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The following compilation is for information purposes only.  

Legislative Information and Status of Bills in Congress

 http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html

 

Library of Congress Roll Call Votes

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/rollcallvotes.html#SENATE

 

US House of Representatives 110th Congress (2006-07)

http://clerk.house.gov/

 Roll Call Votes:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/index.asp

 

US Senate 110th Congress (2006-07)

http://www.senate.gov/

Roll Call Votes:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_1.htm

 

US Senate Roll Call Votes (current and historical):

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htm

 

Congressional Directory, President of the United States, Agencies (Catholic Charities)

http://capwiz.com/catholiccharitiesusa/dbq/officials/

 

Poverty in the United States  

US Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.html

 

Federal Regulations

Find, view and comment on regulations for all Federal agencies.

Select “all documents open for comment” button for complete listing.

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main

Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America by 2020 http://povertyinamerica.typepad.com/campaign/about_the_campaign.html

Poverty in America A Threat to the Common Good, Catholic Charities 2006 Policy Paper, http://povertyinamerica.typepad.com/2006_poverty_paper.pdf

 

Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good, Catholic Charities 2007 Policy Paper,

http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=874&srcid=193

Catholic Charities Legislative Action Center http://capwiz.com/catholiccharitiesusa/home/

This webpage links to the daily House and Senate schedule along with other helpful links. 

 

CLASP: "State Governments and the New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America" http://www.clasp.org/process_search.php?skip=0 

This report (4/08) from the Center for Law and Social Policy provides state-by-state narratives and Charts of state intiatives.

 

By the Numbers

The Catholic Church in the United States (statistics) http://www.usccb.org/comm/statisti.shtml

Catholic Campaign for Human Development Poverty Pulse Survey

2007: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/PovertyPulseVII.pdf finds that Americans think more US poverty would threaten national security (media release http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2007/07-027.shtml) 

2006:  http://www.usccb.org/cchd/PovertyPulse_06.pdf finds that Americans fear poverty will get worse and want it decreased or eliminated (media release http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2006/06-011.shtml )

Food Assistance

Farm Bill (March 11, 2008 release) http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/action_alert_farm_bill_conferees03-10-08final.pdf

Farm Bill 2007 updates and information http://www.agriculture.senate.gov/

Food Stamp Access In America: A City-By-City Snapshot.  Food Research and Action Center.  October 2007. 

Study looked at Food Stamps in 24 of America's largest urban areas.  According to the findings, "urban Americans are more likely to be poor, to suffer from hunger and food insecurity than other Americans, and to have to pay more for food."  In addition: "In most of the urban areas, at least one child in four lived below the poverty line in 2005, and in combination the 24 were home to more than two and a quarter million poor children."

State of the States: 2007, A Profile of Food & Nutrition Programs across the Nation. Food Research and Action Center.  June 2007.   http://www.frac.org 

The 2006 Annual Report by the USDA's Economic Research Service on Nutrition Assistance Programs is found at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib6-4/  (Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-6-4) 6pp, February 2007) Per the report, "Over 60 percent of USDA's annual budget supports 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs."

Effect of State Food Stamp and TANF Policies on Food Stamp Program Participation

This study was conducted by The Urban Institute under research agreement number 43-3AEM-3-80085 with the Economic Research Service to look at program participation.  "The effectiveness of the Food Stamp Program (FSP) depends on the extent to which it reaches those who are entitled to benefits. In the mid- to late 1990s, participation fell sharply. In recent years, it rebounded somewhat, reaching 65.1 percent in 2005. Changes in participation patterns can be attributed partly to economic fluctuations, but they were also shaped by the rapidly changing State policy environment. This study combines data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, 1996-2003, with data on State-level food stamp, welfare, minimum wage, and Earned Income Tax Credit policy to investigate the effects of policy on food stamp participation. The findings show strong evidence that some Food Stamp Program policy reforms made after 1999 (such as more lenient vehicle-exemption policies, longer recertification periods, and expanded categorical eligibility) increased food stamp participation. The use of biometric technology, such as fingerprinting, however, lowered participation. The study shows less consistent evidence that more lenient immigrant eligibility rules, simplified reporting, Electronic Benefit Transfers, or outreach spending raised food stamp participation."  Released Tuesday, January 8, 2008.  http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/CCR36/

Housing and Homelessness

Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, National Alliance to End Homelessness.

http://naeh.org/section/tools/tenyearplan

Local and State 10 year plans to end homelessness are found at http://naeh.org/section/tools/communityplans

 

What Will it Take to End Homelessness, by Martha Burt, The Urban Institute, Washington, DC, Sept. 2001.

http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/end_homelessness.pdf 

Homeless prevention emphasis.

