Regional News and Legislative
Updates
National Legislative Agenda 2007
50.73 KB
(51947 bytes)
Recommendations by the
Voice of the Poor Committee, Council of the
To view the
document click on the title above.
Note: The National Legislative Agenda 2007 was
approved by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Council (Resolution
4-25-2006/7 32) at the annual meeting in Austin (TX),
August 31, 2007. A
position statement
on homelessness (Resolution 4-25-2006/7
33) was approved at the same meeting.
Tips for Scheduling Congressional Delegation Appointments
This overview document was prepared by VOP in Phoenix and is shared by Lucy Howell. It provides an outline of how the VOP Phoenix schedules meetings with their elected representatives during the annual Catholic Social Gathering. Note: The group works five to six weeks in advance of the Capitol Hill meetings. Other useful sample documents include: visitation schedule, meeting request letter, DC prep, talking points, thank you letter.
How to Contact Your Senator via Phone
An
example of how to make a call to the Hill is found on YouTube. It is by
Matt Newell Ching, western regional organizer, Bread for the World
(http://www.bread.org). It can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgmKEAsfgok
National Legislative Agenda 2006
45.65 KB
(46,742 bytes)
Recommendations by the
Voice of the Poor Committee, Council of the
To view the
document click on the title above.
Note: The National Legislative Agenda 2006 was
approved by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Council (Resolution
7-7-2005/6 18) at the annual meeting in
National
Legislative Agenda 2005 44.77 KB (45,842 bytes)
Recommendations by the
Voice of the Poor Committee, Council of the
The National Legislative Agenda
2005 (updated) was approved by the Voice of the Poor National Committee, April
14, 2005, and presented to the Trustees at the Midyear Meeting in
To view the document
click on the title above.
National
Legislative Agenda 2004 40.27 KB (41,235 bytes)
Recommendations by the
Voice of the Poor Committee, Council of the
This is the National
Legislative Agenda that was approved at the National gathering of the Society
of St. Vincent de Paul in
(September 2004) for use
as a framework for social advocacy.
April 2007
Belleville Council Vincentians Speak Out Along with
Parishes
When utility fees spiked 40% in Illinois Vincentians moved into action. A sample letter was drafted and sent to parishes to encourage others to speak out about the situation. The result: 70% of Churches wrote a letter to their legislators. According to Vincentian Joe Hubbard, this was the biggest cause legislators heard from in 10 years. The cry was heard for the need to help families with electricity. By furnishing letters for insertion in bulletins and also for distribution in Churches got attention. Vincentians in Illinois also rallied for budget increases for TANF and reauthorization of the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Pat Hogrebe shares sample letters. Following is a letter addressing the utility situation.
Dear Governor Blagojevich,
As a concerned voter in the State of Illinois, I am writing with great urgency to express my serious concern about Ameren’s recent 40% utility increase. This energy hike is being felt by everyone but is causing extreme hardship for the low-income, disabled, and elderly. It is causing a very negative ripple effect; the poor who are struggling now with utility payments are being pushed into deeper poverty, those who have been barely able to pay their bills are finding themselves in a position of not having enough money to meet all their expenses, and those who have been able to share discretionary income with the poor are having to use it to cover their own utility bills.
The poor and low-income are struggling and suffering in Illinois and across the nation. I feel very strongly that this extreme increase in utility charges is having a dramatic impact for countless families, especially in our own region of St. Clair County. At a time when utility profits and executive salaries are at an all time high, we have a moral obligation to examine the social impact of such action by Ameren and the issue of social justice in our society.
Thank you for considering this urgent request.
March 2007
Phoenix Networking Report
Lucy Howell sends the following news (3/30/07).
Last Saturday at the SVdP General Membership meeting, the Community Education Specialist for low income healthcare in AZ held a workshop for interested Vincentians on how to help families complete healthcare applications for Medicaid (AHCCCS in AZ) and S-CHIP (KidsCare in AZ). Our state government has a gag order for contracts with schools and non-profits for outreach to the estimated 120,000 uninsured but eligible AZ children for this coverage. We think Vincentians can help in the course of home visits.
On Monday, Paul Martodam, CEO of Catholic Charities for No. and Central AZ and Tricia Hoyt, Director of the Office of Peace and Justice for Catholic Charities, came to our Voice of the Poor meeting. Paul summarized the CCUSA booklet "Poverty in America: A Threat to the Common Good" and gave the committee copies. He knows Joe and is most appreciative of the support SVdP is throwing behind the campaign to cut poverty in half by 2020. We talked in general about a conference on poverty that CC-AZ is hoping to hold in Phoenix within the next few months.
