Child placement legislation that passed out of the House Families, Children and Seniors Committee this morning is in the best interest of vulnerable children and will help to secure a wide network of faith-based and secular providers in the state, Michigan Catholic Conference stated today regarding House Bills 4188-4190. According to Tom Hickson, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy: “This legislation helps to preserve diversity in child placement and ensures children are of first and foremost concern. Solidifying the state’s long-standing relationship with faith-based child placement agencies will result in more providers, which means more placement of foster children into ‘forever families.’ Read more…

Protecting faith-based child placement agencies in Michigan will benefit children, help to ensure diversity in adoption and foster care and solidify the long-standing relationship between these agencies and the state, Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) testified this morning before the House Families, Children and Seniors Committee in support of House Bills 4188, 4189 and 4190. “Supporting diversity in child placement protects the presence of faith-based entities, which in turns guarantees more placements and moves more children out of the foster care system,” said Tom Hickson, MCC Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy. Read more…

Legislative efforts to defend human life and dignity, religious liberty and policies that assist the poor and vulnerable are at the forefront of Michigan Catholic Conference’s advocacy principles for the 2015–2016 legislative session. Titled A Blueprint for the Common Good, the Conference’s advocacy framework for the 98th Michigan Legislature also calls for greater educational choice, defending the traditional definition of the family, restorative justice policies, and comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level of government. “The work of promoting the dignity of the human person involves policies that address the beginning and the end of life, with equal attention to the years in between,” said Paul A. Long, Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO. “We’ve published A Blueprint for the Common Good to call attention to our advocacy on behalf of all human life, including the sick and the destitute, the abandoned and the unborn. Read more…

Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO Paul A. Long offered the following comments today after the introduction of Senate Joint Resolution G, which would allow for the death penalty for first degree murder of a peace or corrections officer while in the line of duty: “The death penalty is an antiquated and inhumane method of punishment representing nothing more than retaliation and more violence. It has no place in a civilized society. The prohibition against capital punishment in the 1963 Michigan Constitution is clear: the state has no right to decide who lives and who dies.” Read more…

Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO Paul A. Long provided the following comments this evening regarding Governor Rick Snyder’s State of the State speech: “A clear indicator of the moral strength of a society is the manner by which it cares for its most needy citizens,” said Long. “Every person is deserving of human dignity, and state efforts to promote this right through poverty reduction should be pursued. Merging the Departments of Community Health and Human Services presents an opportunity for policymakers to enhance the assistance citizens need to distance themselves from poverty.“ Read more…

Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO Paul A. Long responded to today’s decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to hear cases this year from the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit addressing state policies that define marriage as between one man and one woman, including the 2004 voter-approved Michigan Marriage Amendment: “This is a significant moment for the nation’s highest court to move toward settling one of the most important societal questions in recent history,” said Long. Read more…

Michigan Catholic Conference is applauding Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Legislature after the Governor signed into law yesterday Senate Bill 847. Contingent upon passage of a May statewide ballot question focused on road funding, the legislation would fully restore the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2016 to 20 percent of the federal credit. The EITC, which the Legislature created in 2006 after years of advocacy from Michigan Catholic Conference and others, was reduced to six percent in 2011 when the state tax code was remodeled. “Michigan Catholic Conference could not be more pleased for the legislature and governor to address the economic concerns of the working poor in our state,” said Tom Hickson, Michigan Catholic Conference Vice President for Public Policy. Read more…

Michigan Catholic Conference today is applauding the Michigan House of Representatives for passing several bills that protect religious liberty rights for citizens and faith-based entities across the state. Creation of a Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act, conscience protections for faith-based child placement agencies, and school attendance records that respect religious holidays all passed the House this afternoon and now await consideration from the State Senate. “For the House of Representatives to pass out these important policies today indicates the level of respect that lawmakers have for religious liberty,” said Tom Hickson, MCC Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy. Read more…

Michigan Catholic Conference Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy Tom Hickson made the following comments this morning after the House Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 5958, which would create a Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act: “The committee’s approval is a most welcome first step; it is now incumbent upon the full House to pass Speaker Bolger’s bill quickly to allow for the Senate to address this critical policy as soon as possible,” said Hickson. “A Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act is good for tolerance and diversity, it is good for individual and religious liberties, and it is for the common good of society.” Read more…

In order to promote religious liberty and conscience rights, and to help encourage diversity in the public square, legislation introduced today by Speaker Jase Bolger to create a state Religious Freedom Restoration Act, House Bill 5958, is needed now more than ever, said the President and CEO of the Michigan Catholic Conference. "In the name of tolerance, religious organizations and individuals are not being tolerated,” said Paul A. Long, Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO. Read more…