 

Homeless in America: A Review of the Literature by Heidi Sommer,

Urban Homelessness and Public Policy Solutions Conference, Jan. 22, 2001

http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/events/homeless/NewHomelessnessBook1.pdf

 

The Mortgage Crisis: Economic and Fiscal Implications for Metro Areas:   http://usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/mortgagereport_112707.pdf

This report from the US Council of Mayors and the Council for the New American City was prepared by Global Insight, Nov. 26, 2007.

 

National Data on Homelessness is available at:  http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/data

According to the report recent proposals to expand the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's definition of homeless to include households that are doubled up for economic reasons would increase the current homeless population (744,313 on any given night) by 3.8 million" if the definition were expanded.  http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/general/detail/1779

 

"Affordable Housing Needs Report" prepared in May 2007 for Congress   

http://www.huduser.org/intercept.asp?loc=/Publications/pdf/AffHsgNeeds.pdf     http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/AffHsgNeeds.pdf

According to the report  the percent of Americans identified as experiencing "worst case needs,"  increased to 5.99 million in 2005, a 16 percent increase since 2003. Approximately 77 percent of those households were considered extremely low income (earning 30 percent of area median income). "Worst case needs" are defined as unassisted renters with low incomes who either pay over 50 percent of their income to rent or live in substandard housing.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)

·         Table compares three US Census surveys (American Community, American Housing, Current Population) and provides links to each  http://www.nlihc.org/doc/092906comparison.pdf

·         NLIHC Congressional District Profiles on Housing (Jan. 26, 2007) http://www.nlihc.org/detail/article.cfm?article_id=3810&id=21

The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty has an overview of homelessness and poverty in America at http://www.nlchp.org/

·         Key data on homelessness in America http://www.nlchp.org/FA_HAPIA/HomelessPersonsinAmerica.pdf

·         2006 Voter Rights Registration Packet co sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.  It contains a state-by-state chart of homeless peoples’ voting rights as well as steps to take in registering the homeless to vote.  http://www.nlchp.org/FA_CIVILRIGHTS/2006%20Voter%20Rights%20Manual.pdf

Income and Assistance

Federal Reserve Board.  Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). 

http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/oss/oss2/scfindex.html  This is a triennial survey of the balance sheet, pension, income, and other demographic characteristics of US families.

 

Living Wage Calculator and US Department of Labor, State-by-State Minimum Wage

Internal Revenue Service, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Food Stamp Challenge, Can you live on $3.00 per person per day for a week?  Take the challenge!  Can you come up with nutritious meals that fit the budget?

Poverty in the United States

According to government data released August 28, 2007, while the U.S. poverty rate fell slightly for the first time this decade, more people are living without health insurance and the bulk of the nation's poor are children.  In 2006 the poverty was down to 12.3 percent from 12.6 percent a year earlier, according to the Census Bureau's report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.  This totals 36.5 million Americans, who live below the poverty line, which is defined as having an annual income of about $10,000 for an individual or $20,000 for a family of four.  Children make up one-fourth of the total US population and represent 35 percent of those living in poverty. 

Reference: 

1.  DeNavas-Wilt, C, Proctor, BD, Smith, J.  Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006.  US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.  August 2007.

2.  Webster, BH and Bishaw, A.   Income, Earnings, and Poverty Data From the 2006 American Community Survey.  US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.  August 2007. 

3.  More information is available on the US Census Bureau website:  http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/news_conferences/010500.html 

 

State Fact Sheets

Economic Research Service State Fact Sheets contain frequently requested data for each state and for the total United States including: current data on population, per-capita income, earnings per job, poverty rates, employment, unemployment, farm and farm-related jobs, farm characteristics, farm financial characteristics, top agricultural commodities, top export commodities, and the top counties in agricultural sales.  (

(2007 data on population is available. Released Friday, March 21, 2008) Information is  based on 2005 poverty data. http://www.ers.usdagov/StateFacts/

---------------

Irons, John.  "Typical Family Sees Income and Earnings Decline."  Sept. 5, 2007.  This income and earnings snapshot is available on the Economics Policy Institute website at http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20070905

