Legislative Statements & Testimony

  • MN Bishops Urge House Support of Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants

    Posted by · March 25, 2019 12:53 PM

    Dear Members:

    Peace be with you. We, the bishops of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, write in support of H.F. 1500, which will provide a pathway for our undocumented brothers and sisters to obtain driver’s licenses. Enacting this legislative proposal is long overdue; there is urgency to act.

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  • Letter of Testimony: Labor Laws

    Posted by · March 19, 2019 1:58 PM

    Testimony of Mr. Jason A. Adkins, Esq.
    Minnesota House Ways and Means Committee
    Jobs and Economic Development Finance Division

    The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, submits this testimony in support of wage theft protections for workers (HF 6 (Mahoney)), and earned sick and safe time legislation (HF 11 (Lesch)).  Though we do not specifically endorse the paid family leave legislation being heard today (HF 5 (Halverson)), we commend it as a reasonable approach to addressing an urgent need for workers and families. On this Feast of St. Joseph, patron saint of laborers, we urge you to keep these worker protections moving forward.

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  • Letter of Testimony: Immigrant Driver’s License

    Posted by · February 28, 2019 10:45 AM

    Testimony of Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens
    Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
    HF 1500 (Winkler)
    House Ways and Means Committee
    Transportation Finance and Policy Division
    February 28, 2019

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  • Letter of Testimony: Protective order to prevent gun violence

    Posted by · February 27, 2019 2:25 PM

    Testimony of Mr. Jason Adkins, Executive Director
    House Ways and Means Committee
    Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Division
    HF 9 (Richardson)

    The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, supports H.F. 9 (Richardson), which allows for the issuance of a protective order to prevent gun violence.  The legislation is a common-sense measure consistent with the principle that rights should be exercised responsibly.  It is time to put aside gun ideology and come together to protect the right to life.

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  • Letter of Testimony: Opportunity to see ultrasound before an abortion procedure

    Posted by · February 21, 2019 2:29 PM

    Testimony of Mr. Jason Adkins, Executive Director
    Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee
    SF 1168 (Benson)

    The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, supports S.F. 1168, which helps clarify that women do have the opportunity to see an ultrasound before an abortion procedure.

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  • Letter of Support: Addiction Treatment and Recovery Programs, and Opioid Prevention

    Posted by · February 12, 2019 2:13 PM

    Dear Members of the House Government Operations Committee,

    The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice for the Catholic Church in Minnesota, writes to express its support of H.F. 400 (Olson).  This legislation will fund many needed treatment and recovery programs to help those who are currently fighting addiction, while also expanding opioid prevention programs across the state.

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  • Letter of Request: Hold Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Responsible in Opioid Crisis

    Posted by · April 19, 2018 3:00 PM

    April 19, 2018

    The Honorable Julie Rosen
    Minnesota Senate
    95 University Avenue W.
    Minnesota Senate Bldg., Room 3235
    St. Paul, MN 55155

    Dear Senator Rosen,

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  • Letter of Testimony: Deep Concerns Over Medicaid/Medical Assistance Bill

    Posted by · March 29, 2018 3:00 PM

    March 29, 2018

    Dear Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee:

    We write to express our deep concerns about SF 3611.  There are better ways to move people on Medicaid/Medical Assistance into the workforce than requiring work as a condition for health insurance.

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  • Response to MMA revisions of the Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form

    Posted by · December 06, 2017 1:00 PM

    Recently, the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) released a new version of its POLST (Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form, and the question was raised whether it addressed our objections to its use as outlined in the Minnesota Catholic Conference statement “Stewards of the Gift of Life.”  In short, the changes to the form do not address our core concerns with the POLST paradigm.  There are better ways to implement advance-care planning consistent with Catholic medical ethics that avoid the limitations of POLST, which presents different care options as ethically neutral, when the morality of those decisions can differ significantly depending on the circumstances.

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