Approved by FCNL's General Committee, 11/12/06
For more than six decades, the Friends Committee on National Legislation has brought the spiritual experience of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) to bear on federal legislative processes and public policy decisions. We understand the Spirit of God to be active in all of life. We prize the integrity of individual conscience, meaningful participation in gathered communities with many voices, and responsible engagement in building a just and peaceful society where children are cherished and violence is unacceptable. We are called to live in right relationship with all creation, recognizing that the entire world is interconnected.
Friends call for a government that is accountable to its citizens – a government that acts with transparency and integrity, seeks the common good, and protects the vulnerable. We call on our government to restore and preserve the rule of law and the balance of powers among the branches of federal government; to shift federal priorities to reduce the disparities between rich and poor; to address environmental crises; and to respect the methods and findings of scientific inquiry in developing and assessing policy.
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For its work with the 110th Congress, FCNL sets the following priorities:
We seek a world free of war and the threat of war:
Promote global security through peace-building, active diplomacy, nuclear non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, and the peaceful prevention and resolution of deadly conflict. Actively support the United Nations and international law. Address the root causes of war, genocide, acts of terror, and other forms of collective violence.
Oppose U.S. military intervention . Remove all U.S. military and paramilitary forces and bases from Iraq. Assure Iraq’s sovereign control over its assets and natural resources, and fulfill moral and legal obligations to reconstruct Iraq through accountable intergovernmental, non-governmental and Iraqi agencies. Move from military operations to civilian peace-building in Afghanistan.
We seek a society with equity and justice for all:
Restore and assure full civil liberties, access to the justice system, and habeas corpus protections for all persons in the United States or under its control. Eliminate secret prisons and the use of torture, and promote human rights around the world through international institutions and law. Demilitarize our national borders, and respect the human rights and dignity of all immigrants.
Support the cultural integrity and tribal sovereignty of indigenous peoples within the United States, respect their rights and promote their well-being, and honor treaty commitments.
We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled:
Reduce structural violence - both social and economic - by changing federal budget, tax, and fiscal policies. Reduce military spending and provide adequate resources to alleviate poverty and address pressing human and community needs, such as healthcare, education, employment, housing, nutrition and public transportation.
We seek an earth restored:
Address global climate change and protect the environment by reducing U.S. fossil fuel consumption through energy conservation, improved efficiency, and accelerated development and use of renewable energy sources. Establish equitable and sustainable use of the world’s natural resources by participating in and complying with multilateral environmental agreements.
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As way opens, FCNL will continue Friends’ longstanding witness for just and fair elections, rights of conscience, criminal justice reform, abolition of the death penalty, an end to institutional racism, and a just and lasting peace in the Middle East through equitable treatment of Israelis, Palestinians and their neighbors.
FCNL’s work will be based on legislative opportunity, specific expertise and leadings, and available resources. FCNL has the flexibility, within its Policy Statement, to respond to crises and important legislative opportunities.
In establishing these priorities for the 110th Congress, we are encouraged by the past successes of FCNL’s efforts to influence federal policy and by the strong community of Friends and other like-minded people engaged in this work.
As we work to find solutions to these complex problems, Friends continue to seek Divine guidance, renewed strength and hope.
See Statement of Legislative Policy (http://www.fcnl.org/priorities/policy.htm) from which these Legislative Priorities are drawn
Read the Statement of Legislative Priorities for the 109th Congress. (http://www.fcnl.org/priorities/priority_109th.htm)
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