----------------

According to US Census data (released August 2006) poverty remains steady; the poor are poorer.  There are 37 million poor in the USA (12.6% of the population), and 16 million (43%) of those who are poor earned less than half of the poverty limit which is identified as “deep poverty.”  For example a family of four in poverty makes $19,971 or less as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index.  (Half of this figure is $9,985/year; $192/week; $27.43/day.)  Poverty is defined for a family of three, $15,577; for a family of two, $12,755; and for unrelated individuals, $9,973.  When it comes to deep poverty, the current report is the highest percentage of people in deep poverty recorded since the government started keep track of the numbers in 1975 – in 30 years!  Families in poverty in 2005 totaled 7.7 million.

References: 

1.  DeNavas-Walt, C, Proctor, BD, Lee, CH.  Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005.  US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.  August 2006.

2.  Webster, BH and Bishaw, A.   Income, Earnings, and Poverty Data From the 2005 American Community Survey.  US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.  August 2006. 

See also http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2006/income_poverty_differences.html for a description of both reports above.

 

Working Families in the USA

Economic Policy Institute reports that poverty remains unchanged and inequality rose in 2005.  http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_econindicators_income20060829 

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities uses government data about poverty, wages and salaries, and the number of uninsured as evidence that many middle- and lower-income Americans are not sharing in the gains of the economic recovery.  http://www.cbpp.org/policy-points9-1-06.pdf

 

Child Care Assistance Challenges

Many low-income families are unable to receive the child care help they need.  Among the challenges are meeting income eligibility criteria, long waiting lists and rising co-payments.  The National Women’s Law Center warns that the problem is likely to get worse as new welfare to work requirements imposed by Congress this year creates increases demand for child care assistance, as states are forced to increase the number of welfare recipients participating in work activities. 

·         Center-based care for one child can cost between $3,000 and $13,000 per year depending on geographical location and the age of the child. 

·         States continue under funding programs that help low-income families pay for child care according to the report. 

·         States are significantly behind where they were in both 2005 and 2001 in the area of reimbursement rates for child care providers, and only nine states have adequate reimbursement rates for providers serving low-income clients. 

·         Two-thirds of states increased income eligibility to adjust it to, or surpass inflation between 2005 and 2006. 

The 2006 report, “State Child Care Assistance Policies 2006: Gaps Remain, With New Challenges Ahead” by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) covers 50 states.  http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/StateChildCareAssistancePoliciesReport2006.pdf  

 

Government Food Assistance: FY 2006 Midyear Report

USDA expenditures increased 7 percent (over the first half of FY2005) for 15 food assistance programs totaling $27.7 billion during the first half of fiscal 2006 (October 2005-March 2006).  Five programs account for 96 percent of USDA’s total food assistance expenditures.  The five include:  the Food Stamp Program; the National School Lunch Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the School Breakfast Program; and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The FY 2006 Midyear report uses preliminary data from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to examine trends in the programs at the midpoint of fiscal 2006, and summarizes a number of Economic Research Service research reports on the Food Stamp Program released in recent years that may help inform discussions of the 2007 reauthorization of the farm bill.   See http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB6-3/

Report on Concentrated Poverty Across America

In an AP report (1)the Brookings Institute has released a study: "Katrina's Window:  Confronting Concentrated Poverty Across America."  New Orleans ranked second of large cities in the US with areas on concentrated poverty.  The study points out locations in the US where there is concentrated poverty at the core of cities around the United States, and focuses on social and economic costs along with recommendations for positive change. 

References:

Barbassa, Juliana. "Many of Nation's Poor Trapped in  Pockets of Concentrated Poverty." Associated Press 10/12/05.

Berube, Alan and Katz, Bruce.  "Katrina's Window:  Confronting Concentrated Poverty Across America." 

http://www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20051012_concentratedpoverty.htm  

Immigration

Statement of Most Reverend Thomas Wenski, Bishop of Orlando, Florida before the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Law, Senate Judiciary Committee, September 19, 2007.

 Health Care

SCHIP

Protecting America's Future:  A State-by-State Look at SCHIP & Uninsured Kids.  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  August 8, 2007.

