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: Catholic Conference Responds to National Efforts Challenging Michigan's Adoption Legislation; Senate Committee Sends Safe Delivery Legislation to Full Senate; Sentencing Bill Clears State House Committee; Meals on Wheels Resolution Passes Senate Committee; Prostitution Exemption Elimination Continues to Full Senate; The Word from Lansing Column: Taking Steps to Overcome Racism; Civil Rights Commission Tables Request to Reinterpret ELCRA; USCCB Calls for U.S. Senate to Amend Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bill. Read more…

Recognizing the dignity of every person, regardless of differences in race, ethnicity, or background, is a core element of the Catholic faith. Last month, after divisive speech and racially-motivated violence that left three dead in Charlottesville, Virginia, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for the creation of an Ad-Hoc Committee Against Racism. The new chairman of this committee, Most Reverend George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, has challenged Catholics across the country to stand against racism and intolerance, accompanying statements of solidarity with concrete action. Read more…

On the heels of a statewide advertising project undertaken by the Catholic Church in Michigan titled “Freedom to Serve” that promotes religious agencies and their work in the public square, out-of-state advocacy entities today announced a campaign to disparage Michigan’s efforts to ensure diversity in child placement. The campaign includes a lawsuit against a 2015 state law that protects religious liberty rights for faith-based adoption and foster care placement agencies. Michigan Catholic Conference called the lawsuit “mean-spirited, divisive and intolerant” as this law has helped to promote diversity in child placement and helped to serve Michigan’s most vulnerable children. Read more…

Earlier this spring, television commercials and online advertising ran across Michigan highlighting the Catholic Church’s freedom to serve others through its charitable organizations. Beginning Monday, September 11, new commercials will begin that focus on the Catholic educational setting, the teachers that personify the Church’s educational settings, and how Catholic school students are educated in the faith and formed to serve others and the greater community. 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: New FOCUS and Commercials Promote the Freedom to Serve in Michigan; USCCB Denounces Decision to End DACA, Calls for Congress to Act; TAKE ACTION: Join With the U.S. Bishops to Urge Support for the Conscience Protection Act. Read more…

This FOCUS publication examines why protecting the Freedom to Serve in the public realm is important for the common good, and how the people of Michigan—especially the vulnerable and marginalized—rely on the education, health care, and charitable services provided by the Catholic faithful and entities across the state. Parishes, schools, and other Catholic institutions are invited to request copies of this edition from MCC at no cost. 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: Catholics Spearhead Recovery Efforts After Hurricane Harvey; September 1 is the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation; U.S. Bishops Urge President Trump to Continue DACA Program; Labor Day Statement from the U.S. Bishops Calls for Action. Read more…

Hurricane Harvey has caused significant damage on the Texas coastal area. The bishops of the fifteen dioceses in the state are working together to coordinate the Catholic Church’s response to this disaster. Individuals looking to help relief efforts may donate to any Texas Catholic Charities or local St. Vincent de Paul Society, which will be used to assist evacuees and contribute to local needs. Catholic Charities USA is also accepting donations via text (text CCUSADISASTER to 71777) and online that will be directed to the area, and the U.S. bishops are calling for a special collection across the country to help victims on the weekend of September 1–2 or September 8–9. For continued updates on how to help those in need as the storm develops, please visit http://txcatholic.org/harvey/…

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: U.S. Bishops Establish New Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism; September 1st is the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation. 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: U.S. Bishops Respond to Charlottesville Attack; MCC Urges Civil Rights Commission to Protect Religious Liberties; The Word from Lansing Column: Health and Safety Matter for All Michigan Students; USCCB Says RAISE Act Weakens Family Bonds. Read more…

During a recent public comment period in response to a request of the Commission to reinterpret the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, MCC writes: “A reinterpretation of the state’s Civil Rights law — without religious liberty protections — would set Michigan to an extreme end of state civil rights laws, resulting in prejudice and indeed discrimination against people and institutions of faith.” Read more…

In recent years, the Michigan Legislature has taken several steps to ensure the health and safety of all Michigan students, including the approval of $2.5 million to reimburse nonpublic schools for complying with state health and safety mandates. Unfortunately, legal pressure has challenged this funding, and opponents of the appropriation have articulated misleading information about nonpublic schools. The Word from Lansing column for August addresses these erroneous claims and highlights why Michigan should care for and protect students at all schools as a matter of fairness. A similar version of this column first ran in The Detroit News on July 26, 2017. Read more…