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: MCC Testifies on Behalf of "Raise the Age" Package; Nonpublic School Educators Meet with State Lawmakers; Hospice Fixes to Opioid Law Pass Committees. 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: MCC Reacts to Executive State Budget Recommendations; "Raise the Age" Package Receives First Senate Hearing; Join Us: Pray for an End to Infanticide. Read more…

Following Gov. Whitmer’s budget presentation on March 5, MCC applauded a proposal to increase the state Earned Income Tax Credit in an effort to benefit the state’s working poor. However, MCC will continue to advocate for important pro-life and nonpublic school policies that the governor proposed cutting in her budget recommendations. 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: Born-Alive Abortion Survivor Protection Act Fails in U.S. Senate; USCCB Commends "The Protect Life Rule" from DHHS; Governor to Present State Budget; Recommendations; Vatican Summit on Protection of Minors Comes to a Close. 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: Support Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act; Vatican Meeting Focuses on Protection of Minors; Senators Highlight Bipartisan "Raise the Age" Bills; MCC Supports Charitable Giving Tax Credit in Committee; USCCB Expresses Concerns on Border Wall Order; The Word from Lansing: Pushing Back Against Racism. Read more…

In November 2018, USCCB approved a pastoral statement on racism: “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.” This statement offers Catholic teaching and recommended actions for addressing the sin of racism. MCC’s The Word from Lansing column for February shares more from this document, as well as lessons that prominent African-American Catholics offer to the Church. 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: Resolution: Catholic Schools Strengthen the Common Good; MCC-Supported "Raise the Age" Policy Re-Introduced in State Legislature; MCC Participates in Catholic Social Ministry Gathering. Read more…

Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO Paul A. Long offered the following sentiments regarding the death of former U.S. congressman Mr. John Dingell: “The outpouring of sympathy and condolences following the death of John Dingell in no small way exemplifies the extent to which ‘The Dean’ influenced so many in this state and the nation’s capital.” Read more…

The Catholic Church offers assistance to those most in need, including through foster care and adoption services. On February 1, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced support for the bipartisan “Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2019” introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would allow faith-based providers to continue serving vulnerable children in accordance with their religious beliefs, without fear of adverse action from the federal or state government. 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: National School Choice Week Event Held in Lansing; Catholic Schools Week Begins on Sunday, January 27; Michigan Program Promotes Alternatives to Abortion; The Word from Lansing: 2019–2020 — A Blueprint for the Common Good. Read more…

Ten advocacy principles will guide staff in the 2019–2020 state legislative session: human life and dignity, preferential option for the poor and regulatory policies, religious liberty, education, children and families, health care, restorative justice, immigration and refugees, care for creation, and select federal issues. In The Word from Lansing column for this month, MCC delves further into the importance of engagement, advocacy, and collaboration, guided by these principles. 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: March for Life Promotes the Value of the Human Person; MCC Issues Priorities for 2019-2020 State Legislative Session; Legislative Committees for 2019-2020: What Role Do They Serve?; USCCB Recognizes MLK's Example for Society in Advance of Holiday; National Catholic Schools Week Begins January 27. Read more…