CORRECTION below to legislative bill section HB 1211 and SB 5375

In this morning's version of the WSCC's Catholic Advocacy Bulletin, the bill number to Senator Phil Fortunato's proposed legislation which would make clergy mandatory reporters and also provide the needed exception for the confessional should have read as SB 5665. It has been corrected below.

Please contact your Senator this week and ask them to oppose SB 5375 and support SB 5665 which will protect children and religious liberty.

Image from SounderBruce on Flickr

Legislative Priorities for Week 4

During the last week, federal immigration enforcement officers engaged in raids and other actions that swept up many innocent immigrants, sowing fear and confusion. With these actions, advocacy on several state legislative bills is of even greater importance.  Please learn more about Catholic teaching on immigration by reading this recent pastoral letter from Bishop Tyson in the Diocese of Yakima and consider taking action on the following:

HB 1232 Concerning private detention facilities. The private detention facility in Tacoma received numerous immigrants recently from federal actions, including many with removal orders but no criminal charges. Immigration rights groups which have previously had access to detainees in the facility have been denied that access, raising concerns about the lack of due process for detainees and potential violations of human rights. This bill would at least ensure those individuals receive adequate food, have heat, light and other basics that protect the dignity of life. The bill will be voted on in an executive session of the House Community Safety committee on Feb. 11, likely moving to the full House. Please contact your legislator and urge support for this bill. 

SB 5103 Expediting review of sentences when there exists a pending deportation proceeding. Immigrants may have misdemeanors on their records, despite having fulfilled their court sentences months or years prior. They may have misdemeanors for minor crimes that pose no public safety risk. Congress recently passed legislation making misdemeanors reportable offenses. This bill would help immigrants avoid deportation for minor, non-violent crimes through expedited review of petitions for pardons or clemency when the petitioner indicates there is an urgent need for a pardon or commutation including, but not limited to, a pending deportation order or deportation proceeding. The bill passed a Senate committee hearing and is now awaiting introduction in the Senate for full debate.  Please contact your Senator and urge support for this bill.

SB 5104 Protecting employees from coercion in the workplace based on immigration status. Labor law violations against undocumented immigrants are far too common. In the current environment of fear and intimidation toward the undocumented, this bill adds a civil penalty on an employer who coerces or threatens an employee based on an employee's or an employee's family member's immigration status in furtherance of the employer committing a violation of wage payment, condition of labor, or agricultural labor requirements. The bill passed a Senate committee and is now awaiting introduction in the Senate for full debate. Please contact your Senator and urge support for this bill.

For those who may be in communication with undocumented parishioners, friends, relatives, coworkers, etc., many resources are available, including from Justice for Immigrants, Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, and the Washington Immigration Solidarity Network. 

UPDATE ON CLERGY-PENITENT PRIVILEGE

HB 1211 and SB 5375 Concerning the duty of clergy to report child abuse and neglect. The Senate passed SB 5375 out of committee on Feb. 5. It is now in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting assignment to the full floor for debate. That same day, Sen. Phil Fortunato released SB 5665 Reporting child sex abuse which makes clergy mandatory reporters but also provides the needed exception for the confessional.  Please contact your Senator this week and ask them to oppose SB 5375 and support SB 5665 which will protect children and religious liberty. Read Bishop Thomas Daly's statement on the legislation.

Federal Advocacy

International Humanitarian Assistance - Please Take Action Today!

The federal freeze on international humanitarian assistance has created real threats to human life as programs that provide food, medical and other assistance have been and continue to be shut down. Let your members of Congress know this week that you are deeply concerned about the Administration’s recent decision to stop work on almost all U.S. foreign assistance programs. This freeze is detrimental to millions of our sisters and brothers who need access to lifesaving humanitarian, health and development assistance.

U.S. foreign aid is not a handout. It has real impact on human life and dignity and advances U.S national interests. It provides lifesaving assistance in emergencies and supports long-term development programs that help families and communities build resilience, reducing the need for humanitarian aid in the future or for migration away from home countries. It is also less than 1% of the U.S. budget.
By advocating today, your voice can help: 

•    Infants access clean water.
•    Farmers feed their families.
•    Children receive critical medications to fight disease.

Personalize and send your message HERE.

Education Choice

During Catholic Schools Week, members of Congress released the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) in both the House and Senate. By passing the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), Congress can dramatically expand school choice for more than one million students across all 50 states – directly empowering parents, helping to improve educational outcomes, and making a lasting and positive impact on students’ lives.  

Send a letter to your congress members today asking them to support H.R. 833 and S. 292 so that more students can have access to the school or education service that best meets their unique needs!  

Good News from Around the State:

Operation Nightwatch Expands through Interfaith Efforts

Image from NWCatholic

Operation Nightwatch began 57 years ago by Pastor Bud Palmberg of Evergreen Coventant Church who gathered other pastors to walk city streets at night and connect with homeless individuals. Eventually, Operation Nightwatch started sending people out to 20 to 30 different local shelters. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the director of housing and shelter services at Operation Nightwatch, asked for $5,000 to begin taking in homeless people in for the night. Today, the program runs a men’s shelter, offers affordable senior housing and has a street ministry program which provides food, water, supplies and friendship to people living on the streets. It also runs Donna Jean’s Place which opened in April 2024 at St. Mary Church in Seattle’s Central District. On Feb. 2, Donna Jean's Place opened in a bigger space in St. Nicholas building at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, allowing it to provide more services to more women. Deacon Frank DiGirolamo, who serves at St. Monica Parish on Mercer Island, is Executive Director of Operation Nightwatch. Read more about the program and the new shelter at NWCatholic.org

Upcoming Events

February 21

February 7-14

The observances of National Marriage Week (February 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Sunday, February 9) are an opportunity to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family. Our theme for 2025 is “Marriage: Source of Hope, Spring of Renewal. Pursue a Lasting Love!”

Let Us Pray

Image from Catholic Relief Services

Heavenly Father, 

We have cried out among strangers 

and found a brother reaching out. 

We have sung a song of lamentation in a strange place 

and heard the voice of a sister singing a song of joy in return. 

You have shown us family in the most extraordinary of circumstances 

tied by bonds of blood, 

and bonds of the great gift of faith 

but tied by a bond that is deeper still: 

by the holy truth 

that we are all your children, 

your very image and likeness. 

Make us the brothers and sisters Jesus has called us to be, 

sharing our portion, 

opening our doors, 

mourning with our neighbors, 

protecting their children, 

and standing in solidarity with the persecuted. 

Bless our people. 

Make all families holy and help them grow. 

And when our time comes, 

may a family beyond number call us out of darkness into light, 

saying, “These have been brothers and sisters to us. 

Welcome them, one and all.” 

Amen

Source: Catholic Relief Services

WSCC staff

We invite you to contact us at any time.

Jean Welch Hill, Executive Director

jean.hill@wacatholics.org                               

Tracey Wilson Yackley, Operations Manager 

tracey.yackley@wacatholics.org

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