Belated Happy New Year!  Congress re-convened this week after the winter holiday break.  At the National Advocacy Center, we have been using these early January days to collate the 2008 Priorities surveys you sent in (and thanks for the good response rate!) and to try to get organized to keep you informed about pending legislation in the various interest areas. 

NATIONAL ADVOCACY CENTER 2008 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES and WORK PLAN

We will be presenting a synthesis of the Priorities in the next issue of our “Shepherds Speak” newsletter, but an advance peek would tell you something that is surely no surprise to anybody:  the interests of Good Shepherd People span a broad spectrum!  Our Agencies understandably place the highest priority on Education, Access to Health Care, Child Welfare / Foster Care / Juvenile Justice, and Mental Health / Substance Abuse issues, whereas those who responded as individuals (Sisters, associates, others) or communities of Sisters indicate highest interest in Human Trafficking and Immigration issues.  The individual respondents are also very interested in increasing access to health care, while the general heading of “Combat Poverty and Effects of Poverty” is a priority among all respondents.  But there are sizeable numbers of people who are vitally interested in additional focus areas as well – including peace & life / reducing violence issues, housing, prison & detention, eco-justice, and global economic development and justice.   

What to do?  Well, you can’t please all the people all the time, but for the moment, we’re going to make the attempt.  Our weekly “Action Alert” will continue in the same style we adopted last September, giving a very brief overview of the “hot” national legislation in our priority areas at any given moment as well as informing you of newer or less well-known initiatives which we perceive to be of interest to Good Shepherd People.  At the same time, however, we are creating more specific “target area” mailing lists so we can send additional information (such as articles or more in-depth analysis) to those people, programs or communities who have indicated particular interests.  Our “Immigration” focus list has been up and running for a couple of weeks; other lists will be added in the coming days.  If I am cluttering up your in-box too much, just let me know and I’ll remove you from any in-depth target lists but you’ll still get the general weekly GS ListServ mailings.  Similarly, if you hated having to select only five priorities and you really want to hear more about everything, we can oblige! 

Enough on that.  Now, get to work – do some advocacy!  Here are some relatively new bills to consider.

INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT (S. 2279)

We want to encourage additional Senators to co-sponsor this bill, which is now in the Committee on Foreign Relations.  Having enough Senators taking an interest in it would give it the momentum to get it moving out of Committee and onto the floor for action.  This Act would be a vehicle for the U.S. to encourage other countries to strengthen their laws in protection of women.  It also requires a comprehensive strategy for addressing violence against women at risk in humanitarian crises or zones of conflict. 

          ACTION REQUESTED: 

WRITE or CALL your Senators.  A sample letter is available on our  Take Action Now page 

or you can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.  Ask for your Senator’s office, then ask to speak to the staff person who works on Foreign Relations.  Repeat the call for your other Senator.

PRIVATE PRISON INFORMATION ACT (S. 2010)

This bill actually falls under the umbrella of immigration practice reform.  It would require that all of the prisons and detention centers which hold federal prisoners (including undocumented immigrants) make the same information available to the public that federal prisons and detention facilities are required to do by law.  Currently, most detainees are held in state, county, and private facilities with little or no accountability for reporting; advocates sometimes cannot even find out where a detainee is being held.  Once again, we are seeking additional Senators to co-sponsor the bill.  It is currently “parked” in the Committee on the Judiciary and needs a push to get it moving along.

          ACTION REQUESTED:  WRITE or CALL

Our template letter is at our Take Action Now site. Of course, you can edit it and jazz it up with specific anecdotes and/or horror stories.  If you prefer to call, the Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.  Ask for your Senator, then for the staff person working on immigration or detention.

INCLUSIVE HOME DESIGN ACT (H.R. 4202)

This proposal is a housing initiative aimed particularly to benefit the elderly and persons with disabilities, but also to promote the whole concept of “aging in place” and reducing the number of traumatic moves to unfamiliar facilities.  Can you get your Representative interested in co-sponsoring this legislation?

          
          ACTION REQUESTED:  WRITE or CALL

Our template letter is near the top of our list at our Take Action Now site.

ELECTION PREPARATION

Two websites presenting the views of the Presidential contenders may be of interest.  The first is on six topics related to children, and the second is on combating poverty in general.

http://www.everychildmatters.org/2008/index.html

www.spotlightonpoverty.org      

Finally, Catholic Christians are invited to consider signing The Common Good Pledge, co-sponsored by nine Catholic social justice organizations.  Its summary states “I pledge to vote out poverty, vote out war, and vote in the common good.”   You can view the text and sign on-line if you so desire at the Democracy in Action website.