WSCC 2019 Catholic Advocacy Bulletin, No. 8 - Archived

by Msgr. Robert Siler February 28, 2019

This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant or up to date. For more information contact Msgr. Robert Siler, robert.siler@yakimadiocese.org.

February 28, 2019

In his message for Lent 2019, Pope Francis implores Christians to seize this opportunity to deepen their faith by embodying the paschal mystery through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Read More.

A new Bill Tracker has been added to WACatholics.org. We hope that you find this a helpful tool to keep up-to-date on the bills which have survived the latest cutoffs and are still on our watch list.



	SB 5339 is now before the House Public Safety Committee. The same bill was able to pass out of the House committee last year, but never received a vote of the full House. This year’s bill is the main focus of the upcoming “Lobby Day to End the Death Penalty” hosted by the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (WCADP). This lobby day will take place on Monday, March 18 and will include a morning orientation session, followed by pre-scheduled meetings with your legislators. To register and sign up for a carpool, act fast!Please register by March 14.

Unfortunately, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 311) failed to receive the necessary 60 votes in the U.S. Senate to overcome a filibuster (actual vote was 53 to 44). The Act would have required health care practitioners, present during a live birth resulting from a failed abortion, to provide the same degree of care to the child that is afforded during any birth.



	Washington’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program is called WorkFirst, which provides assistance to low-income families to help them meet their basic needs. During the last decade this program has experienced many funding cuts, undermining WorkFirst’s ability to serve families living in poverty (in 2008 WorkFirst served 50% of families in poverty vs 25% of those families today). HB 1603/SB 5684 rolls back harmful cuts to WorkFirst/TANF, ensuring that more families living in poverty get the support they need. HB 1603 was passed out of House Appropriations and SB 5684 needs to be voted out of Senate Ways and Means to survive the latest cutoff.

In January, HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is the most significant piece of bipartisan climate legislation since 2009 and is supported by the USCCB. The Act seeks to reduce national carbon pollution emissions by over 90% before 2050 by pricing carbon at $15 per metric ton and increasing $10 every year. This ambitious goal represents a significant step towards addressing the climate challenge which greatly impacts our poor and vulnerable neighbors and our shared future.

Abolish the Death Penalty Lobby Day – March 18

Walking + Witnessing for Migrant Families – April 29 to May 11

Cornerstone Catholic Conference – October 18-19, 2019

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