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The Washington Office: the voice of Presbyterian public policy


	Witness in Washington Weekly Subscribe to Witness in Washington Weekly A weekly email update of legislation before Congress and the related Presbyterian policy. Presented in a brief format with links to more information. These updates are sent only when Congress is in session. Recent issues of Witness in Washington Weekly are available for download and printing.


	July 2008 July 21, 2008 This week’s messages are— Take Action: Tell Senate to Pass Jubilee Act Foster Care Bill Passes House Romans 13:8-10 – Love for One Another July 14, 2008 This week’s messages are— Urge your Senators to Pass the Global AIDS Reauthorization Act of 2008 What Happened to Appropriations? Psalm 5:1-8 - Trust in God for Deliverance from Enemies July 8, 2008 The 218th General Assembly met in San Jose, California, June 20-28. In addition to the debates about ordination and sexuality that have attracted the most attention from the press and the wider church, the General Assembly addressed several issues of social justice and peacemaking with public policy implications. Among the issues the Assembly spoke about were homelessness, voting rights, human rights in Colombia and the Philippines, bringing peace to Iraq, including Iraqi refugees and Iraqi women, the problem of military contractors, Hurricane Katrina recovery, climate change, serious mental illness, Israel/Palestine, the global food crisis, conscientious objection, immigration detention centers, abortion, single-payer health care and diplomacy with Iran. The Washington Office is working to update the “Christian and Citizen” resource with the new policy statements and will alert the wider church when the updated resource is prepared. Congress returns from the Fourth of July recess this week for a one-month flurry of activity before adjourning for the long break in August in which both parties will hold their national conventions and officially choose their presidential nominees. This month and a one-month legislative session in September will be the last chances for productivity in Congress before the elections, as the fall will be occupied with campaigning. Several bills, including all of the fiscal year 2009 appropriations bills, have yet to be completed, so Congress has a huge pile of work and not much time in which to accomplish its task. This week’s messages are: Urge Congress: Talk, Not War, with Iran Expand the Child Tax Credit t Families Who Earn Too Little to Receive It Romans 8: 26-30 – The Spirit Intercedes for the Saints June 2008 June 16, 2008 The Presbyterian Washington Office will be closed Friday, June 20 through Friday, June 27 so that the staff can attend the General Assembly in San Jose, California. Our preparation for GA and our attendance throws into question our availability to publish the Witness in Washington Weekly on Monday, June 23 and June 30, but we will do our best to follow legislation in Washington those weeks and publish the WWW. This week’s messages are: Have You Called in Sick This Year? Climate Debate Follow-Up Register Now: 2008 Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference Matthew 17: 14-21 – Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed

	Published by the Witness in Washington Weekly advocacy program of the Washington Office, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington D.C. 20002, (202) 543-1126. For more information about the content of these articles, please email us.


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