The unsung heroes of the MCC have not been its executive directors, staff or even the Missouri bishops who compose its board of directors, but Catholic citizens who have taken time out from their busy schedules to make a phone call, write a letter, send an e-mail to their lawmakers or come to rallies at the State Capitol.

Those citizen contacts have had a big impact. In 1987, a proposal languished in the Missouri Senate to prohibit discrimination against children with disabilities attending private schools. SB 402, sponsored by Sen. Harry Wiggins (D-Kansas City), sought to ensure that these children would receive the special education they were entitled to under federal law. MCC citizen network members flooded the capitol with phone calls, and on the morning of debate Senator Mike Lybyer (D-Huggins) rose in the Senate to complain that he had received over forty phone calls. He said he had considered voting against SB 402 but now he wasn’t so sure. Senator Lybyer ended up voting for the bill.

One of the more dramatic images came in 1999 when the MCC spearheaded a campaign to override Governor Carnahan’s veto of a partial birth abortion ban, officially called the Infant’s Protection Act. On September 15 of that year, Catholic citizens joined with thousands in a boisterous rally that filled the Capitol’s vast south lawn. Later that same day people linked arms in a prayer chain that circled the building. Lawmakers got the message and overrode the veto. It marked only the seventh veto override in Missouri history.

As part of the 2002 successful effort to regulate the burgeoning payday loan industry, the MCC organized several busloads of constituents to come to the Capitol and educate lawmakers on how these lenders were saddling poor people with huge debts. They lined the walls of committee rooms and followed the chairman of the House Banking and Finance Committee, Catholic State Representative Chris Liese (D-Maryland Heights), back to his office to politely, but firmly, ask for prompt action on the reform bill.

Liese and other committee members responded and the payday lending bill moved forward. As finally passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Bob Holden, SB 884 the measure limited the number of times a loan could be rolled over and in that way curtailed the amount of debt a person could incur. Payday loan offices had to post signs giving consumers more information about payday loans. And payday lenders could no longer refer defaulting borrowers to county prosecutors for criminal charges. A start had been made in regulating the payday loan industry.

For several years the MCC has been working with legislators to introduce legislation that would ban human cloning and unethical life science research in Missouri. Getting the legislation introduced was relatively minor compared with moving the legislation forward. In 2005 SB 160, which sought to ban human cloning, was stuck in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Pressure was being placed on committee members to let the bill die in committee. However, once the MCC’s Citizen Network got involved, committee members were inundated with phone calls and emails demanding that SB 160 be voted out of committee. The bill was voted out of committe by a vote of 7– 2.

In March of 2007 Catholic citizens again heeded the call for action when more than 1,000 showed up in the Capitol Rotunda to encourage lawmakers to block funding for human cloning and embryonic stem cell experiments. Legislators could not ignore the voters and passed legislation which prohibited state funding of unethical life science research.

Pundits fret that well-financed special interests are coming to dominate politics, but for forty years the MCC has proven that ordinary citizens can make the critical difference.

In a fast paced world with constant demands being placed upon families and individuals, many people simply do not have time to get involved in the political process. Unfortunately some lawmakers count on lack of involvement on the part of their constituents to force through some legislation at break-neck speed. Gone are the days when a letter sent through the mail could arrive in time to allow voters to contact their legislator and ensure that their voice was heard.

This is why the MCC works so hard to make it easier for citizens to get involved in state government. The MCC keeps Missouri Catholics informed of important issues through emails, Action Alerts, Good News and the MCC’s website. Five minutes is all it takes for a member of the MCC’s Citizen Network to contact their legislator through email or a phone call and make their voice heard.

If you would like to join the more than 8,000 members of the MCC’s Citizen Network, please fill out the enclosed form and mail it in. Want to become a member faster? Call us at 1-800-456-1679 or register on-line at www.mocatholic.org.

Already a member? Do we have your email address? Of the more than 8,000 members, we have only 1,000 email addresses. Help us keep our costs down and get information to you faster by making sure we have your email address. Today, email, instant messaging and phone calls are the only way to seriously impact legislative decision-making. By the time a letter arrives in the mail the critical legislative moment may have already passed and your voice not heard.

Questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at 1-800-456-1679 or you can Email us at mocatholic@mocatholic.org.