On Tuesday, I attended a meeting introducing the new western regional director for Bread for the World, Matt Newell-Ching: the topic was the Farm Bill. I gave Matt a copy of the CCUSA booklet on poverty.
Am hoping that another group here, Basic Needs Coalition, will have agenda time for CC-AZ to come and talk about the booklet and the campaign. This is a group that would be an essential collaboration for a conference on poverty.
All of this comes under the heading of "getting the ball rolling" at the local level! I am sure you have seen recent coverage indicating that Americans are now realizing that our social service network is tattered and neglected resulting in a significant population being left behind.
Phoenix
Council President Encourages Action!
Phoenix Vincentians are encouraged to speak on Housing/Homelessnes, child care, low income health care for children, and charitable tax credit. Details are found in the March 10, 2007 Phoenix VOP Action Alert
PayDay Legislation in Oregon
"We are currently working on a bill HB 2851 which will put a cap of 36% on all loans, except real estate loans that are insured," reports Don Lamb. "This is the Fed bill for the military, for all other citizens. We include the Military in our bill. Testifying on Wednesday and we hope it will pass both Houses. We are waiting for the Governor of Oregon to sign our other four (4) bills."
February 2007
Houston Confidentiality Policy Challenges
A letter was sent by Executive Director Wendy Garaghty to Archbishop DiNardo per the Houston Council Board President's approval to keep the Archbishop informed of challenges being faced by the local Society regarding Confidentiality Policies. "The situation continues to be a challenge for us in obtaining the resources for those we are serving through Katrina," she said in a recent email.
"We have had the opportunity to meet with the Senior Assistant Attorney with our Houston Mayor's Office to share the barriers we have come across and how this affects the Society and those we serve. He was very receptive and has vowed to do what he can to alleviate the problems," she notes adding that, "It has been tough being the odd man out but a necessity in bringing justice to those who continue to suffer from the hurricane devastation. Their privacy is all some of them have right now and protecting it is our priority....Please keep us in prayer as the heat is on."
Speaking
for Farmworker Housing
In a VOP report, Peggy Brodeur of the District Council Miami South Epiphany has endeavored to get the lease renewed for a farmworker by writing letters and making phone calls.
Oregon Legislature and PayDay Loans
Vincentian Don Lamb provides an update.
Hello VINCENTIANS AND A happy Valentine's Day to you and those we serve!!!!!
The Oregon House of Representatives just passed yesterday, HB 2202, 2203, 2204 & 2205. The vote was 40 to 20!!!! The Bills will now go to the Senate, which is already in favor of them, since it passed them in the 2005 Legislature, but the House refused to hear the proposals. Our Governor has indicated in Public that he will sign the bills as they help the low income citizens of our state. Yes, the working poor get a break. Maybe it will reduce the demand on our services, at least to some of those we serve. Basically the bills do the following: HB2203, caps the interest rate on loans at an APR of 36% and 10% origination fee on loans by out of State Lenders, who were not included in the legislation of 2005; HB2202 requires a license to cash checks in Oregon and caps the fees at $5.00 or 3% of the check, which ever was greater; HB 2204 deals with Car Title Loans and limits the interest to 36% APR and a one time origination fee at $10.00 per $100.00 borrowed; HB 2205 is a bill that tightens the language of the lending regulations to be sure that the legislation passed in 2005 is adhered to. Good work to all and be sure to let your Senator know you appreciate a VOTE For these BILLS. Yours in Christ and Blessed Frederic, Donald L. Lamb
PS In another note (2/6) Don says, "Our stories to them and the lobbyist about the real rates and costs to the disadvantaged and poor, got home."
January 2007
"Hands On" VOP Activities in Washington
VOP Chair of the Seattle Archdiocesan Council, Jim Bloss, seeks creative ways to get Vincentians involved in advocacy. He writes, "To bring VOP 'alive' and to try and 'show by doing' just what Vincentian VOP means, we try to find 'hands on' kinds of activities with which our Vincentians can become involved. The attached letter was my attempt to provide a kind of variety of activities that we (at our District Council level) hoped would "entice" at least some of our Vincentians to get out there and become involved in Vincentian-kinds of Catholic social justice activities.
"Another 'tack' about which we've been thinking is to try to recommend to our Vincentian Conferences to become more collaborative with their own Parish's Social Justice Committee (or Conference, as the case may be) - and then there is the JustFaith program which some Parishes have which would provide a great opportunity for a social justice collaboration of some sort (where Vincentian issues coincide with mainline Catholic Social Justice concerns - remember, not 'all' Catholic Social Justice issues have been taken on by the Society)," he adds.
