Many of the bills being debated by your members of Congress in Washington, D.C. will impact your family and ultimately, the moral climate of our country. A number of the bills being considered by the 105th Congress are summarized below. Contact your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative about the bills of concern to you and your family. WRITE: The Honorable (first & last name); U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 or U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515. CALL: (202) 224-3121 or (800) 962-3524.

AMERICAN COMMUNITY RENEWAL ACT (H.R. 1031 & S. 432): H.R. 1031, sponsored by Congressmen Talent (R-MO), Watts (R-OK) and Flake (D-NY) and S. 432, sponsored by Senators Abraham (R-MI) and Lieberman (D-CT) would provide for Hope and Opportunity Scholarships, a $500 per child tax credit for charitable giving, Empowerment Zones, and legislation that allows states to provide grants to faith-based drug rehabilitation programs. CURRENT STATUS: H.R. 1031 and S. 432 both have bi-partisan support in both the House and Senate. Hearings were held last month in the House Small Business Committee. Additional hearings will be scheduled.

PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN (H.R. 929 & S. 6): This legislation, introduced by Rep. Canady (R-FL) and Sen. Santorum (R-PA) would ban partial-birth abortions or late term abortions, such as the "dilation & extraction" (D&X) procedure. The D & X procedure involves the complete delivery of the child except for the head. The child's skull is then punctured, the brains suctioned out and the dead baby delivered. CURRENT STATUS: On 3/20/97, the House passed H.R. 929 by a veto-proof majority (295-136). The Senate is likely to vote on the Senate version (S. 6), in early to mid-May. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) plans to offer a "health" exception to make the legislation acceptable to President Clinton. This "health" exception will render the legislation meaningless because the "health" definition will encompass psychological health and a wide range of sociological circumstances.

"THE HIV PREVENTION ACT OF 1997" (H.R. 1062): H.R. 1062, introduced by Rep. Coburn (R-TX), would establish a confidential, national HIV reporting system, require partner notification, mandate testing for sexual offenders, protect health care patients and professionals from being exposed to HIV inadvertently, and give patients access to insurance-required HIV test results. In addition, the legislation would allow adoptive parents to learn the AIDS status of a child, criminalize intentional transmission of HIV, and ensure the confidentiality of infected persons. H.R. 1062 treats the AIDS virus for what it is -- a deadly health threat, not a political issue. CURRENT STATUS: Additional co-sponsors are still needed.

"ASSISTED SUICIDE FUNDING RESTRICTION ACT" (H.R. 1003 & S. 304): H.R. 1003 would ensure that federal tax dollars are not used to pay for and/or promote assisted suicide or euthanasia in states where it may become legal for a physician to kill their elderly and/or ill patients. Over 87% of Americans believe that tax dollars should not be used to pay for the cost of assisting suicide and euthanasia. CURRENT STATUS: On 4/10/97, the House passed H.R. 1003, by a vote of 398-16. On 4/16/97, the Senate passed a similar bill, S. 304, introduced by Senators Ashcroft (R-MO) and Dorgan (D-MD), by a unanimous vote of 99-0. Differences in the two versions will be worked out in a House/Senate Conference Committee.

TAX LIMITATION AMENDMENT (House Joint Resolution 62): HJR 62, introduced by Rep. Barton (R-TX), would amend the U.S. Constitution so that a two-thirds majority vote would be required in order for Congress to raise taxes on the American people. CURRENT STATUS: Although HJR 62 received a strong showing in the House with a 233-190 vote, the proposal failed because it did not receive two-thirds majority (282 votes in this case) required for a constitutional amendment to pass.

"21ST CENTURY PATENT IMPROVEMENT ACT" (H.R. 400): H.R. 400 would transform the U.S. Patent Office into a private corporation that "may accept monetary gifts or donations of services ... in order to carry out the functions of the Office." The bill would also order all patent applications to be made public 18 months after the application is filed, whether or not the inventor has yet been granted a patent. One of the most important constitutional rights Americans enjoy is the right of inventors to have, for limited times, "the exclusive right to their ... discoveries." The 93-page overhaul of this system, H.R. 400, puts the U.S. patent system in jeopardy and according to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) , "diminishes the patent rights of the American people and thus in the long run will make America technologically inferior, undercut our prosperity, and our national security. " The current U.S. patent system not only strengthens and safeguards the nation's economic infrastructure, but is one of the most efficient governmental agencies, operates in the black and has not suffered any scandals or corruption. CURRENT STATUS: Reps. Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Hunter (R-CA) introduced amendments (H.R. 811/H.R. 812) that would ensure that American patent rights are not diminished in order to create some global trading system. These two amendments were defeated 178 to 227 on 4/17/97. The House passed H.R. 400 by voice vote on 4/23/97.