Five months into the 116th Congress and FCNL is off to a running start with a large portfolio of bills. So far, it passed one bill and dozens more have been introduced in Congress. As bills are being introduced, FCNL staff lobbyists are also actively working to ensure that the Fiscal Year 2020 federal spending bills reflect our values as people of faith.
This includes fully funding climate and energy action programs, funding the Puerto Rico Food Assistance Program, stopping any increase in government spending for immigrant detention and deportation, and reining in the Pentagon budget.
The bills that were passed and signed during this period are:
To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress (S.J. Res. 7), a bill that passed the 116th Congress but was vetoed by the president on April 16, 2019. The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (Public Law 115-441), passed by the 115th Congress and was signed into law on Jan. 14, 2019.
“I can’t recall a time when we had so many bills being considered at the start of a new Congress—and with more on the way,” said Jim Cason, FCNL’s associate executive secretary of strategic advocacy. “This is a testament to the growing influence of our advocacy network and the expertise of our staff lobbyists.”
FCNL is currently working on the following bills, arranged according to the vision statement. Bills advocating peace tops our list.
We seek a world free of war and the threat of war
- To Establish the Policy of the United States Regarding the No-first-use of Nuclear Weapons (H.R. 921/S. 272)
- Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2019 (H.R. 669/S. 200)
- Hold the Low-Yield Nuclear Explosive (LYNE) Act (H.R. 1086/S. 401)
- Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act (H.R. 2354/S. 1039)
- Global Fragility Act (H.R. 2116/S. 727)
- Repeal of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (H.R. 1274)
- Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act (H.R. 1004)
- Calling for a Formal End of the Korean war (H. Res. 152)
- New START Policy Act of 2019 (S. 845)
- Expressing the sense of Congress regarding restoring United States bilateral assistance to the West Bank and Gaza (S. Res. 171)
- American Forces Going Home After Noble (AFGHAN) Service Act (S.J. Res. 12)
We seek a society with equity and justice for all
- Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2019 (H.R. 8/S. 42)
- For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 949)
- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585)
- Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment (SURVIVE) Act (H.R. 1351/S. 211)
- Savanna’s Act (S. 227)
- Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 1714)
- American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6)
We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled
- Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Act (H.R. 2168/S. 1074)
- The Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 217)
- American Family Act (H.R. 1560)
Community and Public Health Programs Extension Act (S. 192)
We seek an earth restored
- Climate Action Now Act (H.R. 9), which passed the House of Representatives on May 2, 2019
- Several possible climate and environment bills are being monitored
More bills that we are advocating for will be introduced in the coming weeks.