Aug. 19, 2019 show Dr. MaryClare Birmingham, executive director of the Archdiocese of Chicago's Kolbe House jail ministry, joins Bob to talk about the crucial importance of the first 72 hours after an inmate's release. Then, Sr. JoAnn Persch, a Sister of Mercy, talks about her recent arrest in Washington, D.C., during the Catholic Day of Action for Immigrant Children. Finally, ...
CCI Radio Hour: July 15, 2019
July 15, 2019 show Les Bernal, national director of Stop Predatory Gambling, joins Bob to talk about the deleterious personal and societal effects expected from the massive gaming expansion passed by the legislature this spring – up to six new casinos, including one in Chicago, slot machines at race tracks, legalized ...
CCI Radio Hour: June 17, 2019
June 17, 2019 show Juan Rangel, strategy director for Empower Illinois, the organization that awards Tax Credit Scholarships to most of the Catholic schools in Illinois, joins Bob to talk about the complete funding of the program in the new state budget despite earlier threats to diminish it. Next, Pat Winn, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rockford diocese, talks about ...
2019 legislative session marked by last-minute push on abortion, marijuana, gambling expansion, statewide construction program
Procrastination may be a part of human nature, but the Illinois legislature during the 2019 spring session elevated it to an art form. Illinois lawmakers in February gave newly-elected Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker a quick victory by speedily approving his campaign promise to increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2025. But then the pace of legislative action on major proposals slowed to a crawl until the final two weeks of session.
The Illinois Senate late tonight passed the misnamed "Reproductive Health Act" as embodied in Senate Bill 25 on a 34-20 vote, with three lawmakers voting "present." The House previously passed the measure, so the bill now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who previously has said he will sign it into law. Click here to
Illinois' Catholic bishops urge state Senate to reject 'Reproductive Health Act'
Illinois' six Catholic bishops today issued a statement urging the Illinois Senate to reject the "Reproductive Health Act." The extreme measure that overhauls the state's abortion laws passed the Illinois House yesterday, and is due to go before the Illinois Senate before the end of the legislative session on May 31. Read the statement below, or here in PDF form and
The Illinois House today passed the misnamed "Reproductive Health Act" on a 64-50 vote, with four lawmakers voting "present." The measure overhauls abortion law in Illinois and is now embodied in House Floor Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 25. The vote tally is here. The legislation now goes to the ...
Illinois’ six Catholic bishops today issued a statement on the end-of-session push to consider the so-called "Reproductive Health Act." The extreme legislation goes further than Roe v. Wade in stripping rights from the unborn child, and jeopardizes conscience protections for doctors, nurses and hospitals who refuse to participate in an abortion. The spring legislative session is set to end just days away, on May 31. The statement follows, and can
May 20, 2019 show Greg Schleppenbach, associate director of pro-life activities at the USCCB, joins Bob to talk about conscience protections afforded by new rules recently issued by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Next, Stanley Carlson-Thies, founder and senior director of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, talks about the religious freedom concerns of the Equality Act, which amends the ...
CCI Radio Hour: April 15, 2019
April 15, 2019 show Kathleen Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference, joins Bob to talk about the fall-out from that state’s passage of extreme abortion legislation in January. Next, Jenn Briemann, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, talks about how physician-assisted suicide legislation suddenly took off this spring. The Maryland House passed PAS legislation ...
