“Why have you rejected the LORD and done evil in His sight?”

June 12, 2016 (Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)

“Why have you rejected the LORD and done evil in His sight?”

"The Church in Pennsylvania accepts its responsibility for the survivors of clergy sex abuse.  It’s committed to helping them heal for however long that takes.   But HB 1947 and bills like it are not an answer.  This kind of legislation is unjust and deeply misleading.  It benefits too few victims, and it ends up punishing Catholic parishes and families who are innocent of any wrongdoing" (Archbishop Chaput). 

How has the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg responded to HB 1947 and other pro life and pro marriage/family legislation (e.g., As per Pa Pro Life Online News (6/1/16), "Representative Steven Santarsiero (D-Bucks County) is circulating a co-sponsorship memo for a bill that would repeal Act 13 of 2013....Act 13 is the common sense law that ensures that no taxpayer funding of abortion will occur in the health insurance exchange created in Pennsylvania under Obamacare."   The Pa Pro Life Federation encourages us to OPPOSE HB 1336, as it would take away your right to vote for judges.)?

The Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg			As per the Pa Catholic Conference, “Please respect the concerns of all parties involved in adoption proceedings and vote no on HB 162 in its current form.”	As per the Pa Catholic Conference, "Ask your legislator to include the language of House Bill 1623 in the Fiscal Code.”	As per the Pa Catholic Conference,    “I am quite concerned that HB 1510/ SB 974 will run afoul of religious freedom and expose even more… to discrimination. Please  oppose the bill in its current form.”	As per the Pa Catholic Conference, “Please represent me by voting yes on House Bill 1948.” (SB 888)	As per the Pa Catholic Conference, HB 1947 “would not apply to public schools or government agencies....a legislative remedy must protect all children, not simply penalize some institutions” (i.e., Vote NO on HB 1947).
R	145	Rep Craig Staats	Voted Yea	Co-sponsor		Co-sponsor	Voted Yea
D	141	Rep Tina Davis	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	18	Rep Gene DiGirolamo	Voted Yea				------------
R	142	Rep Frank Farry	Voted Yea				Voted Yea
D	140	Rep John Galloway	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	29	Rep Bernie O’Neill	Voted Yea				Voted Yea
R	178	Rep Scott Petri	------------		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	143	Rep Marguerite Quinn	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
D	31	Rep Steve Santarsiero	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	144	Rep Kathy Watson	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	12	Sen Stewart Greenleaf
R	10	Sen Chuck McIlhinney			Co-sponsor
R	24	Sen Bob Mensch				Co-sponsor
R	6	Sen Robert Tomlinson

Click to Email all of Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg on the above and other pro life and pro marriage/family matters.


As per the USCCB, "The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage....The Act is needed because of growing intolerance toward religiously-minded individuals and organizations who want to live by their conviction that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage....it is vital that Congress act now to prevent similar intolerance at the federal level.  How is the Pennsylvania Delegation in DC responding to the First Amendment Defense Act and other legislative advocacy from the USCCB and its partner agency? 

Pa’s Delegation in D.C.	The 2016 Omnibus spending bill FAILED to include the Abortion Non-Discri-mina-tion Act, but passed  the   House and  Senate.	As per the USCCB’s “partner organi-zation,” Support the Con-science Protec-tion Act  (HR 4828/S 2927)	As per the USCCB, Support CWPIA (Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act; HR 1299/ S667)	“If passed, the [Maloney] amendments could infringe upon religious liberty of federal contractors, critics say” (CNA / EWTN News, 5/27/16).		As per the USCCB, Support FADA (First Amend-ment Defense Act; HR2802/ S1598)	As per the USCCB, Oppose “confi-scation of Christian lands in Cremisan Valley”	As per the USCCB, Oppose HR 4731
				See Final Vote Results for Roll Call 226	See Final Vote Results for Roll Call 258
1.    Bob Brady (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
2.    Chaka Fattah (D)	Voted Yea
3.    Mike Kelly (R)	Voted Noe		Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
4.    Scott Perry (R)	Voted Noe			Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
5.    Glenn Thompson (R)	Voted Yea		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
6.    Ryan Costello (R)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
7.    Pat Meehan  (R)	Voted Noe			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
8.    Mike  Fitzpatrick (R)	Voted Yea	Co- Sponsor	Co-Sponsor	Voted Yea	Voted Yea
9.    Bill Shuster (R)	Voted Noe			Voted Noe	Voted Noe
10.  Tom Marino  (R)	Voted Noe		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
11.  Lou Barletta  (R)	Voted Noe		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe
12.  Keith Rothfus (R)	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor	Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
13.  Brendan Boyle (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
14.  Michael Doyle (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
15.  Charlie Dent  (R)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
16.  Joseph Pitts   (R)	Voted Yea	Co- Sponsor	Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
17.  Matthew Cartwright (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
18.  Tim Murphy  (R)	Voted Yea		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
·     Bob Casey (D)	Voted Yea
·     Pat Toomey   (R)	Voted Noe

Four Pa Republicans twice crossed party lines in May 2016 to join with Democrats Bob Brady, Brendan Boyle, Michael Doyle, and Matthew Cartwright, in voting AGAINST religious freedom. Click to Email U.S. Representatives Ryan Costello, Patrick Meehan, Mike Fitzpatrick, and Charlie Dent, specifically to express dismay at their ''Maloney Amendment'' votes and to ask for Co-Sponsorship/Support of the First Amendment Defense Act.

Click to Email Pa's Congressional Delegation, asking for Co-Sponsorship/Support of legislation backed by the USCCB and/or the NCHLA.