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What We’ve Accomplished

Since the formation of the Interfaith Children’s Movement in 2001, we have been building the strength of our voices in speaking to our legislators on issues affecting children.

During the January – March sessions of the Georgia General Assembly, ICM members and friends are busy.

The small number of experienced Child Advocates who have worked unheralded at the Capitol for years, now have help. The letters, phone calls, rallies and appearances at the State Capitol of ICM members have made a tremendous difference.

Karen Worthington, Co-Director, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic at Emory University explains, “Child advocacy organizations like the Barton Child Policy and Law Clinic do the research and provide a foundation for improving government policies for children. But making change actually happen requires the political will for change. The Interfaith Children's Movement is a grassroots movement which demands that children be a public priority. ICM, with the resources of faith communities, is helping to create a voice for children that cannot be ignored.”

What We Accomplished in the 2009 Legislative Session 

What We Accomplished in the 2008 Legislative Session

When Governor Perdue signed the 2009 budget, it contained $560,000 new state dollars for a egional assessment center to serve adolescent girls who've been prostituted. ICM advocacy in the Georgia Senate had a lot to do with successful full funding. The new assessment "beds" are already up and running!

Also, Senate Resolution 445 created the joint study commission on the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. There should be more action on Child Prostitution in the legislature next year. But together, we have already made a difference.

The legislature also approved $20.3 million more to subsidize child care for parents entering the work force. which translates into approximately 5,600 new child care "slots. ICM worked with a coalition of advocacy groups to create this new money in the budget.

Significant was the testimony of two members of the House Appropriations Committee (Mark Butler, the Chair, and Jeff May) and two members of the Senate (Ben Harbin, Chair of HR Committee, and Jack Hill, the powerful Chair of Senate Appropriations) who all spoke eloquently about the need for quality child care if a parent -- particularly the single parent TANF recipient -- is expected to find and retain a job. These officials really "get it" that there has to be sufficient support for low-income parents and their children.

· Lobby Day- On January 30, 2007 eleven ICM volunteers descended upon the Georgia Capitol to advocate for the preservation of the PeachCare for Kids program. The day was a great success and resulted in raising awareness both of the issue and of ICM.

· Op-Ed letter- March 13, 2007 an Op-Ed piece in support of preserving and expanding PeachCare was submitted to the press with the signatures of 16 faith leaders. To our knowledge, the piece was not printed in a newspaper; however, it was copied and given to Georgia legislators.

· Healthcare Petition- the Call to Conscience Healthcare Petition Campaign was a great success with 6,327 signatures which were mailed to the Children's Defense Fund. (Approximately 200 additional signatures are to be sent separately by a faith community)

· Weekly Advocacy- many advocates responded positively to the weekly email advocacy updates. Our collaborative partners indicated that this legislative season was our strongest yet. ICM gained name recognition among legislative leaders and fellow advocates through our weekly activities.

· PeachCare Hearing Statement- ICM was represented with the reading and submission of a public statement at the PeachCare hearing in February, 2007. As well, member advocates submitted written statements to the hearing proceedings.

· Prostitution/Trafficking letter Budget request- ICM was among those organizations endorsing a State budget request for an Assessment and Service center for child victims of prostitution and trafficking. Letters, calls and faxes were also submitted by ICM membership as well.

· PeachCare story project- ICM was invited to help with a Georgia Voices for Children's project which collects stories from GA families who are affected by the PeachCare for Kids program.

· Immigrant Children Initiative- During 2007, many conversations have occurred to establish a network of relationships within the community which will serve as the groundwork for this Initiative

Impact! That is the result of the efforts of ICM's Advocacy Committee in the legislative session that just ended. The impact of your many emails, and other contacts made by ICM members helped persuade legislators to make important changes to HB 1059, the sex offender bill. The changes for which we advocated will protect many of the children who would have been swept into prison for mandatory 25 year sentences.

“Thank you to ICM for including HB 1059 on your 2006 Legislative Agenda. I spoke with many legislators who received letters from ICM members and heard your concerns. The bill that passed is much better than the bill that was introduced, and that is due in large part to members listening to the voices of people of faith speaking out on behalf of children. Thank you for all you do each and every day to help Georgia's children,” said Beth Reimels, Barton Clinic child advocate, who served as ICM’s eyes and ears on this bill at the state legislature. Not only did the actions of our Committee members have effect on this particular bill, these actions demonstrate how we, as people of faith, unified, can have important, positive impact on issues that affect the children of Georgia. Thank you and Congratulations - to all those whose "faith in action" efforts produced such important, positive results.

During this year’s legislative session, two bills received ICM attention: HB 1059, a bill to change the penalty for adults who commit sex offenses, but which unintentionally caught teens in its web, and HB 1021, a bill to address sexual exploitation of children.

There was much interest by legislators on HB 1059, and it received final passage on the last day. The Romeo & Juliet provisions for which we advocated to protect mutual sexual activity among teens, survived the conference committee process. They were slightly modified but not significantly.

Still under the jurisdiction of the adult courts are youth who commit sex offenses (in contrast to mutual sexual activity). ICM and other child advocates pointed to research proving that young sex offenders, when treated under auspices of juvenile court, NEVER re-offend. We were unsuccessful at getting our evidence to prevail, so some teens will still be prosecuted and sent to prison for 25 years.

Looking ahead to next session, Mary Margaret Oliver's HB 1021 did not pass and awaits our advocacy efforts for next year. HB 1021 calls for a significant change in the way children involved in prostitution are viewed and treated by the juvenile justice system.

“Child advocacy organizations like the Barton Child Policy and Law Clinic do the research and provide a foundation for improving government policies for children. But making change actually happen requires the political will for change. The Interfaith Children's Movement is a grassroots movement which demands that children be a public priority. ICM, with the resources of faith communities, is helping to create a voice for children that cannot be ignored,” explains Karen Worthington, Co-Director, Barton Child Law & Policy Clinic at Emory University.