{"id":1160,"date":"2016-01-15T10:48:59","date_gmt":"2016-01-15T16:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2016-01-15T11:18:15","modified_gmt":"2016-01-15T17:18:15","slug":"january-state-advocacy-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/january-state-advocacy-update\/","title":{"rendered":"January Advocacy Update"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lutherans are taking action across the country! Below you will find our monthly State Advocacy Newsletter. Share with your friends!<\/em><\/p>\n

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Washington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 Amy Reumann, Director of Advocacy<\/h3>\n

www.elca.org\/advocacy<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Earlier this week, President Obama <\/em>gave his final State of the Union address<\/em><\/a> to Congress. As lawmakers across the political spectrum prepare their 2016 legislative agendas, we urge our elected officials to\u00a0ensure that our nation\u2019s public policies embody biblical values of peacemaking, hospitality to our neighbors, care for creation, and concern for our brothers and sisters facing poverty and struggling with hunger. Among other advocacy priorities, we urge Congress to:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

REFORM OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM<\/strong>: <\/strong>In early 2015, the ELCA, alongside our faith community partners, demanded criminal justice sentencing reform to restore a common-sense approach to nonviolent drug sentencing. We know that excessively high mandatory minimum sentences over-crowd federal prisons, unfairly punish our brothers and sisters living in poverty, and do little to reduce crime. We are pleased that Congress responded! The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 (S.2123) is bipartisan legislation that makes modest reforms to the federal criminal justice system by restoring the ability of federal judges to determine fairer and more realistic sentences and by reducing mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenses. This call is shared by both sides of the isle in Congress, and now the president has joined. We are pleased by the momentum this important legislation is gaining, and we will continue our advocacy efforts until common-sense reforms are made.<\/p>\n

COMMIT TO REDUCING EXTREME POVERTY<\/strong>: <\/strong>Millions of people around the world continue to suffer from extreme poverty. Food insecurity, lack of medical services, gender-based violence, and humanitarian crises are some of the issues we will continue to focus on this year. The U.S. government plays a critical role in improving the lives of our brothers and sisters in need. It is imperative that we hold our government accountable to its commitments to reducing extreme poverty. A big part of this work is to ensure that Congress allocates funds for existing relief and development programs, as well as to advocate for systemic reforms so that these programs are more efficient.<\/p>\n

PROTECT THOSE WHO SEEK SAFETY<\/strong>: <\/strong>ELCA Advocacy will continue to focus on ensuring that U.S. policies protect those who must leave their homes in search of safety. In 2015, we joined with faith leaders across the country to speak out against religious discrimination in our refugee system and asked for a compassionate investment in Central America to address the displacement of unaccompanied children and families. This year, we will continue to urge the U.S. government to ensure that funding recently allocated for Central America is spent in ways that protect those fleeing violence and persecution. In addition, we will work to make sure that refugees coming through Europe receive appropriate humanitarian protections. Refaai\u00a0Hamo, a Syrian refugee present at the State of the Union, was fortunate to find safety in the United States and a new home through Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, but thousands continue to risk their lives to find safety or live in refugee camps.<\/p>\n

FULFILL OUR PROMISE TO CARE FOR GOD\u2019S CREATION<\/strong>: <\/strong>In 2015 the Obama administration issued two final rules under the Clean Air Act that restrict carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing power plants.\u00a0Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the primary causes of climate change.\u00a0The carbon rules are the centerpiece of the administration\u2019s strategy to carry out pledges made in Paris toward a new global climate change agreement that will go into effect in 2020. Although the carbon rules are now final, Congress has the ability to challenge them under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The House and Senate held a CRA vote on the rules last fall but failed to get enough votes to override a presidential veto. This spring, ELCA Advocacy will take action as Congress again considers use of the CRA to block these rules and will continue to build upon last year\u2019s legislative successes, such as protecting U.S. contributions to the Green Climate Fund.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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New York, NY\u00a0\u2013 Dennis Frado\u200b, Lutheran Office for World Community<\/h3>\n
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A DISCUSSION ON \u2018FORCED DISPLACEMENT, REFUGEES, AND MIGRATION\u2019<\/strong>: <\/strong>On Dec. 16, Dennis Frado and Nicholas Jaech with the Lutheran Office for World Community participated in a public consultation on the discussion paper<\/a> \u201cForced Displacement, Refugees, and Migration\u201d produced by the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM<\/a>). This paper highlighted the current migration crisis, citing 230 million current migrants, which includes 59.5 million displaced persons. ICM, which is affiliated with the International Peace Institute<\/a>, writes that this is the \u201cbiggest humanitarian crisis in the history of the United Nations.\u201d This paper also offers recommendations for \u201can improved multilateral response\u201d including convening a global summit on the issue, strengthening international coordination among key agencies, organizations and U.N. member states, and strengthening the 1951 Refugees Convention. During a question and answer period, Dennis inquired about the negative impacts of climate change on migration and displacement, citing the current and future crises of island nations facing rising ocean levels. He asked about the probably inevitable need to resettle the populations of these island states and its implications for national sovereignty and preservation of cultures.<\/p>\n

Two days later, on Dec. 18, International Migrants Day was recognized at the United Nations. During an event held by the International Organization for Migration (IOM<\/a>), William Lacy Swing, director general of IOM, stressed the need to recover from the \u201camnesia\u201d about historic patterns of migration, citing the migration patterns in and out of the United States. At this event, the Population Division<\/a> of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs reminded the audience of the connection between migration and the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals, referencing goal 10.7<\/a>, which calls on countries to \u201cfacilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

