Public Policy: 2011–2012 Advocacy Priorities

The Michigan Catholic Conference Board of Directors has unanimously approved the Conference’s advocacy priorities for the 96^th Michigan Legislature. These priorities target seven categories: religious freedom; human life; children and families; health care; education; economic justice and regulatory policies; restorative justice; and federal issues.

The principles used to develop these legislative priorities flow from the basic belief in the inherent dignity of each person and in society’s responsibility to ensure that dignity, the Catholic Church’s teachings and traditions as they apply to today’s political environment, and the fundamental principle of justice for all people.

The Michigan Catholic Conference’s legislative priorities are not a catalog of the Conference’s position on every important issue that may arise over the next two years. Rather, they are intended to communicate a sense of what state government’s top priorities should be to foster the common good.

Religious Freedom

In an 1804 letter to the Ursuline Sisters of New Orleans, President Thomas Jefferson promised Sister Marie Theresa Farjon de St. Xavier that religious institutions would receive every protection that his office could give. President Jefferson’s promise to uphold religious freedom in the United States stands as a hallmark constitutional right, where faith-based institutions must be allowed to carry out their charitable mission without being subject to unnecessary state interference. To that end, the Conference supports:

The rights of faith-based providers and all individuals to conscience protections in the delivery of services,
The equal application of the law to all persons and institutions regardless of their faith, and
Opposition to insurance regulations mandating coverage for abortion or contraception.

Human Life

Whereas the commandment “Thou Shall Not Kill” has become lost on much of today’s culture, the right to life, an inalienable American right affirmed by the Declaration of Independence, must be afforded to all citizens from conception until natural death. The unborn, the infirm and frail, elderly and embryonic, are deserving of civil legislation that upholds their dignity as human persons made in the image and likeness of God. In the public policy arena, the Conference supports:

State initiatives that provide alternatives to abortion and assistance to pregnant women,
Legislation that seeks to ban partial-birth abortion in state law,
Regulations on human embryo research, and
Upholding the constitutional ban on the death penalty.

Children and Families

The permanent and loving relationship between one man and one woman through the bond of marriage stands as mankind’s most significant and vital institution. Open to the creation of offspring for the sake of future generations, originated by history and not religion, the sacrosanct covenant of marriage allows for family and community life to thrive within a society built on justice for all. Thus, policies that strengthen and promote traditional marriage and the family must be encouraged. MCC supports:

Upholding the constitutional definition of marriage,
Policies that protect the stability of the marriage bond and the institution of the family,
Amending Michigan’s no-fault divorce laws.

Health Care

Along with food, clothing and shelter, health care is a necessary means for the proper development of life. Justice demands that medical assistance be easily available for all, including and especially low-income populations. Under no circumstance should the availability of health care threaten life itself or place restrictions on the right to exercise one’s conscience. In the area of health care, the Conference supports:

Protection of health coverage for low and moderate income individuals and families,
Appropriate Medicaid funding to ensure adequate coverage for recipients and payments to providers,
Legislation that prohibits abortion funding in all health plans, and
Opposition to legislation that threatens the institutional integrity of faith-based providers.

Education

Policies that allow for parents to educate their children as they see fit are essential. Michigan’s discriminatory prohibition on state aid for non-public education, Article VIII, Sec. II of the Michigan Constitution, harms not only those who seek true educational choice, but also the state itself as every child enrolled in a non-public school saves the state thousands of dollars. Education reform that benefits all students in public schools, along with equal treatment under the law for non-public schools, must be recognized and pursued. To this end, the Conference supports:

An end to the state constitutional ban on aid to non-public schools,
Protection of non-public schools from excessive regulation,
Mandatory consultation between public school districts and the non-public school districts located within their jurisdiction regarding the appropriate distribution of federal program dollars,
Protection of virtual learning experiences and course content that includes dimensions of faith,
Providing for expanded science and technology learning opportunities,
Policies that seek to improve the quality of public education, and
Preservation of the Michigan Tuition Grant Program.

Economic Justice and Regulatory Policies

The social teachings of Jesus Christ and that of the Catholic Church have for two thousand years called upon man to work for those least among us. The widening gap between the well-off and the poor is a wound on the soul of contemporary society. Programs that provide essential support for the destitute must be protected from the need to alleviate the structural imbalance that plagues Michigan’s economy. Thus, the state budget must be crafted in a manner that ensures the health and safety of the poor and the disadvantaged. The Conference supports:

The allocation of scarce budget resources to preserve essential services for vulnerable persons,
Affirmation of the recognized right to exercise religious conscience in the provision of publicly-funded services,
Policies that seek to promote the dignity of all human persons, regardless of citizenship,
Providing limited immunity for private human service providers for the provision of services otherwise provided by the state,
Maintenance of the tax-exempt status for not-for-profit organizations,
Affordable housing for low and moderate income families and individuals, and
Affordable and accessible transportation options for low and moderate income workers.

Restorative Justice

Our task as a society should be to restore a sense of civility and responsibility to everyday life, and to promote crime prevention and genuine rehabilitation. The common good is undermined by criminal behavior that threatens the lives and dignity of others and by policies that give up on those who have broken the law. The Michigan legal system must hold offenders accountable and challenge them to change their lives, reach out to victims and reject vengeance, restore a sense of community, and resist the violence that has engulfed so much of our culture. In an effort to advance restorative justice, the Conference supports:

Adequate and professional legal representation to all accused individuals regardless of economic status,
The right of faith-based providers in the delivery of services to incarcerated individuals, regardless of citizenship,
Reforming and enhancing the provision of health care services provided in Michigan prisons, including end of life care,
A comprehensive approach to prisoner rehabilitation and re-entry programs that includes continuing education, adequate personal identification, transportation, housing, and employment assistance,
Sentencing guidelines and parole practices that reflect an individual’s potential threat to society, including amending Michigan’s mandatory minimum sentencing statutes impacting juveniles and certain drug offenses, and
Elimination of life without parole for juveniles convicted as adults.

Federal Issues

When addressing federal issues, the Michigan Catholic Conference works in collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Only when the USCCB has taken a position on an issue will the MCC engage with the Michigan congressional delegation.