Public Perceptions of SCHIP.  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  http://covertheuninsured.org/research/survey0807/

Uninsured in the United States

The Census Bureau reports that the numbers of uninsured (without health insurance) grew in 2005 by 1.3 million people to 46.6 million.  One in six people have no health insurance.  The proportion and number of uninsured children increased between 2004 and 2005, from 10.8 percent to 11.2 percent reaching a total of 8.3 million, uninsured.

References: 

1.  DeNavas-Walt, C, Proctor, BD, Lee, CH.  Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005.  US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.  August 2006.

2.  Webster, BH and Bishaw, A.   Income, Earnings, and Poverty Data From the 2005 American Community Survey.  US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.  August 2006.

See also http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2006/income_poverty_differences.html for a description of both reports above.

 

Uninsured Children in the United States

One out of every nine children in the USA in 2005 were uninsured (+9 million uninsured children in America, ages 0-18).  California (1,368,999), Texas (1,366,638), Florida (718,603), New York (441,434), and Illinois (376,332) are the five states with the largest number of uninsured children.  While the highest rates of uninsured children are found in Texas (20.4%), Florida (17.0%), New Mexico (16.7%), Nevada (16.4%), and Montana (16.2%).  Of those children who are uninsured, 88.3% are from families where at least one parent works.  In fact, more than half of all uninsured children live in two-parent families and both parents work.

References: 

1.  Families USA for the Campaign for Children’s Health Care.  No Shelter from the Storm: America’s Uninsured Children.  September 2006.  The full report is found at http://www.childrenshealthcampaign.org/tools/reports/Uninsured-Kids-report.PDF and for further information go to:  http://www.childrenshealthcampaign.org/tools/reports/no-shelter-from-the-storm.html

 

State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

SCHIP needs to be reauthorized and funding agreed to by the U.S. Congress and the White House before September 30,2007.  This is the expiration date for SCHIP.  Without SCHIP coverage, healthcare for vulnerable children nationwide will be in jeopardy.

Reference:

SCHIP report, "Protecting America's Future: A State-By-State Look at SCHIP & Uninsured Kids," (August 2007) by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation may be downloaded from http://covertheuninsured.org/

 

Restorative Justice

US Census American Community Survey

This is the US Census Bureau's first in-depth look at people in prisons since the 1980 Census.  Press release (Sept. 27, 2007) is found at:  http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/010709.html

Criminal Justice System in the United States

The number of persons in the criminal justice system in America is reported at 7 million, or 3.2% of the US adult population (1).  One in every 31 adults were incarcerated or on probation or parole at year end 2004.  (This number does not take into account the families of the incarcerated, victims and victim’s families, or the justice system.  The number of people touched is much larger than most people ever imagine.  See the Position Statement on Restorative Justice for more on this subject.)  Corrections Statistics are found at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/correct.htm  An overview is also available on the American Correctional Association website at http://www.aca.org/government/population.asp

The SVDP-USA annual report for 2005 (2) shows that members of the Society from every region in the USA visited the incarcerated.  There were 27,186 prison visits by the Society in the 2005 report.  (Breakdown by Region: Southeast: 1,022, West 4,889, Midwest 2,874, Northeast 3,223, East 8,419, Mideast 1,470, South Central 2,741, North Central 2,548) 

References:

1.  Glaze, LE and Palia, S.  Probation and Parole in the United States, 2004.  Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin.  Nov. 2005.

2.  Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  National Council of the United States Consolidated Annual Report 2005.

3.  http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/tost_6.html#6_a

 Key Tool in the Alleviation of Poverty: Education

Education at a Glance 2005 released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (www.oecd.org)  provides comparable indicators on the performance of educational systems in countries around the world including the USA.  The study "represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally."  Other nations are posting greater gains that the US in academic achievement and school graduations. 

Surviving a Disaster:  www.72hours.org --Website created by San Francisco's Office of Emergency Services provides information on  how to prepare yourself and your family for survival in the event of a disaster. 

FEMA Guide to Citizen Preparedness, Are You Ready?   

(English) http://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/areyouready_full.pdf 

(Spanish) http://www.fema.gov/spanish/areyouready/index_spa.shtm

 

USCCB ACTION ALERTS:  MEDICAID    FOOD & NUTRITION (Food Stamps, Food Aid)    DEBT RELIEF     HOUSING    CRIMINAL JUSTICE (Second Chance Act, Streamlined Procedures Act)    IMMIGRATION

The following information on legislation and positions from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  It is provided for informational purposes.  

