Congress returns this week from a week-long recess and there are a couple of important votes scheduled for which your advocacy is needed!

          SENATE TO VOTE ON ESTATE TAX         

As early as Thursday, the Senate could vote legislation to give yet another massive tax break to multi-millionaires and billionaires by permanently repealing or drastically reducing the estate tax.  Already this year Congress has cut Medicaid, child support, foster care, and other vital services in the name of "deficit reduction"--only to turn around and used the "savings" from those cuts to help pay for $70 billion in tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the most affluent. Now, they are considering yet another tax cut--ONLY for the wealthy--that will cost $1 trillion over tens years, increase the deficit, and drain away critical resources from programs that promote the common good.  While there are likely enough votes to prevent repeal, pro-repeal Senators are also pushing a bad "reform" package that would be almost as damaging as full repeal and may attract some more moderate Senators.  Let your Senators know that these are the WRONG priorities by participating in a call-in day on Tuesday, June 6th!

          ACTION NEEDED           

Call each of your Senators on Tuesday June 6th and urge them to vote against the repeal of the estate tax and against bad estate tax reform proposals. A toll-free number--800-459-1887--has been generously provided by the American Friends Service Committee that will connect you to the Capitol Hill switchboard (you will need to call twice and ask to be connected to your Senators' offices). 

Sample Message: Please tell Senator_______to vote against any legislation to repeal or drastically cut the estate tax.  The Senate should not bring up such a vote because we cannot invest in the common good if we hand hundreds of billions of dollars to a tiny number of millionaire heirs.

For More Information:

- Excellent reflection on the estate tax from Sojourner's Jim Wallis 

- Background on the Estate Tax

          ANOTHER CHANCE TO CLOSE THE SOA         

This week the House of Representatives will vote on an amendment to close the SOA/ WHINSEC. Rep. McGovern (MA) will introduce an amendment to the Foreign Operations appropriations bill to cut funding for the SOA/ WHINSEC! We expect a close vote and need as many people as possible flooding the offices of the House of Representatives with calls in support of a YES vote on the amendment.

          ACTION NEEDED           

1) Call your Representative on Tuesday June 6th or Wednesday June 7th and urge them to vote "YES" on the McGovern amendment to cut SOA.WHINSEC funding!  A toll-free number--888-355-3588--has been provided by SOA watch that will connect you to the Capitol Switchboard (you will need to ask to be connected to your Rep.'s office).

2) Write your Representative and urge him to support the McGovern amendment to cut funding for the SOA. A sample letter is available at the SOAWatch website .

For more information, please visit http://www.soawatch.org

          UPDATE ON IMMIGRATION         

The Thursday before the Memorial Day Recess, Senators voted to pass the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, the immigration bill they have been debating for the past several weeks.  Passage of this important bill is applauded as an achievement by many Senators and immigrants rights groups since it is comprehensive, puts a portion of the 11 million undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship and contains a guest-worker program.  However, many Senators and immigrant rights groups still hold strong reservations about enforcement measures and provisions of the bill that restrict the number of undocumented persons who will qualify for legalization and that severely limit due process and court access for immigrants.  Senators and Representatives now must form a conference committee to work out the differences between the Senate bill and the House immigration bill, passed last November, which solely focuses on enforcement and provides neither a path to citizenship for undocumented people nor a guest-worker program.  The National Advocacy Center will continue its fight for comprehensive reform and keep you posted on any developments.

          FOR GOOD SHEPHERD SISTERS IN INDONESIA         

As many of you are aware, on May 27th, a devastating earthquake struck Indonesia's Java Island, killing over 5,000 people, injuring many more, and leaving an estimated 200,000 people homeless.  Two Good Shepherd communities were affected by the quake and while the Sisters and the girls from one of the programs are safe, many families and neighbors suffered terribly and much of the area is devastated.  In addition to your on-going prayer support, we recently received an update from Sr. Brigid that includes information on how you can send donations through the Indonesian Bishop's Conference Office to help with Sisters' relief and rebuilding efforts.  This update is available here or you can use the contact information listed below:

Name on Account: Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia

Final Credit: Kongregasi Suster-Suster Gembala Baik

Name of Bank : ABN AMRO BANK

Address: Jl. Ir.H. Juanda 23 - Jakarta Pusat.

Account Number: 13.21.218 - USD (for US dollar) or 13.21.218 - EUR (for Euro) (It's very important for them to see USD or EUR) Swift code: ABNAIDJA