Legislative Update – October 13, 2009
1. Take One More Step to Extend Unemployment Benefits
Ask your senators to pass the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act
2. Help Secure $1 Billion for the National Housing Trust Fund
Ask you members of Congress to support new bills for low-income housing
3. Keep the momentum going on Healthcare Reform
Sign on to NETWORK’s statement and/or send your own
1. Take One More Step to Extend Unemployment Benefits
Two weeks ago we asked you to contact your senators to ask them to include all states in the unemployment extension that was passed by the House. Your hard work paid off, and now there is a bill in the Senate that gives all states access to this unemployment extension. This bill will replace the House bill H.R. 3548. We commend Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, along with Senators Jack Reed and Jeanne Shaheen on their efforts to get this legislation introduced.
Now we need the Senate to pass the bill.
Please encourage your senators to pass the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009 (H.R. 3548). The bill would provide 14 additional weeks of benefits to jobless workers in all 50 states. Those in states with high unemployment rates (states with a three-month average rate of at least 8.5 percent) would get another six weeks of benefits, for a total of 20 weeks.
Go to http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=14174491&type=CO to send a message to your senators.
2. Help Secure $1 Billion for the National Housing Trust Fund
Many of you helped us advocate for a National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) which was authorized last year but has not yet been funded. Now there is new legislation in the House and Senate that will fund the NHTF, which will in turn fund development of housing for people with very low incomes.
The Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) has given great assistance to banks and other financial institutions in support of homeowners. However, little has been done to respond to the moral mandate to provide for people in greatest need of housing. This legislation would allow funds from the TARP to be applied to the NHTF.
Ask your representative in the House to cosponsor H.R. 3766, the “Main Street TARP Act”, and ask your senators to cosponsor S. 1731, the “Preserving Homes and Communities Act”.
Go to http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=14174421&type=CO to send a message to your senators.
Go to http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=14174466&type=CO to send a message to your representative.
3. Keep the momentum going on Healthcare Reform
The Senate finance committee passed its healthcare bill on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, by a vote of 14-9. All the Democratic Senators on the committee voted for the bill, and so did Republican Senator Olympia Snowe. Every other Republican voted against the bill.
Now the healthcare debate moves to its final stages. It is very important to keep the momentum going.
What you can do:
Go to http://www.networklobby.org/Oct20sign-on.html to sign on to NETWORK’s statement on healthcare reform and add your comments.
Print NETWORK’s flyer for the National Day of Action for Healthcare Reform (October 20) and distribute it in your community. The flyer is here: http://www.networklobby.org/issues/2009%20Issue%20Agenda/Oct20Flyer.pdf
Hold a prayer service and/or incorporate prayers into your community’s liturgies. You can find some sample prayers here: http://www.networklobby.org/issues/2009%20Issue%20Agenda/HealthcarePrayers.pdf
Send a message to Congress about healthcare reform at http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=14174956&type=CO
Forward this message to others!
**Reflection of the Week**
“Justice is what love looks like in public”
– Dr. Cornell West
**Messages Sent via NETWORK’s Legislative Action Center in the past week**
539 messages on Healthcare Reform
543 total messages sent via NETWORK’s Legislative Action Center
OK, we didn’t ask you to do much last week, but this week we want to see more messages!
Please forward this to others – ask them to take action and sign up to get these updates by going to http://capwiz.com/networklobby/mlm/signup/
| NETWORK’s ministry of justice, including this Legislative Update, is funded through the generosity of our members. To donate to NETWORK or become a NETWORK member: www.networklobby.org/development/join/index.htmlThank you for your activism, your prayers, your financial support and your solidarity with our mission of economic and social transformation.
To make updates in membership information or to stop receiving this weekly legislative update, reply to this message and provide direction about updates or unsubscribing. |
