Overview of 2012 National Campaign Wins
Our efforts as a network have resulted in several important wins this summer. A brief description of each is provided below.
Civil Rights for Immigrants (CRI)
On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama announced administrative relief from deportation for young people who came to the United States before age 16 and are currently age 30 and under. To qualify, the applicant must have lived in the US for at least five years and pose no threat to public safety. For the last three years, Gamaliel affiliates have delivered a strong and consistent message to the Obama Administration about the necessity of reforming unjust deportation practices. Last summer’s action on the White House resulted in the planned arrest of Executive Director Ana Garcia-Ashley in an attempt to draw attention to this critical issue. The work authorization application process, beginning August 15, provides an important opportunity for Gamaliel affiliates and congregations to organize eligible DREAMers.
The DREAMer Relief Order—a piece of the larger CRI legislation sponsored by Gamaliel—is supported by Republicans and Democrats across the country as a commonsense approach to addressing immigration reform. Because the order is temporary, it is not a substitute for Congressional action; therefore, affiliates should use the order as an opportunity to move their members of Congress to reintroduce and pass CRI legislation. (For more information, contact Juan Soto, CRI Campaign Coordinator, 773.972.7119 or .)
Transportation Equity Network (TEN)
On June 29, 2012, 1000 days after the expiration of the last surface transportation bill, Congress passed Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). Overall, the bill turned back progressive transportation reform by at least two decades, but TEN achieved victories in two key policy areas.
1) Congress, for the first time since the 1990s, included a provision that allows communities over 200,000 in population and operating fewer than 100 buses during rush hour to use a portion of their federal capital dollars for operating expenses. Since the economic crisis of 2009, 84 percent of transit systems across the country have cut service, raised fares, and/or laid off employees—many not just once, but two and three times—resulting in communities with decreased access to jobs, education, healthcare, and other quality of life services. Gamaliel/TEN affiliates across the country raised the profile of this issue through a variety of organizing activities targeting their members of Congress. In addition, Gamaliel affiliates participated in a national table of strategic partners developing strategy and tactics around passage of the Carnahan bill. They also blitzed Capitol Hill in late January as the first-ever “lightning team” drawing attention to this critical issue impacting all of our communities.
2) Gamaliel/TEN affiliates organized actions targeting Sen. Barbara Boxer, Conference Committee Chair, forcing her to include in MAP-21 the “findings” section which provides the legal defensibility for the minority contracting program. This program is critical to ensuring that people of color, low income people, and women have access to jobs on federally-funded transportation projects in our communities. Because MAP-21 expires in September 2014, affiliates must begin to work toward the next surface transportation reauthorization bill immediately. (For more information, contact Laura Barrett, National Campaign Director, 314.443.5915 or .)
Healthcare
Gamaliel affiliates targeted Members of Congress in 2009 to successfully secure passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The law includes a number of provisions that directly impact the most vulnerable in our communities, providing them with access to much-needed and affordable healthcare. Following the passage of the law, a number of lawsuits were filed challenging the constitutionality of the law. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius and released its ruling on June 28, 2012. The Court upheld the individual mandate, as well as popular provisions like the elimination of pre-existing conditions and the inclusion of adult children up to age 26 on family policies; but it limited expansion of Medicaid as originally proposed in the law. Because PPACA allows states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion, many Governors have already announced plans to do so. Affiliates have the opportunity to organize their state legislators to ensure that Medicaid coverage is available to the most vulnerable in our communities. (For more information, contact Laura Barrett, National Campaign Director, 314.443.5915 or .)