Full Legislative History
Resolution Number: 1985-A080
Title: Call on the Government to Reorder Budget Priorities to Alleviate Hunger
Legislative Action Taken: Concurred As Amended
Final Text:

Resolved, That this 68th General Convention, viewing with deep concern the increasing trend in federal budgeting away from meeting basic human needs both at home and abroad, in preference to increasing the defense establishment, reaffirms the call of the 67th Convention for a reordering of federal budget priorities by:

-- Restoring funds in federal food nutritional programs, including food stamps, child nutrition and elderly nutrition projects;

-- Increasing the funding for the Special Supplemental Food Program for women, infants and children (WIC) so as to enable the caseload to serve more effectively the nine million estimated eligible recipients;

-- Increasing the demonstrably inadequate food stamp allocations to more humane levels; and, as an initial minimum measure, enacting the recommendations of the President's own Task Force on Food Assistance;

-- Instituting a federally funded and administered program to gather comprehensive information regularly on diet and nutrition as related to health problems all over the nation, providing such data on a timely basis; and be it further

Resolved, That the Hunger Office, the Public Issues Office, the Washington Office and other appropriate units of the Church Center undertake on behalf of this Convention the informing and educating of members of this Church in these matters; and be it further

Resolved, That the National Hunger Committee, the Public Issues Office and the Washington Office work with other Church Center units and ecumenical groups to devise strategies to work toward the goals expressed herein; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the General Convention be charged to inform the President of the United States and members of the Congress of these concerns of the Episcopal Church.

Citation: General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of...The Episcopal Church, Anaheim, 1985 (New York: General Convention, 1986), p. 205.