When the state Legislature convened in January, the staff of the California Catholic Conference in Sacramento envisioned the passage of bills to assist the working poor, the hungry and the vulnerable.

At the Capitol, state lawmakers sat atop a healthy $12 billion surplus, a portion of which could fund new state legislation.

When the dust settled, the 1999-2000 legislative year was a mixed bag in the eyes of Conference advocates, containing both significant victories and some major disappointments.

Conference advocates, who lobby state lawmakers on various issues on behalf of the state’s Catholic bishops, tracked more than 1,000 bills during the legislative session. About 30 bills directly impacting life and social justice issues were targeted and became the focus for activists at the Catholic Lobby Day in May at the state Capitol.

Major Lobby Day bills included new guidelines for law enforcement regarding the abandonment of newborns, assistance for immigrants not covered by federal programs, school nutrition, increased housing for agricultural worker families, state income tax credits for earned income impacting the working poor, and inclusion of restorative justice principles in juvenile court law.

Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the Conference, said priority bills shared a common bond reflecting a “consistent ethic of life across a variety of issues.”

Two of the priority bills were signed by Gov. Gray Davis. SB 1368, by Sen. James Brulte, R-Cucamonga, provides new options to parents to diminish the abandonment of newborns. AB 2306, by Assemblyman Dean Flores, D-Shafter, provides an expansion of farm worker housing.

Another priority bill, AB 788, by Assemblyman Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, was vetoed by the governor and would have revised juvenile court law to focus on restorative justice in dealing with juvenile offenders.

Dolejsi, who gave legislators an overall grade of “C plus to B minus” for the session, was encouraged by the victories but viewed the failure of AB 2417, by Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, D-East Los Angeles, as one of the most difficult defeats. The bill would have eliminated the “sunset date” of Sept. 30, 2000 for the California Food Assistance Program, which provides food stamps for working families, and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, which provides cash to elderly and disabled immigrants. Both were programs created in response to federal welfare reform.

“It’s a significant disappointment that the Legislature could not find it in their hearts that those who are contributing mightily to our economy could not benefit from it,” Dolejsi said.

SB 1421, by Sen. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, and AB 1854, by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, twin bills that would have provided a tax reduction and wage supplement for low and moderate-income working families, failed to pass their committee hearings.

“We didn’t achieve a statewide earned income tax credit but we did have some recognition that the working poor should be able to avail themselves of federal law,” Dolejsi said.

Other Lobby Day bills decided during the current session dealt with life and health issues. As in prior years, efforts were unsuccessful to amend the state budget to require that a woman be fully informed regarding surgical risks prior to an abortion, and to deny funding for abortions provided for minors without parental consent.

But it was a bill presented during the last weeks of the legislative session that caused concern for Conference advocates.

SB 370, by Sen. John Burton, D-San Francisco, repeals the three penal code sections that make chemical and surgical abortions performed by a non-physician a felony. It also clarifies that any person who performs or assists in performing an abortion without a valid license to practice medicine is subject to criminal penalties under the Medical Practice Act. Davis signed the measure on Sept. 25.

The Conference expressed opposition to SB 370 based on its support of criminal statutes that punish those who are not physicians from providing either chemical or surgical abortions, viewing violations on this issue under Business and Professional Codes to typically be considered misdemeanors.

“(Legislators) ran a very serious matter of life and death through in the last weeks of the session without benefit of substantial discussion,” Dolejsi said.

The silver lining among life bills was that SB 1945, sponsored by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, which mandated that anti-abortion crimes and hate crimes be addressed “in concert” by law enforcement. The measure never made it to a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

While not specifically a Lobby Day issue, the Conference supported the Cal Grant bill, SB 1644 by Ortiz, that Davis signed into law Sept. 11. The bill guarantees college aid to needy students who finish public or private high schools with at least a C average.

“This was a huge win,” said Robert Teegarden, associate director for education for the Conference. “All children are being treated equally regardless of where they go to school.”

Another success was the passage of 10 separate bills creating massive teacher support programs ranging from housing allowances to a graduated state income tax credit for credentialed K-12 teachers, Teegarden said. Although original proposals were designed to apply only to public school teachers, the Conference argued successfully for inclusion of private school teachers in the legislation.

The Conference’s legislative priorities for the 2001-2002 legislative session will involve revisiting many of the issues confronted in the past year:

• Education. Besides continuing to address inequities faced by students and parents in private schools statewide, Dolejsi said the Conference will be “searching how we can contribute to society to fix the struggle that is public education right now.”

“There are a lot of children not getting a fair shake or a good education,” he said.

• Life issues. The agenda of pro-choice advocates and Planned Parenthood for legislative mandates on certain religious employers demand the Conference’s response, Dolejsi said.

“The challenge is in pursuit of religious freedom and the ability of the Catholic Church to operate social and health services with integrity in this society,” he stressed.

• Health care. The state budget for fiscal year 2000-2001 includes substantial support to health programs, including nearly $1 billion more for children’s health care insurance and programs. But the fact that 7.3 million Californians still don’t have health insurance places health care once again among first priority issues, Dolejsi said.

• Prison reform. Dolejsi also placed issues surrounding state prisons and rehabilitation of persons released from prisons on the 2001-2002 agenda.

“In a state where we have more people wandering the streets who were incarcerated than are currently in prison is a frightening statistic,” he said. “We need to find a way to provide people with an opportunity for work, with education and counseling services.”

• Welfare reform. Dolejsi said there are several federal and state welfare reform issues to be addressed involving the working poor and those on welfare.

“There are still people in this state who don’t take hunger seriously,” he said. “We have yet to have a real imperative saying children don’t have to be hungry when we have a booming economy and billions in surplus.”

The Conference has begun a campaign to encourage activism by the Catholic community statewide through the distribution of parish bulletin inserts in dioceses to raise awareness about significant issues related to Catholic social teaching. Planning has also begun for next year’s Lobby Day, set for April 24.

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