Social Justice – Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

Legislative and Advocacy Priorities, UU FaithAction NJ 2020-2021

by Rev. Rob GregsonNovember 20, 2020 1 Comment

Legislative and Advocacy Priorities, UU FaithAction NJ 2020-2021

Criminal Justice Task Force

Youth Justice Transformation. Stopping the school to prison pipeline is essential to reducing the number of individuals, especially people of color, out of our state corrections facilities. Restorative justice pilot projects called for in one of our priority bills, will work to keep young people, especially youth of color in urban areas, out of the criminal justice system and provide them with support they need in their own communities.
Expanding Post-Prison Reentry Services. With continued corrections and parole reform, as well as Public Health Emergency Credits, more and more individuals will be released and need to reintegrate into their communities of origins. Services are critical to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. Reentry services will assist those being released in reintegrating into their home communities, becoming active citizens who can participate in the important work to be done in rebuilding their communities– often urban, and minority.
Dismantling Racism. Three different bills address different aspects of racism within the criminal justice system: the need for an amendment to the Constitution, a bill to form a Reparations Task Force, and a bill to restrict the use of deadly force by the police. Advocacy will focus attention on how institutional racism feeds the criminal/corrections system– through our failures to protect all lives in the Constitution, to failures to protect individuals during interactions with police, and failures to correct for our history of slavery which has left African Americans — as individuals, families and as a people– robbed of their labor, their wealth and their influence in the larger society and economy.

Environmental Justice Task Force

Reduce Fossil Fuel Emissions, especially in EJ Neighborhoods with Focus on Transportation. Follow lead of Environmental Justice partners including NJEJA, Ironbound Corp., Clean Water Action. This will have direct impact on health of residents in EJ neighborhoods.
Reduce lead in households, both in drinking water and lead paint. Following lead of EJ partners including NJEJA, Ironbound Corp. and Clean Water Action, help promote outreach to residents about avoiding or reducing lead in drinking water and lead paint in their households
Promote the Green Amendment. Conduct outreach, especially through UU congregations, to build understanding and support for the Green Amendment Bill in NJ promoting the right to clean air, clean water and a healthy environment. Follow the lead of “Green Amendments for the Future”. The Green Amendment is supported by our EJ partners.

Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

The GVP task under the leadership of its chair, Liandra Pires, has been active in renewing their focus and vision. Additionally, the task force continues to advocate for the Safe Storage Bill which is in the process of being updated to centers an anti-racist/anti-oppression lens around this important legislation concerning firearm and ammunition storage. The task force will continue in the process of identifying specific legislative and educational priorities in their monthly meetings.

Immigrant Justice Task Force

Legislative Priorities
- Enact Covid-related relief legislation to include undocumented persons, starting with S2480/A4171.
- Enact the Immigrant Trust Directive into Statutory Law with few carve-outs for criminal offenses.
- Enact DACA program into statute, at federal level, with as few restrictions as possible.
Advocacy/Educational Priorities
- Effective implementation of driver’s license regulations for undocumented persons, with as little interaction with federal government as possible.
- Investigate and publicize the holding of children separated from parents at southern border in South Jersey foster homes
- Promote need for as much funding for legal representation of detainees as possible.

Reproductive Justice Task Force

Support for the Reproductive Freedom Act. S3030/A 4848, which safeguards reproductive care, upholds basic rights and justice, and respects decision-making throughout pregnancy for all women regardless of race, class, sexuality, ability, or citizenship status. The bill expands the protections of reproductive justice beyond the right to abortion to include protections and expanded access to birth control and pregnancy-related care, as well as eliminating medically-unnecessary restrictions that block access to care.
Monitor the work of the Commission to Study Sexual Assault, Misconduct and Harassment by Staff against Inmates in NJ State Correctional Facilities, especially at NJ’s Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, who are disproportionately Black and Brown women, poor women, and also transgender women.
Strengthen maternal health and reduce maternal mortality, including supporting the Maternal Mortality Review Commission, and affirm our commitment to ending New Jersey’s shameful record as a state with one of the worst Black-White racial disparities in maternal deaths in the nation.
Support the strategic plan of the Sexual Education Subcommittee of Thrive NJ, which challenges heterosexist and cis-sexist assumptions about sexuality and gender.
Monitor the implementation of the address confidentiality law (PL 2019.c175) by reviewing the proposed regulations with assistance from Legal Advocacy, and encourage comments that will advance our goal of protecting access to abortion for all women and their providers.

