Texas IAF Network to State Legislators: "Invest in People"
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Hundreds of Texas IAF leaders bused into the Capitol from El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and West Texas, joining Central Texas Interfaith counterparts to call on state legislators to increase spending on adult and K-12 education.
After a morning briefing on school finance, the Texas Innovative Career Education (ACE) program and other issues -- including Medicaid, payday lending, and infrastructure in the colonias -- leaders were recognized with a House resolution in support of the ACE program.
300 leaders then convened on the South steps of the Capitol where they were joined by state legislators who pledged to continue working for investments in people. The following spoke in support of the ACE fund and increased public school funding: Central Texas Representatives Vikki Goodwin, John Bucy, Erin Zwiener, Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico; El Paso area representatives Joe Moody, Mary Gonzalez and Art Fierro; North Texas legislators Victoria Neave, Terry Meza, Julie Johnson, John Turner and Ana Ramos; and from San Antonio, Phillip Cortez.
In photo above, the Rev. Dr. Rhenel Johnson from TMO (Houston) kicks off the press conference with leaders from San Antonio (COPS/Metro), Dallas Area Interfaith, Central Texas / Austin Interfaith, West Texas Organizing Strategy (WTOS), El Paso's Border Interfaith & EPISO, and the Rio Grande Valley (Valley Interfaith). After the press conference, leaders broke out into smaller delegations to meet with legislators representing their geographic regions.
Organizations Call On State Legislators to Support Adult Education, Univision 62 [Spanish video]
Piden a Legisladores Texanos Más Fondos Para Apoyar la Educación de Adultos, Univision 62
Valley Interfaith: State's Share of School Funding Has Dropped From 50% to Barely 36%, Rio Grande Guardian
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Albuquerque Interfaith Leverages Increased School Funding in NM
...and more in 2019 legislative session
Months into the New Mexico legislative session, Albuquerque Interfaith leaders are celebrating advances around school accountability and early childhood education, supports for immigrants and increased health security.
Thanks to their close collaboration with state legislators, Albuquerque Interfaith leaders were successful in crafting legislation that eradicated a punitive A-F grading system for public schools and replaced it with a diagnostic system of accountability. Leaders helped push through legislation that established, for the first time in the state, a department of early childhood education -- a necessary foundation for future efforts to support early childhood interventions. Funding for K-12 schooling was also increased, to community acclaim.
In an effort to reverse the effects of a two-tiered system for (undocumented) immigrant drivers' licenses, created by the previous governor, leaders persuaded state legislators to expand the utility of the bottom-tier of licenses. The second tier is now equivalent to Real IDs, including acceptance by the TSA, state police and financial institutions.
These wins follow an intense season of community-led initiative -- both in bird-watching bills, and collaborating with state legislators to advance bills that intersect with the Albuquerque Interfaith agenda for families.
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VIP & the Arizona Interfaith Network Fight for Immigrant DREAMers & Children's Access to Healthcare
Valley Interfaith Project (VIP) and the Arizona Interfaith Network are working with a bipartisan block of state legislators to advance proposals that would reopen pathways to college for immigrants and ensure funding for children's healthcare.
Senate Bill 1217 would reopen a pathway for immigrant college students that had previously been closed by Proposition 300. Prop 300 prohibits colleges from charging in-state tuition to immigrants if they cannot prove legal residency. By creating a new tuition category based on graduation from Arizona high schools, SB 1217 would allow immigrants to pay somewhere between current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
HB 2514 and SB 1134 would work to eliminate the cap for the Arizona CHIP program (Kids Care), which provides healthcare coverage for children from low-income families not eligible for other state services. At this time, federal funding is scheduled to decrease by 10% in October of 2019 (and by another 10% in 2020), thus triggering a state cap on funding for KidsCare. With over 30,000 Arizona children currently uninsured, leaders are working hard to get these bills out of committee and included in state budget negotiations.
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'Nevadans for the Common Good' Battles Payday Lending Industry
& fights for increased funding for Nevada public schools
So far this spring, 'Nevadans for the Common Good' (NCG) sent 4,000 postcards to the governor and state legislators calling for $500 million in new state funding for public schools, $40 million in affordable housing tax credits and payday lending reforms to better protect families.
The payday lending fight has sparked an impassioned debate over passage of SB 201, which would establish a payday lending database to track short-term, high-interest loans. NCG initially sent a delegation of 10 leaders to the Capitol, which met with 17 legislators in one day. Since then, leaders have communicated their concerns through hundreds of emails and phone calls to legislators that included personal stories to legislators about the harmful effects of predatory lending. Most recently, 50 leaders attended a midday hearing and delivered powerful testimony about the impact of high-interest loans on families.
Rev. Sandy Johnson with United Methodist Church in Boulder City, spoke on behalf of NCG, sharing that a friend experienced great financial difficulties brought on by payday loans.
“If existing state laws were enforced," said Pastor Johnson, "consumers like her would be protected from being trapped in a debt cycle for more than two decades. The long term economic stability of families should not be undermined if they take out a short-term loan.”
Payday Lending Opponents, Industry Clash in Charged Hearing Over Loan Database, Nevada Independent
Payday Lending Industry Could See Rate Caps, Database Under Legislative Proposals, Nevada Independent
NCG Leaders Postcard Mailing Party [Video]
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Together Louisiana Fights to Preserve Local Control Over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program
After democratizing the state Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP), by educating and engaging a broad constituency, Together Baton Rouge persuaded the East Baton Rouge school board and city council to deny millions of dollars in property tax exemptions to ExxonMobil, resulting in $6 Million in new funding for school and government services -- and salary increases for teachers, bus drivers and more.
This win came months after Northern & Central Louisiana Interfaith persuaded the Caddo Parish Sheriff & School Board to deny a tax exemption to Calumet.
Now, Together Louisiana leaders are fighting to preserve local control over ITEP. On April 1st, two state legislators proposed transferring decision-making power away from local government and to an unelected board of representatives from across the state. With the majority of industrial property in Louisiana currently tax-exempt and millions of dollars for schools, criminal justice, safety, flooding prevention and other infrastructure projects at stake, leaders of Together LA are fighting to preserve local control over a program they democratized. |
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Colorado IAF Initiates Local & State Action
in Support of Public Schools
Colorado IAF leaders joined Great Education Colorado, the NAACP and Taxpayers for Public Education to bring public education advocates to the Capitol on Thursday, April 4th. The lobby day included training sessions on how to speak with one's legislators, opportunities to speak with elected officials, and community building sessions with other public education allies.
The "lobby day" is being followed by community conversations in NE Denver between parents, teachers, students and neighbors to build a powerful base of people interested in strengthening their schools and neighborhoods. These conversations are taking place in local schools, nonprofits and recreation centers, and are part of a larger strategy to build community power for positive community change.
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Invest in the Future of Democracy!
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