Religious groups team up to lobby on social issues

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- In what may be a first, six religious groups have formed an alliance to lobby the Legislature on such things as welfare reform, child immunization and mentally impaired youngsters.

"Our religions cross many lines on things we agree on," said Betty Henderson, president of the Religious Alliance, whose churches include hundreds of thousands of Nevadans.

Alliance members are the Catholic Dioceses of Las Vegas and Reno, the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Nevada, the Presbytery of Nevada of the Presbyterian Church, the Nevada Sierra District of the United Methodist Church and the California Nevada Conference United Methodist Women.

Representatives of the group started meeting in October and filed their papers Jan. 15 for a nonprofit corporation.

"We have already achieved remarkable consensus on major principles and policies," Henderson said.

In 1995, there was a "parents' right" bill in the Legislature to allow children to attend school without vaccinations if their parents objected to them. That ignited a major fight in the Senate and the plan was eventually defeated.

"We're grateful it died," Henderson said. "If a child has a right to life, he has a right to a healthy start in that life."

The group wants to see welfare reform that emphasizes incentives and provides the tools to get off public assistance. It opposes punitive measures, such as not providing additional assistance if a welfare mother has another baby.

"We believe children are very important," Henderson said.

The alliance wants to see such things as child care, jobs and job training available to those trying to get off welfare. "Above all, we need to be aware of the impact of these programs on our children," Henderson said.

It wants to avoid immigration issues such as the debate that divided California and resulted in Proposition 189, which is now being challenged in the courts.

Roland Grumm, a retired pastor from Sparks, has already registered as a lobbyist. Henderson, a United Methodist laywoman, said she will also sign up.