Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: ACT NOW! Urge Your State Senator to Oppose Payday Lending Expansion; The Word from Lansing: Catholics Emboldened to Fight Abuse, Encourage Healing; MCC Advocates For Protection Against Water Shutoffs During COVID-19 Pandemic. Read more…

Within the Catholic Church, all are called to care for one another and to protect one another from harm. Sadly, a recent report released by the Vatican about abuse reminds of the need to be vigilant. In light of the report’s release, MCC has written a new column to share many of the protocols that have been implemented in the Church over the past two decades to protect against and to report incidents of abuse. MCC’s Word from Lansing column also calls leaders and lay members to action, as all are needed in the work to create safe environments. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Oral Arguments in State Supreme Court Urge Equal Protection for Nonpublic School Students. Read more…

The Michigan Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this afternoon regarding a state policy supported by MCC to reimburse nonpublic schools for dozens of state-mandated expenses that include protections for safe water, lock-down training and immunization records, among others. At issue is whether or not Article 8, Section 2 of the Michigan Constitution (known as the “Blaine Amendment”) approved at the ballot in 1970 allows for the state to reimburse nonpublic schools for expenses unrelated to education, instruction or curriculum. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: 2020 Election Results: National and Statewide Races and Measures; U.S. Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Key Religious Liberty Case. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Form Your Conscience, Vote, and Pray This Election; Participate in Civilize It This 2020 Election Cycle; MCC Expresses Concerns as Petition Moves Forward. Read more…

On Tuesday, November 3, Michiganders will participate in the 2020 Election. The Church does not endorse candidates, but it highlights the Catholic responsibility to be active in the public realm, including through voting. As Catholics consider their voting choices, they are called to consider candidate positions on a wide range of issues important to the common good, while also weighing each according to its moral importance. As the U.S. bishops outline, all issues do not bear the same moral weight on one’s conscience. Read more…

On October 15, the U.S. Census Bureau ended field operations for the 2020 Census. MCC is grateful to all who responded and all who worked to ensure a more accurate count was achieved. Your actions will help determine the state’s representation in Congress for the next decade, influence the way federal and state legislative lines will be drawn, inform emergency preparedness and public safety plans across Michigan, and guide how federal funding is distributed for local needs. Thank you.

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Stillborn Certificate Fee Exemption Signed Into Law; MCC Encourages Participation in 2020 Election, Offers Voter Resources; Take the Pledge: Join Other Michiganders in “Civilizing It”; Legislation to Eliminate Certain Mandatory Minimums Continues Forward. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: Respect Life Month Reminds of Needed Action, Advocacy for Human Life; Action Needed! Support the Federal SAVE Moms & Babies Act; MCC Offers Summaries on Statewide Ballot Proposals; Participate in Civilize It This 2020 Election Cycle. Read more…

Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference. Join the Catholic Advocacy Network to receive Lansing Update in your inbox. This week: TAKE ACTION! Protect and Support Life; Governor's Veto of Health and Safety Line-Item Neither Just Nor Fair; State Budget Retains Many MCC-Supported Programs; USCCB Decries Exclusion of Catholic School Students in Proposed Aid; Executive Order Ensuring Legal Protections for Babies Applauded by USCCB; Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Resolution Passed; MCC Election Webpage Offers Conscience Formation Resources; The Word from Lansing: Promote Civility, Love Others, and Build Community This Election; Food Assistance Bill Passes Senate, Continues to House Committee; Senate Jail Reform Measures Clear Committee This Week; Justice for Immigrants Initiative Celebrates Fifteen-Year Anniversary. Read more…

Today Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed from the state’s 2020–2021 fiscal year budget a $100 placeholder that would fund an appropriation to reimburse nonpublic schools for health and safety regulations mandated by the State of Michigan. Michigan Catholic Conference responded with the comments below, stating that while the veto was expected, “just and fair, it certainly was not.” Read more…