December 2006
Two Phoenix VOP Reports
Inge Casey of VOP Phoenix shares News on the Arizona Legislature (opening session January 8, 2007) and Phoenix November VOP Meeting Minutes.
November
2006
Phoenix speaks for Hunger and Homelessness
The following letter was written by Mike Bell, Director of Shelter Services at Ozanam Manor, a shelter for disabled adults run by the Society in Phoenix. The letter was signed by Steve Jenkins, who as council president in Phoenix is the council's official spokesperson. The letter was sent to the opinions section of the Arizona Republic.
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is November 12-18, 2006. According to ASU’s Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family, “Permanent affordable homes can be directly and indirectly responsible for educational achievement in children, their stability, their development, and their future.”
Homeless families now make up more than 40% of America’s homeless population and more than 1.3 million children in America are homeless at some time during each year. Homelessness increases incidence of chronic stress and trauma for children that can have far-reaching effects, including poorer academic performance and more behavior problems in school, and an increase in the likelihood of homelessness in adulthood. Lack of affordable housing is a major case of homelessness.
I urge readers to reflect on what it is like for a child or an adult to be homeless. Then, imagine how much stronger our communities and nation would be if everyone had access to decent, affordable housing. A new enlightened “Housing First” approach to ending homelessness is being embraced at the federal government level and in almost every state, including Arizona. It emphasizes placing homeless people directly into housing with support services. This cost efficient approach has been successful in helping homeless families find and stay in permanent housing. These efforts require more funding at the state and federal levels to get families off the streets and provide stable environments for our children. Together, we can make this happen.
October
2006
Southeast Regional Presentation on Migrant Farmworkers
At the Oct. 15 SVDP Southeast Regional meeting
Vincentian Peggy Brodeur gave a presentation titled, “Migrants Today and Tomorrow.” She provided an update on the difficulties of
migrants and SVDP work in
September
2006
Phoenix VOP’s Lucy Howell
shares the
SVDP Program Praised for “Stemming
Recidivism”
The
following is from the San Mateo California Catherine’s Center, September 2006
monthly report from Sister Marguerite Buchanan and Mary Jane Govaerts. “Right
here in
VOP
Deacon Michael Morris reports on the VOP meeting (9/20/06): “I
just got in from Evansville and our monthly meeting….We are dividing among
ourselves and going to conquer the Position papers…Our six members are to go
home and read and come to an ownership or offer suggestions of
modifications. Think about Benchmarks, Objectives, and Actions to reach
the Local actions…I am to come prepared to discuss one of the Social Justice
issues. Other's to follow. After we self train we are to each
bring someone (Looking right now) to the monthly meeting. Develop
ideas to recruit computer literate members…. issue driven folks. (Evansville VOP Mini Guide
has been developed.)
VOP in
In a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger San
Mateo District Council President Edward Watson urged the governor to sign SB
1453, an act to add and repeal Section 2933.4 of the California Penal
Code. In the letter he says:
Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in
Drug treatment programs to care for the hundreds
of prisoners who seek to overcome terrible dependencies would go a long way to
provide hope in the criminal justice system. Using funds for healing
rather than the construction of containment centers only makes practical sense
to circumvent recidivism of drug law violators back into an already
over-crowded prison system.
Please make this a priority. Many people
make regrettable choices in life. With appropriate support, lives can be
turned around. Please give them a chance.
Note: Prisoners not serving
sentences for violent felonies, serious felonies, or crimes requiring
registration as a sex offender, under this bill, would be entered into
residential aftercare drug treatment after successful completion of an
in-prison drug treatment program. If 150 days of residential aftercare is
successfully completed the individual could be discharged from parole.
Incorporating mandatory drug treatment aftercare provides a win-win opportunity
for the State's criminal justice system, the drug addicted prisoner, families
of the addicted, and the community at large. To validate that the program
is working, the bill would require the Department of Corrections to report
annually to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the State Auditor on the
effectiveness of these provisions. According to Bureau of Justice
Statistics, "In 2002 about a quarter of convicted property and drug
offenders had committed their crimes to get money for drugs, compared to 5% of
violent and public order offenders." (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/duc.htm
)
August
2006
“
From Milwaukee SVDP Executive Director, Gerry Felsecker (Aug.
