ST.CHARLES ADVOCACY TOPICS—JUNE 9, 2009

[jus...@stcharleschurch.org]

ST.CHARLES ADVOCACY TOPICS—JUNE 9, 2009

I. LOCAL/REGIONAL
--I. A. REGIONAL MEETINGS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO PREPARE FOR 2010
GENERAL ASSEMBLY

II. STATE
-- II. A. VICPP SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF THE 2009 VIRGINIA GENERAL
ASSEMBLY SESSION
-- II.B CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION

III. NATIONAL
-- III.A BISHOPS URGES JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS **URGENT ACTION**
-- III.B BISHOPS SUPPORT SENATE FAMILY REUNIFICATION BILL
-- III.C FRAMEWORK FOR FAIR TRADE HEADED TOWARDS CAPITOL HILL
-- III.D. FORMER PRISONERS NEED HELP TOO

IV. INTERNATIONAL
-- IV.A INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET **URGENT ACTION**


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I. LOCAL/REGIONAL—

-- I.A --I. A. REGIONAL MEETINGS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO PREPARE
FOR 2010 GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Virginia Housing Coalition (VHC) will hold a meeting in Arlington
on Friday, June 12, 10 AM - 3 PM at 2230 N Fairfax Drive, Arlington,
VA 22201. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this free,
interactive session.

The workshop will focus on a housing legislative agenda for the 2010
General Assembly session, strategies for more effective advocacy, and
an afternoon devoted to developing a new vision for housing and
community development initiatives for Virginia.

This is a free event, but it is necessary to register. Registration
by June 9 is preferred. For all of the details, click on the following
link: http://www.vahousingcoalition.org/Legislative/06.09Agendapromo.pdf

This alert came from the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing
Alliance, a broad-based regional organization dedicated to the
creation of successful communities through affordable housing
education and advocacy.


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II. STATE

--II. A. VICPP SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF THE 2009 VIRGINIA GENERAL
ASSEMBLY SESSION

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICCP) has compiled
a summary of the legislative outcomes of the social justice issues on
which it advocated during the 2009 General Assembly session. The link
to this informative and wide-ranging summary is:
http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/Issues/GeneralAssemblySummary2009/tabid/769/Default.aspx.

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-- II.B CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION

The National Catholic Rural Life Conference, National Association of
Evangelicals, the Pew Environment Group, Evangelical Environmental
Network, and the National Audubon Society invited interested parties
to attend a forum called “Caring for God’s Creation” on Monday June
22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Riverside Conference Center, 95
Riverside Parkway, Fredericksburg, Va.
The keynote speaker will be Rep. Robert J. Wittman (R-Va.). Speakers
will discuss the importance of stewardship from a biblical point of
view, the impacts of climate change in the Commonwealth region as well
as the global impacts to the least of these, opportunities for
mobilizing Virginia congregations in caring for creation locally, and
opportunities for Christians to engage with policy makers on these
issues. For more details, or to RSVP contact Erik DuMont,
edu...@pewtrusts.org, (202) 887-8842.


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

- To contact Gov. Kaine go to the following web sites:
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Contact.cfm or
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/AboutTheGovernor/contactGovernor.cfm

The phone number for Gov. Kaine is (804) 786-2211.

To send an email, go to http://capwiz.com/vacatholic/mail/?id=48779&type=GV&state=VA

- 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 BISHOPS URGES JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS **URGENT ACTION**

Justice for Immigrants (JFR), established by the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, is asking Catholics to contact the White House and
Congress now to urge their support for comprehensive immigration
reform this year.
President Obama is scheduled to meet with congressional leaders from
both parties on June 17 to discuss immigration reform, JFR said in a
June 5 email.
“Significant grassroots pressure” will be needed to help ensure that
comprehensive immigration reform does not slip from Capitol Hill’s
2009 agenda.
Justice for Immigrants urged Catholics to call the White House, our
senators, and our representatives to tell them work on this issue is
critical this year.
Justice urged phone calls to the White House Switchboard: (202)
456-1414, and the Capitol Hill Switchboard, which can connect you to
your legislators’ offices: (202) 224-3121.