Issues Conference 2019 – Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer’s Report

Fall Issues Conference 2019 – Agenda

Agenda

8:30 – 9:45 Cong. Liaisons Breakfast Breakfast and conversation with Board members

9:30 – 10:00 Registration

10:00 – 10:10 Welcome & Worship Rev. Andrée Mol, Central Unitarian Church

10:10 – 10:15 Remembering Luis Merlo CUC members

10:15 – 10:30 Welcome & Update Tim Catts, Board President & Rev. Rob Gregson, Exec. Director

10:30 – 10:35 Another Way to Serve Carolyn Baldacchini, Chair, Nominating Committee

10:35 – 10:45 Helping Justice Thrive Marty Rothfelder, Chair, and Rev. Jennifer Kelleher, Eco Gala 2020 Committee

10:45 – 12:15 Keynote Panel w/Q & A. Prof. Sara Wakefield, Tia Ryans, Andrea McChristian

12:15 – 1:30 Lunch “Lunch with A Leader” in the Sanctuary

1:30 – 1:40 Task Force Introductions Tom Moran, Chair, Task Force Committee

1:40 – 3:15 Task Force Break-out Groups & Voting on Issues

Gun Violence Prevention – Kathy Allen

Criminal Justice Reform – Susan MacDonnell and Anne Houle

Environmental Justice – Nancy Griffeth and Ray Nichols

Immigration Justice – Clara Haignere and Peggy Hayden

Reproductive Justice – Carol Loscalzo

3:15 Break

3:30 Closing

Legislative Priorities 2019/2020

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Legislative Priorities 2019/2020

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM	Restore right-to-vote to those on parole, probation, and those still incarcerated Dignity for Primary Caretakers Act, for incarcerated women Reform parole system to include ways for certain offenders to earn their way to earlier parole
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE	Mandatory emissions reductions in EJ communities, including transition to electric buses and alternate fuel trucks Reduce single use plastic bags Maintain adequate water infrastructure – no lead in NJ water
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION	Continue to support Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) Work with NJ legislators to strengthen proposed Safe Storage of Guns bill
IMMIGRATION JUSTICE	Drivers licenses for undocumented. We expect this to be considered and presumably enacted in the 2019 lame-duck legislative session. Increased funding for legal defense for detainees in NJ facilities. This is connected with the budget process. As part of the NJ Universal Representation Coalition for the past two years, we will continue to advocate for the amount required to ensure all detainees without means have access to legal rep.
REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE	Access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, by working with coalitions who are introducing legislation in NJ Strengthen maternal health and reduce maternal mortality including supporting the Maternal Mortality Review Committee Dignity for incarcerated Primary Caregivers Act, a bundle of bills that incorporates allowances for incarcerated parents to spend time with their children, bans the use of shackles for pregnant women and provide appropriate mental health and substance abuse care Work alongside a newly formed coalition working to pass/bundle bills related to preventing & supporting sexual assault survivors including reporting and investigating sexual assault inside NJ prisons

Annual Fall Issues Conference held on October 19, 2019

by UU FA OfficeAugust 13, 2019October 22, 2019 Leave a comment

The UU FaithAction NJ annual Fall Issues Conference was held on Saturday, October 19 at Central Unitarian Church in Paramus. This well-attended event featured a panel of criminal justice experts. If you were unable to attend, you can still read the reports by clicking on the link below.

Get Conference Packet Information Here: https://www.uufaithaction.org/?page_id=8284&preview=true

Plenary 2019 – Board President’s Report

President’s Report, 2018/2019

The past year has been extremely eventful for UU FaithAction on a number of fronts. I will let our Executive Director, Rev. Rob Gregson, detail our many successes over the past year and won’t repeat his recitation here.

