Legislative session disappoints Catholics

The wrap-up of a legislative session deemed "disappointing" by Catholic officials has left many in the Albany Diocese disturbed about what next year might bring.

While pleased that casino gambling, a series of bills problematic to Catholic healthcare organizations and several other issues didn't make it through the State Legislature, officials at the New York State Catholic Conference and diocesan Catholic Charities told The Evangelist that the next legislative session will likely be a tough fight for Catholic interests.

"I think our adversaries are going to be trying even harder," stated Kathleen Gallagher, associate director for the Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state's bishops.

In April, said Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, executive director of diocesan Catholic Charities, "I had a feeling of hope. I really thought the [Senate and Assembly] came together and worked on a fiscally sound budget," reflective of a surplus of funds.

But by the end of the session, after Gov. George Pataki had made $1.6 billion in budget cuts and the losers included childcare workers, foster care and residential facilities for children, "I'm very, very disappointed," she said.

Joseph Buttigieg, associate executive director of Catholic Charities, said that capping foster care and preventive services was a mistake, noting that "these are very vulnerable kids we're trying to help. If you need to save money, then maybe what you do is mow [highway medians] a little bit less. Capping funds for vulnerable children is not something the public would accept if they knew about it."

Eliminating a cost-of-living increase for childcare workers was also "unconscionable," said Sister Maureen. "These are people to whom we trust our children."

Health care was among the top issues for those at the Catholic Conference. Mrs. Gallagher cited as positives the expansion of the Child Health Plus program, which provides health insurance to needy children, and the passage of a law requiring confidential state notification of the names of those who test positive for HIV.

However, John Kerry, executive director of the Catholic Conference, called the introduction of several bills affecting Catholic healthcare organizations "direct attacks on Catholic health care and Catholic Charities."

Most of those bills died in the Senate but are expected to come up again next year. One requires managed care plans to cover such services as abortion and contraception. Such bills, said Mrs. Gallagher, "would force Catholic hospitals to somehow be complicit with procedures we don't believe in."

In the area of education, increases in textbook and software aid, and library materials for nonpublic schools were "the biggest victories," said Mrs. Gallagher. By the 2001-2002 school year, textbook aid is scheduled to increase from $46.87 to $78 per pupil; software aid will make an even larger jump -- from $7.55 to $23.90.

In all, Catholic officials complained that this legislative session was not so much a disappointment for what was done as for what wasn't: The partial-birth abortion ban failed by just a few votes while many other bills were stalled, failing to even reach a vote.

Issues to watch for next year include partial-birth abortion, which may see passage of a ban; and cloning, physician-assisted suicide, casino gambling and health care, all of which had bills introduced but not passed. An education investment tax credit bill supported by the Catholic Conference has finally found a sponsor, Sen. Seymour Lachman of Brooklyn. Legislation may be presented to strengthen the death penalty, even as Catholic advocates argue to abolish it.

"The overall session really didn't achieve all the things we would have liked it to do," Mr. Kerry remarked. "There were some positive issues, but there are still some challenges to be addressed."

(07-16-98) [[In-content Ad]]