Volume 17
Number 4
February 4, 2005

Director on Record

Where We Are

Bills Tracking

Chapters

The Director on Record
Disagreeing with a Senator

It is inevitable. As an Advocate, you will work with a legislator on a bill one day and work against that legislator on a different issue the next; and often at the same time.

Senator Bill Mims (R – Loudoun) is one of the Center’s most respected legislators. Northern Virginia Chapter participants will remember that Sen. Mims was a leader of a Social Justice U. track this summer. He is person of great faith, and a mentor to me personally. However on SB1305, a bill that would provide that churches seceding from their “connectional” churches could vote to take property and assets away from their denomination, is just plain wrong. This would affect Christian churches such as the United Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Orthodox, and Mims’ own Episcopal Church.

The Center is clearly against SB1305 because of the way that it challenges church and state independence. Additionally, because the faith community has had limited time to review and aid Senator Mims in crafting the legislation, and its subsequent amendment, it seems that passage of the bill is premature until stakeholders are afforded the time to review the bill’s impact.

Apart from the obvious lessons that bills can be filed at the last hour of a session and that those bills last filed are often most negative, there are some other lessons for Advocates that merit review from Social Justice U, our annual Advocate training event.

When disagreeing with a legislator:
Check your facts – Legislators are some of the brightest lights of the Commonwealth. Be sure that you understand what is at stake and do your due diligence to ensure that your facts are correct!

Know your politics - Understand the surface issues and the wider political landscape. The faith community is working with Senator Mims on other church bills that are positive as well as a housing bill and his Healthy Air legislation. Advocates cannot personalize disagreements and then ask other legislators to support that “demonized-colleague” on another bill.

Know your position – Be sure that you have done your Advocacy exercises – Learn. Pray. Act. Once you have humble confidence in your position, for or against a bill, you can respectfully speak as one with authority. - Doug

Next Tuesday, February 8th is bill crossover day - all the bills of one house that remain alive cross over to the other house for consideration by the other chamber. Therefore, last day for committee work in each house is this Monday, February 7th.

Then, for the next two weeks the cycle is reversed - each house through its committees and its floor action considers the other house’s bills. Where a different version of a similar bill occurs, a Committee of Conference is assigned to work out the differences.

Budget crossover is Thursday, February 10th. A Conference Committee will be called to work out the differences between the budgets of the two houses. If you are concerned about budget issues, now is the time to contact members of Senate Finance and House Appropriations! If a budget amendment you’re supporting does not appear in at least one of the proposed budgets, it is extremely unlikely to reappear in the final budget.

Bill Tracking

Bills in black are those that the Virginia Interfaith Center opposes. Grey indicates the bill is dead.

NOW IS THE TIME TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS BY FAX, EMAIL, PHONE, OR VISIT! Send email and fax messages to your legislators via our user friendly communications system on our Web site at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org.

Key - HB= House Bill; SB=Senate Bill; BA=Budget Amendment; PBI=passed by indefinitely (dead); Tabled=probable death; Left in Committee=probable death

Get Involved! Regional Chapters

Did you know that the Virginia Interfaith Center has 9 chapters across the Commonwealth? The Center’s regional chapters host various events throughout the year including Candidates’ Forums, Social Justice U Advocacy Training, and Session Wrap-Ups with Legislators. We have chapters in the following localities:

If you are interested in participating in local events, please contact our office at office@Virginia Interfaith Center.org or 804-643-2474 or your local regional coordinator.