Catholic Charities’ Washington Weekly 3/1/10

March 1, 2010
Volume 5 Number 6

 Inside this issue:

  • Congress Continues Debate on Jobs Package
  • USDA Secretary Outlines Priorities for Child Nutrition
  • Catholic Charities Hosts Leadership Summit in Atlanta, Georgia
  • White House Hosts Health Care Summit
  • Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Workforce Development
  • Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Child Prostitution and Sex Trafficking
  • Join Our Online Forum to Reduce Poverty
  • Justice for Immigrant New and Improved Website and Postcard Campaign

Congress Continues Debate on Jobs Package

Last week Congress continued debate on a new jobs package and other efforts to extend safety net programs for jobless workers. On February 22, the Senate passed a $15 billion jobs creation measure. The bill includes funds to encourage businesses to hire additional workers, an expansion of the Build America Bonds Program, and an extension of higher limits for small business expensing. The bill was crafted from pieces of a larger jobs creation package originally introduced by Senate Finance Committee leaders, but failed to include the $31 billion package of tax extensions that drew Republican support. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had planned to move legislation to address the $31 billion package of tax extenders and several programs including unemployment benefits and COBRA that are set to expire on February 28. Unfortunately, efforts to advance these programs were held up in the Senate on Thursday after Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) refused to allow a vote on the House-passed measure due to budgetary concerns.

The House passed a short term package (H.R.4691) that includes an extension of unemployment benefits through April 5,  an extension of the COBRA subsidy, and a measure to prevent Medicare payment cuts for doctors through March 31.

Catholic Charities USA asks you to join advocates across the country in urging the U.S. Senate to extend unemployment benefits and COBRA through the end of 2010.  Contact your Senators today and ask them to help struggling Americans by extending Unemployment Insurance and the COBRA subsidy.

ACTION NEEDED:

  • Ask your Senators to support an extension of Unemployment Insurance benefits
  • Ask your Senators to ensure that jobless workers can continue to receive health care by extending COBRA subsidies
  • Ask your Senators to provide financial support to states and local governments to prevent further cuts to critical social services such as Medicaid

Click here to TAKE ACTION NOW.

If you have questions, please contact Desmond Brown, Senior Director of Government Affairs at dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

USDA Secretary Outlines Priorities for Child Nutrition

On February 24, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack outlined the Administration’s priorities for the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. Programs authorized under the Child Nutrition Act include the Child and Adult Food Care Program, the Summer Food Program, the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program, and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

During his remarks, the Secretary announced support for competitive grants to states to implement creative and innovative approaches to eliminating hunger in their communities. He also suggested that grants should be offered to states and non-profit organizations to develop web-based or other systems to streamline the application process and expand efforts to enroll eligible students through direct certification. To improve access to food for children when school is out, the Secretary stated that the Administration will be moving forward with a series of demonstration pilots that use improved approaches to increase the number of sponsors and sites serving children. 

The Secretary called for new authority to set nutritional standards for foods sold in schools and commented that “foods served in vending machines and the a la carte line should never undermine our efforts to enhance the health of the school environment.”  He also mentioned first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative aimed at reducing childhood obesity within a generation. For more on the Secretary’s comments, please click here.

Some other highlights of the Administration’s priorities include:

  • Streamlining the application process and direct certification
  • Improving nutrition standards for school meals and ensuring compliance with established dietary guidelines based on the Institute of Medicine recommendations
  • Increasing the reimbursement rates for the school breakfast and lunch program to pay for improved quality and improved nutritious meals
  • Expanding the after-school meals program to all 50 states. The program currently serves at-risk children in 14 states
  • Financial assistance to provide training, school equipment and technical assistance necessary to implement changes
  • Strengthening and raising the standard for school wellness programs

While the Administration has laid the framework for what it would like to see in the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, Congress will now have to introduce, pass legislation, and appropriate additional funding for improvements in the program. Catholic Charities USA will keep you posted as the reauthorization moves through the legislative process.