 

         i.             MEDICAID: 

URGENT ACTION ALERT (10/25/05) - A joint USCCB -CHA -CCUSA alert  and letter (from July) to urge House Energy and Commerce Committee to preserve health care for the poor by:

1) Opposing cuts in Medicaid funding which could have a negative impact on the poor and vulnerable

2) Opposing changes to Medicaid co-payment or premium requirements which could result in people who rely on Medicaid losing access to or being denied needed health care because of inability to pay.

3) Maintaining a federal standard of core benefits, necessary for the maintenance of good health, to which all Medicaid beneficiaries are entitled. 

 

       ii.            FOOD AND NUTRITION:

State of the States 2006 report (a profile of food and nutrition programs across the nation) by Food Research Action Center (FRAC) http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/03.15.06.html .  The report  is found at http://www.frac.org/State_Of_States/2006/2006_SOS_Report.pdf 

 

In a USDA report released Oct. 27, 2005:  "USDA expenditures for its 15 food assistance programs totaled $25.9 billion during the first half of fiscal 2005 (October 2004-March 2005), an 11-percent increase over the first half of fiscal 2004. Five programs—the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program—accounted for 95 percent of USDA's total expenditures for food assistance.  Spending on each of these five programs grew during the first half of fiscal 2005 relative to the first half of fiscal year 2004, but most of the increase was due to the Food Stamp Program."  http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/eib6-1/

 

      iii.            "The prevalence of food insecurity in the US was 11.9 percent in 2004, up from 11.2 percent in 2003. The prevalence of food insecurity with hunger was 3.9 percent in 2004, up from 3.5 percent in 2003.'  Also noted: " About 20 percent of food-insecure households—3.5 percent of all U.S. households—obtained emergency food from a food pantry at some time during the year."  USDA information on food security in the US is found at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/eib6-1/ and http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/err11/

 

October 19, 2005 Washington Post, "Senate Plan to Cut Food Stamps Dies" -- Per the article "After protests from Agriculture Committee members Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and James M. Talent (R-Mo.), panel Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) dropped more than $500 million in food stamp cuts from a farm and food subsidy measure coming to a committee vote today. The cuts could have meant a loss of benefits for 300,000 working families benefiting from more generous eligibility rules in some states."

FOOD STAMP ACTION ALERT (10/11/05) - From USCCB on urgent action needed.

FOOD STAMP ACTION ALERT (10/4/05) - Oppose Cuts to Food Stamp, Conservation Programs (From USCCB concerning action by the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday, Oct. 6, to cut $3 billion from programs including Food Stamps, agriculture conservation and farm supports.)

USCCB ACTION ALERT (8-3-05) - Protecting Food Stamp Funding and related to this from USCCB is Agriculture 2006 Budget Reconciliation: a Challenge and an Opportunity                     

FOOD STAMP UPDATE (9/15/05) from USCCB: 

     iv.            HOUSING: Affordable Housing Letter and Affordable Housing Fund in Jeopardy (10/21/05)  HR 1461 -The compromise would prohibit non-profit organizations--including religious organizations--that do voter registration from applying for and receiving grants from the Affordable Housing Fund to build or preserve affordable housing.

Affordable Housing Fund (8-3-05) Members of Congress are trying to create an Affordable Housing Fund to provide money to build and restore housing for extremely low and very low income families  

     v.            IMMIGRATION:  USCCB Urges Comprehensive Immigration Reform

USCCB email from Dan Misleh 10/18/05:  

Please contact your Senators to Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Oppose Enforcement-Only Proposals The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding hearings today (October 18th) on immigration reform and could consider comprehensive immigration reform before the end of the year.

 

The U.S. Catholic Bishop's Justice for Immigrants Campaign is actively engaging in this debate and needs your help. Please contact your Senators to Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Oppose Enforcement-Only Proposals.

