2024

    Drive SAFE Package Needed in Lame Duck to Promote Dignity and Humanity

    Allowing undocumented individuals to apply for licenses promotes safer roads, dignified living for all

    Pending bills in both the House and Senate would make Michigan driver’s licenses and state identification cards available to applicants who do not have proof of U.S. citizenship but can prove their identity and Michigan residency. Without a driver’s license, more than 100,000 Michiganders who lack federal documentation cannot legally drive to buy groceries, drop their kids off at school, or get to work.

    Gov. Whitmer’s Social Media Skit Prompts Catholic Bishops Conference to Urge Greater Respect for Religion in Public Life

    MCC is responding with profound disappointment and offense taken to a video the Governor appeared in that appears to mock the posture and gestures of Catholics receiving the Holy Eucharist, and is calling for a return to a level of public respect, civility, and appreciation for those who have found peace and fulfillment in life by worshiping God and serving their neighbor.

    Final State Budget Reflects Priorities—and People—Michigan Policymakers are Willing to Support

    Funding Levels Continue for Poor & Vulnerable Residents Under New State Budget

    A man crouching down in the street, offering assistance to another, homeless, man.

    MCC said the state budget, which was signed into law today, is a moral statement and one that indicates the priorities state officials are willing to support with public tax dollars. Inspired by Christ’s teaching to care for ‘the least of these,’ MCC believes that taking care of the poor and vulnerable is and should remain among the top public spending priorities, and was encouraged to see that critical programs that provide for pregnant mothers in need, families experiencing homelessness, and foster children were preserved or increased.

    Nonpublic Schools See Cuts to Safety Funding Under New State Education Budget

    Students Eligible for Healthy Meals in High Poverty Areas Also Overlooked in Budget

    A teacher lecturing to a classroom full of young school children in uniform.

    Upon the Governor signing the latest education budget into law, MCC issued a statement indicating that state lawmakers could have provided more support to ensure all Michigan students are safe and secure at school and have access to healthy meals, regardless of the schools they attend. Lawmakers in recent years have identified school security upgrades and ensuring all students have access to free meals at school as public priorities, but the new budget fell short of making adequate investment into these areas for all students.

    New Surrogacy Laws Place Vulnerable Women at Greater Risk, Undermine Natural Bond Between Birth Mother and Child

    Michigan Upends Protections for Women Despite International Condemnation of Paid Surrogacy

    A close-up of a pregnant woman protectively holding her belly with one hand and signing a contract with the other

    State lawmakers failed to consider the totality of concerns present with paid surrogacy contracts, concerns that include protecting vulnerable women from exploitation and human trafficking, along with how the practice minimizes the dignity of motherhood and childbirth into a sale and delivery mechanism for the gain of others, Michigan Catholic Conference said in response to the signing of bills allowing the practice in Michigan.

    Despite International Alarms Over the Practice, Legislature Moving to Legalize Compensated Surrogacy Contracts

    MCC Urges Greater Protection for Dignity and Safety of Women, Calls on State to Promote Adoption Through Funding and Public Awareness

    Close-up of a pregnant woman protectively holding her belly with both hands

    Allowing individuals to enter compensated contracts for the creation of children puts vulnerable surrogate mothers at greater risk of exploitation, MCC said in opposition to legislation that passed a state Senate committee, which would allow for compensated surrogacy contracts in the state and also make Michigan an outlier among the international community, which largely views surrogacy as a human rights violation.

    Following State of the State Address, Catholic Conference Urges Priority on Families

    State Budget Should Pave the Way for Long-Term Stability, Particularly for Low-Income Households, says MCC President and CEO

    A happy family consisting of a mother, father, and two children standing at the edge of a river launching paper boats.

    With the Governor delivering her annual State of State address this week and her next budget recommendation due to be released soon, MCC issued a press release urging her and lawmakers to pursue policies primarily aimed at helping families support themselves.