State Passes “Placeholder” Budget; World Refugee Day

The State passes a placeholder budget; World Refugee Day; take action now on SB 380 and defeat physician-assisted suicide and celebrating Father’s Day and St. Joseph in this week’s Insights.

State Legislature Passes Placeholder Budget

Lawmakers are required to pass a budget by June 15 of each year. However, after not agreeing on a number of items, legislators passed budget bill AB 128, a “placeholder” of sorts to allow legislators to continue to be paid until a final budget is passed by the fiscal year deadline of July 1.

Governor Newsom and lawmakers have yet to reach an agreement on how to spend California’s massive surplus as well as spending on other budget items such as homelessness and Medi-Cal for undocumented workers. The new July 1 deadline reflects the start of the new fiscal year and will trigger significant implications if a budget is not finalized.

The CCC continues to monitor budget negotiations and track spending initiatives with priorities in education, immigration, healthcare and mental health, reverence for life, homelessness, and social services. Visit our Legislation page for the latest information on bills related to these issue areas.  

 

SB 380 Hearing – Act Now

A hearing on SB 380, the bill intended to remove “safeguards” from the physician-assisted suicide law passed in 2015, is coming up on Tuesday, and we need your help to defeat this bill.

This video helps define the atrocities that will result from SB 380. Not only will SB 380 make it easier for the abuse and coercion of those with mental health conditions, but it widens the Health Equity and Disparity Gap plaguing California’s communities of color. It also removes the original bill’s sunset and the 2026 full legislative review that was promised when the law first passed.  

Please use this link to let your lawmakers know that SB 380 is a threat to all who are looking to receive end-of-life care and watch your inbox for other ways to help.

 

Catholics Celebrate World Refugee Day

In 2019, close to 80 million people around the world were forced to flee their homes because of conflict, poverty, and violence. Catholics will be celebrating World Refugee Day on June 20 and are encouraged to welcome foreigners seeking the security and livelihoods they cannot find in their home countries. We, as Christians, are called to welcome our new neighbors with the same love and compassion we would want ourselves to be shown in a time of persecution. We are also called to provide support and care for refugees overseas who remain in tenuous situations.

You can use this toolkit from Justice for Immigrants that includes prayers, talking points, sample social media posts, and other ways to help you get involved. You can also find more ways to by visiting Catholic Relief Services. Please join us in praying and reaching out to those who are displaced and some of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

USCCB Spring General Assembly

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ virtual Spring General Assembly has been underway this week. At the time of this publication, there will be one last session at 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT that will be live-streamed here.

The meeting, along with vote totals, resources, and other documentation, will be available here after the meeting has adjourned.  

 

Commemorating Father’s Day and St. Joseph

Father’s Day will be celebrated this Sunday and it is especially fitting in this, the Year of St. Joseph, to meditate on the meaning of fathers and their roles in our lives.

In his apostolic letter on St. Joseph, Pope Francis declares that “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support, and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”

The USCCB has published video testimonials and devotionals from U.S. Bishops named Joseph to help you reflect on St. Joseph’s life and gifts. The videos are available in both English and Spanish subtitles. The USCCB also released a Father’s Day Action Guide with bulletin announcements, homily helps, and other resources to help celebrate fathers who play an essential role in the family’s life and help build a culture of life.

 

“The seed of our good works can seem like a small thing, yet all that is good pertains to God, and thus it humbly, slowly bears fruit. Good always grows in a humble, hidden, often invisible way. #GospelOfTheDay”

@Pontifex

 

June 18, 2021
Vol. 14, No. 23

En Español

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