The Diocesan Dialogue
Current Issue
April 2008

Faith advocacy group analyzes new laws

The Coalition of Religious Communities monitored the recent state legislative sessions and organized various days for faith communities to be heard. Episcopal Church members joined Lutherans on February 19th to visit legislators over social issues such as poverty, immigration and health care.

The Coalition (CORC) is made up of social justice advocates from a cross-section of Utah faiths. It has now put out its report analyzing issues generally associated with social justice issues.

CORC reports efforts to gather significant data on payday lending practices were killed in committee. SB 216 (Bell) would have required lenders to supply data about the average loan amount, total number of loans extended, interest and fees. SB 83 (Maynes) requires less involved reporting and a 24 hour cooling-off period before a lender could make a second loan to a customer who just paid off an existing loan. It passed both the House and Senate.

The coalition also monitored immigration. It used the words "mean-spirited" to describe SB 81, sponsored by Senator Hickman. SB 81 makes it illegal to harbor or transport undocumented immigrants, allows police to enforce immigration laws, and limits services undocumented residents can receive. It was amended to exclude churches from rendering assistance. It passed. Other bills to revoke in-state tuition for undocumented students and to revoke the Utah driver's privilege cards failed.

HB 48 (Riesen) gave relief to mobile home park residents who are being evicted because of ownership or condemnation of their parks. Land owners cannot raise rent or evict mobile home owners for nine months after notice under the law.

Healthcare reform was amended to become a study bill for a task force. CORC reports many of the items that would have hurt lowincome Utahns were taken out of the bill. While over a million dollars was appropriated for the study, none was allocated to fun any program or service.

CORC was happy to report a yearly battle for Medicaid vision benefits is over. A new law allows the Department of Health to budget for vision benefits and Medicaid to charge a three-dollar co-pay for purchasing glasses.

CORC also noted the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund received a half-million dollar appropriation. The Olene Walker Housing Trust Fund also received a similar grant. General assistance received over a million dollars and the Emergency Food Network received a $100,000 appropriation.

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