A New Family-Friendly Congress
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries Action Alert
With the new 110th Congress preparing to begin on January 4, 2007, and a new congressional leadership in place, a new economic agenda is in sight. Speaker of the House Elect, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), has proposed addressing four major economic concerns in the first 100 legislative hours – the first two weeks – of the new Congress. They are:
- Increase in the minimum wage;
- Allow Medicare Part D to negotiate for better drug prices with drug companies;
- Reduce interest rates on student loans;
- Repeal tax give-aways to oil companies to fund renewable energy research.
The United Church of Christ has a long history of support for all of these issues. In partnership with the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, the UCC participated in 6 winning ballot initiatives and several state legislative campaigns that gave workers in 11 states a raise in 2006. Now we have a chance to make it a federal priority to lift workers out of poverty with a wage that begins to support their families and feed their children.
The other three “100 Hours” priorities mean lowering drug costs for seniors, making college tuition more affordable because of lower interest rates, and stepping up the search for renewable energy sources. All of these measures are important steps in the right direction to solve the serious health care, economic and energy crises we are facing as a nation.
Events are planned across the country in the coming weeks, with new and returning members of Congress, where we are saying that these priorities should be their priorities. Click http://www.ucctakeaction.org
Attention Clergy: The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign is collecting clergy and church leader signatures on a letter to Congress calling for a clean bill to increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. Click http://www.ucctakeaction.org