Salt of the Earth: In Session

In Session: legislative update
January 2001

Legislative resolutions to ring in the new year
While most people are making lists of New Year's resolutions, Catholic social justice lobbyists have been busy formulating lists of legislative priorities for 2001. As inauguration day approaches and newly elected Congress members head to Washington, those working for social justice expect to be busy.

"Let's just say that our agenda of economic justice has been a difficult agenda even on a good day. And now it looks like we're going to have to work harder," says Anne Curtis, a Sister of Mercy who works with Network, a Catholic social justice lobby.

Curtis shared her top legislative priorities for the new year:

Tax cuts
President-elect George W. Bush made tax cuts a centerpoint of his campaign, but politicians from both parties have been promising to use the federal budget surplus to lower taxpayers' bills. The problem, says Curtis, is that talk about so-called "middle-class tax cuts" often is nothing more than rhetoric. "Tax cuts tend to favor people at the top end of the income level," says Curtis. "Meanwhile those who really need tax relief aren't necessarily receiving it."

Instead, many social justice advocates would like to see the budget surplus invested in social programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, affordable housing, education, or child care. "These things that help people move out of poverty need serious investment," Curtis says.

Military spending
This is another issue that politicians on both sides of the aisle seem to support. With military spending comprising half of the discretionary budget, Curtis and others are concerned not only with decreasing spending, but also in monitoring where the money is spent. For example, social justice activists would rather see the military budget spent on higher salaries for enlisted personnel than on the national missile defense system or other weapons.

"People just don't know who much spending goes into the military and how that compares to what other countries are spending," says Curtis. "We overspend most threats many times over."

Unfortunately, there is little outcry or political will to cut military spending. Though its "Bread Not Stones" campaign, Network and the Catholic peace organization Pax Christi are trying to educate voters and legislators about the issue.

Welfare legislation
The 1996 welfare reform legislation is up for reauthorization in 2002, so debate will begin this year. Network will closely monitor both concerns and claims of success. "It's not enough just to say the welfare rolls have dropped. Our concern is moving people out of poverty," says Curtis. "Given the economy, it's surprising that we still have 12 percent of the population living in poverty."

Given the controversial presidential election, Curtis also expects to see some legislation introduced to address the flaws in the electoral system. Even more important, she believes, is the need for campaign finance reform to prevent those with more money from dominating the political discussion. "That has done the more to erode people's sense of having a real voice than anything else," says Curtis.

The annual budget process
Finally, Curtis hopes social justice-minded Catholics will pay more attention to what she sees as the most important—and often underrated—political discussion: the budget process. The president will present his budget to Congress by February and they have until April to respond. During that time, Curtis encourages citizens to contact their legislators and let them know their priorities. "We need to see the budget as a moral document," she says.—Heidi Schlumpf

More info:
Bills in the news
Congress.org—Find your Congress member (and maybe write a letter or two?)
Legislative Toolbox
NCCB/USCC Legislative advocacy tools and agenda
NCH Legislative Alerts
Network—A national Catholic social justice lobby
Pax Christi USA
The 8th Day Center for Justice
Thomas—Legislative info

In Congress:
Congressional Directory (Write—or at least find—your rep!)
House daily schedule
Senate daily schedule

Fiscal 2001 budget passes in Washington
On December 15, 2000 the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2001 was finally completed with the passage of H.R.4577, the Omnibus Budget Bill.

Some highlights of the FY2001 budget, according to the National Priority Project (NPP), include:

An 18 percent increase ($6.5 billion) in funding for the Department of Education, including a 25 percent increase for the class-size reduction initiative (for a total of $1.6 billion); an $832 million increase for Title I (Education for the Disadvantaged); and the largest increase for Pell Grants ever with a $450 increase in the maximum Pell Grant awarded
A $933 million increase for Head Start;
A $453 million increase for housing vouchers;
A $44.6 million increase for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA);
A 12 percent increase for mental health and substance abuse activities;
A 26 percent increase (additional $8 million) for health research and prevention activities to address health disparities among minority populations;
A $504 million to fight domestic violence;
A 9 percent increase (for a total of $3.9 billion) for the EPA operating program and an 8 percent increase for the Clean Water Action Plan.

NPP advocates were less enthusiastic for some the budget's other big ticket items, including a $15.8 billion increase for the Department of Defense—$5.2 billion has been allocated for military construction. In contrast, $1.2 billion has been authorized for the new school repair initiative, far short of an estimate from the Government Accounting Office of $127 billion to bring the country's schools up to "good condition."

For an estimate of what your state is likely to receive in FY2001 for OSHA, and how much of an increase this will be over FY2000, go to: http://www.natprior.org/osha.htm.

For an estimate of how many children will be enrolled in Head Start in your state in FY2001, go to: www.natprior.org/headstart.htm.

For an estimate of how many new housing vouchers will be available in your state in FY2001, go to: www.natprior.org/housing.htm.

For an estimate of how much your state will receive for Title I (Education for the Disadvantaged) in FY2001, and for how much this is an increase over FY2000, go to: www.natprior.org/titleI.htm.

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