NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE for NETWORK
What was lobbied
16 issue areas, each in the filer's own words, with who lobbied on it and where.
Defense DEF
NETWORK opposes amendments to the defense authorization bill that increase money for additional military weapons. NETWORK strongly opposes the use of the Overseas Contingency Operations account and believes all military funding should be on budget.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | — |
Constitution CON
NETWORK strongly believes that the flow of huge sums of unregulated money by wealthy Americans in to political campaigns is corrupting our system. We urge Congress to pass campaign finance reform. NETWORK believes that no individual or community of color should be disenfranchised by federal policy. Congress should fully restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act and NETWORK strongly supports H.R. 2867, the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LAURA TRACY PERALTA-SCHULTE | — |
Health Issues HCR
NETWORK strongly supports the Affordable Care Act and works to expand Medicaid coverage so that all Americans have health insurance. NETWORK opposes efforts to cut Medicaid funding proposed by House Republican leaders that would restructure federal funding for state Medicaid programs by capping per-beneficiary funding or converting the program to a block grant. Such a plan would lead to cuts in eligibility and benefits that would grow larger over time. NETWORK supports extending and expanding the authority and funding provided under 42 USC 13206-9i to strengthen and improve quality measurement programs related to children and pregnant women. This will provide data to ensure quality improvements for women and children. NETWORK supports funding for Flint Michigan to remedy the water crisis in order to protect the health and safety of all residents and asks Congress to prioritize funding immediately.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LAURA TRACY PERALTA-SCHULTE New | — |
Foreign Relations FOR
NETWORK supports the peace process in Colombia and is grateful to the U.S. State Department's for efforts to foster peace through dialogue. NETWORK supports access to medicine for all people and urges the U.S. government to allow developing countries to access medicine through the use of compulsory licences on patented products in compliance with the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) agreement to the World Trade Organization.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | — |
Housing HOU
NETWORK strongly supports increasing the THUD allocation (302(b)) to the highest level possible to ensure that there is funding to support low income housing. NETWORK supports expansion of the housing voucher program to end homelessness. NETWORK supports fully funding the National Housing Trust Fund.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | — |
Budget/Appropriations BUD
NETWORK strongly supports removing sequester cuts for programs aimed at providing assistance to people living in poverty. NETWORK strongly supports increasing the budget for non-discretionary programs to meet the needs of people living in poverty. NETWORK supports a federal budget which invests in all people for all to achieve their maximum potential and asks all to pay their fair share of taxes. NETWORK believes that funding for military programs should be reduced. NETWORK does not support the addition of riders in any budget agreement.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | Lobbyist |
Firearms/Guns/Ammunition FIR
NETWORK believes that gun violence is a serious community problem and that action must be taken to pass common sense gun control measures to keep communities safe.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | — |
Environment/Superfund ENV
NETWORK fully supports the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan to combat climate change. NETWORK asks that Congress take seriously Pope Francis call for dialogue and action to solve the issues raised by climate change. NETWORK supports full funding for the Green Climate Fund to provide resources to developing countries struggling to mitigate the impact of climate change. NETWORK supports efforts by the Bears Ear Tribe to designate their land as the Bears Ears National Monument.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LAURA TRACY PERALTA-SCHULTE | — |
Immigration IMM
NETWORK strongly support comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. NETWORK strongly supports the Obama Administration's Executive order on expanding DACA and DAPA. NETWORK strongly believes that the Obama Administration should end the practice of family detention for refugees and immigrants. NETWORK strongly supports the Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight and Community Engagement Act of 2015 because it provides for greater transparency and oversight to protect the constitutional rights of border residents while also providing additional training and resources for CBP agents and officers. NETWORK strongly opposes the arrest and deportation of immigrants who could benefit from the recent Presidents Executive Order on immigration. NETWORK believes that Operation Streamline should be modified to ensure immigrants receive due process in proceedings. NETWORK opposes S.2193, "Kate's Law", because it limits the ability of local law enforcement to protect communities and criminalizes immigrants. Network strongly supports expanding protections for refugees and asylum seekers, including providing legal counsel for vulnerable refugees. NETWORK opposes any effort to deny vetted refugees from Syria entrance into the United States or to discriminate against Syrian refugees on the basis of religion. NETWORK strongly supports the the Refugee Protection Act of 2016 strengthen due process by providing asylum seekers a more meaningful opportunity to substantiate their claims in court and make the system more fundamentally fair by appointing counsel for children, victims of violence, and other vulnerable populations. NETWORK strongly opposes DHS policy to deport Haitian nationals and calls on the Administration to broadly expand the Haitian Family Reunification program to cover all beneficiaries on the waiting list. NETWORK calls on DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to stop the use of private prisons that detain immigrants.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LAURA TRACY PERALTA-SCHULTE New | Lobbyist |
Consumer Issues/Safety/Products CSP
