THE MITCHELL FIRM, INC. for CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
What was lobbied
2 issue areas, each in the filer's own words, with who lobbied on it and where.
Foreign Relations FOR
On behalf of several religious and human rights organizations and leaders of varying faiths, including the client, we made contacts to urge the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and its Commissioners to increase collaboration with the community of non-governmental organizations, and with the State Department and Congress, to increase the impact of our joint efforts -- as civil society and government working together -- to reverse the current trend of rising restrictions on religion worldwide. On behalf of 28 religious and human rights organizations and leaders of varying faiths, including the client, who signed a multi-faith letter that was sent to members of Congress and the Administration, we made contacts to express our deep concern about rising restrictions on religion in the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to the 2012 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Conditions for religious freedom declined sharply in Kazakhstan during the reporting period. The rising restrictions are the result of two new laws that were enacted without debate and signed by President Nazarbaev in October 2011 a new Religion Law and an Administrative Code Law that amends nine other laws and legal provisions related to religious activity and religious associations. Kazakhstans restrictive new laws cannot be countenanced under UN and OSCE standards, including the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion or Belief, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Helsinki Accords. We urged U.S. government leaders to take actions to raise awareness of this situation, and to press Kazakhstan authorities on this matter, and urge them to amend the Religion Law to bring it into conformity with international human rights standards, Kazakhstan's international commitments, and its own Constitution. On behalf of 23 religious and human rights organizations and leaders of varying faiths, including the client, who previously signed a multi-faith letter that was sent to members of Congress and the Administration, we made contacts to express our deep concerns about the new religion law in Hungary, and respectfully urged the U.S. government to raise this issue with the Prime Minister of Hungary, and urge him to make revisions to the religion law as recommended by the Venice Commission in Europe. Worked with the client to sign a multi-faith letter that was signed by 12 religious and human rights organizations and leaders, which was sent to the Administration to express our profound concern over the escalating violence and intolerance towards religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan. The letter urged the U.S. government to take concrete steps to protect minorities, to work with Pakistan to implement meaningful constitutional and legal reforms that ensure equality and religious freedom for all its citizens, to ensure civilian assistance to Pakistan intended for education is directed in part to revamping the country's school system and textbooks that currently promote discrimination and glorify violent jihad, and to raise the issue of abductions and forced conversions of minority girls with the Pakistani government. Worked with the client to sign a multi-faith letter that was signed by 19 religious and human rights organizations and leaders, which was sent to congressional leaders to express our strong support for House Resolution 134, which condemns the government of Iran for its state-sponsored religious persecution of its Bahai minority and calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to impose sanctions available under existing law on Iranian officials responsible for these and other human rights violations. The letter urged congressional leaders to schedule this resolution's markup and movement out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for passage under suspension of the rules.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GREG MITCHELL | — |
Immigration IMM
Worked with the client to sign a multi-faith letter that was signed by 16 religious denominations and organizations to express our strong support for S. 3245, a bill to extend four expiring immigration programs for a period of three years. The expiring programs that would be extended by the bill include the E-Verify, Conrad 30 J1 Visa Waiver, EB-5 Regional Centers, and the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Visa Program. Unless Congress acted by September 30, 2012, the Religious Worker Visa Program would have expired, leaving all religious denominations and organizations with no way to bring in, where necessary, permanent religious workers to staff religious institutions and attend the urgent needs of the communities they serve. Many religious workers provide critical services in areas including religious education and care for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, immigrants, refugees, the homeless and hungry, abused and neglected children, and families at risk. The Special Immigrant Non-Minister portion of the Religious Worker Visa Program became law in 1990. Originally enacted with a sunset provision, it has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support in Congress and has been reauthorized six times since then. S. 3245 passed the Senate on August 2. It passed the House on September 13. It was signed into law by the President on September 28. It became Public Law No: 112-176.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GREG MITCHELL | — |
Shown as published by the Senate Office of Public Records and the House Clerk under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The official filing is the record; open it for the full form.