North Dakota Catholic Conference

Here it Comes . . .
The 61st Session of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly starts next week. Over 300 bills have already been pre-filed. The session kicks off Tuesday with formalities and the Governor's State of the State Address.


Your Resources
If you have signed up for the Legislative Action Network, you should soon receive a six-page guide to the North Dakota legislature and citizen involvement. The guide is also available online.


LAN members will also soon receive a directory of state and federal elected officials and committee assignments. You can also get this online as soon as it is available.


The North Dakota Catholic Conference e-newsletter will arrive at least weekly once the session is underway.


Additional information and developments will be posted on the News and Updates page of the North Dakota Catholic Conference website. You can subscribe to the page's RSS feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/NorthDakotaCatholicConference or http://ndcatholic.org/2/files/2.xml.


Sign-up Cards
The North Dakota Catholic Conference has convenient sign-up cards for joining the Legislative Action Network. Give them to friends, church group members, RCIA groups, or order some for your parish. Just contact the conference to order a set of cards. They're free!


Website Changes
The North Dakota Catholic Conference website has undergone some changes, including new and easier to use features. Be sure to check it out.


Fight FOCA Campaign
There is an unprecedented move to remove basic mainstream restrictions on abortion and to eliminate rights of conscience and religious liberty. These efforts are part of the "Freedom of Choice Act" and related proposals. During the next couple of months, churches and organizations will be mobilizing to stop FOCA and any other assault on human life and religious liberty. The Catholic effort will primarily be coordinated out of the diocesan offices. Stay tuned for more information and take advantage of this opportunity to make a difference.


Fight Human Trafficking
The North Dakota Catholic Conference has made passage of legislation against human trafficking a priority for the legislative session. To learn more about human trafficking, see our website and the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.


Recent Postings on the News and Updates Page


The Pro-Life Majority
WASHINGTON—A nationwide survey commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has found that four out of five U.S. adults (82 percent) think abortion should either be illegal under all circumstances (11 percent) or would limit its legality. Read more…
The Slave Next Door
Several newspapers around the state are running an Associated Press story about child slave labor in the United States. The North Dakota Catholic Conference is working with others to get new state laws against human trafficking. Read more…
New Anti-Trafficking Measure Becomes Law


Bishops Migration Committee Chairman Lauds Enactment of Anti-Trafficking Legislation ...Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, today hailed the enactment of H.R. 7311, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA). Passed by Congress on December 10, the legislation was signed by President Bush on Tuesday, December 23, at the White House. Read more…
Bishops Welcome Regulation Protecting Conscience


WASHINGTON — A final regulation protecting health care providers’ conscience rights was issued December 18 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The U.S. Catholic bishops’ spokesperson on abortion, Deirdre A. McQuade, welcomed the published regulation as a way to protect medical personnel from being coerced to violate their consciences in federally funded programs. The regulation clarifies and implements existing federal statutes enacted by Congress in 1973, 1996 and 2004. Read more…




This e-newsletter was sent by the North Dakota Catholic Conference, 103 South Third Street, Suite 10, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501. 701-223-2519; 1-888-419-1237. http://ndcatholic.org
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© 2009 North Dakota Catholic Conference