclined to take up the offer. This week the House Budget Chairman, Rick Stream (R-St. Louis), outlined his budget plans and those plans did not include the Medicaid expansion. If Missouri were to accept the federal monies, about 260,000 Missourians could receive health coverage. Click here for an Associated Press article on this development.
|
|
How Low Can You Go?
Compared to other states, Missouri has one of the lowest income eligibility levels for working adults and parents to qualify for Medicaid health coverage. A mother with two children will not qualify in most circumstances if her annual income is above $4,584. The Medicaid expansion would cover parents up to 133% of the federal poverty level, or an income of $25,390 annually. The expansion would be a boon to many working parents who may work two part-time jobs but have no health insurance. In its statement this week to the legislators, the MCC urged more health coverage be available to the working poor as a way to respect the dignity of work and workers. |
|
Bills on Benevolent Tax Credits Move Forward
Both the Missouri Senate and House have passed bills to re-establish tax credits that encourage donations to food pantries, children in crisis programs and pregnancy resource centers. SB 20, sponsored by Senator Bob Dixon (R-Springfield), is now pending in the Missouri House, while HB 87, sponsored by Representative Eric Burlison (R-Springfield), is pending in the Missouri Senate. Thanks to all those Network members who called or emailed their legislators on these bills. All those contacts are paying off, as there is a sense of urgency to get these credits back in place.
In order to be truly agreed to and finally passed by the general assembly, one of these bills will need to be agreed to by both chambers. So far there has been only weak opposition, as most people recognize the good work being done by these charities and how they help women and children and some of Missouri's poorest families. Stay tuned for more.
|
|
Senate Judiciary Committee to Hear Pro-Life Bills
Next Monday night, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear several pro-life bills, including SB 84, sponsored by Senator Scott Rupp (R-Wentzville), and SB 175, sponsored by Senator Wayne Wallingford (R-Cape Girardeau).
SB 84 would protect the conscience rights of health care workers, allowing them to opt out of participating in unethical medical practices, including abortion, sterilization, contraception, assisted reproduction, and embryonic stem cell research.
SB 175 would prevent abortion clinics from performing chemical abortions by telemedicine, whereby the abortion drug RU-486 is given outside the physical presence of the prescribing doctor.
The MCC, along with other pro-life lobbying groups, will be testifying in support of these bills. Keep us in your prayers!
|
|
Missouri Right to Life to Host Lobby Day
Missouri Right to Life will host their annual lobby day at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 19th. All are invited! You can register for the day at 9:00 am in the 1st floor rotunda, and spend the day advocating for pro-life causes.
The day will culminate at noon with keynote speaker Sue Thayer, a former Planned Parenthood worker from Iowa who was working at a PP clinic when she was asked to participate in telemedicine abortions. Being thrust into having to participate in abortions caused her to have a change of heart. Come hear her inspiring story and wear red for life!
|
U.S. Bishops Initiate Postcard Campaign for
Life, Conscience Rights and Religious Liberty
As Congress begins to debate budgetary issues, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is calling upon Catholics to urge their representative in Washington to protect rights of conscience, life, and religious liberty as they work towards funding the government for the coming year.
Particularly of concern is re-authorization of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents public funds from being used to pay for abortions in Medicaid and other health care programs.
Please contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators to urge their support for life, conscience rights, and religious liberty. For more information, click here.
|
|
New Studies Released on Immigration
Recently two joint studies - The Economic and Fiscal Contributions of International Immigrants in the States of Kansas and Missouri - were released that showed immigrants in Kansas and Missouri are "a major force" in the states' economies. Both studies were conducted by the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) Center for Economic Information, and commissioned by the Hispanic Development Fund.
Some of the findings show:
- The agribusiness economy in Kansas and the meatpacking industry in both states would not exist without immigrant labor.
- From 2008-2010, unauthorized immigration decreased in Kansas and increased in Missouri.
- Missouri is ranked 41st in the nation for the number of illegal immigrants, with 55,000.
- In Missouri, immigrants pay $3,073 and natives pay $3,194 a year in per capita sales and local taxes.
- More immigrants living in Missouri now hail from Asia than Mexico. The number of immigrants from India, China and the former Yugoslavia combined is about the same as the number of immigrants from Mexico.
- Missouri immigrants not born in Mexico or Central America are more affluent with more education than native Missourians.
To view the complete study for Kansas click here.
To view the complete study for Missouri click here.
|
|
Hearings Held on Veteran's Courts
Several bills have been introduced this year for the establishment of veterans courts. This week a hearing was held in both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Veterans Committee regarding special courts for military personnel. SB 118, sponsored by Senator Will Kraus (R-Lee's Summit) and HB 309, sponsored by Representative Sheila Solon (R-Blue Springs), would establish veterans courts, that work on the model of highly successful drug courts in treating cases involving substance abuse or mental illness of current or former military personnel. Neither committee took any action on their bill.
The MCC testified in support of both bills as we believe there is a genuine need for the specialized services of veterans courts to address the unique challenges of veterans. There have also been other bills filed that would establish veterans courts. With so much interest in the subject, the MCC hopes this issue will gain more traction as the session progresses.
|
|
House Hearing Ponders Changes to
Public Defender System
How do we best provide legal representation to indigent clients? That was the heart of the issue this week at the House Judiciary Committee when it heard HB 215, sponsored by Representative Stanley Cox (R-Sedalia). Among other changes in the bill, HB 215 would require the contracting out of legal services to private attorneys for all nonsexual Class C and Class D felonies, all misdemeanor cases, all traffic cases, and all probation violation cases.
Currently these cases are provided legal representation through the public defender system unless the case load is so large that the public defender commission finds it necessary to contract for private legal services.
In a spirited discussion lawyers on both sides of House Bill 215 argued about the pros and cons of letting private attorneys handle most of the indigent clients in the state, which would essentially gut the public defender system. Some alleged that contracted private attorneys could save the state money, others claimed the quality of legal representation would decrease if handled by private attorneys for a capped amount.
The bill is a response to a long standing dispute about caseloads in the public defender system. In recent years the public defender system in Missouri has warned repeatedly that it is overburdened. After years of litigation the Missouri Supreme Court in 2012 allowed the public defender system to set a cap on the number of cases they handle and some offices are no longer accepting new clients. Skeptics, including some prosecutors, disputed the caseload number and pointed to a recent audit by the state auditor that showed flaws in the way caseloads were determined by the public defender system.
The Judiciary Committee took no action on the bill, but considering the strong convictions of all involved, this debate is far from over.
|
|
Fulton State Hospital in Need of Repair
The focus of a recent Jefferson City News Tribune article was the poor conditions and dangerous work environment at the Fulton State Hospital.
The hospital is said to be the oldest public mental health hospital west of the Mississippi. After a recent tour of the facilities, Representative Jeanie Riddle (R-Mokane) asked fellow legislators and members of the media: "Do you think you could get better here?"
According to the article: "Many roofs have leaks; mold is endemic; and stairwells built for fire safety are leaning on their foundations."
There are concerns by staff that if repairs are not made the facility may lose its accreditation to perform services vital to clients.
In his State of the State Address late last month, Governor Jay Nixon said repairs to the facility were needed, but issuance of state bond would be required for repairs or renovations to begin.
Click here for the News Tribune article. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
