Hill Notes and Backgrounders

CSMG Legislative Priorities

On February 4, 2014, Catholic Social Ministry Gathering participants will be advocating on Hill.  The following Hill Notes and Backgrounders will prepare you to effectively articulate the Catholic position on the following legislative priorities:

2014 Message to Congress

International Legislative Priorities:

• Give peace a chance. Dialogue is the way to achieve long-term comprehensive solutions to complex issues such as nuclear negotiations with Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. USCCB urges that Congress not take any actions, such as passing legislation to impose new or contingent sanctions on Iran or restricting humanitarian funding for Palestinians, that could undermine the negotiation processes.
• Thank you for maintaining funding for poverty-focused development and humanitarian assistance in the FY 2014 budget. [See accompanying chart.] Continue to support and expand funding for these priority poverty-focused accounts in the FY 2015 budget process. The plight of refugees fleeing Syria and Filipinos struggling to rebuild their communities are grim reminders of the lives at stake.

For a more detailed set of talking points, please see the 2-page International Talking Points guide.

Domestic Legislative Priorities

• Public policy decisions must protect poor and vulnerable people, families, and communities, foster inclusion, and help them develop more fully and reach their human potential. This means supporting policies that encourage family formation and stability, create decent jobs with just wages, ensure access to safe and affordable housing, and fight the scourge of hunger.
• Criminal Justice Reform: the Second Chance Act: The bipartisan Second Chance Reauthorization Act (S 1690, HR 3465) would restore people leaving prison and help them reintegrate back into their communities in healthy and productive ways.
• Finishing the Job on Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Includes a Path to Citizenship, Family-Based Immigration, a Temporary Worker Program, and addresses the root causes of migration and seek long-term solutions.
• Using our Nation's Resources to Support Life: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (HR 7, S. 946) would close loopholes in current law, so longstanding policy against federal abortion funding is permanent and government-wide.

 

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Workshop Backgrounders

The following backgrounders correspond to workshops during the CSMG.

Background on Armed Drones

Background on the Central African Republic

Background on Child Migration

Background on Criminal Justice and Restorative Justice

Background on Human Trafficking

Background on Iran

Background on Just Wage and the Federal Minimum Wage

Background on the Middle East

Background on Trade

Background on Worsening Economic Inequality