FEDERAL BUDGET<\/a> | YES IN GOD’S BACK YARD ACT<\/a> | RECOVERING AMERICA’S WILDLIFE ACT<\/a> | UYGHUR POLICY ACT OF 2023<\/a> | CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE, RESTORATION OF UNRWA FUNDING<\/a> | SOLIDARITY WITH ANNUNCIATION HOUSE<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n Hundreds of Lutherans over the past month took action on hunger issues in the budget, and hundreds more sent messages on the need for affordable housing support over the last year. Rumors of proposed cuts in earlier negotiations would have been a serious blow to the efforts of our ministries at the fore of addressing poverty in our communities.<\/p>\n Lawmakers must now look to pass 2025 spending bills for domestic programs as the President\u2019s Budget request makes its way to Congress.<\/p>\n <\/a> Congregations across the United States have increasingly invested more in developing community housing in recent years as the lack of affordable options has become one of the leading drivers of homelessness. Development planning, zoning approval and other local barriers to building new housing can take years before ground is even broken on a new project. New technical assistance for congregations, and incentives for local governments to lower development barriers proposed in the Yes in Gods Back Yard Act, could go a long way in supporting ministry efforts to end homelessness in our communities.<\/p>\n Though introduced in the Senate, the Yes in Gods Back Yard Act needs support from across the country in order to make it to the president\u2019s desk. ELCA Witness in Society staff will be tracking the legislation as updates move forward.<\/p>\n <\/a> The 2023 ELCA social message \u201cEarth\u2019s Climate Crisis<\/a>\u201d, which built upon the foundational work of the social message Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice<\/em><\/a>, \u201cchallenges all expressions of this church to…engage in legislative advocacy at all levels of government, individually and collectively\u201d (p. 16). Our continued advocacy on environmental policies is in direct response to this challenge.<\/p>\n Additionally, Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR) of the House Committee on Natural Resources quietly filed the America\u2019s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act, H.R. 7408, last week in competition with RAWA. While there has been some confusion between the two bills, it is important to note that while the America\u2019s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act would focus on the importance of habitat, it stops short of dedicating the necessary funding for fish and wildlife management agencies that hunters and anglers have long sought through the advancement of the Recovering America\u2019s Wildlife Act.<\/p>\n <\/a> The ELCA social statement For Peace in God\u2019s World<\/em><\/a> states that \u201cHuman rights provide a common universal standard of justice for living with our differences, and they give moral and legal standing to the individual in the international community. We therefore will continue to teach about human rights, protest their violation, advocate their international codification, and support effective ways to monitor and ensure compliance with them\u201d (p. 14).<\/p>\n The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.<\/p>\n <\/a> The opening line of the ELCA social statement For Peace in God\u2019s World<\/em><\/a> states: \u201cWe of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America share with the Church of Jesus Christ in all times and places the calling to be peacemakers.\u201d<\/p>\n The ELCA will continue to advocate for a permanent bilateral ceasefire and the restoration of funding to UNRWA.<\/p>\n <\/a> The COB statement of solidarity with migrants and those who respond to God\u2019s call to serve their neighbors, like Annunciation House, is rooted in a long tradition and legacy of welcoming newcomers. In the United States, congregations accompany migrants in their communities through welcoming and sanctuary congregations and synod task forces, accompany migrant children and families as the physical presence of the church in the immigration courtroom, and pray for justice among other responses.<\/p>\n On Mar. 11, Judge Francisco Dominguez from Texas\u2019 205th District issued a ruling blocking further action by the attorney general against Annunciation House until the judge can review the constitutionality of the attorney general\u2019s requests. On Mar. 5, via X<\/a>\/Twitter, Annunciation House posted: \u201cThanks to the ELCA Conference of Bishops for this statement of solidarity.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Receive monthly<\/em> Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http:\/\/elca.org\/advocacy\/signup<\/a> , and learn more from elca.org\/advocacy<\/a> .<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: March 2024 FEDERAL BUDGET | YES IN GOD’S BACK YARD ACT | RECOVERING AMERICA’S WILDLIFE ACT | UYGHUR POLICY ACT OF 2023 | CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE, RESTORATION OF UNRWA FUNDING | SOLIDARITY WITH […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2024\/03\/March-2024-Advocacy-Connections-blogpng.png\")
