{"id":1303,"date":"2016-04-08T11:19:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T16:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/?p=1303"},"modified":"2016-04-08T11:19:54","modified_gmt":"2016-04-08T16:19:54","slug":"april-advocacy-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/april-advocacy-update\/","title":{"rendered":"April 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!<\/h2>\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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\"ELCA<\/a>ELCAVOTES!: <\/strong>ELCA Advocacy, along with Young Adult Ministry and Racial Justice Ministries, officially launched the ELCAvotes! initiative, and the website is now live<\/a>. Lutherans can access a number of resources, including Bible studies and discussion guides as part of a toolkit developed to focus on civic participation, voting rights and racial justice. As part of the initiative, 20 individuals from across the country received scholarships to attend Ecumenical Advocacy Days April 15-18 in Washington, D.C. With the event\u2019s theme \u201cLift Every Voice! \u2013 Racism, Class, and Power,\u201d Lutherans will engage alongside other participants in education, worship and advocacy.<\/p>\n

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN\u2019S DAY: <\/strong>On International Women\u2019s Day, ELCA Advocacy encouraged support for the International Violence Against Women Act. The legislation, which is pending in Congress, would enable the U.S. government to develop faster and more efficient responses to violence against women in humanitarian emergencies. Globally, an estimated 1-in-3 women will experience physical, sexual and psychological abuse in their lifetime. Advocates can take action at the ELCA Action Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

EL SALVADOR UPDATE<\/strong>:<\/strong> Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, assistant director for migration policy and advocacy, traveled to El Salvador for the first Ecumenical Conference for Peace and Reconciliation. The Salvadoran government has responded to the incredibly high murder rate in the country, similar to rates during its civil war, with militarization and the criminalization of anyone involved with gangs. Earlier this year, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees released a plan to protect to Central Americans and work with the governments in the region to ensure that they improve their ability to provide protection. Although the plan is comprehensive, no countries have agreed to help pay for these critical tasks.<\/p>\n

MIGRATION AND VOTING<\/strong>:<\/strong> Several synods and interfaith leaders have expressed concerns about vitriolic rhetoric directed at immigrants and refugees during the current election campaigns. ELCA Advocacy encouraged Lutherans to join a webinar<\/a> earlier in March, explaining how congregations can share tools and strategies to support and engage immigrant and refugee communities.<\/p>\n

METHANE STANDARDS<\/strong>: <\/strong>ELCA Advocacy announced support for a proposed methane standard<\/a>. This long anticipated plan would help reduce natural gas waste on tribal and publicly owned lands. The proposal, created by the U.S. Department of the Interior, is expected to be approved by the end of this administration. If passed, the safer standard will help stop the frequency of dangerous methane leaks, which pollute communities, and will lessen our contributions to climate change. The proposal is open for public comments until Earth Day, April 22.<\/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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\"lowc1\"<\/a>ECUMENICAL WOMEN<\/strong>: <\/strong>Ecumenical Women<\/a> is a coalition of 18 congregations and ecumenical organizations accredited with the United Nations, including The Lutheran World Federation. On Saturday, March 12, Ecumenical Women held an orientation for its approximately 160 delegates to the 60th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). During this orientation, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of U.N. Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka spoke about the importance of this being the first commission held after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/a> in 2015 and thanked faith-based organizations for their work on the agenda. Maria Cristina Rend\u00f3n of The Lutheran World Federation moderated a panel on the role of women\u2019s empowerment in the implementation of the sustainable development goals. Throughout the week, Ecumenical Women delegates had the opportunity to meet with member states to discuss gender justice and the sustainable development goals. Overall, member organizations of Ecumenical Women organized and sponsored more than 20 events during the CSW.<\/p>\n

Both Nicholas Jaech of the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), the communications chair for Ecumenical Women, and Christine Mangale of LOWC, the coalition\u2019s treasurer, were keys to the success of Ecumenical Women during the event. You can learn more about the work of Ecumenical Women during the two weeks of the commission by checking out their Twitter page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

LUTHERAN DELGATION<\/strong>: <\/strong>LOWC welcomed 36 delegates to the Commission on the Status of Women this year. These delegates joined us from Lutheran churches in Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Swaziland, Switzerland and the United States. The Lutherans came together on Sunday, March 13, for a day of learning about global Lutheran programs on gender justice, as well as an opportunity to learn more about each other. That evening, the Lutheran delegates worshiped at the beautifully unique Jazz Vespers at St. Peter\u2019s Lutheran Church. During their time at the commission, the Lutheran delegates were able to attend U.N. events and meet with government representatives from their home countries. On the third day, the Lutheran delegates led morning worship at the Church Center for the United Nations.<\/p>\n

