On Friday, November 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule change that will ensure faith-based adoption and foster care agencies are neither discriminated against nor excluded from federal funding due to their religious mission. The proposed rule change reconsiders a 2016 rule that penalized faith-based entities for adhering to their religious teaching and placing children with a married mother and father. Read more…

Currently, Michigan law requires all 17-year-olds to be charged automatically as an adult, regardless of the crime that has been committed. With the governor’s signature of the ‘Raise the Age’ bill package, Michigan joins 46 other states in the country that gives a judge the discretion to charge a 17-year-old as an adult based on the severity of the crime. “Michigan has just enacted good policy that will allow youths who commit lesser crimes to receive necessary resources at the juvenile court level,” MCC said in a statement. 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: REMINDER: Petition Drive to End Dismemberment Abortion Continues; Gun Free Zone Elimination Bills Move Forward; School Safety Building Code Change Before Full House; Dual Enrollment Bills Head to Senate; MCC Welcomes Legal Opinion in Faith-Based Adoption Case. Read more…

Until recently, seventeen-year-olds arrested in this state had no option to receive juvenile justice services, even for first-time, non-violent offenses. Newly enacted “Raise the Age” laws, however, change the way these individuals are treated in Michigan’s criminal justice system. The Word from Lansing column for October reflects on the bipartisan measures, MCC’s advocacy in support of the package, and the importance of continued reform. 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: REMINDER: Petition Drive to End Dismemberment Abortion Continues; Raise the Age Legislation Moves on to Governor Whitmer; MCC Opposes Legislation to Expand Payday Lending; MCC Opposes Near Elimination of Gun Free Zones; MCC Supports School Safety Building Code Change. 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: Post Budget Fallout: Week One; Raise the Age Packages Approaching Finish Line; Senate Committee Approves Forensic Science Commission Bills; Dual Enrollment Legislation Moves Forward; REMINDER: Petition Drive to End Dismemberment Abortion Continues Throughout Respect Life Month. 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: Governor Uses State Administrative Board to Move Funds, Liberally Uses Line Item Veto Power in State Budget Row; MCC Testifies at House Financial Services Committee Hearing on New Safeguards for Payday Lending; Respect Life Month Theme: "Christ Our Hope: In Every Season of Life"; REMINDER: Petition Drive to End Dismemberment Abortion During Respect Life Month. Read more…

Women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy will no longer have access to state funds for maternal and child well-being support from local non-profit organizations after Governor Gretchen Whitmer today vetoed $700,000 in funding for the Michigan Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program. In addition to eliminating funds to help women in crisis pregnancies, Governor Whitmer also vetoed from the state budget monies that help ensure health and safety protections for students enrolled in nonpublic schools. These cuts were among 147 line-item vetoes issued by Governor Whitmer today from departmental budgets previously passed by the legislature. 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: Pregnancy Program, Funds for Nonpublic Schools May be in State Budget Jeopardy; Suicide Commission Bill Approved by House; MCC Supports Expansion of Dual Enrollment Opportunities; Major Legal Victory for Faith-based Adoption and Foster Care; REMINDER: Sign the Petition Drive to End Dismemberment Abortion. 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: As Deadline Looms, Legislators Begin to Move State Budget; TAKE ACTION: Contact Your U.S. Representative Regarding the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act; Suicide Commission Bill Moves to Full House; Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Legislation Before Full House; Abuse Prevention Bills Passed by House; REMINDER: Sign the Petition Drive to End Dismemberment Abortion. Read more…

A state’s budget reflects how it cares for its citizens, especially those who are struggling. As lawmakers continue formulating the final 2019–2020 budget, Michigan Catholic Conference is advocating for the inclusion of policies that benefit low-income workers, such as the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Word from Lansing column for September address why the EITC matters and should be restored. 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: Nonpublic Schools Maintain Strong Presence in Education Budget; REMINDER: Sign the Petition Drive to End Dismemberment Abortion; Marijuana Warning Label Bill Passes House with Bipartisan Support; Inmate Medicaid Coverage Resolution Approved by Full House; Forensic Science Commission Bill Reviewed by Senate Committee. Read more…