Holy Family Catholic Church - Dale City, Virginia

Christian Life

Candidate Meet & Greet - September 17, 2011

7th Annual Peace and Justice Commission Conference on Immigration Reform: A Catholic Perspective

Following are some of the highlights of the 2011 Session of the Virginia General Assembly, as provided by the Virginia Catholic Conference. These measures were among the key focal points of advocacy for the Virginia bishops, Conference staff, and those who participated in the Conference's Email Advocacy Network, in Catholic Advocacy Day, and in other grassroots activities. Conference staff thanks all those who took part in these advocacy efforts, and who made a critical difference in the outcomes on some very close votes. And we at Holy Family are especially proud of the input that we provided through calls and e-mails to our legislators.
Abortion-Related bills. The General Assembly approved and the Governor signed a bill requiring abortion clinics to be licensed and regulated by the State Board of Health, which will now formulate new regulations on abortion clinics that will be implemented in 2012.
Education Opportunities. Legislation introduced in the House and advocated by the Conference would have provided tax credits to businesses for their donations to fund nonpublic school tuitions for low-income students. This proposal was endorsed by Governor McDonnell and passed by the House. The measure, however, was subsequently defeated in the Senate Finance Committee.
Immigration. The Conference supported two measures that sought to provide health care access for certain lawfully residing immigrants. These Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) currently meet federal guidelines for access to state and federal low-income health programs, but they have yet to be granted this access under Virginia law. The first bill, which sought to provide prenatal care for LPRs within the first five years of residency, passed the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions, before being defeated in a Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations.
The second bill would have eliminated the 40-quarters-of-work requirement for LPR Medicaid access, thereby allowing immigrants to access Medicaid immediately upon completing the five-year federal bar. This bill, after passing the Senate, also failed in a Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations.
The Conference opposed three proposals dealing with state-level enforcement of federal immigration law, including one that would prohibit undocumented students from enrolling in public colleges and universities. Barring such enrollment would unfairly punish undocumented children who graduate with their peers from Virginia high schools for decisions undertaken by their parents. Each of these three proposals were defeated in a Senate Sub-Committee.
Budget Matters. The package of budget amendments adopted by the General Assembly will fund 275 new Intellectual Disability (ID) Waivers and 150 new Developmental Disability (DD) Waivers, for individuals and families on the waiting lists for these two programs. The package also prevents a significant cut in Medicaid reimbursements for doctors, dentists, nursing homes, and hospitals that otherwise would have taken effect on July 1. The Conference was among the groups that called for greater funding for ID and DD Waivers and Medicaid reimbursements.
Another successfully adopted budget amendment provides cost-of-living indexing for payments under Virginia's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The Commonwealth's TANF benefits are at only 20% of the federal poverty level, and payments under TANF have not kept pace with inflation. (Since 1985, TANF benefits have increased only once.) Indexing future TANF benefits in a manner consistent with Foster Care rate increases will help prevent further erosion of recipients' ability to meet their basic needs. This amendment was supported by the Conference.
For additional information on these and other pieces of legislation supported or opposed by the Conference, please consult the website at www.vacatholic.org. On each of the measures, the Conference partnered with other organizational allies such as S.A.L.T. and the Holy Family Advocacy Group. Though the list of partners is too lengthy to include here, the Conference wishes to thank each of them for their collaboration and expertise in these areas of mutual concern.

E.S.L. Classes

Parish Nurses

Seniors

Black History & Heritage Outreach

Respect Life

Bereavement Receptions

View the list of needs for our local Shelter
The items can be left in the wooden box placed in the vestibule upstairs and Matty Lupo will take them to the shelter. The list above also includes the address for the shelter and the hours of operation in case you prefer to take the items directly to them. Please mention that this is a donation on behalf of Holy Family family members.