For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Catholic Charities Hosts Leadership Summit in Atlanta, Georgia

On February 24, Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Atlanta hosted a Centennial Leadership Summit to identify 21st century solutions to poverty.  The Summit included presentations and panel discussions from religious leaders, community leaders, as well as public officials.  As part of the Summit, participants were asked to be part of Catholic Charities USA’s 21st Century Solutions to Poverty Forum where participants from across the country will be developing a new model to eradicate poverty in the United States.

In celebration of Catholic Charities USA’s centennial year, the Centennial Leadership Summits will continue throughout 2010 with the next one taking place in Albany, NY on Monday, March 8.  To look for the Centennial Leadership Summit nearest you, please click here.

If you are interested in staying informed about these events, please fill out the event interest form.

For more information, please contact Monica Maggiano, Director of the Campaign to Reduce Poverty at mmaggiano@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

White House Hosts Health Care Summit

On February 25, the Obama Administration hosted a bipartisan health care summit, convening Congressional leaders to discuss health care reform.  After several hours of debate, the summit yielded little bipartisan compromise.  

In anticipation of the summit, President Obama released his Administration’s health care reform proposal on February 22.  The estimated $950 billion proposal closely mirrors the final Senate-passed legislation with some modifications that reflect ongoing negotiations between House and Senate leaders. The 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.

Democratic leaders are now debating a strategy to finish health care reform legislation through a procedure known as reconciliation which would limit debate and only require 51 votes in the Senate to pass.  House Democratic leaders are also reportedly considering a strategy to take up a series of single-issue health care bills in the coming weeks to complete work on health care reform.

Click here to read Catholic Charities USA’s press release on health care from February 25.

Catholic Charities USA will keep you updated on health care reform.

For more information, please contact Kellyann McClain, Policy Analyst, kmcclain@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Workforce Development

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on February 24 entitled “A Stronger Workforce Investment System for a Stronger Economy.”  In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) discussed the need for the country to invest in a highly trained, highly educated workforce.  In the U.S., there is a growing mismatch in the economy between job growth and skill level.  The current economic climate is exacerbating the situation with record levels of unemployment.  This hearing examined ways to better prepare all workers for jobs that pay living wages as the economy begins to recover. 

Witnesses discussed ways to encourage collaboration and accountability for the education and employment needs of all workers, especially those with barriers to employment. They stressed the need for post-secondary education including not only four year college degrees, but community college programs, job-specific training, apprenticeships, and certificates programs.  Witnesses also repeatedly underscored the need to break down silos between the Department of Education programs and the Department of Labor programs.  They encouraged the Committee to  incentivize cross-sector collaborations and innovative partnerships that promote effective workforce development and training programs.

To read more about this hearing including a list of witnesses, please click here.

For more information, please contact Kellyann McClain, Policy Analyst, kmcclain@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Child Prostitution and Sex Trafficking

On February 24, the U.S. Senate Judiciary, Subcommittee on Human Rights and Law held a hearing entitled  ”In Our Own Backyard: Child Prostitution and Sex Trafficking in the United States.”  In his opening remarks, Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D- IL) said that over 100,000 American children become victims of sex trafficking annually.

Senator Durbin also explained, “We have created a legal dichotomy in America in which the federal government views prostituted children as victims, yet most states treat them as criminals.”  Senator Durbin expressed his desire to work with Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-OK) to pass legislation that treats children who are victims of sex trafficking as victims and not criminals.

The Subcommittee heard testimony from multiple stakeholders including the Administration, U.S. Attorney, state attorney, U.S. Senate, as well as the nonprofit sector and a trafficking survivor.

Catholic Charities USA provides services and resources to Catholic Charities agencies to help them understand the issues related to domestic and international trafficking including how to identify risk factors, how to help victims recover, and how to build coalitions with local organizations and law enforcement.

For more information, please contact Ryan Smith, Policy Analyst at rsmith@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 Immigrant 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 

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Washington Weekly is a publication of the Social Policy Department of Catholic Charities USA

and is published regularly when Congress is in session.

Catholic Charities USA
Sixty-Six Canal Center Plaza, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314
socialpolicy@catholiccharitiesusa.org    
For information about advocacy, please contact

Lucreda Cobbs at (703) 236-6243 or lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org.