I attended a CIR training on Saturday, July31st @ Phinney Ridge Lutheran. The training was led by Diakonda Gurning and Stacy Kitahata. We reviewed a timeline of US immigration legislation, learned the correct terms for immigration status, i.e. resident alien, refugee, etc. We also read the many old testament, new testament and Koran verses regarding our response to the stranger or aliens in our land. Time well spent. Kathy Long, LPPO Advisory Council member. More events are upcoming!
With more than 300,000 workers in Washington unemployed, it’s critical that Congress extend critical provisions that help struggling families during the slow economic recovery.
Just before Memorial Day recess, the U.S. House passed H.R. 4213, which would, among other things, extend the emergency jobless benefits millions of long-term unemployed workers are relying upon.
However, in last minute negotiations a critical provision was left out of the bill.
As part of last year’s Recovery Act, states received federal assistance through an increase in federal matching dollars on state Medicaid spending through the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, known as FMAP. This aid has helped our state weather the impacts of the national recession by preventing damaging cuts to healthcare services and saving jobs in the public sector. But the increased FMAP provision is set to expire at the end of 2010, a full six months before our state fiscal year ends in June of 2011.
If this FMAP provision is not extended in the final version of the bill, Washington would likely face deeper cuts to healthcare services to make up for the $435 million loss in funding at a time when more families are relying upon them.
Although it looks as if the FMAP provision will be extended in the Senate version of the bill, the legislation still needs to return to the House for final approval.
Please take a minute to click the take action button below to send an email to Senators Murray and Cantwell, along with your congressional representative and urge them to extend FMAP!
Background provided by Washington State Budget and Policy Center.
This alert comes from the Washington D.C. Office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a ministry partner of LPPO.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and our anti-hunger partners like Bread for the World and Feeding America are planning a “week of action” during June 9-11 to generate momentum for the passage of a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
In an effort to demonstrate grassroots support for Child Nutrition Reauthorization, we are asking as many people as possible to call their Representative this week. (For easy-to-use talking points to guide your call, click here). In short, we are asking for a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization THIS YEAR that includes at least $1 billion per year in new investments. We encourage you to target these calls to your Representative in the House since that is where action is happening at this time.
Use this toll-free number and give them your Representative’s name to be connected to their office: 1-800-815-3740. Don’t know your Representative? Just click on Take Action and we’ll look it up for you.
Just tell them who you are, where you’re from, and your brief message in support of a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization with $1 billion per year in new investments.
Background
Nearly 17 million American children struggle against hunger. While hunger affects people of all ages, it is particularly devastating for children. Even short-term episodes of hunger can cause lasting damage to a child’s development and put children at risk for a range of cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and physical problems.
As summer approaches, legislative activity is heating up on the Child Nutrition Act, the bill that authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs. Renewed about every 5 years, the Child Nutrition Act is one important tool in our fight against childhood hunger.
The programs in this Act – like the School Lunch Program and the Summer Food Service Program – serve tens of millions of children each day, ensuring that low-income and hungry children have access to healthy and nutritious foods. This reauthorization is our chance to improve the quality and efficiency of these programs, as well as make sure they are reaching all those kids who need them.
To learn more about this important bill, check out the ELCA’s Child Nutrition Reauthorization webpage.
The time is now!
This is a critical time to weigh in on Child Nutrition Reauthorization. We need your help to generate as many calls and meetings as possible to show Congress how important this bill is to hungry children!
While LPPO’s attention has been focused on Washington State’s legislative session, the political drama has been just as intense in the other Washington as Congress and the President are in a fierce, year-long fight over proposed health reform legislation.
During the its 2009 Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA adopted a resolution committing the church to advocate that “each person should have ready access to basic health care services that include preventative, acute and chronic physical and mental health care at affordable cost.” While the current legislation is a compromise, it will insure millions of Americans who are currently without health coverage, help reform a system of insurance that punishes the poor and the sick, and helps to contain exponentially increasing medical costs.
After months of legislative work, heated rhetoric, and too many twists and turns to count, we have reached the final stages of the health care debate. It is anticipated that the House will take a final vote this Sunday on the bill already passed by the Senate. The vote is expected to be extremely close and President Obama has delayed a trip abroad to work towards the bill’s passage.
This may be your last chance let your legislators know you support health care reform!
The ELCA is a member of Faithful Reform in Health Care, a national organization working to expand the depth and breadth of support for health care reform within the religious community and activate the prophetic voice to promote affordable health care for all in the United States as a moral value. They have prepared a letter to send to your legislators in these last days of the health care debate. Take action and click the link below to send a message to your Representative, your two Senators, and President Obama that you support health care reform!
Contacting your representative is especially important if you life in the 3rd District (southwest Washington, including Vancouver and Olympia) or the 9th District (Tukwila, Des Moines, Federal Way, parts of Tacoma, Yelm, and Lacy). Rep. Brian Baird and Rep. Adam Smith are considered two of the key votes that could make or break health reform in the House.
