Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are geared up for a strong year of advocacy.  We continue to be grateful for your faithful witness and zeal for justice, peace, and reconciliation in our country and throughout the world. More than ever our elected leaders need to hear and be held accountable to these values.

UPDATES

VAWA SIGNED INTO LAW

Just before recess last year Congress finally passed a full reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and last week President Bush signed the bill into law.  While the bill doesn't include everything that we had hoped for there, it will enhance the civil and criminal justice response; improve services and outreach to victims; provide resources for sexual assault victims through rape crisis centers and state coalitions; help children and youth who experience or witness violence; address the needs of victims from communities of color; aid immigrant and tribal victims; and support prevention, health, housing and economic security programs designed to stop violence and help victims.  More details will be available on our website within the next weeks.  Many thanks for your letters and calls that helped make this happen!

BUDGET FIGHT STILL NOT OVER

Thanks to your efforts and those of thousands of advocates across the country, Congress adjourned last year without being able to enact the harmful budget reconciliation cuts or more new deficit-raising tax cuts. You may have heard that the Senate did pass the budget reconciliation bill, 50-51, with the help of Vice President Cheney's tie-breaking vote. However, the battle isn't over yet because a technical change made to the bill by the Senate means that the House will have to re-vote on the bill in order to send the budget cuts to the President's desk for his signature. This re-vote is scheduled to take place February 1. When the House voted on the budget reconciliation conference report the first time, it passed 212-206. BUT, when the vote was taken before 6am, 16 members missed the vote and Representatives had only had 3 hours to look over the 700+ page bill and weren't aware of the extent of cuts the conference report included. On February 1st, members have a chance to redeem themselves and vote against cuts to vital services that will cause real pain to many struggling families, but we need your help to inform and influence them!

          ACTIONS NEEDED         

1) Representatives will be in their districts until the House reconvenes on Jan. 31st. They will likely be holding town hall meetings or attending other public events at which advocates can ask questions and share information about the budget cuts. Check your local paper for a listing of events or call your Representative's nearest district office to find out what is happening in your area.  To locate district offices use the "Find Your Legislators" tool on our action website (enter your zip code for a list of legislators, click on each person's name for contact information, and scroll down to the bottom of the page for district office information.)

2) More intensive activities are being organized by coalitions in a number of target districts in MN, PA, OH, NJ, MI, and NY. These include "accountability sessions" to try to put pressure on members, efforts to get local elected officials and community/organization leaders to make calls to Representatives, in-district lobbying visits, and a 72-hour vigil in front of the offices of key members prior to the vote. Full details are not available for all of these events yet, but if you are interested in participating in any of them, please let me know and I can put you in touch with local organizers who would welcome your involvement.  Even if you don't feel you can be directly involved in these activities, here are some things you can do to help:

-          Do you know anyone who can speak articulately about the impact that the budget cuts will have on YOUR community? We are trying to identify community and religious leaders who could participate in lobby visits in district or conference calls with members' staff in DC.

-          Do you or does your organization have good relationships with your mayor, city council members, state delegates, or other state/local elected officials who could be encouraged to speak out against the budget cuts? Representatives need to hear from state and local governments. Any contacts you can share will help strengthen the organizing efforts at the local level!

-          Pray for our elected officials and in solidarity with the events that are scheduled that the needs of the most vulnerable will be given priority.

3) A final grassroots call-in will be set within the next two weeks, so prepare your best arguments and once the date is known, tell all of your friends. We CAN stop this bill!

More information about the details of the budget cuts will be available on our website within the next couple of days. For a review of what is at stake, please visit the "Budget Fairness" section of Issues page of our website.