Catholic social teaching compels us to act on many modern day political issues. Our teachings of Preferential Option for the Poor ad Vulnerable, for example, call us to ensure that our elected officials keep poor and vulnerable populations as their top priority. As a diocese, we maintain a constant presence at the state Legislature, putting our faith into action on a number of issues affecting the poor and other vulnerable populations. Thus, during the 2012 Utah Legislative session, we will discuss several different bills with legislators, some already publicly available, others of which will appear as the session rolls on. Each of the bills we consider relates to at least one, if not several, areas of Catholic teaching. For example, our firm belief that we must care for the poor is implicated in four of the bills we are watching: HB 30 Unemployment Insurance Amendments: Rep. Jeremy Peterson, R-Ogden, proposes a one-year reduction in the maximum unemployment insurance contribution rates for employers. The diocese will monitor this bill for any negative effects on those individuals and families who rely on unemployment insurance to provide for their basic needs as they search for other work. HB 66 Deferred Deposit Lending Amendments: This bill from Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, seeks information about the annual percentage rates charged by pay day lenders and the number of loans issued (pay day loan interest rates in Utah are among the highest in the nation) and caps the number of loans an individual may carry at one time. Similarly, Sen. Ben McAdams, D-Salt Lake, seeks to prevent pay day lenders from continuing a common practice of filing small claims court cases in a county far from the home of the individual who has defaulted on the loan. SB 110 Deferred Deposit Lending and Forum would require that a case against a client be brought in the county where the client lives or where the client obtained the loan. Pay day lenders in Utah may prey on the poor and vulnerable, in violation of our Catholic belief that we must prevent such exploitation. Also on the Senate side, Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, proposes SB 37 Intergenerational Poverty Provisions. The bill requires that the Department of Workforce services identify families at risk of intergenerational poverty and develop plans to combat such cycles of poverty. Our belief that all individuals have a right to live a life of dignity, along with our care for the poor, also calls us to watch and advocate on the following proposals: HB 10 Department of Corrections Amendments: Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, proposes a system for releasing prisoners when an "overcrowding emergency" occurs; his proposal seeks to provide humane conditions in our prisons while protecting residents. SB 111 Health Amendments for Legal Immigrant Children: Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City, proposes removing a five-year residency requirement for a legal immigrant child to qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid. Finally, we will carefully evaluate immigration-related bills, including Rep. Chris Herrod’s, R-Provo, HB 300 Illegal Alien Related Amendments, which proposes drastic changes to last year’s guest worker permit concept. Also, Rep. Lavar Christensen, R-Draper, is proposing a bill that may seek federal reimbursement for undocumented immigrants already incarcerated for felony crimes. For further information on bills of interest, check our Legislative Tracking Sheet at http://www.dioslc.org/ministries/governmentliaison. Jean Hill also is the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s government liaison.
Stay Connected With Us