2012

JCPAJEWISH COUNCILFOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

THE JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JCPA) serves as the representative voice of the organized American Jewish community in addressing the principal mandate of the Jewish community relations field and works to repair the world through Jewish activism. The JCPA functions as a catalyst that heightens community awareness, encourages civic and social involvement, and deliberates key issues of importance to the Jewish community. For more than sixty-five years, the JCPA has identified issues, formulated policy, developed strategies and programs, and expressed the organized Jewish community’s perspectives on a wide range of domestic and international issues. The JCPA has an unparalleled capacity to mobilize grassroots activism through our network of 14 national and 125 local member agencies. Our Washington Office serves as a federal policy resource for our member agencies and helps the community relations field express the consensus policy views of the organized Jewish community to national leaders.

The following are the JCPA’s current federal policy priorities. This is not meant to be a comprehensive survey of all of the issues in which we or our national and local members are engaged.

FEDERAL POLICY PRIORITIES

ISRAEL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUESPreventing a Nuclear Iran

The JCPA believes that a nuclear armed Iran presents an existential threat to the State of Israel, to the stability of the Middle East as a whole, and to the safety and security of the world community. The JCPA strongly en-courages the full and expeditious implementation of U.S. sanctions directed against Iran as well as United Na-tions Security Council and other international sanctions in order to dramatically increase the pressure on the Iranian regime and maximize the chance of persuading Iran to suspend its nuclear weapons program.

Ensuring a Robust International Affairs Budget Including Foreign Aid to Israel The JCPA works to ensure the continuation of robust foreign aid to Israel as well as a strong international affairs budget in the yearly appropriations bill. The JCPA is appreciative of U.S. generosity and a robust foreign as-sistance program. We believe foreign assistance is an important tool to support our allies, assist those in devel-oping nations, and protect U.S. interests.

Supporting U.S. Engagement in the Peace Process The JCPA encourages high-level and robust diplomatic engagement by the Obama Administration in mov-ing the Israeli-Palestinian-Arab peace process forward. The JCPA supports two independent, democratic, and economically viable states, the Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace and security. We believe this vision can only be achieved through direct, bilateral negotiations, and attempts to achieve Palestinian statehood unilaterally through action by the United Nations -- as well as efforts by the

Palestinians to achieve full membership as a state in UN-affiliated bodies -- are counterproductive. The JCPA works to promote a strong, vibrant Israel that is committed to peace, in part by addressing the various efforts to delegitimize Israel’s existence.

Addressing Sudan and Other International Humanitarian Crises The JCPA supports the vigorous protection of human rights as an integral part of U.S. foreign policy, espe-cially situations involving genocide and mass atrocities, and urges effective American involvement in this area, on a multilateral basis when possible and a unilateral basis when necessary. The JCPA urges the U.S. to take a leadership role assisting Southern Sudan as it emerges as the 193rd member state of the United Nations and in instituting measures to assure peace and security for all people in that war-torn region.

Countering International Terrorism and States that Support Terror The JCPA encourages Congress and the Administration to implement strong U.S. policies to counter inter-national terrorism, including state-sponsored terrorism. The JCPA encourages the U.S. government to work with our allies around the world to implement comprehensive strategies to prevent and respond to terror-ism, including freezing the assets of groups and individuals that have been linked to terrorism, strengthening international cooperation on weapons control, and halting nuclear proliferation.

Ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) CEDAW is a landmark international agreement that affirms principles of fundamental human rights and equal-ity for women around the world. The treaty calls for an end to discrimination against women and has been ratified by 186 countries. Though the treaty has twice been reported from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a bipartisan vote, it has not yet been considered by the full Senate. The JCPA is part of a national campaign that is urging the Senate to ratify CEDAW.

DOMESTIC ISSUESConfronting Poverty in America

As part of our Confronting Poverty campaign, the JCPA continues to work on a host of legislative issues that can help put an end to poverty. The JCPA strongly supports the protection and restoration of funding for and access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We are also committed to supporting other anti-hunger programs that provide directed assistance to children and seniors. We will monitor and advo-cate on behalf of anti-hunger and nutrition programs in the Farm Bill reauthorization and budget negotiations. Other programs the JCPA seeks to protect include the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), unemployment insurance, affordable housing, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), child care assistance, refundable tax credits (including EITC and the Child Tax Credit), and the Women and Infant Children (WIC) program. All of these programs should be provided with appropriate funding and should not fall victim to deficit reduction mea-sures and budgetary process changes.

Providing Care for Seniors Living in PovertyOlder Americans who live in poverty often suffer in silence, struggling in the shadows while trying to make ends meet. A number of legislative initiatives could help relieve the challenges many seniors face who are suf-fering from poor health, hunger, social isolation, or inadequate housing. The JCPA will work to improve the Older Americans Act, making sure that important services are properly funded and accessible. We will pay special attention to funding for critical anti-hunger programs such as the Meals on Wheels programs and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CFSP), where many seniors receive their daily nutrition. The JCPA will advocate for policies that help empower older adults to live healthier, more independent, and more fulfilling lives free from the challenges of poverty.

