Do you ever wonder how to respond to acts of hate or intolerance? The Community Responders Network invites you to partner with us. We seek to build a stronger, more inclusive community by preventing and responding to instances of bias and intolerance in Central PA.

The Community Responders Network (www.pacommunityresponders.org) was established to provide leaders and concerned citizens with support in dealing with the immediate impact of incidents of intolerance based on personal characteristics such as religion, race, gender, age, sexual orientation or cultural heritage. The CRN also provides guidance on building community in light of our area’s rapidly changing demographics.

As a congregation/organization committed to our community, we greatly value the work you do, and invite you to learn more about opportunities to work together. The CRN will be holding two informational gatherings designed to present the need for a coordinated response to intolerance in our area, the structure of the CRN and a range of opportunities for partnering in this important work. The dates are:

• Tuesday, May 28^th from 5:30 – 7:00 PM; OR
• Wednesday, May 29^th from 12:00 – 1:30 PM. 

YWCA Greater Harrisburg
1101 Market St, Harrisburg, PA 17103.

CRN Launch Flyer

Beverages and a light meal will be provided.

Please contact Amanda Arbour at 717-234-7931 x3057 or aarbour@ywcahbg.org by Thursday, May 23, 2013 to RSVP or if you have additional questions regarding these gatherings. Please let us know who will be representing your congregation/organization, and we encourage more than one person to attend if possible. We promise it will be worth your time.

Sincerely,                                           
Tina L. Nixon  
Chief Executive Officer

News Summary 5-17-13

About Half of Adults Lacked Adequate Health Coverage in 2012: http://pachurchesadvocacy.org/weblog/?p=14767

Unpaid Interns Doing Full-time Work: http://pachurchesadvocacy.org/weblog/?p=14761

‘Buycott’ Koch Brothers, Monsanto and Other Industries’ Products Lining Supermarket Shelves: http://pachurchesadvocacy.org/weblog/?p=14806

Learn More About Farm Policy: http://pachurchesadvocacy.org/weblog/?p=14756

Early learning programs could be in trouble. According to the Independent Fiscal Office, there is a $520 million shortfall between projected revenues and the governor’s proposed budget for fiscal 2013-14.

This means the modest funding increases Governor Corbett proposed for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program and high-quality child care are at risk.

With the possibility of the House beginning to consider a budget bill as early as this week, we need you to contact your legislators today to prevent these cuts from occurring.

Tell your state lawmakers to protect the governor’s investments in early childhood programs at https://secure3.convio.net/ppc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=677.

Despite the proven benefits quality early learning opportunities have on long-term academic success, too many children don’t have access to these programs:

• Only 28% of 3- and 4-year-olds under 300% of the poverty level have access to high-quality pre-k in the commonwealth.
• More than 6,500 children are on the waiting list for Child Care Works, the state’s program for subsidized child care assistance.
• Only 20% of children enrolled in Child Care Works receive services at a high-quality STAR 3 or 4 provider.

We need to be increasing these appropriations, not reducing them!

Thank you for telling your state representative and senator to protect these critical programs and for your commitment to early learning!

It’s time to make your voice heard.

This week, Congress is working on the Farm Bill, legislation that includes funding for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps). Half of all SNAP participants are kids, making it our nation’s most powerful and effective anti-hunger program for children. Some members of Congress are looking to slash funding for SNAP, which will have a devastating effect. Make no mistake about it: these cuts will mean more kids will face hunger in America.

The time for action is right now. Contact your members of Congress and tell them they must protect this program at https://secure.strength.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=119.

SNAP is proven to reduce poverty among kids and has important economic benefits for communities. And SNAP Ed which is also facing cuts helps low-income families use their SNAP dollars more efficiently and make healthy food choices.

Here’s what at stake with the proposed cuts:

• Millions of families could lose access to the program entirely
• Hundreds of thousands of kids to lose access to free school meals
• Programs that help low-income families make healthy food choices would be gutted

We cannot afford the increase in health care costs, declining test scores, and lower graduation rates that come with taking healthy food away from our children.

Tell your members of Congress that you want to see an end to childhood hunger in America, and that SNAP and SNAP Ed need to be protected.

Thanks for adding your voice to the No Kid Hungry campaign at a time when our children need you more than ever.

Ashley Curtin, Nation of Change, New Report:

The guessing game is over. No longer will consumers wonder what companies are behind the millions of products that fill supermarket shelves because there’s an app for that.

Buycott (http://www.buycott.com), now available on Apple and Android platforms, is a tool that allows consumers to organize their spending depending on personal values.

The app helps consumers determine whether their spending is funding causes or campaigns that they either support or oppose. Buycott offers consumers the opportunity to align their principals and spending by avoiding products made by controversial big businesses such as Koch Industries, Monsanto and George Soros and, instead, buying products to help support the companies behind initiatives like local and sustainable food.

Some of Buycott’s top trending campaigns since the app’s launch earlier this month include Avoid Koch Industries, Demand GMO Labeling and Local and Sustainable Food Initiative.

From categories such as animal welfare and the environment to Gay Rights and social responsibility, the app prompts users to join the causes they support and, or boycott the campaigns they oppose. Users of the app scan products’ barcodes while shopping to determine “what the product is and who owns it,” according to Buycott’s website. The app then crosschecks the products’ parent company to the app user’s participating campaigns and will alert them of any conflict.

While many campaigns have already formed, Buycott also allows users to create their own campaigns to help cater to their own principals and reach their personal goals.

The “rich” database Buycott created is still limited in the knowledge of all the corporate relationships, according to it’s website, so it is relying on consumers to input missing product and company information as they see needed to help build the apps integrity and maintain its database. It also allows users the chance to vote on the accuracy of the added data.

