Critical Bills Await Governor’s Signature or Veto
The legislative session officially ended last week and Governor Brown now has until Oct. 15 to act on several pieces of legislation sitting on his desk. Below are links to write emails to the Governor urging him to either sign or veto these critical bills. The Catholic Legislative Network is an integral part of ensuring the public policy voice of the Catholic Church is recognized in California. Thank you for your tremendous response to the Action Alerts we have sent in the last few days. We appreciate your response and please continue being a voice for life and dignity as the signing season moves forward.
At the end of this session, lawmakers passed a bill that has the ability to retract protections of religious employers and make not only the employer but also the employees of religious organizations personally liable for “reproductive discrimination” in the workplace.
In an unrelenting effort to promote abortion, California legislators now want to provide even more funding for abortion providers at a time when the state claims it cannot afford to pay for critical health care for the State’s vulnerable population.
In 2014, more than 47,000 California youth attended court schools while in juvenile detention, with the average stay being 30-40 days. Yet, the education credits earned by these students aren’t recognized when they exit and re-enroll in their local school districts.
In their continuing effort to redefine culture and society, California lawmakers have approved a bill that will introduce the gender category “Non-Binary” into state law. In the process, SB 179, now before the governor for signature, will eliminate some of the usual requirements that people who want or need to legally change their name must meet. Urge the Governor to VETO SB 179.
The breaking up of families for deportation reasons is heartbreaking enough, but often children of deported parents are no longer eligible to attend school. Residency requirements mean students not only lose their parents but likely their friends and teachers – every fiber of their community. Email the Governor now and ask him to sign SB 257 to allow students of deported parents to continue to attend school.
State’s Childhood Poverty Rate Should Be an Outrage At 20 percent, California has the highest rate of child poverty in the nation. One in five – almost 2 million children in the Golden State – are struggling for food, clothing, shelter and life’s very basic necessities. Minorities are particularly hard hit with one-third of African American and one-third of Latino children in grave economic risk.
The Senate is once again considering a bill that would repeal and possibly replace the Affordable Care Act. The “Graham-Cassidy” legislation will harm poor and struggling families because it risks loss of coverage for millions and will limit the quality of health care for those currently assisted by the Medicaid program. The legislation does correct a serious flaw in the Affordable Care Act by ensuring that no federal funds are used for abortion or go to plans that cover it, and it redirects funds from organizations that provide abortion. It is essential that any final bill retain these provisions.
Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world yet it can be particularly hard to recognize. You can help remedy that by asking the Governor to sign AB 1227 (Bonta, D-Alameda), which will promote education in how to avoid trafficking in our schools and expand cooperation among responsible authorities.
The astounding costs of a college education have sadly prohibited many deserving and qualified students from attending. In many cases, the only feasible way to finance a higher education is through a combination of loans, grants and scholarships. For this reason, all Californians should ask Governor Brown to sign AB 490 to extend the College Access Tax Credit Fund.
Pope Francis invites all to “Share the Journey”
Pope Francis, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services and agencies around the world affiliated wih Caritas Internationalis will come together on Wednesday, September 27 to launch “Share the Journey,” a global two-year campaign aimed at educating and embracing migrants and migrant communities.
Aligning with Pope Francis’ ‘culture of encounter,’ is the agencies are mobilizing in more than 160 countries to look at the causes of migration, to bust myths about migrants and to bring migrants and communities closer together.
Marketing materials including flyers in several languages are available here.
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September 22, 2017
Vol. 10, No. 30