Lobby Day, May 12, 2010
Our Legislative Event,
the 3rd Annual Lobby Day on May 12th, was a success! This year we partnered with Protestants for the Common Good and the United Voices for Children. In attendance this year were a couple of men and Susie Johnson, GBGM-Women's Division.
Laura Dean Friedrich led the participants in a powerful workshop on lobbying. At the conclusion, we went to the offices of our representatives. Although those we went to see were not in, we left our platform asking for the following support:
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HB 6462 Removes child victims of commercial sexual exploitation from the purview of the criminal courts, removes outdated references to "juvenile prostitutions" from the criminal code, ensures a swift protection response on the part of law enforcement, and directs these children to protective care. Also prevents pimps from escaping prosecution by claiming they were unaware of a child's age.
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HB 537 Closes a loophole in the Payday Loan Reform Act of 2005 and caps interest rates for longer-term Consumer Installment Loans (CILA) at 36% to 99%. It also establishes a data base for tracking and eliminates balloon payments and prevents the cycle of debt caused by frequent re-financing.
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Call for a responsible budget
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HB 174 Raises the personal income tax from 3 to 5%, expands sales tax to some luxury services, increases the corporate inform tax, includes property tax relief and increases the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low and moderate income family.