Let your Good Shepherd hearts be bold this Valentine’s Day!  Did you realize that using our fine software, you can send two or three messages to your Members of Congress just while waiting for your cup of coffee to brew?  It’s that quick and easy.  

TORTURE

Yesterday the Senate voted on H.R. 2082, the Intelligence Authorization Act. Contained in that bill is important anti-torture legislation which expands the prohibition against torture of detainees to all U.S. intelligence agencies and their agents.  We urged Senators to adopt this legislation as it is consistent with the Church’s belief in human dignity and because it would help the U.S. to restore our credibility in the international community.  It was a close vote, but it did squeak by.  Unfortunately, the President is now threatening to veto it.

       
      ACTION REQUEST

For the moment, wait and pray.  If the President’s veto threat becomes a reality, we will update the letter posted on our Take Action Now website to reflect the need to over-ride the veto rather than simply pass the legislation.   

HEALTH EQUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2007

The Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2007 will help close the gap for those who are least served by our healthcare system.  As we all know, people who are lower income and minorities are often given worse care than the rest of the nation.  H.R. 3014 will help relieve this issue which is so close to the hearts of the Good Shepherd People.  This Act will direct each federal health agency to implement a strategic plan to eliminate disparities and improve the health and health care of minority populations. 

          ACTION REQUEST – Write to your Representative

Please go to our website Take Action Now website to print a letter to your Representative.  As noted last week, it is better to fax this letter rather than mail it, especially in this time-sensitive situation. 

To locate your Representative’s fax number, click on Take Action Now, then scroll to the bottom of the CongressWeb page that will pop up.  Enter your zip code in the space provided and a new page will open with the names of your Members of Congress.  If you click on your Representative, his or her fax number will be provided in addition to his or her lovely photo and other pertinent information.  As always, feel free to e-mail or fax us your signed letter (301-384-1025) and we will be more than happy to fax it to your Representative. 

MENTAL HEALTH PARITY UPDATE -- Possibly Good News

The House passed a one-year extension to the current parity law (this theme of dealing with things next year when the political climate might be friendlier is a common one). Simultaneously, an outstanding 273 of the 435 Representatives in the House are cosponsoring H.R. 1424 which will amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require equity in the provision of mental health and substance-related disorder benefits under group health plans.  So there is some hope for getting parity in 2008.

ECONOMIC STIMULUS UPDATE

As you probably heard, an economic stimulus package moved through the Senate and to the President’s desk.  While we did not get the LIHEAP, Food Stamps or Unemployment Insurance we were hoping for, the improvements to the House package include an increase to Social Security beneficiaries as well as handicapped veterans and their widows.  Rebate checks will be going out in May in the amounts of $300 to $600 for people who have an income between $3,000 and $75,000, plus $300 per child.  Couples earning up to $150,000 will get $1,200.

CNMI UPDATE – Bad News but Not Awful News

It seems to be on hold again.  One of the Senators introduced an unrelated gun amendment to the Omnibus package containing the federalization of immigration for the CNMI.  This has derailed the process and it’s not going anywhere at the moment.  The good news is that the Senators are fully supportive of the CNMI part of the package, so it’s just a question of political maneuvering to get a vehicle for it to move on the Senate floor, without obnoxious amendments holding it back.

BUDGET UPDATE and REQUEST

Surely you have heard much about the President’s Budget being released last week.  The feeling in DC is that this is NOT a serious budget and will not have much of an effect on the actual fiscal year of 2009.  The thought is that a Continuing Resolution will be passed and hopefully next year the tone on the Hill will be a little friendlier. As always, we reserve the right to defer to economists and professionals on this matter, and here is what they say: it’s inadequate!

For example, the money budgeted for helping low income people pay their energy bills is cut in the President’s budget, so either 1 million fewer people will be helped, or the current people will be helped, but at a rate of 22% less this year even though energy costs are expected to rise by more than 15%.  The budgeted amount is identical to what it was in 2001 despite the fact that costs are 65% higher.  $18 billion are set to be cut from Medicaid over the next five years, the burden of which will be felt by states.  The federal government does not have to balance its budget, but the states are required to do so every year, even in a recession.  As such, the states will have to cut funding to education and healthcare in order to balance their budgets because the federal government would be allocating them so much less than they need. 

At NAC we see the budget as a moral document, and one whose effects are largely written on the lives of the disenfranchised.  None of our priorities can be effectively addressed without the funding to do so. As such, we have scheduled lobbying visits with members of both the House and Senate Budget Committees in order to encourage them to produce a much larger domestic discretionary number.  We do not want to force people to choose between heating their homes and paying for their medication. 

         ACTION REQUEST

Similar to last week’s request for stories about immigrants you work with or come into contact with, this week we’d like to request more stories!  As we lobby the House and Senate Budget Committees, we are very prepared with all the correct numbers to prove our point that social services are effective, but can only reach people if agencies and programs have the money to do so.  However, often stories of the people who are being helped are far more persuasive than numbers because, as you know best, they stay with you and can change your perspective. You are the experts!  We would be so grateful if you could take a moment and e-mail us a story of someone whose life was made better by social services (such as LIHEAP, Section 8, Medicare, Medicaid, Child care, etc).  Also helpful if you have it are the numbers of people on your waiting lists who can’t be helped yet because of a lack of funding.  Help us change the budget landscape so more people can be served!!

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Thanks to Meghan Dougherty for creating most of this Action Alert.  You can tell that she is passionate about the Budget, and is developing some expertise in this area.