Eight issues of concern will be discussed at the Public Policy Forum:
1. Protecting the conscience and mission of Catholic health and human services providers from threats against religious freedom. The forum members will advocate for Catholic employers to be exempt from having to fund morally offensive procedures, such as infertility treatments and contraception.
"This is a critical issue this year," said Dennis Poust of the New York State Catholic Conference. "We believe there is a desire by abortion advocates to put the Church out of the health and human services business."
2. Parental rights in education, including school vouchers, scholarships or tax credits; increased computer hardware aid; expanded transportation services to schools; and increased funding for Academic Intervention Services.
"Parents have a fundamental right to direct their children's education," said Mr. Poust. "We're supporting a variety of items that would help them do that."
3. Maintaining services for the working poor. Mr. Poust explained that the drop in the welfare rolls since 1996 has resulted in a surplus of funds in the federal block grant Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Forum participants will ask that those funds be used to help people coming off welfare.
4. Maintaining care for the vulnerable through increased salaries for New York's mental-health workers and better services for people with HIV/AIDS. "The workers are not being compensated fairly, so there is a recruitment and retention problem," Mr. Poust noted.
5. Enactment of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. This is not an abortion bill, said Mr. Poust, but "is designed to help women who want to keep their babies and have that right taken away by an assailant."
6. Reform of the state's harsh drug sentencing laws, which Mr. Poust noted have "resulted in overcrowded prisons and destroyed lives. These offenders are much better off in treatment. There seems to be bipartisan support [for reform], but so far, nothing has happened."
7. Meeting the needs of rural New Yorkers. Although New York State is largely rural, the director said, its policies tend to be geared toward cities. But rural New Yorkers need considerations like affordable housing and transportation to jobs.
8. Increased funding for home healthcare workers. While Gov. George Pataki recently advocated raising healthcare workers' salaries, said Mr. Poust, he left out home health workers. Since being cared for at home allows people to stay in their communities and live more independently, forum participants will advocate for a living wage for such attendants. (KB)