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Pope Francis On Lent
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The Holy Father's Lenten Message calls each of us to imitate Christ more zealously: "In imitation of our Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it." Pope Francis observes that poverty is not the same as destitution: "...destitution is poverty without faith, without support, without hope." Some challenging reflections as we begin Lent; may each of you have a faith-filled and transforming Lenten journey this year.
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MRL Lobby Day- Don't Miss It!
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Missouri Right to Life is holding a "Show Me Life" Pro-Life Action Day at the Missouri State Capitol on Tuesday, March 11. Come to Jefferson City to encourage your legislators to pass pro-life legislation.
Registration is at 9:00 a.m. at the Selinger Center, next to St. Peters Church, and registration after 10 a.m. is being held in the 1st floor Capitol Rotunda. There will also be a Noon Rally at the Capitol Rotunda with Susan Jaramillo, a post-abortive woman, speaking as the featured guest. Susan will share the devastating effects of abortion on her life.
For more information contact Missouri Right to Life at 573-635-5110, righttolife@missourilife.org, or visit missourilife.org. Give witness to your commitment to life!
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CEI Deadline is April 15
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Missourians for Children's Education, the campaign committee for the Children's Education Initiative (CEI), has set April 15 as the deadline for submission of signatures to the MCC and other pro-CEI agencies. Parishes and Catholic schools: send your notarized petition pages and completed circulator registration forms to the Missouri Catholic Conference, P.O. Box 1022, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102. If you need help, contact the MCC at 1-800-456-1679.
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Parishes Keep the CEI Signatures Coming
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This week the MCC received notarized petition pages in support of the Children's Education Initiative (CEI) from the following parishes: Mary, Mother of the Church, Mattese; Sacred Heart, Poplar Bluff; St. Joseph, Farmington; St. William, Buffalo; Sacred Heart, Verona; Holy Trinity, Aurora; St. Leo the Great, Ava; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Springfield; Conception Seminary, Conception; and, St. George, Linn. Thank you for all of your hard work and keep the signatures coming! |
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72-Hour Waiting Period for Abortion Debated in the General Assembly
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This week, both the Missouri House and the Missouri Senate debated legislation that would require a woman seeking an abortion to wait 72-hours before going forward with the life-ending procedure. The bills were hotly contested by pro-abortion legislators who oppose the measure.
The House version of the bill, HCS HBs 1307 & 1313, sponsored Representative Kevin Elmer (R-Nixa), was given first round approval by the Missouri House. The bill is one vote short of passage before the bill can be sent to the Missouri Senate for consideration.
Meanwhile, the Senate has its own version of the 72-hour waiting period proposal, which is SB 519 sponsored by Senator David Sater (R-Cassville). Wednesday night pro-abortion Senators filibustered the bill when it came up for debate. You can help by contacting your Sentator by clicking here.
Senate Majority Floor Leader, Ron Richard (R-Joplin), has indicated he might consider ending debate and bringing SB 519 to a vote if necessary, a procedure rarely used in the Missouri Senate over the last few years. See article. The MCC will keep you posted on the progress of these bills. |
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Senate Committee Passes Bill Lifting Food Stamp Ban
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This week the Senate Committee on Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight voted "Do pass" on legislation that would make food stamps available to former drug offenders. Sponsored by Senator Kiki Curls (D-Kansas City), SB 680 would require that former drug offenders have successfully completed or be enrolled in drug treatment among other requirements before being eligible to receive food stamps.
Missouri is only one of nine states that still has a lifetime ban for drug offenders to receive food stamps. The MCC supports SB 680, as it is discriminatory to allow all other former offenders to receive food stamps, but deny the benefit for those who previously abused drugs. The bill now awaits being placed on the calendar for debate in the Senate.
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Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): A Way to Help the Working Poor
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The earned income tax credit (EITC) is a federal tax benefit that helps working people who have moderate or low incomes. As a tax policy, EITC has developed broad bipartisan support as a way to reward work and assist the working poor. The Internal Revenue Service has developed a website to explain and promote EITC. Click IRS to visit this site.
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Poverty: A Statewide Reality
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Some may think of poverty as a problem only for urban cores, but take a look at the map below. Large swaths of rural Missouri are home to some of our poorest citizens.
* Source: December 2013 Poverty and Median Household Income Estimates- Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates U.S. Census Bureau |
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House Committee Hears Abortion Clinic Inspection Bill
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The House Health Care Policy Committee heard testimony this week on HB 1478, sponsored by Kathyrn Swan (R-Cape Girardeau), which would require the state of Missouri to inspect any facility performing abortions four times per year.
Missouri law currently requires any facility performing second or third trimester abortions, or those performing more that five first trimester abortions, to be licensed as an ambulatory surgical center. These ambulatory surgical centers are regulated, but there is presently no inspection requirement.
A companion bill is expected to be heard in the Senate next week. The MCC supports both of these bills, and will be reporting on their progress in the coming weeks.
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Bill to Examine Death Penalty Costs Heard in Committee
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Missouri has had the death penalty for almost 40 years, but has never done a study of its costs. This week the Senate Committee on Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight heard legislation that would help provide some answers on cost. Sponsored by Senator Joseph Keaveny (D-St. Louis), SB 753 would give authority to the state auditor to make a one-time report on the costs of the death penalty by comparing cases where a death sentence was given versus cases where the sentence was life without parole.
Speaking in favor of the bill, the MCC noted that since capital punishment was a public policy, it was only right for legislators and the public to know the cost of the death penalty system.
The committee took no further action on the bill.
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