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Overview: Over the Christmas/New Year holiday season, Congress approved a $1.7 trillion omnibus to fund the federal government for FY2023. Some of the provisions that intersect with the Catholic Charities ministry include disaster aid, protections for pregnant women at their workplaces (including accommodations for breastfeeding), nutrition assistance, child care, homelessness prevention, affordable housing, rural broadband, security grants for nonprofits and support for the environment. One major item advocated for by Catholic Charities, but not included in the spending bill, is the enhanced child tax credit. Additionally, support for Afghan refugees and their legal status, and key immigration related provisions, were also not included in the final agreement.  Editorial credit: Ajdin Kamber / Shutterstock.com |
This week, many people around the world mourned the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Dec. 31, 2022, and whose funeral was Jan. 5, 2023. Pope Benedict wrote many books and articles over his lifetime, but “Deus caritas est” might be considered the Magna Carta of the Catholic Charities ministry. This is just one of the many quotes that bear on the work of Catholic Charities: “Love of neighbour, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire ecclesial community at every level: from the local community to the particular Church and to the Church universal in its entirety. As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community.” Economy: In the week ending December 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 204,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 225,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,750, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 221,000 to 220,500. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 223,000 in December, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care, construction and social assistance. Restorative Justice Advocacy Network Webinar: Join Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition as we welcome five talented panelists who are representatives of national Catholic organizations working for legislative change within the prison/detention system and the elimination of the death penalty. Presenters include: David Jimenez (Prison Fellowship), Emma Tacke (Catholic Mobilizing Network), Ingrid Delgado (USCCB), Tom Mulloy (Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States), and Christy Williams (Catholic Charities USA). This will be an opportunity to learn about the foundations of advocacy and how to get involved. When: Jan. 18, 2023, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada). Register for the webinar. Immigration: President Biden revealed a new "parole" program — effective immediately — for 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Up to 30,000 individuals per month from these four countries, who have an eligible sponsor and pass vetting and background checks, can come to the U.S. for a period of two years and receive work authorization. Those who do not meet these qualifications or who cross unlawfully into Panama or Mexico will be ineligible for the program. Other measures to be enforced include imposing new consequences for individuals who attempt to enter unlawfully, increasing the use of expedited removal and expanding legal pathways for safe, orderly and humane migration. Read the White House statement. Proposed Changes to Immigration and Naturalization Fees: The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which evaluates non-citizens’ eligibility for immigration benefits, announced on January 3 a proposed rule to adjust its fees for various immigration benefit requests. USCIS generally publishes a fee rule biennially and proposes changes to account for its operations, including the management of various visa programs, staffing requirements and other essential investments. The proposed rule will increase fees for several immigration benefits for which many low-income filers often apply, such as application for Naturalization (i.e. Citizenship), Adjustment of Status (i.e. Green Card application) and application for an Employment Authorization Document. It would also decrease fees for certain benefits, including the replacement of a Permanent Resident Card (i.e. Green Card). The 60-day comment period for the proposed rule is open and will close on March 6, 2023. Catholic Charities agencies needing assistance with submitting comments on the proposed rule may contact the Social Policy team at [email protected]. January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign invites you to attend one of its webinars on recognizing and responding to potential cases of human trafficking. Members of the public are invited to attend this webinar where representatives from Blue Campaign will provide an overview of what human trafficking is, the indicators, how to report a suspected human trafficking situation and available resources to raise awareness in your communities. The dates and times of the webinars are as follows: - Session 1: Tuesday, January 10th, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET
- Session 2: Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET
- Session 3: Tuesday, January 24th, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET (Spanish)
Register via the following links: |
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