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-- III.B BISHOPS SUPPORT SENATE FAMILY REUNIFICATION BILL

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is supporting a Senate
family reunification bill, but not similar house legislation. Bishop
John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the USCCB Committee on
Migration, expressed the committee’s support for the Reuniting
American Families Act (S. 1085) introduced May 20 in a a June 2 letter
to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
The Act proposes reforms to the family-based immigration system that
would allow immigrant families to more quickly reunite in the United
States.
“Family reunification has represented the cornerstone of the U.S.
immigration system, and should remain its central tenet in the
future,” Bishop Wester said. He stressed that the United States
“should resist proposals which would erode the family-based
immigration system.”
Bishop Wester issued a second letter indicating that the bishops’
Committee on Migration is not supporting similar legislation in the
House. In a June 2 letter to Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Bishop Wester
wrote: “As you know, the USCCB supported H.R. 6638, similar
legislation that you introduced during the 110th Congress.
Unfortunately, however, while the bishops support many of the
provisions in the Reuniting Families Act, your decision to include in
the bill the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would provide
marriage-like immigration benefits to same sex relationships, makes it
impossible for the bishops to support this year’s version of your
bill.”
Both letters and a summary of them are available at
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-122.shtml

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-- III.C FRAMEWORK FOR FAIR TRADE HEADED TOWARDS CAPITOL HILL

Network, a Catholic Social Justice advocacy organization, is urging
Catholics to urge Congress to support fair trade.

Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) plans to introduce the 2009 Trade Reform,
Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act in the House in
the next few weeks, possibly as early as Wednesday, June 10, Network
said in a June 8 email.

The TRADE Act is an excellent vehicle for reevaluating U.S. trade
policy and reshaping it so that it serves our common interests in
stable jobs, a secure environment, public health and safety and
poverty reduction. It sets standards for what must and must not be
included in a responsible trade agreement and requires a comprehensive
review of existing trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA that are
failing to serve the majority of people in the U.S. and in our trading
partners.
Network urged Catholics to contact our representatives to urge them to
co-sponsor of the 2009 TRADE Act. The more co-sponsors the TRADE Act
has when introduced, the more momentum will be gained for a fair trade
agenda, says Network.

You can send an e-mail to your representative via
http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=13498686&type=CO

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-- III.D FORMER PRISONERS NEED HELP TOO

Support is needed for Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-Va.) bill, S. 714, to
establish a National Criminal Justice Commission. The Commission would
study all areas of federal and state criminal justice costs,
practices, and policies--including those preparing people for re-entry
into society and supporting them once released, says Network, a
Catholic social justice advocacy organization.
The incarceration rate in the U.S. is the highest per capita among
developed nations, and a recent study indicates that over 60% of
people released from prison are re-arrested within three years, said
Network.

A study of the policies and practices that lead to recidivism will
help address the barriers to people's successful re-entry to society,
Network said. Restrictions on access to benefits like food stamps,
public housing and educational loans make it extremely difficult for
people re-entering society to succeed, it continued, adding there are
too few re-entry assistance programs and support systems available.

You can send an e-mail, based on Network’s sample talking points, via
http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=13497956&type=CO

To learn more about the challenges facing people leaving prisons, go
to: http://www.networklobby.org/issues/2009%20Issue%20Agenda/5-22-09_Ex-offenders.htm



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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.)

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

-- IV.A INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET **URGENT ACTION**

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services
issued an urgent action request June 8 asking Catholics to ask our
federal legislators to support no less than $53.9 billion for the
FY2010 International Affairs Budget 302(b) allocations.

The 302(b) allocations limit how much money each of the 12
appropriations subcommittees can spend on various federal programs in
the next fiscal year, including those that confront global poverty.
Key House and Senate appropriators along with congressional leadership
will decide these 302(b) allocations soon, CRS and USCCB said. A
strong allocation for the overall international affairs budget will
ensure that people living in poverty worldwide receive the assistance
they need. Included in the international affairs budget 302(b)
allocation are such programs as international food aid, the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),funding for the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and other poverty-focused
accounts.

For more details and to take action, go to
http://actioncenter.crs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ac_homepage

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[NOTE: We encourage you to forward this e-mail to others you think
would be interested. Persons wishing to subscribe may go to the St.
Charles Web site, Social Justice page, by using this link:
http://www.stcharleschurch.org/maillist.htm and follow the
instructions you find there under Social Justice.

If you do take action to advocate, we encourage you to mention the St.
Charles Advocacy Network. If you wish to let us know you took action,
you can e-mail us at jus...@stcharleschurch.org. Thank you.]