As the budget deadline nears . . .

On Monday, I got to join Rev. Peter Cook, Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches, and representatives of various faith communities for one of a series of Zoom meetings to lobby our state legislators ahead of the budget deadline this Friday. As the deadline draws closer, the Council is working diligently to ensure its legislative priorities are presented to the Governor and legislators.

These meetings follow the Council’s Virtual Ecumenical and Interfaith Advocacy Day in February, an annual event that draws people from across the state. To my mind, it is one of the most informative and effective advocacy events for people of faith in New York. That may be one reason why Governor Kathy Hochul was willing to address the group.

Among the issues of concern to the Council are criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, economic development, affordable housing, education, wages, our children, environmental justice, health care, immigration, labor rights and voting rights.

A detailed list of their “Legislative Asks” is here. These include some of the best explanations of specific legislation that you are probably going to find this year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Protecting places of worship

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Federal Emergency Management Agency and interagency partners, is offering a free webinar for the faith-based community to learn about  Six Steps to Enhance Security Against Targeted Violence (cisa.gov)  and much more.   The session will be on Tuesday, Aug 29 from 3 – 4:30 p.m. You can register here . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.   Resources to protect places worship are available here .   For questions or additional information, contact:  partnerships@fema.dhs.gov . 
Read more

And so it begins

This is the continuation of a blog with the same name that lived on the website of the Albany Times Union for more than seven years until last week, when the newspaper decided to end that service. I am grateful to the staff of the paper for giving me the opportunity to reach out to their large audience and develop a following that was concerned about the role of religion in our public life. We in the Capital District are blessed to have an interfaith community that willingly shares its beliefs without feeling the necessity to attack those who believe differently. We gather on issues where we agree and travel our own paths on issues where we differ. Those differences center on substance, never on the character or tenets of the other. By way of introduction, my name Walter Ayres and I am an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. I also am director of Catholic Charities Commission on Peace and Justice, a member of the Capital Area Council of Churches , the Labor Religion Coalitio
Read more

Controlling our destiny?

The 14 th  Annual Interfaith Panel Discussion sponsored by the Greenville Area Interfaith Council will explore the question “Can we control our own destiny?” on Sunday, August 27, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Greenville Public Library, 11177 SR Route 32. Panelists are:    - Wayne Marquit, President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Greenville Center;    - Imam Djafer Sebkhaoui, Muslim Community of Troy and Latham;    - Deacon Peter Sedlmeir, The Church of St. Clare Roman Catholic Church in Colonie;    - Lama Zopa Tarchin, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery, Woodstock; and    - Rabbi Zoe B. Zak, Temple Israel of Catskill, Catskill.   A Zoom link will be available. Send an email to  petesed469@gmail.com . Please type your email address in the body of the email. On the “Subject” line, write Panel Discussion.
Read more