The TCC has recently completed a project to create policy papers for every one of our legislative agenda issues. The policy papers are two pages and include church teaching, facts, and additional links for more information. You can see these Policy Pages by visiting our legislative agenda page.

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Bishop, Catholic clergy to ICE: cease raids, allow agents to exercise 'conscientious objection'.
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U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in an interview on “Meet the Press,” misrepresented church history and basic embryology when asked questions about when human life begins. Read more . . .

As the state Legislature prepares for tomorrow’s special session called by Gov. Paterson to deal with the state’s economic woes, the New York State Catholic Conference is urging all parties to proceed with caution as they attempt to agree on cuts to the current state budget. Of particular concern are services to the poor and vulnerable.

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Since 1894, our nation has observed Labor Day as a civil holiday. Though secular in origin, Labor Day has deep roots in the Judeo-Christian understanding of human work.

From our reading of the creation account of Genesis, which depicts God as a creative laborer, we have learned to regard work as sacred. God, the original "worker," has bestowed on human beings the capacity to share in God's creativity, thereby making work itself a holy activity.

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The Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities Announces:

The 2008 Pro Life Conference

"Celebrating 40 Years of Humanae Vitae"

October 10 & 11, 2008 - Lincoln

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Civic and religious leaders from across the state submitted a clemency application today to Governor Blunt for Dennis Skillicorn who is scheduled to be executed by the state of Missouri on August 27, 2008.

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On August 21 the Board of State Canvassers certified petition signatures that will place the issue of embryo destructive research on the November general election ballot. Proposal 2 would amend the state constitution to allow for unregulated, unrestricted embryo destruction in Michigan. The proposal also opens the door for human cloning to become legal in this state.
Michigan Catholic Conference has joined the ballot question committee Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science and Experimentation, MiCAUSE, which represents a growing number of individuals and grassroots organizations opposed to this most radical ballot proposal.
Embryo destructive research is neither pro-life nor consistent with the Church’s strong social justice message.
Updates on the campaign working against Proposal 2 can be found at www.micause.com

• Pope Benedict XVI: “Stem Cells: What Future for Therapy?
• USCCB: Stem Cells and Hope for Patients
• Ballot Wording for Proposal 2
• Constitutional Amendment

August 11, 2008: Several advocacy organizations today collectively urged all 148 members of the Michigan Legislature to protect the state’s poor and vulnerable citizens from the effects of rate “deskewing” as part of the Legislature’s debate on House Bill 5524, measures which seek to restructure the state’s energy utilities market. Read press release…

Dowling to Retire After 24 Years as Head of Catholic Conference
Deputy Director Russell Appointed as Successor

Richard J. Dowling, who has served as the Catholic Church’s chief policy advocate in Annapolis for nearly a quarter century as executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, will retire before the end of the year.

The Maryland-serving bishops have appointed Mary Ellen Russell, the Conference’s deputy director for education and family life, to succeed him.

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The summer edition of Catholic Conference of Kentucky newsletter, WITNESS, is now available. Featured articles focus on poverty in Kentucky, do's and don'ts during an election year, child sexual abuse, Genesis and evolution, and others.

Ed Monahan, Executive Director of CCK, has resigned to accept an appointment by Gov. Beshear to become the Public Advocate, overseeing an agency that provides legal counsel to the poor and indigent charged with committing crimes. Archbishop Kurtz said that he and Kentucky's other three bishops accepted Monahan's resignation with regret but are pleased to see him continuing in public service. "He has done a stellar job for the Catholic Conference of Kentucky," Kurtz said. "We will miss him tremendously."

Iowa Catholic Conference Releases Newsletter

Subjects Included:

* New web resources on voting available - Faithful Citizenship events to be held around the state

* National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors meeting - discussions on religious liberty and immigration

* School choice -- tax credits and transportation costs

* Are political conventions still worth your attention?

* Quick note on flood relief

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State recognized schools can now access the Illinois State Board of Education's Web Application Security System (IWAS) for transmitting last year's attendance data for the reimbursements from the School Safety Block Grant. Please do so as soon as possible! The system opened this week and the deadline for submitting data is September 15!

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Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper ruled on August 4 that the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission did not exceed its authority in proposing two constitutional amendments, one that strikes existing language that bars religious entities from participation in governmental programs and a second that allows public funding of school-choice programs.

"We are pleased with the ruling because it is a pivotal step toward safeguarding health, education and social service programs in which Floridians benefit through the participation of faith-based providers," said D. Michael McCarron, executive director of the Florida Catholic Conference. “All Floridians, particularly the vulnerable and in need, deserve the opportunity to benefit from programs with a secular purpose provided by religious organizations.”

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Connecticut Catholic Advocacy Network Newsletter released.

The Colorado Catholic Conference has officially launched it’s Get Out the Vote Campaign! The Campaign is designed to encourage Catholics to vote. Two focal points of the campaign are a DVD and website. Read more . . .

Bishops Support Proposition 8 to Restore the Definition of Marriage in California

"The issue before us with Proposition 8 is ... that marriage is the ideal relationship between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation and the continuation of the human race."

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