News and Alerts

We Believe

by UU FA Office

We Believe Holiday

Dear UULMNJ Family,

The fifteen-foot sign on the front of Macy’s flagship store says “Believe.” It doesn’t indicate what we should believe, just believe. Perhaps it is in response to the season, but despite the commercialism, the sign does make me pause and reflect. One belief I hold most dear is that our role as people of faith is to be a positive force in the world, and that this role is intrinsic to our being. It doesn’t matter what religion we profess. I believe human beings are inherently wired to do good. The endorphins released when we commit an act of kindness is a good indication of our true human nature.

Sometimes believing in the goodness of human beings is hard.  Looking over the past year, there are too many episodes of violence, cruelty and human depravity, too many mongers of hate and cynicism. Our deepest doubts and fears are fed every time we read the paper or hear a newscast. Sometimes it is hard to believe in the goodness of people. But I can’t stop believing.

Everyday, I am filled with hope. Everyday, I am surrounded by people who manifest their goodness through actions designed to benefit perfect strangers. Everyday, I see people so moved by their compassion that they give tirelessly to bring about a little change. Everyday, I see people carve a little time out of their overly complicated and committed lives, to move our society a little closer toward a more just world. This is because everyday, I get to work with you, our UULMNJ community. And I believe.

Your generosity fills my heart with awe, wonder, and gratitude. I am in awe of our collective capabilities. I wonder what our world will look like for tomorrow’s generation because of our work today. And most of all, I am grateful for the goodness of your human spirit. Thank you for your gifts.

May your New Year be filled with all that the season inspires. May you be in awe of what good people can accomplish together. May you be filled with the human capacity to love. And above all, may you always, always believe.

Faithfully,
Rev Craig Signature
Rev. Craig Hirshberg
Executive Director, UULMNJ

ACTION ALERT: Bills for Criminal Justice, Immigration Reform, Environmental Protection and Afford Housing!

by UU FA Office

Dear Friends,

With the holidays quickly approaching there is a race to pass important bills before the current legislative session expires. Your action is needed to ensure that legislation UU task forces have worked on this year don’t expire along with the session. Bills will be coming up for a vote very soon, some tomorrow, from many of our task forces. Contact your elected representatives today!

State Senate President Steve Sweeney will post S2444, the Renewable Energy Transition Act (RETA) for a floor vote on Thursday, December 17. S2444 is the Renewable Energy Transition Act (RETA).  As amended by the Senate environment and energy committee, RETA establishes new “Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).  These require each electric power supplier to annually increase the percentage of renewable energy — notably solar electric — within the mix of power being produced and sold by year 2050 80% of electric energy consumed in the state is provided by renewable energy sources.  Write your senator for support.

S2806 is up for a Senate vote this Thursday, Dec. 17. This bill removes the ban on NJ General Assistance grants to former drug offenders. UULMNJ provided testimony in support of this bill on December 10. Read the testimony here then write your senator and ask them to support S2806.

 

S1771/A4576 requires the lowest possible cost for inmate telephone calls from all State and county correctional facilities and immigrant detention centers.  This reforms the price gouging of a captive clientele, often far from family and with no recourse.  This bill is due for a vote in the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday, December 21 before it can reach the Senate floor. Ask your senator to support this bill.

S1279/A2325 makes a FY 2016 supplemental Grants-in-Aid appropriation of $10,000,000 to the Department of Community Affairs. The Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund provides funding to address lead-based paint in New Jersey in a comprehensive and focused manner. Ask your representatives to protect New Jersey’s children from dangerous lead poisoning.

 

Another bill that may see action is S2399/A3989, requiring every NJ State, county and municipal law enforcement officer to wear a body camera.  This important bill has been buried under the radar for well over a year and is now up for a vote in the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee on Jan. 7.  We believe this bill is insufficient as stands and are in conversation with Senator Ray Lesniak to make revisions. We will keep you updated as there is progress.

Thank you for your continued dedication to ensuring that the voice of Unitarian Universalism is heard in New Jersey.

In Faith,

Rev. Craig Hirshberg

Executive Director, UULMNJ

2015 Top 10 UULMNJ Moments

by UU FA Office

It has been a red letter year for UULMNJ! Despite a fairly inactive legislative year, the Legislative Ministry remained hands on in advocating for a more just New Jersey. Take a look at some of our Top 10 Moments of 2015:

Joint Boards Release Statement Dismantling Racism

The UULMNJ is committed to the Black Lives Matter movement and to ending the systematic oppression faced by people of color in our country and the State of New Jersey. In this we are motivated by the moral imperative of our covenant to affirm and promote the principles that are the uniting basis of our faith community.

Calling for Paid Sick Leave for All

Thanks to the unwavering resolve of our coalition partners, we were able to secure passage of landmark legislation including Paid Family Leave and the minimum wage increase.