However, on a personal level, I do have to say that the demonstration concerning the detention of Jorge Chacon, in the company of his wife and children and friends in Newark was incredibly heart-warming and the fact that our actions helped lead to his release was something that delighted me for the next several weeks. I know it was only one detainee and that the horrible ICE/Trump inhuman machine continues to roll on, but it was nice to win one and to change someone’s life. We bent the bar a little bit towards justice there.

And I also have to note that it was exciting to be in Trenton for the hearings that led to the passage of a significant increase in the minimum wage in New Jersey. The agreement of Governor Murphy, Senate Leader Sweeny and Assembly Leader Coughlin may have made it a fait accompli, but the excitement and pride of all of our coalition partners who had been working on this for years was palpable and made my opportunity to testify especially meaningful. It is these kinds of celebrations of progress that makes all of the frustrations of the past worthwhile.

Our Task Forces have been energized by the opportunities to make a difference and have been doing incredible work. I am sure that many of you know that we have been pushing our own Signature Legislation, which you will hear more about. Our proposed regulation regarding the administration of video visitation in the jails was accepted by the Department of Corrections and has changed the lives of prisoners and their families. And our first piece of legislation, concerning confidentiality for workers and clients at clinics will hopefully be signed into law this year. Those Task Forces will continue to bend the bar towards justice, with the help of our new Legal Advocacy Program Director, Lina Genovesi.

On the Board level, we have been doing the sometimes boring, but vital work that keeps our organization functioning. We have adopted a detailed financial policy, created an Endowment Fund, revitalized our Nominating Committee and, after ten years of operation, created a new Affiliation Agreement, which reflects our expanded focus and our role as the only state-wide UU organization. At the same time, we have been doing the important work of looking inward at our own operations to address any white supremacy and paternalism that might prevent us form being the organization that we should be.

We have also been busy on the education front, holding a number of events, in addition to the information that you can get form going onto our website or getting involved with one of our Task Forces. Our Economics Justice Task Force sponsored an eye-opening seminar on economic inequality at East Brunswick in January. In February, the Princeton Congregation hosted a fascinating conference on immigration, featuring Matt Katz, a reporter from WNYC who has done important work in this area. And on Super Bowl Sunday, Morristown hosted an informative talk by Professor Meghan Sacks, Assoc. Professor of Criminology and Criminology Program Director, Fairleigh Dickinson University, on the problems associated with mass incarceration. The Board and I are convinced that this is a crucial part of our role in leading UU Social Action in the state. We know that well informed UUs are even more committed to doing justice work.

Our Board has been somewhat under-populated for the past year, which makes our administrative achievements all the more noteworthy. I am excited by the nomination of impressive new Board members, which you will vote on at this Plenary Meeting. Our expanded Board will be able to do even more in the coming year to make sure that FaithAction continues to be a leader in social action and liberal religious advocacy in the State of New Jersey.

Finally, it is important to note that all of this takes money. Our budget it small, but we accomplish a lot with the money that we are able to raise. But think how much more we could do, how much more we could bend the bar towards justice, how many lives we might be able change for the better if we had a little more money. We are incredibly grateful for all of our supporters and hope that you will consider an extremely generous contribution, either by making a donation at the Plenary meeting or going on line to give.

Report Concerning the UULMNJ Public Policy Network

The Public Policy Network is a sister organization to FaithAction (and to the UU Legislative Ministry of New Jersey before it). Established under 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, its function is to pay excess lobbying expenses that would otherwise have been incurred by FaithAction and which, if paid by FaithAction, would exceed the statutory limit, thereby imperiling FaithAction’s tax-exempt status. Because no such payments have been required to be made by the Public Policy Network to date and it is not anticipated that such payments will be needed in the immediate future, that organization was placed in dormancy two years ago in order to save needless operating costs and it has remained in that state during this past year. However, it should be noted that our tradition is that the Board of the Public Policy Network participates fully in all Board functions and that it would be nearly impossible for us to function well without this support.