Minnesota Partners Bring Anti-Poverty Campaign to State Capitol

“Justice We Pursue” was the theme of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition’s annual day on Capitol Hill. JRLC is one of the Minnesota groups working on the Half in Ten campaign. Its day on the hill has always been focused on state-level policies, but this year it used the Half in Ten logo on its outreach materials and on the jumbo screen at the convening and briefing sessions. Brian Rusche, executive direction of JRLC, spoke to the 750 participants about Half in Ten and our fairly new A Minnesota Without Poverty campaign.

The day’s issues focused on legislation JRLC wants to advance this year and cuts it wants to prevent during yet another big state budget shortfall, including: The development of a poverty impact statement to measure whether major legislation would increase or decrease the number of Minnesotans in poverty. This was tabled for this session because even $50,000 is too much in a budget that will be cut by $1 billion. Starting Ladders out of Poverty—a legislative workgroup that will take the ideas outlined by JRLC’s Legislative Commission to End Poverty around asset development and turn them into specific legislative proposals. So far so good.

The people of Islamic, Jewish, and Christian faiths who showed up for Day on the Hill met with 75 legislators in person and with another 30 legislative staff members. Those same participants are now being asked to hold in-district meetings, continue lobbying their legislators, and participate in candidate forums. JRLC has developed questions to be asked of gubernatorial candidates and is encouraging members to press candidates on their views both during public forums and one-on-one encounters.

Affirmative Options, another Half in Ten partner in Minnesota, has meanwhile been working on ensuring that Minnesota’s congressional delegation continues to hear about the importance and urgency of approving extensions of the emergency funding for the Temporary Assistance for Need Families program.