Whether looking to buy products vegan and cruelty-free or boycott Monsanto, Buycott is determined to help consumers know who their money is going to.

Note from Buycott: “Sorry, we can’t add new servers fast enough!! Articles are being written about Buycott all over the world, causing a non-stop influx of new users. We’re working 24/7 to get it up and running.”

(202) 224-3121 Capitol Switchboard; you can also call directly–find contact information in the following locations:

• Senator Robert Casey: http://casey.senate.gov
• Senator Pat Toomey: http://toomey.senate.gov
• Your Representative: http://www.house.gov

How Members of Congress can help: Ask Congress to deny any request for Fast Track, and to intervene more in the TPP now, before the pact is signed and they are presented with a “take-it-or-leave-it” package that cannot be improved.  Asks and Talking points are below.

• Please commit now to opposing new Fast Track legislation.  Whether called Fast Track, “Trade Promotion Authority” or something new, we need Congress members to publicly oppose any delegation of Congress’s constitutional trade authority that excludes Congress from having a meaningful role in the formative stages of trade agreements and that allows agreements to be signed by the president before Congress votes on them.
• Please ask the Obama administration to publicly release the draft text of the TPP negotiations.  The Bush administration did this with the Free Trade Area of the Americans (FTAA) and with various proposals within the World Trade Organization (WTO).  We need more oversight and public involvement in trade policymaking, not less.
• Please weigh-in on the contents of the TPP and other trade pacts now, during the negotiating phase.  Please write to the President and U.S. Trade Representative about portions of U.S. trade policy that you believe need fixing (ie, stronger labor rights; safeguards against currency manipulation; strong food safety standards; not restricting financial regulations; and so on.)
• FOR CHAMPIONS WHO ARE REALLY WITH US: Consider opportunities to replace Fast Track with a better policymaking system.  Senators can call Senator Brown’s office to inquire about reintroduction of the “21^st Century Trade and Market Access Act.“ Representatives should join the House Trade Working Group through Congressman Michaud’s office.

Please call or email the senators on the Judiciary Committee with the following message:

“Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am calling to strongly urge Senator [NAME OF SENATOR] to OPPOSE Senator Grassley’s amendments 30, 31, 32, and 34.  These amendments threaten workers and are out-of-step with the bipartisan spirit of S.744 (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s744).”

Grassley Amendment #30: Would force government agencies to share error-ridden information about workers, which would undermine fundamental confidentiality protections and entangle millions of U.S. citizens who will be reported to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for investigation.

Grassley Amendment #31: Requires US Citizenship and Immigration Services to provide weekly reports of all those who E-Verify deems as “unauthorized” to work to DHS for mandatory deportation action. This poison pill amendment would result in the deportation of future citizens who are in the process of applying for RPI status.

Grassley Amendment #32: Forces currently employed workers to jump through additional administrative hoops to prove they’re authorized to work in the United States. This amendment would force thousands of American workers to have to spend time in a government office to fix their records or risk losing their job.

Grassley Amendment #34: This amendment would result in a criminalization of work by imposing decades-long jail sentences on employers who assist those without documents to work.

Please tweet to share your opinion!

Sample tweet:

We need #immigration reform, not more governmental red tape. @ChuckGrassley’s amendments take us in the wrong direction! #CIRmarkup

@SenFeinstein: just say no to @ChuckGrassley’s budget busting amendments 30, 31, & 32 to #immigration reform bill #CIRMarkup

Contact the senators below who are on the Judiciary Committee:

Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA)
DC: (202) 224-3841
Email: https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
@SenFeinstein 

Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)
DC: (202) 224-4242
Email: https://www.leahy.senate.gov/contact/
@SenatorLeahy

Senator Jeff Flake (AZ)
DC: (202) 224-4521
Email: http://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff
@flakeforSenate

Senator Ted Cruz (TX)
DC: (202) 224-5922
Email: http://www.cruz.senate.gov/contact.cfm
@tedcruz 

Senator John Cornyn (TX)
DC: (202) 224-2934
Email: http://www.cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm
@JohnCornyn

Senator Charles Schumer (NY)
DC: (202) 224-6542
Email: https://www.schumer.senate.gov/Contact/contact_chuck.cfm
@ChuckSchumer

Senator Lindsey Graham (SC)
DC: (202) 224-5972
Email: http://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.EmailSenatorGraham
@GrahamBlog

Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN)
DC: (202) 224-3244
Email: http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm?contactForm=emailamy&submit=Go
@AmyKlobuchar

Senator Al Franken (MN)
DC: (202) 224-5641
Email: http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=email_al
@alfranken

By cutting funding for programs that prevent domestic violence and sexual assault by tens of millions of dollars this year, the arbitrary budget cuts known as “sequestration” are making it harder for vulnerable women to get the help they need.  According to one senator’s projections, more than 70,000 domestic violence survivors will lose access to recovery programs and shelters that offer a lifeline to women in abusive situations.

Tell Congress to fix the sequester by replacing these senseless cuts with a balanced approach to deficit reduction at https://secure3.convio.net/sojo/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=643.

Our leaders in Washington are focused on blaming each other while they ignore the basic human suffering resulting from their inaction. If a woman finds herself in a violent situation, she needs a safe way out for herself and for her kids. We have a moral obligation to provide that.

Remind Congress that to serve the common good they need to put the needs of women, children, and the most vulnerable first—not last.

We don’t have to reduce the vital programs that serve survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. We just need to remind Congress that there is a better way to address our nation’s budget challenges.