23): “Wish us luck at the “
Northeast Regional Newsletter Report on VOP
Patricia
Sickinger, NE Secretary/SVDP, shares a page from their latest edition of SVDP’s Northeast
Regional Newsletter, which reports on VOP work of the Diocese of Rockville
Centre, New York. According to the
article,
Phoenix Diocesan Council’s VOP Sends out
Legislative Report Card
The Phoenix VOP put together a legislative report card containing
information on bills for which there was an actual vote in either the House or
the Senate. Included with the report
card is the voting
record for each
In
a letter to Vincentians in central and northern
Good
work Phoenix Voice of the Poor. Core Committee
Members include: Lucy Howell VOP chair; Inge Casey St. Theresa; Tom Finnerty
St. Gregory; Father Bill Fitzgerald OLPH, Scottsdale; Walt Gray St. Augustine,
Kathy Jorgensen St. Jerome; Ron Meyer St. Francis Xavier; Stephen J. Jenkins
Diocesan Council President, ex-officio; Steve Zabilski
Executive Director, ex-officio.
VOP in
Executive Director, Gerry
Felsecker shares the following update on Milwaukee VOP action.
(1)
Vincentian Education
Prior to the National Council developing a more
generic PowerPoint on the purpose of the Voice of the Poor effort, Milwaukee
took the Phoenix VOP presentation and adapted it for our Vincentians
by using local photos and graphics showing our involvement, and adding a
section on the issues we are working on. This was presented five times
during the spring, with a total viewership of about
250. Many Vincentians commented that they now
understand Voice of the Poor better.
(2)
Immigration
This is a difficult issue for many Vincentians because of its complexity. We sent an
action alert to all our Vincentians, reminding them
of the position of the Catholic Bishops, and asking them to write to their
Congressmen against the punitive aspects of the House Bill.
(3)
Energy
The rapid rise in rates this past year has left a
record number of people in danger of shut-off. Local utility companies
are aggressively shutting off people throughout our Archdiocese (in
(4)
Housing issues
SVDP in
(5)
Death Penalty
VOP in
Artivio Guerrero, VOP chair, summarizes activities:
Structure: In process in getting
members from each Conference to form a committee, so far we have three
committed, working on fifteen more.
Issues: Immigration,
homelessness, juvenile crime and delinquency, healthcare and just wage for the
working poor.
Collaboration: Diocese of
VOP in
·
The San Mateo District Council officially approved the addition of
restorative justice as a focus of VOP in addition to housing, health care and
child care.
·
San Mateo’s VOP prepared a group discussion study guide on the
topic of restorative justice titled, “Changing Attitudes on Criminal
Rehabilitation,” which is scheduled for printing shortly by the Archdiocese of
San Francisco’s Office of Public Policy.
The workbook is targeted for use by small groups. It complements the US Bishops Statement,
“Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration,” December 2000 and
“Restorative Justice,” a documentary film produced by the Archdiocese of San
Francisco’s Office of Public Policy, November 2004.
·
Vincentians Barbara Keefer and
·
·
·
VOP members investigated the injustice of trailer park space rental
agreements. The poor who rent these
spaces do not realize that they are agreeing to pay escalating rents and fees
that are designated by the landlord.
VOP in
Jan Deckenbach, VOP chair, Archdiocese of
Chicago, reports:
We are concentrating on educating Vincentians
about immigration and then urging them to action: contacting their legislator
in March, April, May and now before the Senate and House bills are
reconciled….I’ve gone around to various district council meetings to present
the case for this action.
VOP in
Executive Director and VOP National Committee member, Vin Reilly
reports:
The
Manhattan Council has been advocating on behalf of our neighbors in need as they
visit our parish volunteer food pantries.
Our State Legislature funded our
VOP in
News from
We
finally have a VOP Committee in the Archdiocese of Detroit Council. They
meet once a month via conference call and are networking with the Archdiocese's
Peace and Justice and I understand it is working out very well.
VOP District Council of South Miami on Farm
Workers in South Dade Camp,
On August 7 a meeting was held with the Mayor, City Manager and Assistant
City Manager of Homestead, Florida. According to the report, “…it was
brought to the attention of the Homestead City Administration that there are
poor housing conditions and a lack of repairs for 300 housing units in the
South Dade Farm Workers’ Camp. Pictures were shown in color where there was rat
infestation, water damage and rotting of wood along with a myriad other
problems including lack of paint on the outside housing units, allegedly since
1993 (some repairs having been made after Hurricane Andrew in August 1992)….
The City Manager said he was concerned with all violations of local building
codes within the jurisdiction of the Homestead City Limits and he would send
inspectors to look into the South Dade Camp concerning violations. He requested
the assistance of members from St. Vincent de Paul to assist his inspectors in
completing their inspections of the home sites.” G. Brian Brodeur, chair VOP,
shared the meeting report.
Activities in
News from Linda Palmer:
These
actions are being done by a handful of people.
I have been struggling to get VOP into the conferences.... Despite this,
I have join(ed) forces with many faith-based groups
(PICO/San Diego Organizing Project) on the following:
Healthy
in Their Homes or Apartments
Adequate
housing for everyone and universal health care continue to be among top goals
of caring persons this summer and continue toward the election in November.
