2019

    Catholic Church in Michigan Applauded for Pro-Life Efforts

    MCC and members of the Catholic community submit 379,418 total signatures to the Board of State Canvassers to end the second trimester dismemberment abortion procedure

    Michigan Catholic Conference is applauding the Catholic community in this state for gathering tens of thousands of signatures that are among 379,418 total signatures submitted to the Board of State Canvassers to end the second trimester dismemberment abortion procedure. “It cannot be overstated how grateful Michigan Catholic Conference is for the participation of the seven dioceses in the state and the hundreds of Catholic entities that worked to support this initiative,” MCC said in a news release. “The Catholic community has been engaged since day one, and the level of participation only escalated the more informed citizens became of the barbaric nature of this particular abortion procedure.”

    Committee Vote to Expand Payday Lending Will Further Harm Low-Income Residents, MCC Argues

    Legislation would allow for more borrowing at high interest rates

    A woman looks for money in a wallet that is obviously empty

    Despite federal statistics indicating that the practice of payday lending places low-income residents in the way of financial harm, the Michigan House Committee on Regulatory Reform passed legislation this morning that expands payday lending in the state by allowing consumers to borrow additional money at unreasonable rates. Opposing the legislation, MCC said the following: “It is our hope that if this legislation moves further through the process it can be amended to include a more reasonable interest rate and an honest evaluation of someone’s ability to repay the loan.”

    Response to Gov. Whitmer's Legal Brief in Nonpublic School Case

    Gov. Whitmer Relies on Archaic, Discriminatory Policy to Deny Health and Safety Fairness to All Michigan Students

    A teacher reads a story to a group of school children in uniform

    Governor Whitmer and Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Michael Rice are mischaracterizing provisions of the Michigan Constitution to prevent the state from reimbursing nonpublic schools for complying with mandated health and safety requirements, Michigan Catholic Conference stated in response to a legal brief from the governor’s office. “The days are becoming numbered for public officials to rely on a discriminatory provision of the constitution that treats nonpublic schools as second-class institutions,” MCC said.

    MCC Welcomes Federal Rule Change to Protect Religious Agencies

    A group of children playing outside and chasing bubbles

    On Friday, November 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule change that will ensure faith-based adoption and foster care agencies are neither discriminated against nor excluded from federal funding due to their religious mission. The proposed rule change reconsiders a 2016 rule that penalized faith-based entities for adhering to their religious teaching and placing children with a married mother and father.

    MCC Applauds Bipartisan Success to ‘Raise the Age’ in Michigan

    Democrat and Republican Cooperation Results in Juvenile Justice Reform

    A juvenil's hands reaching through the bars of a jail cell

    Currently, Michigan law requires all 17-year-olds to be charged automatically as an adult, regardless of the crime that has been committed. With the governor’s signature of the ‘Raise the Age’ bill package, Michigan joins 46 other states in the country that gives a judge the discretion to charge a 17-year-old as an adult based on the severity of the crime. “Michigan has just enacted good policy that will allow youths who commit lesser crimes to receive necessary resources at the juvenile court level,” MCC said in a statement.

    Whitmer Vetoes Funds for Pregnant Women, Nonpublic Schools

    A woman signing a sheet of paper

    Women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy will no longer have access to state funds for maternal and child well-being support from local non-profit organizations after Governor Gretchen Whitmer today vetoed $700,000 in funding for the Michigan Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program. In addition to eliminating funds to help women in crisis pregnancies, Governor Whitmer also vetoed from the state budget monies that help ensure health and safety protections for students enrolled in nonpublic schools. These cuts were among 147 line-item vetoes issued by Governor Whitmer today from departmental budgets previously passed by the legislature.

    MCC Honored With Three Top PACE Awards for PR Efforts

    David Maluchnik, MCC Vice President of Communications, speaks at a press conference at Monroe County Community College about Proposal 1

    The Central Michigan Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (CMPRSA) has recognized Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) for the second year in a row by honoring the organization with three top awards for excellence in public relations and communication. CMPRSA presented MCC a first-place Pinnacle Award in the Speeches category and two second-place Excellence Awards in the category of Newsletters and Guest Columns/Op-Eds.

    Governor’s Budget Applauded for EITC Increase, Yet Cuts to Pro-Life and Nonpublic School Policies Should be Reinstated

    A photo taken at dusk of the Michigan Capitol building

    Following Gov. Whitmer’s budget presentation on March 5, MCC applauded a proposal to increase the state Earned Income Tax Credit in an effort to benefit the state’s working poor. However, MCC will continue to advocate for important pro-life and nonpublic school policies that the governor proposed cutting in her budget recommendations.

    On the Death of John Dingell, 92

    A stone angel prays in a cemetery

    Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO Paul A. Long offered the following sentiments regarding the death of former U.S. congressman Mr. John Dingell: “The outpouring of sympathy and condolences following the death of John Dingell in no small way exemplifies the extent to which ‘The Dean’ influenced so many in this state and the nation’s capital.”