Catholic Charities’ USA Washington Weekly 7/19/10
July 19, 2010
Volume 5 Number 24
Inside this issue:
- House Committee Approves Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill
- Bishop Kicanas Testified on Immigration Reform before House Subcommittee
- Congress Sends President Financial Reform Legislation
- First Lady Introduces Lets Move Campaign for Healthy Children
- Senate Appropriations Committee Cuts President Budget Request
- Register Today for Catholic Charities USA’s Centennial Gathering!
House Committee Approves Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill
On July 14 and July 15, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor marked up and approve the “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act,” (H.R. 5504), The measure was approved by a vote of 32-13.
The bill would add roughly $8 billion over the next ten years to the program for child nutrition programs.
Chairman Miller offered an amendment, which would recognize and adjust for certain differences with the Senate version, including an expansion of the after-school meal program that is already being executed in 14 states. It additionally added a requirement for the Agriculture Department to contract for independent review of any new ingredients to be purchased for the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Other amendments included extending eligibility for Native American foster children from Rep. Kildee (D-MI) and assisting in establishing an organic food pilot program from Representatives Woolsey (D-CA) and Kucinich (D-OH).
Rep. Kline (R-MN) introduced an amendment that would substitute the 250-page bill with a 32-page bill that would reauthorize existing programs and not provide further expansion, such as the six-cent increase to pre-meal reimbursement rates for schools that meet the higher nutritional guidelines or the grant of authority to the Agriculture Department to determine what is sold in school vending machines and ‘a la carte’ lines.
There was no further headway in identifying a revenue source for the bill. However, the House Committee increases are in line with President Obama’s request for $10 billion over that time. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee approved a measure in March that would expand the program by $4.5 billion over ten years, setting forward $2 billion in offsets from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Bishop Kicanas Testified on Immigration Reform before House Subcommittee
On July 14, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law held a hearing on the Ethical Imperative for Reform of our Immigration System. Four witnesses spoke at the hearing:
- Richard D. Land, Ph.D, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention of Washington, DC, stated that the borders must be controlled, not closed, and that there must be an earned path to citizenship with appropriate penalties while also recognizing how much the undocumented immigrant community is integrated with the US.
- Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson, Arizona and Vice-President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, brought attention to the humanitarian issue that is unauthorized migration. The current system leads to family separation, worker exploitation, human smuggling, and death. The US accepts the toil and money from undocumented workers without protecting them.
- Mathew D. Staver, J.D., Founder and Chairman of the Liberty Counsel and Dean and Professor of Law at the Liberty University School of Law, Lynchurg, PA, presented three options: amnesty, deportation, and a path to earned legal status. He argued that amnesty would not solve the problem, deportation was both impossible and unjust, and a path to legal status would both solve the problem and be both just and fair.
- James R. Edwards Jr., Ph.D, Fellow of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, DC, claimed that Christian doctrine that may apply to an individual should not necessarily apply to the government and that the government may cause injustice in the name of mass mercy.
To read Bishop Kicanas’s testimony, please click here. Catholic Charities USA supports comprehensive immigration reform and will keep you updated.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Sr. Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Congress Sends President Financial Reform Legislation
On July 15, the U.S. Senate approved a conference report for the landmark financial reform legislation. The measure, the “Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010″ (H.R.4173) was approved by a vote of 60-39, with three Republicans voting to approve. The legislation will impose new restrictions on risky financial investments, create a special agency to protect consumers, and require financial institutions to hold more capital to protect against future financial turmoil. The final package also requires the Federal Reserve to regulate the amount that merchants or charities accepting donations can be charged for debit transaction fees. Supporters of the measure argued that this bill will significantly reduce the risky financial practices that caused the most recent financial crisis. Those opposing the bill claimed that the approved package did not go far enough. It is expected that President Obama will sign the measure into law later this week.
For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Senior Director of Government Affairs, dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Senate Appropriations Committee Cuts President Budget Request
On July 15, the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted its fiscal 2011 spending plan, cutting $14 billion from President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget request. This was roughly double the cuts proposed by the House. The allocations include a of $2 billion in State-Foreign Operations, nearly $1 billion in Labor-HHS Education, and over $8 billion in defense spending, suggesting a more serious stance on budget cuts across departments.
The Committee voted 17-12 along partisan lines for the $1.114 trillion discretionary spending cap. This came after Chairman Inouye (D-HI) offered the middle ground of a $14 billion reduction between the Democrats’ initial offer of a $8 billion reduction and Republicans’ proposed $20 billion. Both the House and the Senate have yet to pass traditional budgets. The House has instead focused on one-year spending limits and the Senate is currently considering its options.
Catholic Charities will keep you updated regarding the possible implications of these proposed cuts.
For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Senior Director of Government Affairs, dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
First Lady Introduces Lets Move Campaign for Healthy Children
On July 13, First Lady Michelle Obama introduced the Lets Move Campaign. The campaign is a priority for the First Lady to address the growing number of issues related to children’s health. The program states:
We can solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight if we all work together. Through the Let’s Move! campaign-a comprehensive, collaborative, and community-oriented initiative that addresses all of the various factors that lead to childhood obesity-we are engaging every sector of society that impacts the health of children to provide schools, families and communities the simple tools they need to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy.
Catholic Charities USA believes that it is unacceptable in a nation as bountiful as ours that children experience food insecurity that puts their physical, mental and developmental health at risk. To visit the campaign, please click here.
For more information, please contact Ryan Smith, Policy Analyst at rsmith@catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Register Today for Catholic Charities USA’s Centennial Gathering!
One hundred years ago, 400 delegates from 24 states gathered in Washington, DC to form what is now known as Catholic Charities USA, a compassionate network of social justice advocates and caregivers, providing help and creating hope for millions of Americans each year.
On September 25-28, 2010, Catholic Charities USA will once again gather in Washington, DC to celebrate our Centennial and make plans for the next 100 years.
We invite you to join us in Washington and take this historic moment to reflect upon our 100 year history, recognize regional programs that are effectively reducing poverty, and renew your commitment to each other and to our brothers and sisters in need.
Register now! Early bird registration ends July 31st.
In addition to hundreds - even thousands – of Catholic Charities agency staff, social justice advocates, partners and coalition representatives, and people of good will, you will have the unique opportunity to interact with:
- Josef Cardinal Cordes, President, Pontifical Council Cor Unum, will provide the keynote at Sunday’s breakfast
- Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, will serve as celebrant and homilist at Saturday’s liturgy
- Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, Archdiocese of New York, will preside at the Mass on Catholic Charities Sunday and present a keynote address
- Rev. Bryan Hehir, Former President of Catholic Charities USA
- Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and political analyst, PBS Newshour
- Any many more new and familiar faces! Check our Web site for updates.