A Celebration of our Faith, Equality, Compassion and Justice Through Song

The 1st Annual New Jersey MUUsic Festival at Morristown Unitarian Fellowship benefited the work of the Legislative Ministry. Over 100 musicians participated in the first ever NJ UU All-State Ensemble in March.

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NJ Supreme Court Decision on Affordable Housing

In March, the New Jersey Supreme Court reaffirmed that no town in New Jersey may exclude working families, low-income seniors, and people with special needs.

Standing with Planned Parenthood for Reproductive Justice

In June, our Reproductive Justice Task Force made a statement of support for Planned Parenthood after vicious attacks hit the media. UULMNJ also allied with Planned Parenthood for a Legislative Summit at the State House with Sen. Loretta Weinberg.

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Bipartisan Heroin Treatment Bill Passes

Our Criminal Justice Reform Task Force had a busy year which included work on juvenile justice, solitary confinement, and this bill for medication assisted treatment of heroin addiction.

March Against Police Brutality in Newark

1,500 people showed up in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in July. 150 UUs represented 14 congregations from across the state.

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Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Domestic Gun Violence

Executive Director, Rev. Craig Hirshberg, met with Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and other lawmakers to discuss legislation to protect women and children from domestic abusers with firearms.

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Rev. Craig Hirshberg Joins Criminal Justice Panel with Senator Cory Booker

Seeking to cut government spending on incarcerating non-violent criminals, Senator Booker calls on his colleagues to “redirect resources into community policing and public defense” and a radical expansion of federally funded human services programs.

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First NJ Legislative Hearing on the Legalization of Marijuana

Rev. Hirshberg was the only clergy to testify in this closed Senate Judiciary hearing. She is seen below with NJ-NAACP president Richard Smith, ACLU-NJ executive director Udi Ofer, and President of the New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutor’s Association, Jon Henry Barr at a pre-hearing press conference.

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Providing Testimony in Support of S2806

by UU FA Office

Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey In Support of S2806

Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee

December 10, 2015

 

Thank you for the opportunity to address this Committee in support of S2806.  My name is Deb Ellis and I am testifying on behalf of Rev. Craig Hirshberg, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey (UULMNJ), who unfortunately could not be here today. I represent Unitarian Universalist congregations throughout the State of New Jersey.  As people of faith, we believe that the exclusion of people with drug convictions from the opportunity to participate in Work First New Jersey General Assistance program is a violation of a just and democratic society. The exclusions conflicts with basic Unitarian Universalist moral values including: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice and equity; and compassion in human relations.

As Unitarian Universalists, the first principle of our faith is our belief that each individual has inherent worth and dignity. “Inherent” means that the worth of an individual does not have to be earned – it is present in each of us. As a consequence, we strongly believe that the General Assistance exclusion should be repealed because individuals who have been convicted of drug offenses have the same worth and dignity as all other people and thus should have the same opportunity to become productive citizens once they have repaid their debt to society. Under current law, people are disqualified from receiving General Assistance if they have been convicted of distributing even small amounts of marijuana. When we make mistakes, each of us deserves a second chance and the opportunity to rebuild our lives through participation in work programs like Work First New Jersey.

Second, we support S2806 because justice and equity are central to our Unitarian Universalist faith. Our belief that the “Beloved Community” must be realized through human effort requires our attention to how we share the wealth of our planet. We believe that there is a societal obligation to ensure that all people are able to obtain for themselves and their families the basic material needs of food, shelter, and safety. This Legislature’s action in 1997 to exclude from General Assistance benefits only those individuals who had drug convictions was part of the now discredited War on Drugs which resulted in mass incarceration and deprivation of civil and human rights for millions of U. S. citizens. Moreover, the War on Drugs extremely disproportionately focused on people of color. As people of faith, we believe that in order to have a just society, every part of the War on Drugs must now be remedied. Enacting S2806 is an important step in dismantling the injustices of the War on Drugs.

Our final reason for supporting S2806 is our Unitarian Universalist faith belief in compassion in human relations. As you know, S2806 would enable individuals with drug convictions to be eligible for the extremely low cash benefit of General Assistance (capped at $140 per month or $210 per month for those unable to work). Even though the amount is low, being able to receive General Assistance can literally be the difference between life and death, being sheltered or homeless. This is because recipients who are homeless or might become homeless can also receive Emergency Assistance, which can be used to pay for shelter stays and rental assistance. Without this help, many excluded individuals are forced to live in tent cities, abandoned buildings, or become institutionalized in hospitals or jails.

When the General Assistance exclusion was adopted in 1997, individuals with drug convictions were also excluded from food stamps and medical care. However, the rules for NJ’s Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program programs have been changed so that individuals with drug convictions have access to the life-saving assistance of food and health care. As the winter cold descends and in celebration of the holiday season, isn’t it time to also give these individuals access to shelter and the chance to rebuild their lives by participating in Work First New Jersey? As Unitarian Universalists, we believe so.

