ST. CHARLES ADVOCACY TOPICS—APRIL 5, 2012

[St. Charles Social Justice]

ST. CHARLES ADVOCACY TOPICS—APRIL 5, 2012


I. LOCAL

--I. A. ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAIRFAX RESIDENTS

II. STATE

--II. A. THANK SENATOR HOWELL

III. NATIONAL

--III. A. COMMENT ON PROPOSED IMMIGRATION WAIVER PROCESS

IV. INTERNATIONAL

--IV. A. URGE SECRETARY CLINTON TO STAND WITH SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN

--IV. B. SUDAN PEACE, SECURITY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

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I. LOCAL

--I. A. ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAIRFAX RESIDENTS

All Fairfax County residents, please join leaders of nonprofit
organizations, members of faith communities, and housing and human
service advocates who will stand in solidarity with those testifying
next Wednesday, April 11 at 3 PM in the boardroom of the Government
Center (12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035). Attend
the hearings and help demonstrate a commitment to providing resources
for the most vulnerable members of the community. After continuous
budget cuts over the last four years, now is the time to speak up.

Also, register your support by letter or email with Chairman Sharon
Bulova and your own member of the Board of Supervisors. For contact
information, please visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/board/.

At stake are the following additional investments, not included in the
FY2013 budget, but needed to meet the County's annual goals for the
Blueprint and the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness:

$4.6M for the Housing Blueprint, including:

---$2M to acquire 200 affordable units. The total Blueprint amount is
$5M per year, and only $3M is included in the draft budget. Notably,
$5M is insufficient for this level of acquisition, and long-range
planning should address this.
---$2.6M, omitted from the draft budget, for rent subsidies for 307
households to meet FY12 Blueprint goals. The $2.6M will be matched by
nonprofit organizations that provide both the housing and services for
these households.

$300K to cover the loss of federal Community Development Block Grant
Funds (recommended by the County Executive)

$643K to cover the loss of federal HOME Funds

$430K to restore cuts to the Rent Relief Program, Adult Dental
Program, and Hanley Shelter therapist

Also support sufficient funding for the Fairfax-Falls Church Community
Services Board to maintain existing safety net services for children
and adults with developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, and
substance use disorders.

In addition, support revenue enhancements including, but not limited
to, maintaining the advertised tax rate of $1.08 to allow for an
additional $19.95M in investment.

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II. STATE

--II. A. THANK SENATOR HOWELL

SALT (Social Action Linking Together) and the Virginia Coalition to
End Homelessness urged us to contact budget negotiators in the General
Assembly – including Senator Janet Howell of Arlington and Fairfax –
to request support for $3 million in new funding for permanent
supportive housing and rapid re-housing. Turns out Senator Howell is
the chief patron of the permanent supportive housing amendment. Thank
her for her commitment to housing issues.

Senator Howell can be reached at the following:
distr...@senate.virginia.gov, 703-709-8283 (district office), and
804-698-7532 (GA office).

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HOW TO CONTACT YOUR GOVERNOR, AND STATE SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVE –
INCREDIBLY EASY WAYS!

- To contact Governor McDonnell, use the following link:
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Contact.cfm or

The phone number for Governor McDonnell is (804) 786-2211.

- Find your senator at http://sov.state.va.us/SenatorDB.nsf/$$Viewtemplate+for+WMembershipHome?OpenForm

- Find your representative at http://dela.state.va.us/dela/MemBios.nsf/MWebsiteTL?OpenView,

OR

Go to “Who's My Legislator” icon on the General Assembly website at
http://legis.state.va.us to find or confirm who your delegate or
senator is, and his or her contact information.

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III. NATIONAL

--III. A. COMMENT ON PROPOSED IMMIGRATION WAIVER PROCESS

On March 30, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) announced a proposed rule that would allow certain groups of
undocumented immigrants to become lawful permanent residents. Under
the proposed rule, undocumented immigrants who are immediate family
members of U.S. citizens would be permitted to apply for a waiver
provided they have not committed any crime and show that a separation
would produce “extreme hardship.” This would significantly reduce the
amount of time that families are separated, as individuals awaiting
processing are forced to wait up to 10 years. The rule would also
allow students enrolled in school or who have joined the military to
remain in the United States legally. The proposed rule appears
consistent with Catholic social teaching on immigration, which gives
priority to family unification.

USCIS is accepting public comment on the proposed rule from April 2
until July 7. To voice support for it, please go to
http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=USCIS-2012-0003-0001.
Details on the proposed rule are available at
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=bc41875decf56310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=bc41875decf56310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD.

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HOW TO CONTACT THE PRESIDENT AND YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVE –
INCREDIBLY EASY WAYS!

To contact your senators and representative, go to
http://actioncenter.crs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ac_homepage or
http://capwiz.com/networklobby/home/ and enter your zip code.

(Both sites have links to additional information about issues.)

You can also reach your senators and representative by calling the
Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 or (202) 225-3121.

To contact the President, go to http://capwiz.com/networklobby/bio/?id=20004&lvl=F

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IV. INTERNATIONAL

--IV. A. URGE SECRETARY CLINTON TO STAND WITH SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN

Last July, when South Sudan was established as the world’s newest
nation, the world was full of hope for the future of the Sudanese
people. But now, less than a year later, the long-term peace and
stability of Sudan and South Sudan are at a critical juncture. As Pope
Benedict XVI said earlier this year, “Sadly, tensions and clashes have
ensued in recent months, and I express my hope that all may unite
their efforts to enable the people of Sudan and South Sudan to
experience at last a period of peace, freedom and development."

To sign a letter, pre-drafted by Catholic Relief Services, to
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and for more information about
recent events in Sudan, please visit
https://secure.crs.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=769&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=ewwu1ulcs3.app245b.

--IV. B. SUDAN PEACE, SECURITY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

Indicted war criminal and current Governor of South Kordofan in Sudan
Ahmed Haroun was recently caught on video ordering an ethnic cleansing
of the people he governs. He told his troops, "You must hand over the
place clean...Swept, rubbed, crushed. Don’t bring them back alive. We
have no space for them."

This isn't the first time that Haroun – known as the architect of the
Darfur genocide – has allegedly committed war crimes and crimes
against humanity. But it needs to be his last.

We must continue to speak out for the people of Sudan and try to
prevent countless more deaths that would result from famine and war.
Send a message to your member of Congress asking him/her to cosponsor
the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act of 2012 – or
thanking him/her for already cosponsoring, as Rep. James Moran and
Rep. Frank Wolf have done. A pre-drafted message, which you can edit,
can be found at
http://enoughproject.org/sudanpeacebill.

If you aren't sure whether your representative is a cosponsor, please
check
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdy9FT:@@@P|/home/LegislativeData.php.

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