Catholic Charities USA: Washington Weekly 3/8/10
March 8, 2010
Volume 5 Number 7
Inside this issue:
- Congress Works to Promote Job Growth
- Negotiations Continue on Health Care Reform Legislation
- Unemployment Rate Holds Steady in February
- Upcoming Justice for Immigrants Events
- Join Our Online Forum to Reduce Poverty
- Justice for Immigrants New and Improved Website and Postcard Campaign
Congress Works to Promote Job Growth
Last week, President Obama signed into law a 30-day extension of critical programs, including Unemployment Insurance (UI) and COBRA benefits that had been allowed to expire on February 28.
On March 4, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HIRE Act (H.R. 2847) by a vote of 217 to 201. This $17.6 billion package includes incentives to encourage businesses and nonprofits to hire additional workers, an expansion of the Build America Bonds program, as well as an extension of higher limits for small business expensing. The HIRE Act will now go back to the Senate for another vote.
This week, the Senate is also expected to vote on a $31 billion package of “tax extenders” including the IRA rollover and other charitable incentives, as well as longer extensions for COBRA subsidies and UI. As part of these efforts, several senators have offered an amendment to extend the TANF Emergency Fund. This would provide additional resources to states to help struggling low-income families with job training and other emergency cash benefits.
As the Senate continues debate on legislation to create jobs, we urge you to contact your Senators today and ask them to support passage of an amendment to extend the TANF Emergency Fund for one year.
ACTION NEEDED:
- Ask your Senators to vote for Senator John Kerry’s amendment to add new resources to the TANF Emergency Fund.
- Including this amendment in the final jobs bill will ensure that new resources are available to help more low-income families gain access to critical employment and training services.
Click here to send a message to your Senators.
Catholic Charities USA will keep you updated on this legislation.
If you have questions, please contact Desmond Brown, Senior Director of Government Affairs at dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Negotiations Continue on Health Care Reform Legislation
On March 3, the Obama Administration re-released a comprehensive health care proposal to include some Republican ideas offered at the health care summit. President Obama urged Congress to move forward to vote on final legislation within the next few weeks.
The estimated $950 billion proposal would create a health insurance exchange without a formal government-run public insurance option, impose a 40 percent excise tax on high cost insurance plans starting in 2018, provide tax credits to qualifying low-income individuals as well as small businesses and nonprofits to purchase health insurance, and reduce federal deficits by an estimated $100 billion over the first 10 years.
Negotiations continue around a strategy to pass health care reform legislation through a procedure known as reconciliation, which would limit debate and only require 51 votes in the Senate to pass. Under this strategy, the House would pass the existing Senate health care bill and the Senate would then take up a reconciliation measure that would include compromises forged between the two chambers to amend the Senate legislation.
Catholic Charities USA will keep you updated on health care reform.
For more information, please contact Kellyann McClain, Policy Analyst, kmcclain@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Unemployment Rate Holds Steady in February
On March 5, the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the most recent unemployment numbers. In February, the national unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent. In February, 36,000 jobs were shed and the total number of unemployed persons remained at 14.9 million.
More information on the recent unemployment data is available here.
For more information, please contact Kellyann McClain, Policy Analyst, kmcclain@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Upcoming Justice for Immigrants Events
The Justice for Immigrants campaign is hosting a mass for immigrants on March 21. His Eminence Roger Cardinal Mahony, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, will be the celebrant.
Date: March 21, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, Upper Church, 19 Eye Street, NW, (corner of N. Capitol and I Streets)- Union Station Metro.
Following Mass, join thousands for the “March for America: Change Takes Faith” from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the National Mall.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Join our Online Forum to Reduce Poverty
Catholic Charities USA created an online forum to generate 21st century solutions to poverty using 21st century technologies. There is only one rule — Think Big. We start this discussion with two questions that are vital to our fight against poverty. Your input will help us shape the discussion and frame the debate.
To access the online forum, please click here.
For more information, please contact Monica Maggiano, Director of the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America at bigideas@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Justice for Immigrants New and Improved Website and Postcard Campaign
Justice for Immigrants (JFI) has launched a redesigned website (www.justiceforimmigrants.org) that includes updated resources and information about the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ campaign for comprehensive immigration reform. The materials and information available on the website include an updated parish kit, recent statements by Bishops on immigration reform, and a new “Events” tab that JFI supporters can utilize to get involved in local and national JFI and immigration reform events.
The website also has information about the JFI postcard campaign and links for supporters to send electronic versions of the postcards to their Senators and Representatives.
Please take a few minutes to visit the new Justice for Immigrants webpage, find out more about the new offerings on the site, and send a JFI e-postcard to Congress.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