Many
of us hope three main concerns will be covered by: Senate Bill 840, Proposition 86, and
Proposition 1C.
OneCareNow
Devoted
to educating Californians and building mass support for Senate Bill 840, called
the California Health Insurance Reliability Act, is the statewide grass roots campaign
of One Care Now. The bill would provide
affordable, comprehensive coverage by way of universal health insurance for all
Californians. Among the proposed benefits:
Ø
All Californians would
be covered for life.
Ø
There would be freedom
of choice of doctors or integrated health systems such as Kaiser.
Ø
Coverage would include
hospital, medical, surgical, dental and vision care along with prescription
drugs, medical equipment, diagnostic testing, and hospice care.
You
can sign the OneCareNow petition or receive added
information about this bill which it claims will provide high quality,
universal, and affordable health care insurance in
Proposition
86 Made the Ballot
The
San Diego Organizing Project, which is represented by 25 churches in the
county, raised nearly 8,000 signatures which helped put Proposition 86 on the
November ballot. Volunteers around the
state collected 190,000 signatures, roughly 18 per cent of the 1,125,675 which
qualified the initiative for the election. The San Diego Organizing Project is
connected with PICO California, which gathered a total of 85,681
signatures. The American Cancer Society
brought in 97,158. Also in the volunteer
part of the campaign were the American Lung Association and the American Heart
Association. According to the
proponents of Proposition 86, it will drop youth smoking 43 percent in both
high school and middle school population--meaning 700,000 youth would not
become smokers. Backers of the proposition also claim over half a million adult
smokers will quit the habit. The main
effort of the San Diego Organizing Project has been on the premise that if
Proposition 86 passes, there will be adequate funding to secure health coverage
for all children in
Bonds
for Housing
A statewide bond initiative, Proposition 1C,
would provide the Housing Trust Fund $2.85 billion with a variety of
programs. Examples:
·
Building apartments for seniors, families, and persons with
disabilities--$395 million.
·
Building and renovation emergency shelters and transitional
rental units for homeless families with children, battered women, and other
individuals--$50 million.
·
Building apartments with support services for persons with
chronic disabilities--both physical and mental---$195 million.
·
Building for-sale and rental homes for agricultural
workers---$135,
·
Funding a range of home ownership projects under the Cal-HOME
Program--$300 million.
·
Providing second loans for down payments and closing costs under
the
·
AND, programs for infrastructure vital to home
development---$1.35 billion.
To
put the needs in focus, it has been reported that:
·
More than 360,000 Californians are homeless every night.
·
Last year, 5,108 women and children were turned away from full
domestic-violence shelters.
We
will embark on an intense voter registration campaign targeting 18-40 yr olds
who are part of the huge "undecided" or "don't care" block
whose voices we need to hear on all of the important issues involving poverty.
VOP
Update from Joan Delaney, Chairperson, VOP, Diocese of
In conjunction with activities at the state capitol coordinated by
the NYS Catholic conference of Bishops, we advocated on behalf of the following
issues: enact education tax credits to benefit all parents and all schools;
promote ethical stem cell research and ban embryo experimentation, secure
insurance equity for behavioral health service; ensure access to health care,
and continue reform of New York’s Rockefeller-era drug sentencing laws.
Contacting both state and local legislators and cooperating with
the Public Policy Education Network of Catholic Charities, we also lobbied on
the issues of immigration and affordable housing, both huge problems on
Finally, members of our committee, along with numerous other Vincentians, have joined the NYS Catholic Advocacy Network
which facilitates communications with legislators at all levels regarding
topical issues, particularly those before state and federal legislators. In that regard, we have responded to their
requests to e-mail legislators through this network concerning a wide array of
pending budgetary and ethical issues.
July 2006
VOP in
Affordable Housing is Hot Topic
From Patricia Hall, Diocese of Orlando: “I'm grateful for your e-mails and
updates. I pass them along to our VOP chairs at the conference level so
they can download - print - discuss in conference meetings. I'll be attending a
county commissioners meeting this week regarding affordable housing, our
hottest local topic. We're finding in our case work that people opt to
make the car/car insurance payments rather than the rent, because if they get
evicted they can still live in their cars.”
VOP in
SVDP Legislative Report Card in Works
The Phoenix VOP plans to mail a legislative report card that
describes the bills supported or opposed by the SVdP
Phoenix Diocesan Board during the
June 2006
News from VOP in Diocese of
Joan Delaney, VOP chair, provides the following
update on activities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
Our Voice of the