Catholic officials assess budget

While John Kerry, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference (the public policy arm of the state's bishops), and Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, executive director of Albany diocesan Catholic Charities, were "pleased overall" with the budget, she noted that "it's difficult to get any sense of this budget."

The new budget is difficult to understand, she said, because funds allocated for various services may be scattered in three or four different places within it. Legislators who would normally answer questions about this have already left for the summer, she added.

"I don't think it should be that difficult" to find specific passages in the budget, said Sister Maureen. "It's the people's budget; we should be able to read it."

Still, the final budget was generally applauded by the pair. "We're pleased," Mr. Kerry told The Evangelist. "The budget had originally included substantial cuts in almost every area the Church is interested in, and most of those cuts were restored. I think this is very important."

However, he noted that "the fundamental structure of the budget was in a more positive position this year because there were several billion dollars in surpluses. The Legislature had sufficient funds to meet needs and restore cuts from previous times."

The pair gave kudos to:

* a $125 million increase in the earned income tax credit for the working poor. "That's one of the areas we were very pleased with," Mr. Kerry stated. On the part of legislators, boosting funds in this area is "a philosophical commitment as well as a financial commitment," he said. "It conforms to our belief that families need to have support."

* healthcare funding that includes $45 million for Medicaid and $450 million for the Child Health Plus insurance program. "We're very encouraged by Child Health Plus because of the number of children we see [at Catholic Charities agencies] that are uninsured," said Sister Maureen.

But while restoring funds to Medicaid should be lauded, she said, the Legislature is simply restoring what was cut in 1997, and the level of funding is still not as high as it was before the cuts occurred. "I guess that's what they call creative financing," she remarked.

Mr. Kerry stated: "The Governor [George Pataki] originally wanted a $1.9 billion reduction in funds for hospitals and healthcare clinics, and the Legislature did restore most of those cuts and added funds to assist financially distressed hospitals, which is helpful."

* educational aid, from increased funds for textbooks to aid for schools in purchasing computer software -- a total boost of $910 million in school aid. "This is important to the Conference," Mr. Kerry said. "These are increases which overall increase the educational component of our schools."

* a $1.8 million increase for the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation, which funds Catholic Charities programs, among others. In the past, said Mr. Kerry, the most this area received was $1.2 million. "We really rely on that" funding, Sister Maureen noted.

* $200 million for the Child Care Reserve Fund, increasing childcare subsidies for low-income families. Mr. Kerry said the financial increase indicated "increased sensitivity" on the part of Gov. Pataki to the needs of the poor.

* continued support for abstinence education: $2.6 million was allocated for that area.

* 1,300 new daycare slots for needy children. Sister Maureen told The Evangelist she was particularly pleased that parents will be allowed to choose the daycare center most convenient to send their children to.

* $500 million for housing for the mentally ill. "That is once again moving in a positive direction," said Mr. Kerry. "We have been encouraging more community-based services for the mentally ill."

However, the two Catholic officials also expressed some concerns about the budget. While Catholic Charities had called for the elimination of the Family and Children's Block Grant, which has limited its ability to serve families in crisis, the Legislature instead chose to extend the block grant for another two years.

Sister Maureen said that Catholic Charities was disturbed by the move and hopes a committee called for by Sen. Joseph Bruno to examine the issue will find a better solution.

The pair's greatest concern about the budget was its lack of reform in the drug laws passed during the administration of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. The state's bishops have decried the laws for targeting minorities and the poor, and for not providing adequate counseling or drug treatment programs.

"We're disappointed that the Rockefeller drug laws were not even addressed," said Sister Maureen. "We worked long and hard to get awareness of the impact of the laws;" but after working four months extra on the budget, "the legislators were so exhausted or confused that they said, `We're not touching it.' That's unfortunate.'"

Mr. Kerry hopes the issue will be addressed later by the Legislature.

On another subject, he expressed his pleasure that "a whole host of bills that would have negatively impacted Catholic healthcare in New York State did not pass" during this session. Some of those bills would have mandated that Catholic healthcare institutions provide abortions or other services objectionable to the Church.

(08-12-99) [[In-content Ad]]