Soon the energy and business of the 2004 South Dakota legislative session will fill the halls and committee rooms of the State Capitol. This year’s “short session” (just 35 legislative days) begins January 13 and ends February 27, with March 15 reserved for considering gubernatorial vetoes.
As lobbyists for the diocese, we review and analyze each bill that is introduced, and determine whether it is consistent with Church teachings. We present and promote the Church’s view to the legislators through personal contact, testifying at committee meetings, preparing research materials, and many other ways. Often we are involved in rallying “yea” votes on good legislation, and pushing for “nay” votes to help “kill” a bill that is poor public policy. It is easier to stop bad legislation than to try to change it once it is passed.
We are also responsible for informing the public of the position the Church is taking on specific legislation. To help facilitate this, we have been working with the diocesan Education Office and members of Pastoral councils to develop and strengthen a group of legislative liaisons. Our rallying cry is “You C.A.N. make a difference,” with C.A.N. being the acronym for “Catholic Action Network.” Our goal is to have at least one active liaison for each parish.
The liaison’s primary responsibility will be to encourage parishioners to become more active in the political process and organize e-mail and calling trees to be used when direct action must be taken to influence key votes.
It is vital that the voice of the Church be present when deciding public policy. Catholics have an obligation to analyze and address issues from a distinct social and moral viewpoint and help ensure the presence of faith in the public arena. As the Bishops remind us in Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics, “We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity meaningfully to participate in building the culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power. We must exercise that power in ways that defend human life, especially those of God’s children who are unborn, disabled or otherwise vulnerable.”
Our Parish legislative liaisons will soon be having sign-up sheets after Mass, or may be contacting you directly, to get your commitment to becoming more active. During session, we will then pass on important information and action alerts to our legislative liaisons, who will pass it on to anyone who commits to being involved.
In addition, the South Dakota Legislature website, http://legis.state.sd.us, maintained by the Legislative Research Council, is a superb tool on which we greatly rely. On it you will find everything you need to follow each action by the legislature. You can read or print any bill introduced, track its progress, contact your legislators by e-mail, listen to testimony live in committee or session, and create your own legislative research page, complete with automatic daily e-mails on the bills you chose to follow.
We must use these tools to remind our elected officials of the great needs facing our farm and ranch families, our students, the poor, the sick, the elderly. We must assert that an important function of government is to help build the common good and that life must be protected at all stages. So whether the bill addresses issues such as abortion, assistance for the poor, the death penalty, euthanasia, health care and counseling, or education, adoption, agriculture, housing, just wage, taxes, or gambling, we must apply our faith – in essence, do God’s will for our state.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns as session nears, or would like to serve as a legislative liaison, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 605-988-3755.