WASHINGTON — Attendees of the 2009 Catholic Legislative Advocacy Conference spent Sept. 22, the second day of the gathering here, calling on nearly 100 lawmakers and legislative staffers on Capitol Hill. In both the House and Senate, where the Finance Committee began its markup of health legislation the same day, health care reform was the main topic of discussion. Michael Rodgers, CHA senior vice president for advocacy and public policy, said the timing of this year's conference was well-suited to its priority issue: supporting health care reform that will protect the poor and vulnerable, defend human dignity from conception to natural death, and help make health care affordable and accessible to everyone while spreading the funding burden fairly.
"Having the conference coincide with the beginning of the Finance Committee's markup provided the ministry with a perfect opportunity to advocate our priorities for health reform at a time when this issue is at the forefront of activity on Capitol Hill," he said.