<\/a>FEDERAL BUDGET:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 The House and Senate passed the first tranche of 2024 spending bills, including funding for agriculture and housing programs. The bipartisan deal reached in both chambers in time to avoid a shutdown of many key federal agencies would fully fund core anti-hunger initiatives, such as the Women, Infant, and Children program (WIC), and does not include any harmful policy changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) nutrition program. The deal would also give a two percent increase to federal housing programs \u2013 which comes at a critical time when rents, housing costs and affordability continue to climb.<\/p>\nWhy It Matters in the ELCA:<\/span><\/h5>\n
What\u2019s Next:<\/span><\/h5>\n
\n<\/a>YES IN GOD’S BACK YARD ACT:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span> On Mar. 12, Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (Senate Banking Committee), introduced the Yes In God\u2019s Back Yard (YIGBY) Act<\/a>, legislation to support faith-based organizations and colleges wanting to build and preserve affordable housing on their land and reduce barriers to the development of this housing. YIGBY was endorsed<\/a> by a group of faith groups and coalitions including the ELCA. The Senate Banking Committee in mid-March held a hearing<\/a> to discuss bipartisan approaches to address the chronic shortage of affordable housing. This came after a series of housing hearings in the spring of 2023 highlighting the core policy challenges that have led to development barriers, homelessness and skyrocketing home costs. Among the legislative proposals, lawmakers highlighted support for some efforts such as authorizing proactive disaster recovery resources and offering increased resources for churches seeking to build affordable housing.<\/p>\nWhy It Matters in the ELCA:<\/span><\/h5>\n
What\u2019s Next:<\/span><\/h5>\n
\n<\/a>RECOVERING AMERICA’S WILDLIFE ACT:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span> The ELCA has supported the passage of the Recovering America\u2019s Wildlife Act (RAWA), S.1149, a bipartisan bill that would allocate nearly $1.4 billion of annual dedicated funding for state and tribal fish and wildlife management agencies. Even with bipartisan support, RAWA seems to have hit a stall with no indication of movement. An Action Alert<\/a> is available in the ELCA Action Center to contact lawmakers on this bill.<\/p>\nWhy It Matters in the ELCA:<\/span><\/h5>\n
What\u2019s Next:<\/span><\/h5>\n
\n<\/a>UYGHUR POLICY ACT OF 2023:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 The Uyghur Policy Act of 2023, H.R. 2766, was passed by the House and has been sent to the Senate for consideration. The act authorizes the establishment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues position within the Department of State. The role is established to coordinate U.S government policies, programs and projects concerning the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups. Further, it authorizes $250,000 over three years to human rights advocates working on behalf of the Uyghurs and other persecuted ethnic groups.<\/p>\nWhy It Matters in the ELCA:<\/span><\/h5>\n
What\u2019s Next:<\/span><\/h5>\n
\n<\/a>CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE, RESTORATION OF UNRWA FUNDING:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 There have been multiple calls by the ELCA and its leadership for both a permanent bilateral ceasefire and the restoration United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)\u2019s funding.<\/p>\n\n
Why It Matters in the ELCA:<\/span><\/h5>\n
What\u2019s Next:<\/span><\/h5>\n
\n<\/a>SOLIDARITY WITH ANNUNCIATION HOUSE:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 On Mar. 4, the COB issued a statement<\/a> in solidarity with migrants and Annunciation House. Annunciation House is a volunteer-run Catholic organization with over 40 years of providing hospitality to migrants in El Paso, Tex. On Feb. 20, the Attorney General of Texas announced it was suing the El Paso organization for alleged potential legal violations which stem from Annunciation House defending itself from demands for sensitive information. On Mar. 5, the Interfaith Immigration Coalition released an interfaith statement<\/a> that collected numerous signatures from Lutherans.<\/p>\nWhy It Matters in the ELCA:<\/span><\/h5>\n
What\u2019s Next:<\/span><\/h5>\n
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