For all these reasons, I urge you to support S2806. Thank you for your attention.

A Meditation for Our Planet

by UU FA Office

The greatest threat to our planet quote image (600x300)

As we gather here in this loving and peaceful place, let us remember that in Paris, leaders from approximately 200 nations of the world have gathered in that city of light which was so recently wracked by terrorist violence, to do something which has never happened before in the history of the planet but which may be necessary for preventing catastrophic climate change around the world.

Our thoughts, our hearts, and our prayers go out to those negotiators engaged in with some called last best hope for humanity.

This time we are not talking about nuclear weapons but about the need for the nations, led by the United States and China, to craft a treaty for the enforceable reductions of greenhouse gas emissions that are already melting the ice caps and threatening to make much of the earth uninhabitable, such as our great coastal cities they will be flooded within the lifetimes of our children if not our own, and — as Pope Francis has reminded us — which threaten the poorest people and the poorest nations with disaster.

We are encouraged by Pres. Obama’s leadership in the face of strident deniers whom we must embrace and work to convince them of the collective needs of all humanity for success in Paris and in our daily lives.

-Bill Potter, Environmental Protection Task Force, Chair

 

Follow the events in Paris at http://www.cop21.gouv.fr/en/

ACTION ALERT: Over-ride Veto of S2360/A359

by UU FA Office

Earlier this year, a common sense gun violence prevention bill passed the Assembly by a 74-0 vote (with six lawmakers not voting on the bill) and it cleared the Senate by a 38-0 (with two senators not voting).  S2360/A359 would require local law enforcement officers to be alerted when people who have been committed to a psychiatric facility ask a judge to expunge the record of treatment from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System so they may buy a firearm.  We have seen too many mass shootings in this country perpetrated by people with mental health issues and easy access to firearms.

Unfortunately for the people of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie, who is in the midst of a presidential campaign, vetoed this bill on August 10 of this year. Our governor is missing out on the opportunity to protect New Jerseyans from gun violence, having also vetoed a bill that would take guns out of the hands of dangerous domestic abusers.  Lawmakers have yet to overturn a Christie veto since the governor took office in 2010.

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No senator voted against this bipartisan bill in March, but only two GOP senators — Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) and Christopher Connors (R-Ocean) — voted to override fellow Republican Christie in a previous vote to over-ride in September.  Two senators — Theresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) — were absent. Two other senators, Christopher Bateman (R-Somerset) and Anthony R. Bucco (R-Morris) did not vote. The effort fell two votes shy, with a 25-11 vote. Twenty-seven votes are needed to override a veto in the 40-member Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, who hold 24 seats.

Senate President  Stephen Sweeney vowed to get the veto over-ride passed, telling the senate “I am committing to you right now: be prepared to vote on this for many sessions.” He is holding to his word as another vote to over-ride Governor Christie’s veto has been set for this Thursday. A yes vote on this could go a long way to protecting children from mass and random shootings.

The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of NJ is committed to passing common sense gun laws that would protect the people of our state and so we ask you to e-mail or call your legislators today and urge them to VOTE YES on this override, particularly if you are represented by a Republican. The time to act is NOW.

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#GivingTuesday is December 1!

by UU FA Office

pet survey (480x1200)#GivingTUUsday 2015: Growing Justice & Equality

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.

In 2014, the UU Legislative Ministry of NJ had it’s first ever Giving Tuesday campaign. Hundreds of impressions were made and new supporters engaged on social media with our #unselfie sharing and inspiring quotes. The average gift to UULMNJ on #GivingTuesday 2014 was $40. The average Giving Tuesday gift was $154, worldwide. In 2015 we hope to make the global mark! One peer to peer fundraiser raised $400 in small gift friends and family who were not previous supporters of UULMNJ, or even New Jersey residents!

UULMNJ has received a matching grant. So every dollar you donate will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $5,000!

So how can you get involved? Be #Unselfie. DONATE TODAY!

  • Will you be getting some great deals at the cash register this weekend? Why not donate the amount you saved to a cause you care about.
  • Become a UULMNJ fundraiser! Ask your friends to match your gift or to give to your favorite cause in lieu of a holiday gift. Copy and paste the message below, make a few personalizations, and send it on to your friends and family, then see how quickly your one donation multiplies! Tell them why you support the work of UULMNJ.
  • After donating on the web, share your donation on social media by clicking on a share icon! It’s incredible how contagious generosity is with just a little motivation. 30% of online donors made a contribution because a friend or coworker shared on Facebook, Twitter, or other social site.
  • Find a quote on a UULMNJ social site and share with your friends. Not only will you both feel better after an inspiring message, but you will have helped spread the voice of our organization in a single click!
  • Share our #GivingTuesday video with your friends.  Follow this link then use a YouTube share function.
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Laurice Grae-Hauck is the Outreach Coordinator of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of NJ.