Legislative Statements & Testimony

Written Testimony of Mr. Ryan Hamilton, Government Affairs Associate

H.F. 879 (Frazier) Restore the Vote

February 23, 2021

Chair Mariani and Members of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee:

The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, is proud to be a part of the Restore the Vote Coalition and would like to express our support for Representative Frazier’s H.F. 879.

The Catholic Church has long been a vocal proponent of restorative justice and criminal rehabilitation. In 2000, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued the pastoral statement “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice.”

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Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee:

My name is Ryan Hamilton, and I am Government Relations Associate for the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.  The Church’s advocacy in the public arena is aimed at serving as a present voice in defense of human dignity and the common good.

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VIA ELECTRONIC DELIVERY

Hon. Rob Ecklund
Chair, Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee
Minnesota House of Representatives

RE: Support for H.F. 7 (Olson) (Earned Sick and Safe Time)   

Chair Ecklund and Members of the Committee,

The Minnesota Catholic Conferences is the public policy voice for the Catholic Church in Minnesota.  We write to express our support for H.F. 7 because we believe allowing employees to earn one hour of paid ESS time for every 30 hours worked would not only help family life, but also send the message that children and families are real priorities within our society.

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Hon. Zack Stephenson
Chair, Commerce Finance and Policy Committee
Minnesota House of Representatives

RE: Support for Section 4 of H.F. 11 (Schultz) (Citizenship Requirements of MinnesotaCare)   

Chair Stephenson and Members of the Committee:

We write to highlight and express our support for Section 4 of H.F. 11 which would make eligibility for MinnesotaCare available to undocumented noncitizens.

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VIA ELECTRONIC DELIVERY

Hon. Aisha Gomez
Chair, Preventing Homelessness Division Minnesota House of Representatives

RE: Support for H.F. 42 (Howard) (Emergency Services Program, Isolation Spaces and Housing Supports)

Chair Gomez and Members of the Committee:

We write to express our support for appropriating additional funding to combat homelessness. The need is urgent. According to our partners at Catholic Charities Twin Cities, the unsheltered population in the Twin Cities increased 50 percent between 2019 and 2020 and increased 32 percent in Greater Minnesota over that same period. COVID-19 has likely accelerated these trends and has created the additional need to isolate the homeless who test COVID-positive.

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Written Testimony of Mr. Ryan E. Hamilton, Esq.
Government Relations Associate for the Minnesota Catholic Conference
Minnesota House Commerce Committee
January 27, 2021

Chair Stephenson and Committee Members:

Peace be with you.  I write today on behalf of the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, in support of H.F. 102 (Davnie).

Many Minnesota families are struggling and live paycheck to paycheck. When these already strained families experience an unexpected expense, they may turn to payday lenders. However, the mere presence of a willing lender and willing consumer does not make a good bargain, especially when that lender demands a triple-digit interest rate.  MCC’s policy positions are based on respect for the inherent human dignity of all people and the pursuit of the common good.  This, in conjunction with Church teachings on economic justice, obligates us to question current payday lending practices, especially those that amount to modern-day usury.

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CALVARY CHAPEL DAYTON VALLEY,
Petitioner,
v.
STEVE SISOLAK, in his official capacity as Governor of Nevada, et al.,
Respondents.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Minnesota North District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, Samuel A. Fryer Yavneh Academy, Montebello Christian School, and Saint Joseph Academy (collectively, “amici”) are churches or religious schools who have been injured by COVID-19-related restrictions that singled out and treated religious worship and religious association disparately from similarly situated secular activities. Each amicus had to engage counsel and sue or threaten to sue its state or local government to vindicate its constitutional right to free exercise of religion. Each was successful in rolling back the disparate treatment it faced, to a point, but each remains subject to the specter of renewed dis-favor as public officials cast about for gatherings and activities they perceive as “low value” or having mini-mal economic impact that may be curtailed or banned in the name of “slowing the spread” of the novel coronavirus.

Amici understand the real and irreparable constitutional and religious injuries that Petitioner is experiencing and will continue to experience if this Court does not step in to protect Petitioner’s most cherished freedoms. Amici submit this brief to illustrate for the Court the pervasive, systematic, and nationwide ex-tent of antireligious government actions being taken in the name of public health and in misguided reliance upon this Court’s decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905).

 

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Dear Governor Walz, Lt. Governor Flanagan, Majority Leader Gazelka, Minority Leader Kent, Chair Pratt,

Chair Rosen, Speaker Hortman, Minority Leader Daudt, Chair Mahoney, and Chair Carlson,

The undersigned organizations urge your support for SF 4540/HF 4611, a bill introduced by Senator Melisa Franzen and Representative Aisha Gomez to establish an emergency community relief grant program to support Minnesotans who fall through the gaps of federal stimulus grants, unemployment insurance, and other relief programs.

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