Advancing Fair ElectionsThe lifeblood of our democracy is the ability for every eligible citizen to cast a meaningful ballot for a can-didate of his or her own choosing. The JCPA has a long history of supporting policies to ensure fair and representative elections, including strong support for the Voting Rights Act and early voting, and will advocate for additional measures to expand access to the ballot and remove unreasonable obstacles to voting. Among our concerns is the scheduling of elections and caucuses on religiously sensitive days, including the Jewish Sabbath.

Creating Sustainable Jobs and Fostering Economic GrowthThe JCPA believes that Congress and the Administration can help heal our ailing economy by creating path-ways to long-term employment. Efforts should be made to invest in fields such as infrastructure, state and local governments, schools, hospitals, and clean technology innovation in order to contribute to long-term economic and employment growth. Every effort should be made to direct job creation and training with tar-geted assistance to geographic regions and particular populations that have been hardest hit by the recession, including low-income individuals, women, people of color, people with disabilities, seniors, veterans, and youth. We urge Congress to enact measures to create additional sustainable jobs with living wages, workforce protections, and healthcare in order to foster greater economic security for all Americans and promote broad-based economic recovery.

Protecting Civil Rights The JCPA has a long standing commitment to protecting and advancing civil rights for all Americans. We will continue our focus on several pieces of legislation, including the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which expands federal employment protections to individuals discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, the JCPA will advocate for new policies to address bul-lying, which include proactive disciplinary measures to combat future incidents and create an environment of safety, equality, civility, and respect. We will also work closely with executive branch agencies to ensure that civil rights statutes are being effectively and responsibly enforced. This effort will include closely monitoring the implementation of important civil rights statutes, including the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, and updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Strengthening America’s Education System Efforts will be made in the coming year to reform America’s struggling public education system and create a system that works for all children and stakeholders. Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Educa-tion Act (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) should include ensuring equal opportunity for all students to learn and be college-and career-ready upon graduation, the reduction of concentrated poverty and racial isola-tion in school communities, and the creation of safe and healthy schools that reduce the incidence of bullying and harassment. The JCPA is committed to strengthening and sustaining public schools, recognizing that this

is the primary route for most children, especially low-income children, to achieve an education that can lead to a future full of op-portunity. We support reform that makes improvements in early childhood education and will concentrate on programs for schools in high-risk, high-poverty districts. In addition, we will reinforce our commitment to promoting literacy through advocacy on rele-vant legislation.

Promoting Energy Independence and Environmental Protection in the Interests of Security, Health, & the Economy The JCPA and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) believe that legislation promoting energy independence should reflect our values of protecting Creation and support clean technology innovation while contributing to our struggling economy. In addition, policies that promote greater energy security through renewable fuels and other innovations, while reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, should also pro-tect the environment and take into consideration the impacts on vulnerable populations. We also support the federal government’s ability to implement the Clean Air Act by regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Defending Religious Liberty Religious liberty and the relationship between religious institutions and the federal government has been a pri-ority for the JCPA since our founding. Among our primary concerns are proselytization in the armed services and so called “charitable choice.” The JCPA will continue to call for enforcement of military rules against coer-cive proselytizing and improper sectarian prayer at mandatory and official ceremonies and events. The JCPA will also closely monitor legislation and regulations providing government funding for social services by reli-giously affiliated organizations. Where such funding is authorized, it must have appropriate safeguards to pre-

vent First Amendment violations and protect the religious freedom of program beneficiaries and employees.

We will continue our work with our national member agencies and coalition partners as well as the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and its corollary offices in federal agencies to implement President Obama’s executive order that provides greater oversight and religious liberty safeguards for grant recipients.

Balancing Civil Liberties and National Security The JCPA is strongly committed to protecting and enhancing our national security interests and will work with Congress and the Administration to keep our nation safe. We are also cognizant of how these policies impact the daily lives of Americans and have the potential to conflict with our cherished traditions of protecting per-sonal privacy and civil liberties. The JCPA will continue our advocacy for proper balance of national security and civil liberties during Congressional consideration of important legislation. The JCPA remains particularly

concerned about the civil liberties implications of racial, ethnic, and religious profiling.

Working Towards Comprehensive Immigration Reform Informed by Jewish values and traditions, the JCPA supports efforts to enact comprehensive reform of federal immigration policy with an emphasis on family reunification, the protection of civil and human rights, and na-tional security. We advocate for reform measures that will create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers while prioritizing more effective border security and enforcement. As one element of such reform, the JCPA supports Congressional passage of legislation to allow students, brought to America at a young age, the opportunity to achieve the American Dream and become legal citizens. The JCPA is additionally concerned

about attacks on the status of citizenship of people born in the United States, local and state measures that have contributed to anti-immigrant discrimination, the use of immigration detention in instances that are unnecessary and inhumane, and efforts at the state and local levels to enact and enforce immigration policies that should be the purview of the federal government. Immigration enforcement measures must be consistent with humanitarian values and protect civil, worker, and human rights.

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New York, NY 10016(212) 684-6950

Washington Office 1775 K Street NW, Suite 320 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 212-6036

JCPAcontactus@thejcpa.org

www.jewishpublicaffairs.org