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Legislative Priorities

The Missouri IMPACT Board of Directors has set the priorities listed below for the 2010 legislative session. Updates on each of these issues will be sent to MO IMPACT Partners for Justice every Friday throughout the legislative session (January-May).

Tax Reform/Tax Justice

Theological premise:  God's Righteousness intends and God's Justice requires that every child of God will have access to the means necessary for a fulfilled life and that the resources of life will be equitably shared.

IMPACT acknowledges that Missouri continues to be in a deep financial crisis and ranks 47th among the 50 states in state tax collections while ranking 11th in median household income.  Over the past several years, Missouri has cut more than $5 billion in state services to education, health care, mental health care, and child welfare services.  IMPACT will oppose all efforts to cut taxes and reduce state revenues.  IMPACT will support increased state individual income and state corporate income taxes that will produce more adequate revenue to meet the basic needs of its citizens and promote the common good with taxes that are just and fair and based upon ability to pay.  IMPACT believes that tax revenues are the primary source of Missouri's investment in the well being of its citizens and the common good of all.  In summary, IMPACT shares the conviction of Missourians for Tax Justice that Missouri's income tax structure is "outdated, inadequate, and inequitable".

Health Care Reform

Theological premise:  God desires wholeness in body, mind, and spirit, for all members of the human family; God's justice mandates special provision for the poor and vulnerable.

IMPACT joins with Faithful Reform in Health Care, a national interfaith coalition, in a vision of "a society where each person is afforded health, wholeness, and human dignity.  That vision embraces a health care system that is inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable."

IMPACT continues to work for restoration of the Medicaid funding cuts of 2005.  IMPACT decries the fact that almost 800,000 Missourians are uninsured and that almost 10 people in this state die each week due to lack of health insurance.

IMPACT has joined the Missouri Health Care for All initiative, a non-partisan, grassroots movement launched by faith and community leaders committed to providing access to affordable, high-quality health care for all Missourians.

Education

Theological premise:  The pursuit of knowledge and the quest for truth are essential for a vital faith and for vibrant life in a free society.

IMPACT affirms that public school education is every child's civil right.  Public education is the cornerstone of our social, economic, and political structure and is of utmost significance in the development of our moral, ethical, and cultural values.  Missouri IMPACT calls upon its members and partners to support positive legislative action which increases and fairly distributes funding for public education.

Restorative Justice

Theological premise:  All human beings, even those who have committee grievous wrongs, are loved by God and, by God's grace, can be transformed.  Likewise, God created humans to live in community and to be in peace and harmony with one another and the human family.

What is Restorative Justice:  Restorative justice is about giving all parties involved in a conflict the opportunity to take an active role in a safe and respectful process that allows open dialogue between the victim, offender and the community.  For offenders, it is about taking responsibility and being held accountable for the harm caused.  For victims, it provides an opportunity to talk about the harm caused and ask questions that may be necessary as a part of the healing process.   For communities surrounding the victim and offender, it provides an understanding of the root causes of the conflict.

MO IMPACT seeks to support not only legislative changes but wholesome changes in the juvenile and adult justice systems, in school policies, neighborhoods and communities where clearly the implementation of restorative principles and practices can make for a more peaceful and wholesome community life.

DEATH PENALTY:  IMPACT has also historically gone on record in opposition to the death penalty for the following reasons:

  • The conviction that it is a moral offense and is fundamentally incompatible with our commitment to peace and justice;
  • The lack of evidence that it is a deterrent to violent crime and murder;
  • The lack of fairness in administering the death penalty; and
  • The perpetration of violence by the state contributes to a culture of violence.

The concept of restorative justice must be incorporated in all levels of the criminal justice system in the state of Missouri.

Immigration

Theological premise:  Our faith traditions reveal God's special concern, i.e., God's bias, for the poor, the marginalized, and the sojourner in our midst.

IMPACT believes that all people should be treated with dignity and respect; that all human beings have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and that all persons have the right not to be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.  In keeping with these principles as it relates to current and future Missouri legislation we affirm that:

  • Undocumented immigrants need an opportunity to integrate into the community in which they live;
  • Immigration laws need to be reformed to reflect our economy's needs; and
  • Missouri should offer basic humanitarian assistance, such as food and health care, without regard to legal status.

Predatory Lending

Theological premise:  Usury and other forms of economic exploitation of the poor and vulnerable are condemned by our faith traditions.

IMPACT is a member of the Consumer Protection Coalition formed by GRO - Grass Roots Organizing, who report:

  • Missouri ranks fifth among states in payday loans per capita;
  • The average Missouri payday loan carried a 422% APR in 2006; and
  • Missouri has four times as many payday lenders as McDonald's restaurants.

IMPACT will continue to monitor the implementation of legislation affecting the payday loan industry while exploring additional areas where the working poor are preyed upon by unscrupulous lenders.

 

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