A U.N. BRIEFING ON EL NI\u00d1O<\/strong>: <\/strong>On Jan. 7, the Lutheran Office for World Community attended a briefing on \u201cThe Humanitarian Consequences of El Ni\u00f1o and the Need for Urgent Action,\u201d organized by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA<\/a>). This event informed member states and U.N. organizations about the current and potential effects of this season\u2019s El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern. Consistently reinforced was El Ni\u00f1o\u2019s connection to climate change \u2013 El Ni\u00f1o is not a product of climate change, but occurring in a world with a changing climate makes El Ni\u00f1o\u2019s effects more extreme and unpredictable. The 2015-2016 El Ni\u00f1o pattern is already one of the three strongest since 1950, with models predicting that it could become the strongest on record. Various reports were made on the already damaging effects of the 2015-2016 El Ni\u00f1o \u2013 major droughts in Eastern and Central Africa, Central America, and the Pacific region, among others. As the rainy seasons return, the risk of flooding, landslides, and waterborne diseases significantly increase in these drought-ridden regions. Key messages issued by OCHA and other speakers centered on two actions: 1) an urgent response by the international community to address the current humanitarian needs caused by El Ni\u00f1o, and 2) investing in long-term risk and vulnerability reduction, which is critical and needs to be increased. For further analysis of El Ni\u00f1o\u2019s effects by region, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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California\u00a0\u2013 Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy<\/h3>\n

www.loppca.org<\/a>\u200b<\/h3>\n
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STATE LEGISLATURE<\/strong>: <\/strong>California\u2019s legislators reconvened Jan. 4 for the final year of its two-year session, and nearly one-sixth of them gathered that afternoon at Mercy Commons (see photo), a newer permanent supportive housing site in the block next to the county jail and Matsui Federal Building, to launch a bi-partisan effort to generate new resources and redirect existing resources to address our state\u2019s homelessness crisis. The focus will be on \u201chousing first\u201d and mental health services, and the proposal becomes part of budget priority debates that are underway following Gov. Jerry Brown\u2019s Jan. 7 release of his fiscal year 2016-17 budget proposal. With healthy growth in revenue, the governor is still wary of future recessions, the expiration of temporary recession-era sales and income taxes, the need to invest in deteriorating infrastructure, and the challenge of paying for MedicAid\/Cal, which now covers one-third of Californians and half its children. California\u2019s first Earned Income Tax Credit is funded into its second year, and there is a small cost of living allowance for elderly and disabled assistance, but an LOPP-CA priority, eliminating the CalWORKS\/TANF maximum family grant rule that contributes to child poverty, was not in the proposal.<\/p>\n

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CLIMATE CHANGE PRIORITIES:<\/strong> Defending California\u2019s climate change laws and advocating for equitable investment of cap-and-trade funds, now growing into the billions, will continue to be a LOPP priority. We joined a letter initiated by the Trust for Public Land calling for a Community Greening Fund focused on green infrastructure and forestry in urban communities. LOPP also participated in an interfaith post-Paris briefing.<\/p>\n

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Colorado \u2013 Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry\u00a0Colorado<\/h3>\n

www.lam-co.org<\/a><\/h3>\n
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The Colorado General Assembly convened on Wednesday, Jan. 13, to begin its 2016 legislative session. Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado was on hand for the opening ceremonies and is ready to dive in for a busy year of public policy advocacy.<\/p>\n

As we celebrate the arrival of the new year, we also reflect on where we\u2019ve been. In the past year, LAM-CO has been deeply involved in congregational-level education about advocacy, with a particular focus on how advocacy fits into the life of discipleship to which we are called as people of faith. Besides visits to Colorado ELCA congregations to preach and teach, presenting at the Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly and Theological Conference, addressing the many coalitions in which we participate, and sending e-newsletter updates, LAM-CO is connecting with thousands of people across Colorado and beyond. We hope to see even more of this in 2016, which will be an important election year in our state and nation.<\/p>\n

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State Sen. Jessie Ulibarri (center, front) visits the RMS Office of the Bishop and staff in December. Sen. Ulibarri represents the neighborhood in which our office is located.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our priorities remain steadfast in the coming year: a better and more robust social safety net for those living on the margins, improved access to anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs for those who need them, a higher minimum wage that is commensurate with the actual cost of living, consistent shelter and support services for those without a home, an end to denial of dignity and needless taxpayer expense in the criminal justice system, and a higher standard of environmental protection that shows real care for creation.<\/p>\n

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Minnesota \u2013 Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota tammy@lcppm.org<\/a><\/h3>\n

CAPITOL RENOVATIONS<\/strong>: <\/strong>Continuing capital renovation will keep the capitol closed through 2016. The session will begin Tuesday, March 8, and will be only 11 weeks long. Access to legislators in St. Paul will be very difficult. It will be challenging to know how fast legislation will move, how to best access legislators, and how many decisions will be made in advance or around the edges of session by committee chairs and leaders.<\/p>\n

EXPECTED DISTRACTIONS<\/strong>: <\/strong>In addition to the upheaval of renovations, House and Senate leaders agreed in 2015 to address tax reform in 2016. Although the Legislature will be addressing bonding bill requests, differing perspectives on tax reform may tie up most non-tax efforts.<\/p>\n

RAPID ACTION NETWORK<\/strong>:<\/strong> Lutheran Advocacy-MN continues to build its network to be ready for nimble rapid action. Willing to be part of the network? Please send your contact information to LA-MN Director Tammy Walhof, at <\/strong>tammy@lcppm.org<\/strong><\/a> or 651-238-6506.<\/strong> LA-MN may even need to activate the network in January or February if decisions are being made by leaders in advance of session.<\/p>\n

2016 ISSUES FOR EDUCATION AND ACTION<\/strong>:<\/strong> (click here<\/a> for one-page description of 2016 agenda)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n