CRS/UUANI Blog posts will show up here

News for May, 2016 – CRS, UUANI, UU Prison Ministry – advocacy successes and challenges
Community Renewal Society (CRS) has focused this year on job opportunities for people with records, police accountability, and adequate support for education and social services, all as moral issues, and many UCE members have been active participants. These issues are receiving more attention lately. Some progress is happening and more is yet to come. WBEZ had a story this week about how a third of all jobs in Illinois require some kind of license to perform them, and how that can be a lifetime barrier for people with records, unless laws are changed. CRS has four bills that on this that have made it through committees and in one case further. They may be passed this month!

UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) has supported the CRS issues and also took 5 UCE members and many comment cards to Springfield for environmental issues, primarily legislation to encourage carbon emissions reduction in the power supply through efficiency, renewables and incentives. That is still pending but has broad support. It was fun seeing people we know from other UU churches on the Springfield trip.

The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois is building toward a July 1 start to worship services and small group ministry in two Illinois prisons beginning July 1. We have also pushed legislation to reduce the use of solitary confinement to amounts that are not considered torture by the UN!

For more information on any of these please contact Dale Griffin or other participants. DaleCGriffin@comcast.net