NETWORK supports implementation of Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act to protect consumers from fraudulent bank abuses. NETWORK supports efforts by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to crackdown on fraudulent payday lenders and to seek greater protections for all Americans. NETWORK opposes The Financial Choice Act which would severely weaken the Dodd-Frank Act NETWORK opposes H.R. 3438, the Require Evaluation Before Implementing Executive Wishlists Act because it will weaken consumer protection. NETWORK opposes H.R. 5226, the Regulatory Integrity Act, because it will undermine agencies' ability to engage and inform the public on important science based rulemaking. NETWORK opposes H.R. 4612, the Midnight Rule Relief Act of 2016 because it would provide a blanket moratorium on any newly proposed or final regulation of this or future presidential administrations.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK New | Lobbyist |
Education EDU
NETWORK supports S. 1380, the Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2015, which invests in early childhood education.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LAURA TRACY PERALTA-SCHULTE | — |
Trade (domestic/foreign) TRD
NETWORK strongly opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership. NETWORK strongly supports trade measures that require countries to meet internationally agreed upon human rights standards before they benefit from special trade agreements with the United States. NETWORK strongly opposes trade bills which restrict the Administration for taking responsible action on climate change and immigration in the context of trade agreements. NETWORK strongly opposes restricting access to medicines for consumers through trade agreements.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LAURA TRACY PERALTA-SCHULTE | — |
Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX
NETWORK strongly supports H.R. 902,the Earned Income Tax Credit Improvement and Simplification Act 2015, to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to include single adults not raising children, the only group of people who are taxed into poverty. NETWORK supports S.1193 to make permanent and expand the temporary minimum credit rate for the low-income housing tax credit program. NETWORK strongly supports S.198 - Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2015 - which would close the tax loopholes that promote the off-shoring of profits by U.S. corporations. NETWORK strongly supports the Obama Administration's rules to curb inversion transactions that erode the corporate tax base and unfairly place a larger burden on all other taxpayers, including small businesses and hard-working Americans. NETWORK strongly believes that the Social Security Disability Insurance should be fully funded to protect individuals that are receiving this critical benefit. NETWORK believes that wealthy individuals and corporations should pay their fair share of taxes. NETWORK supports the Sensible Estate Tax Act which calls on the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes at the time of death. NETWORK supports the Putting Main Street FIRST Act which would levy a 0.03 percent tax on transactions of stocks, bonds and derivatives to discourage speculative financial trading. NETWORK supports H.R. 2889, the Carried Interest Fairness Act of 2015, that would close the tax loophole which allows wealthy Americans to avoid paying their fair share of taxation. NETWORK supports HR 3970, The Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act which would cap the tax deductibility of CEO pay at $1 million. NETWORK strongly supports the Treasury Department's rule on the Treatment of Certain Interests in Corporations as Stock or Indebtedness, also know as the "earning stripping" rule. NETWORK supports efforts by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to improve standards for income tax disclosure by companies to expand transparency regarding foreign tax and earnings.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LAURA TRACY PERALTA-SCHULTE | — |
Food Industry (safety, labeling, etc.) FOO
NETWORK strongly opposes Child the Nutrition and Education Act of 2016 (H.R. 5003) because it proposes to block grant key nutrition programs and does not provide adequate funding for summer meals. NETWORK strongly supports The Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2015 (S. 1539, H.R. 2715) & The Summer Meals Act of 2015 (S. 613, H.R. 1728) because the bills enhance efforts to expand the reach of the Summer Food Program to low-income children and significantly simplify the administration of the program for sponsors. NETWORK strongly supports The Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act (H.R. 3886) which expands and strengthens the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) so more children have access to nutritious meals and snacks in child care centers, family day care homes, and afterschool programs. NETWORK strongly supports The Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2015 (S. 1937/H.R. 3502) which improves access to free meals for Native students who attend school on or near a reservation and allows tribal governments to administer child nutrition programs. NETWORK opposes efforts by States to time limit SNAP (food stamp) benefits for unemployed childless adults without disabilities.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | — |
Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR
NETWORK strongly supports H.R. 3164, the Pay Workers a Living Wage Act, which provides workers with a living wage. NETWORK strongly supports S. 862/HR 1619, the Paycheck Fairness Act to provide women equal pay for equal work. NETWORK strongly supports the Model Employer Executive Order that provides contracting preferences for companies paying at least $15.00. NETWORK strongly supports S. 786 & H.R. 1439,the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, because it is a pro-family policy. NETWORK strongly supports S. 777 & H.R. 1450, the Flexibility for Working Families Act, because it is a pro-family policy. NETWORK strongly supports The Healthy Families Act (S. 497/H.R. 932) which would create a system for all workers to earn paid sick days base on the number of hours worked. NETWORK strongly supports federal efforts to provide employment opportunities for people who have been previously convicted of a crime.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | — |
Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice LAW
NETWORK strongly supports significant reforms to our criminal justice system aimed at addressing overcrowding, costliness and racial disparities in the federal prison system. NETWORK strongly supports S. 502/HR 920, the Smarter Sentencing Act as a matter of justice. NETWORK strongly supports HR 2197, the Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education (PROMISE) Act. NETWORK applauds the Department of Justice for efforts to limit the use of private prisons. NETWORK calls on the Department of Justice to continue to investigate potential civil rights abuses and practices of police brutality against people of color.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| MARGE M CLARK | — |
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.