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TX Catholic Voice: "Sanctuary Cities" bill passes Senate, Ban on Tax-funded Abortion Action Alert
June 16, 2011

Weekly Legislative Update
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This week the Texas Senate passed out SB 9, the Sanctuary Cities bill. Our Executive Director, Jeff Patterson, provided testimony to the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee opposing SB 9, the so-called “Sanctuary City” bill. We are deeply disappointed in the Senate’s passage of this bill, which threatens public safety and endangers the civil and constitutional rights of Texas residents and could encourage discrimination, co-opt local law enforcement, and scapegoat immigrants who are valuable contributors to our society and our state. Solutions to our nation's broken immigration system must be implemented through federal comprehensive immigration reform. HB 9, the House version of a sanctuary cities bill was referred to the House committee on State Affairs. These are not identical bills, so the bills must be passed in both chambers.

The deadline for the Governor to veto bills from the regular session is Sunday, June 19. We will post an update to our web site on Monday with any news on vetos for any bills that the Texas Catholic Conference is tracking. We hope to have our final outcomes report available during the following week.

Action Alert: Ask your Representative to Vote to Adopt the Conference Committee Report on SB 7 in order to stop Taxpayer Funding for Abortion

 

We urge all House members to vote to adopt the conference committee report on SB 7. This omnibus health care bill includes critical amendments to ban taxpayer funding for abortion and increase Click here to read the full alert.

Federal Action Alert: Support Ban on Patenting of Human Beings

 

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to consider the America Invents Act (H.R. 1249), a bill to update patent law. On the floor, the Manager’s Amendment is expected to include a provision to prohibit the patenting of a human organism:“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no patent may issue on a claim directed to or encompassing a human organism.”

 

This provision simply codifies in permanent law a policy that has been in appropriations law since fiscal year 2004, through an amendment that was offered by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) with the strong support of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Weldon amendment, in turn, reflects a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) policy in place since 1987 against patenting any human organism. It is expected that H.R. 1249 could be considered on the House floor as early as Wednesday, June 15. Click here to access the full alert from the NCHLA web site.

Federal Action Alert: Help Block the Expansion of E-Verify in the Absence of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

 

Some in Congress are now calling for the mandatory expansion of E-Verify – a largely voluntary program which allows employers to electronically verify workers’ employment eligibility with Government databases. The problem is that unless E-Verify’s expansion is undertaken in the context of comprehensive immigration reform, it will hurt U.S. workers and our already weakened economy. Unless Congress legalizes unauthorized immigrants, mandatory E-Verify will begin with a handicap of 8 million unauthorized workers who will be driven further into the underground economy, hurting both the U.S. economy and workers by decreasing federal tax revenue by more than $17.3 billion over ten years, creating an unequal workplace, and lowering labor standards for all workers. And, because of well-documented flaws in the Government databases upon which it relies, E-Verify does not detect over half of the undocumented workers entered in the system, yet results in false positives for hundreds of thousands of American workers.

For these reasons, we urge you to let your Senators and Members know that unless and until the E-Verify program is improved and undertaken in the context of comprehensive immigration reform, you oppose its expansion and mandatory implementation. Click here to access the full alert from the Justice for Immigrants web site.

 

Bill Updates

  • SB 9: Passed from the Senate, received in the House, but not yet referred to committee
  • SB 7: The vote to adopt the conference committee report should take place on Tuesday and the Bishops continue to urge the adoption of a conference committee report that prevents taxpayer funding for nearly 1,000 abortions annually.
Bill Reports
We read each bill and determine if the proposed legislation is one that we should support or oppose based on the Bishops’ legislative agenda. We will continue to add new bills to the report as well as edit reports as we have more information available. Below you can find a list of legislation that we have added to our site this week. You can view our entire bill report list here.

There were no new bills added this week.