 

The U.S. bishops are supporting comprehensive immigration reform as embodied in the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 [S-1033, introduced by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and H.R. 2330, introduced by Representatives Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)]

HR4437 seeks to criminalize those who are undocumented and living in the U.S. (estimated at 11 million).  In addition it seeks to punish U.S. citizens and permanent residents who come in contact with them.  This bill has the potential to punish charities that give help to anyone that walks in who may be undocumented.  The position of the USCCB on HR4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005.  Among concerns voiced by Bishop Gerald Barnes USCCB Migration Committee Chair:

More specifically, the application of criminal penalties to individuals, including U.S. citizens, who assist aliens without legal status could jeopardize church programs which provide basic needs and life-saving assistance to these individuals. Current federal law does not require humanitarian groups to ascertain legal status of an individual prior to providing assistance. However, in our view, the provisions in Section 202 of the legislation would place parish, diocesan, and social service program staff at risk of criminal prosecution simply for performing their job. It also could apply to health care personnel or U.S. citizens who provide urgent or life-saving assistance to an undocumented individual.

It is found in its entirety at:  http://www.usccb.org/mrs/hr4437.shtml

Disappointingly, HR4437 passed the House.  It is found at http://thomas.loc.gov/   Since passage in the House, HR4437 was received by the Senate 12/17/05. 

 

    vi.            CRIMINAL JUSTICE:  The Second Chance Act (8-3-05) HR 1704 aims to reduce recidivism rates and the Streamlined Procedures Act (8-3-05) S 1088 would change habeas corpus procedures so those convicted of murder would not be able to (unreasonably) delay their executions. Action Alert (9/7/05) Habeas Corpus.

  vii.            DEBT RELIEF:  USCCB ACTION ALERT (8-19-05) -- Urge US Senators to honor the United States' commitment for debt relief in the 2006 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill

Hurricane Katrina: How to Find a Loved One Online

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

USCCB Statement on Hurricane Katrina

Register for Federal Assistance:  Go to www.fema.gov or contact FEMA at 1/800-621-FEMA or 1/800-621-3362; TTY – 1/800-462-7585.   Federal Emergency Management Agency, disaster aid information online: http://fema.gov/about/process/

American Red Cross:  www.redcross.org/services/disaster 

Locating Loved Ones:   www.katrinalist.net  -- The Katrina People Finder is a worldwide effort organized by information technology specialists and volunteers to combine information from several on line databases (including the American Red Cross) into a single searchable database to help people find one another.  The database contains more than 80,000 names and also provides a means for people to share information by adding to the list.  

Katrina Information Map: www.scipionus.com -- The map is "intended for the use of people affected by Hurricane Katrina who have or are trying to find information about the status of specific locations affected by the storm and its aftermath. "  

Maps of Hurricane Damage: www.kathryncramer.com/photos/new_orleans_flooding/index.html -- Site created to provide "a visual understanding of what was happening to New Orleans."

More Poverty News...

Millenium Development Goals:  The 8-31-05 issue of The Economist magazine (www.economist.com) published the story, "Crunch Time for UN Reform," which provides an update on the status of the Millennium Development Goals.  175 world leaders are scheduled to meet in mid September, and the gathering "was originally to be a five-year review of the 2000 Millennium Summit, the most notable product of which was the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  These include worthy aims such as halving abject poverty and achieving universal primary education by 2015," according to The Economist.  "As desirable as these goals are, there seems little hope of achieving the panoply of policy objectives embedded in the MDGs; the UN itself is already complaining about the lack of progress," reports The Economist.

The US Census report, "Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004,"issued August 2005 is at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty04.html  Following are highlights of the report.

In the US, the poverty rate increased from 12.5% (2003) to 12.7% (2004)

The number in poverty totaled  37.0 million in 2004 (an increase of 1.1 million).  "This is the fourth consecutive year in which the poverty rate has increased.  Past experience tells us that it is not uncommon to have several years of rising poverty following a recession." (Charles Nelson, news conference on 2004 Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Estimates from the Current Population Survey, Aug. 30, 2005)

The poverty rate for children in 2004 remained unchanged at 17.8%

In 2004, 9.8 % of seniors (65+ years of age) lived in poverty with 11.3% of people 18 to 64 in poverty.

While the number of people with health insurance coverage rose by 2.0 million between 2003 and 2004, the number of people without health insurance coverage also increased (800,000).  the number of people without health insurance coverage:  45.8 million.  15.7% of people have no health insurance coverage.

For a family of four, the average poverty threshold income in 2004 was $19,307. It was $15,067 for a family of three, $12,334 for a family of two and $9,645 for individuals. (p 45)

Neault N, Cook JT, Morris V, Frank DA. "The Real Cost of a Healthy Diet: Healthful Foods Are Out of Reach for Low-Income Families in Boston, Massachusetts.  Report published August 2005, Boston Medical Cen