In two posts at ELCA.org, we hear from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C., and get the U.N. and state edition, including news from Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA), who is tracking 37 bills of interest to people of faith in Arizona, organizing a second Advocacy 101 training workshop alongside Arizona Faith Network and Bread for the World, and celebrating its first birthday.

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona is currently tracking 37 bills of interest to people of faith in Arizona. In addition to the bills related to our specified policy priorities – Hunger and associated food security issues, Community-based Senior Support, and Fair and Equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines – we are watching movements on child and youth welfare, voting rights and redistricting, and education. We are encouraged to see that SB1176, a nutrition assistance bill to fund the Double Up Food Bucks Arizona program that essentially doubles the value of SNAP/EBT benefits at farmers markets, has a good chance of passing. This provides excellent support for healthy eating and local farmers!

LAMA also co-sponsored a second Advocacy 101 training workshop alongside Arizona Faith Network and Bread for the World to encourage people of faith to participate in their state government by expressing their views online using Arizona’s Request to Speak (RTS) system about the bills they care about.

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona celebrated its first birthday in February. The LAMA Policy Council recently met to review this inaugural year’s successes and gains as well as its opportunities for improvement. The Council is deeply grateful for the support and mentoring of the ELCA’s state public policy offices, for the partnership of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, and for the many ministry partners who do the work of advocacy both nationally and in Arizona. Each partner has generously shared their passion and their experience with LAMA. It has been a very positive and productive first year, thanks be to God.

 – Solveig Muus, Director