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News

Bishops Approve Physician-Assisted Suicide Statement; Call on Catholics to Support the Dying, Ensure Their Legal Protection
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a policy statement on physician-assisted suicide at its Spring General Assembly in Seattle on June 16. The statement, To Live Each Day with Dignity, passed with a vote of 191-1. It marks the first time the full body of bishops has issued a statement devoted to this issue. The full text of the statement will be available online at www.usccb.org/toliveeachday, along with fact sheets and articles on the issue, relevant Church documents, and prayers for use with those who are ill. The statement speaks of the hardships and fears of patients facing terminal illness and the importance of life-affirming palliative care. It cites the Church’s concern for those who are tempted to commit suicide, its opposition to physician-assisted suicide, and the consistency of this stance with the principle of equal and inherent human rights and the ethical principles of the medical profession. Read Full Story >>

Bishops’ Committee Releases Second Video in Defense of Marriage Initiative
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage has released the second of five videos for the promotion and protection of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Entitled Made for Life, the newly released video features real married couples reflecting on topics related to the gift of children, the indispensible place of fathers and mothers, and sexual difference.

“Our culture is one that often forgets the sacred gift of the child, and in so doing it also fails to recognize the vital importance of a mother and a father together for the life and upbringing of that child,” said Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, California, chairman of the Committee. “In contemporary debates about the meaning of marriage, the rights and dignity of the child should be at the forefront. The video Made for Life builds on the first video Made for Each Other and invites a renewed appreciation for the child, for mothers and fathers, and for the bond between love and life in marriage—a bond only possible through the sexual difference of husband and wife. The video also addresses a real gap today in public awareness, namely, the close connection between a culture of life and a culture that promotes and protects marriage. The two cannot be separated.” Read Full Story >>

Family Fiesta of Life Conference
Attention, Families! The Archdiocese of San Antonio's Family Fiesta of Life Conference will take place July 29-30, at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. Friday night’s program begins with an hour of praise and worship with Christian musicians “Body of Christ Ministries,” followed by Eucharist Adoration and Benediction. The evening will close with a sneak preview of the movie “Courageous,” scheduled for release in theaters this September. Saturday’s program includes family Mass with Bishop Oscar Cantu and presentations by Patrick Coffin, emcee and host of national radio show Catholic Answers LIVE and Vicki Thorne, international speaker and founder of Project Rachel. Brian Butler, a regular speaker on Theology of the Body for Teens, will meet and connect with teenagers. Click here to learn more.

El Congreso de la Familia
¡Atención, Familias!El Congreso de la Familia se llevará a cabo el próximo 9 de julio en el Centro de Convenciones Henry B. Gonzalez. El programa incluye la Santa Misa con nuestro Arzobispo Gustavo Garcia Siller y presentaciones del Padre Guadalupe Santos de Guadalajara, México, Armando Duarte, Director del Instituto de la Familia Juan Pablo II de México, Jake Samour, Director de la Pastoral de Matrimonios y Vida Familiar de la Arquidiócesis, Valentina Alazraky de Roma, Italia (testigo en la Beatificación de Juan Pablo II), Lic. Rosa Romo de Roma, Italia, y en concierto Nana Angarita. Abrá adoración del Santísimo, confesiones, oración de sanación familiar, consejería matrimonial y mucho más. Los niños y jóvenes podrán tomar parte en actividades organizadas para ellos. Donativo: Adulto $25/Jóvenes y niños $10; preventa Adultos $20. Para más información llame al (830) 388-3009. Obtenga más información aquí.


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Our Mission The primary purpose of the Conference is to encourage and foster cooperation and communication among the dioceses and the ministries of the Catholic Church of Texas. A major function of the Conference is to be the public policy arm of the Conference's Board of Directors, the bishops of Texas, before the Texas legislature, the Texas delegation in Congress, and state agencies. The public policy issues addressed by the Conference include institutional concerns of the Catholic Church as well as issues related to Catholic moral and social teachings. Learn more about us.

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