January 15
9:30am
Everett, WA: Clark Park to the office of Rick Larsen (Directions)
The National Week of Action for Comprehensive Immigration Reform is January 12-15. The largest action in Washington will be a march called “Our Work, For America!” in Everett, WA, to the office of Rick Larsen. Join us in the movement for Immigration Reform and let’s show our leaders in Washington State the strength of our collective voice! Organizations, unions, workers, faith groups, students, let’s make our voices heard!
Why March?
To show our elected leaders how immigrant labor strengthens Washington’s economy and ask Representative Rick Larsen to support Comprehensive Immigration Reform Now!
We have 2 specific asks of Congressman Larsen:
- Will you support Comprehensive Immigration Reform by becoming a co-sponsor of the Gutierrez immigration reform bill?
- Will you work with us to be a part of a large town hall meeting in Mt. Vernon with your constituents either during Presidents’ Day or Easter Recess?
What to wear?
People should march dressed in their work clothes and holding something that represents their labor, such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, brooms, construction hats, or nursing uniforms. Not only blue-collared workers should wear their clothes: if you are a doctor, come in your scrubs! If you are a teacher, dress as a teacher and bring some children from your school with signs saying what they want to be when they grow up!
Transportation
We will have 2 buses transporting people, one leaving from Mt. Vernon and the other from Bellingham. Apart from this, we will organize a community carpool from Bellingham, Mt. Vernon, and Lynnwood, to bring people to Everett. If you have a car that you could use to help carpool or would like to organize a carpool in your city, please let us know!
To participate please call OneAmerica information line at 206.452.8422 or email Kendra Anderson at Kendra@weareoneamerica.org.
Representative Rick Larsen (Washington’s 2nd District) recently introduced legislation to improve low-income children’s access to nutritious after-school meals and snacks.
“The Ensuring All Students Year-round (EASY) Access to Meals and Snacks Act, would amend the Child Nutrition Act to allow the organizations that currently serve snacks and meals during summer programs expanded federal reimbursement to serve low-income children throughout the school year, improving nutrition for this potentially vulnerable population.”
Read the full press release.
Email Congressman Larsen to thank him for his leadership on his issue.
(Info provided by the Community Food Security Coalition)
The Community Food Security Coalition and the National Farm to School Network have been leading the campaign for mandatory funding for Farm to School programs in the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR). We only have this opportunity every four or five years. Your call or e-mail can make all the difference.
Several congressional offices are currently working on Farm to School legislation. We need your help to gain Congressional support for mandatory funding for Farm to School!
(This information was included in a recent ELCA E-Advocacy Network, Foreign Aid Action Alert.)
During this season of Advent, as we await the coming of Christ, millions of people around the world are waiting for relief from hunger, poverty, and disease.
They are waiting for the U.S. Government to provide effective and thoughtful assistance for all people in need, assistance that leads to sustainable livelihoods and thriving communities. Meanwhile, the White House is waiting to hear from you, waiting to hear you demand U.S. foreign assistance that truly meets the needs of the world’s poorest.
Tell them it does matter to you!
Sign the first-ever development community petition asking the White House to send a strong signal about America’s commitment to development. Take action today to strengthen ongoing efforts across the U.S. government to make foreign assistance more effective and accountable.
(Thanks to the ELCA e-Advocacy network for this “Call to Action.”)
Saturday, December 12
Rallies sponsored by: Health Care for America NOW! & Healthy WA Coalition
View fliers and updated information.
Attendees are asked to bring holiday cards – we’ll have big gift boxes to collect them in. Cards can be as you please, but on the theme of Health Care for the Holidays.
Bellingham
Noon
City Hall
210 Lottie St.
Attendees are asked to bring 2 holiday cards for Senators Murray and Cantwell
Vancouver
Noon
Esther Short Park
W. 8th St. & Columbia St.
Attendees should bring 1 holiday card to Congressman Baird
Bremerton
10:30am
Harborside Park
Attendees are asked to bring 2 holiday cards for Senators Murray and Cantwell
Everett
1:00pm
Courthouse Amphitheater
Rockefeller Ave & Pacific Ave
Attendees are asked to bring 2 holiday cards for Senators Murray and Cantwell
Seattle
2:00pm
Occidental Park
Occidental Ave S. & S Main St
Attendees are asked to bring 2 holiday cards for Senators Murray and Cantwell
Yakima
1:00pm
Chesterly Park
N. 40th Ave & Powerhouse Rd
Attendees are asked to bring 2 holiday cards for Senators Murray and Cantwell
Tacoma
1:30pm
First United Methodist Church
621 Tacoma Ave S.
Postcards provided at the rally
Rallies will also be held in Spokane and Olympia
Locations are still to be determined.
KEEP CALLING your Representatives!
Toll Free Number for people of faith: 1-888-797-8717
Automatically connects to the U.S. Capitol Switchboard
It has been since before the US invaded Iraq in March of 2003 that a LPPO alert has addressed our US military presence. But the President’s decision to increase our military presence in Afghanistan prompts our urging for you to engage the White House with your traditional Luther question: “What does this mean.”
We are concerned about the following:
- The continuing cost of human life on all sides
- The collateral effect of war as veterans keep coming home
- The billions upon billions in financial cost while our domestic economy continues to suffer
Write the President a letter.