\"lowc2\"<\/a>LUTHERAN-ORGANIZED AND CO-SPONSORED EVENTS AT CSW: <\/strong>LOWC organized and co-sponsored four events on role of faith-based organizations in sustainable development and addressing gender-based violence. At these events, Lutheran delegates, particularly the international delegates, had the opportunity to share their experiences on the role of the church in gender justice.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, March 15, Dennis Frado, director of LOWC, moderated a CSW parallel event, \u201cForced Migration, Human Trafficking, and Child Soldiers: How ISIL [the so-called \u201cIslamic State in Iraq and the Levant\u201d] is Exploiting the Conflict in the Middle East.\u201d A diverse and superb group of panelists spoke on the topic: Li Fung, office of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; Shafferan Sonneveld, Muslims for Progressive Values; Edward Flynn, U.N. Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate; and Emeka Obiezu, Augustinians International and the U.N. Nongovernmental Organization Committee on Migration. Particularly valuable was a contribution of Sonneveld, who noted that she and her organization use \u201cthe word Da\u2019esh instead of ISIS because what they [Da\u2019esh] are doing does not represent Islam\u201d in any way. She also pointed out the misuse of Quranic scripture by Da\u2019esh. Fung stressed the importance of upholding international human rights and humanitarian law.<\/p>\n

The other events included:<\/p>\n

Monday, March 14: \u201cDeveloping a Common Feminist Faith Discourse to Achieve Gender Equality.\u201d During this event, the Rev. Cibele Kuss, executive director of the Lutheran Foundation of Diakonia in Brazil, discussed how a feminist faith discourse can help to achieve gender justice.<\/p>\n

\"lowc3\"<\/a>Tuesday, March 15, at \u201cWomen and Tech: Effective Video Documentation of Sexual Violence \u2013 Lessons Learned,\u201d the Rev. Yumba Wa Nkulu Solange from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in (the Democratic Republic of) Congo and Doo Aphane of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa shared their experiences.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, March 16: \u201cEngaging Faith Communities to Implement SDGs \u2013 Achieving Gender Justice And Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls.\u201d During this event, the Rev. Cibele Kuss of Brazil also spoke.<\/p>\n

Also on Wednesday: \u201cFaith at the Crossroads of Sustainable Development and Sustained Gender-based Violence.\u201d During this event, the Rev. Julinda Sipayung of the Simalungun Protestant Christian Church (Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungun) in Indonesia, the Rev. Margaret Kelly of the ELCA, and Mabel Madinga of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi shared their experiences.<\/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

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE: <\/strong>The campaign to repeal the CalWORKS\/TANF Maximum Family Grant rule, a priority for LOPP-CA, advanced through budget subcommittees on health and human services in each house. The rule prohibits additional aid for babies born into families that already receives assistance, contributes to California\u2019s high child poverty rate, represents punitive attitudes toward women, is based on racial stereotypes, and contributes to racial disparities. There is still a long road ahead through the budget process amid Gov. Jerry Brown\u2019s fiscal caution.<\/p>\n

CARE FOR CREATION: <\/strong>LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson participated in a policy briefing on climate change and natural and working landscapes with landowners, advocates, legislative leaders and administration officials, including Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross (Lutheran), and Gov. Brown. LOPP-CA is supporting a bill to place in the statute language that includes protection and management of natural and working landscapes as vital to our state\u2019s carbon reduction goals. We are taking the lead in organizing a faith-communities exhibit at\"ca2\"<\/a> the Earth Day Festival at CalEPA at the invitation of the state Water Resources Control Board.<\/p>\n

HOSPITALITY:<\/strong> Mark was a Capitol guide for a team of high school students as part of a California Alcohol Policy Alliance lobby day to support a ban on powdered alcohol (based on the prevention commitments in ELCA social statements on health and criminal justice). A highlight of March was a Day at the Capitol for the Lutheran Episcopal Volunteer Network, including conversations with the Senate majority leader, and with the dean of the Legislature (longest serving member, photo right).<\/p>\n

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

www.lam-co.org<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\"Bishop<\/a>

Bishop Jim Gonia addresses an audience gathered to learn about the refugee and asylum process at the Old Supreme Court Chambers in the Colorado Capitol on March 14.<\/p><\/div>\n

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE<\/strong>: The Colorado legislative session passed the halfway mark in March, and Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado (LAM-CO ) has been busy \u00a0advancing our priorities. The Joint Budget Committee has been meeting to work on the Long Bill for the upcoming fiscal year, and LAM-CO has partnered with Hunger Free Colorado to ask members to add funding for additional agency staff to increase food assistance program enrollment.<\/p>\n

Other priorities for the coming month include: a bill to initiate a study of the child care needs of low-income parents while they pursue higher education (HB 1050), a bill to exempt low-income people from requirements to pursue legal action around child support before receiving benefits from the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (HB 1227), a bill to ensure the continued funding for non-profits to assist people in acquiring necessary identification documents (HB 1386), and a bill to allow job applicants with a criminal record to be considered by employers rather than be immediately excluded from review (HB 1388). We await the late introduction of several additional bills that we have signed on to support as well.<\/p>\n

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Minnesoda\u00a0\u2013 Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy \u2013 Minnesota<\/h3>\n

tammy@lcppm.org<\/h3>\n

AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND BILLS<\/strong>:<\/strong> Minnesota\u2019s current affordable housing bond bills include SF2410<\/a>, authored by Senators Tomassoni (SD06) (chief author), Senjem (SD25), Marty (SD66), and Rosen (SD23); and HF2784<\/a>, authored by Representatives Hausman (HD66A) (chief author), Schomacker (HD22A), Slocum (HD50A), Bernardy (HD41A), Hornstein (HD61A), Fischer (HD43A), Baker (HD17B), Gunther (HD23A).<\/p>\n

These bipartisan bills call for: <\/strong><\/p>\n