Capitol Update 2.11.25 - Wisconsin Catholic Conference

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Wisconsin Catholic Conference Capitol Update

February 11, 2025

Wisconsin Bishops Issue Pastoral Letter on Immigration

Today, Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops issued a pastoral letter expressing support for immigrants and encouraging everyone to uphold human dignity, the common good, and the rule of law.

The bishops explain that “every person, regardless of immigration status has certain fundamental human rights which can never be infringed.” At the same time, in upholding this truth and showing solidarity with immigrants, the Church “is not doing so to impede the lawful enforcement of immigration laws, nor to encourage illegal entry.” There is no contradiction in urging everyone to follow the law and to uphold fundamental human rights.

The letter can be found at the WCC website in English and Spanish.

To learn more about recent federal actions and responses from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as a letter from Pope Francis on the current situation in the U.S., see stories below.

Read the letter

2025 Public Policy Positions

The WCC has published its 2025 Public Policy Positions to inform state legislators, policy makers, and other interested parties.

The biannual document is organized around the seven principles of Catholic social teaching and it covers the types of public policies that protect human life and promote the common good.

Catholics throughout Wisconsin are encouraged to review and share it.

View the positions

Governor’s Budget Address

Governor Evers will give his Biennial Budget Message on Tuesday, February 18 at 7pm. In that speech, he will highlight the major spending proposals of his 2025-27 Executive Budget. The state’s budget covers the two year period from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027.

Following the Governor’s Budget Message, his budget will be taken up by the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), which will conduct hearings around the state and develop its own version of the budget.

Once the JFC approves its version, it will send the budget either to the Assembly or to the Senate. The house that receives the JFC budget bill will further debate and amend it and then vote on it before sending it to the other house for debate, amendment, and passage.

Once the budget bill passes both the Assembly and the Senate, the Governor can sign the bill, veto the bill entirely, or use his partial veto power to revise it (often by reducing appropriations or striking text) prior to signing it into law.

The Legislature can override the Governor’s entire or partial veto if there is a two-thirds majority in both houses to do so.

You can watch the Governor’s State Budget Address online via WisconsinEye.

Spring Primary and Faithful Citizenship

The 2025 Spring Primary election is coming up on Tuesday, February 18. As Catholics, we are called to form our consciences in light of Church teaching. As you discern how best to be a faithful citizen at the polls, consult the WCC’s Faithful Citizenship series and 2025 Public Policy Positions.

The primary ballot will have candidates for state superintendent and local offices. To see who is on your ballot, find your polling place, or register to vote, go to myvote.wi.gov.

Wisconsin’s state superintendent is elected to serve a four-year term. You can watch candidate interviews from the three candidates, listed here alphabetically:

WCC Action at the Capitol

Cursive Writing ▼ Registered in opposition

SB 13 (Steve Nass, R-Whitewater) / AB 3 (Paul Melotik, R-Grafton)
Incorporating cursive writing into the state model English language arts standards and requiring cursive writing in elementary grades.

Analysis: WCC supports the intent of the bill, but opposes additional mandates on a private school’s curriculum.

Civics Instruction ▼ Registered in opposition

AB 4 (Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie)
Required instruction in civics in the elementary and high school grades, high school graduation requirements, and private school educational program criteria.

Analysis: WCC supports the intent of the bill, but opposes additional mandates on a private school’s curriculum.

U.S. Bishops Respond to Federal Immigration Actions

For decades, the Catholic bishops of the United States have been steadfast in their calls for a comprehensive reform of the nation’s immigration system. In January, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)–the Church’s national voice on federal policy, including immigration–issued a document, Catholic Elements of Immigration Reform, reiterating the principles of the Church’s teaching.

In a January 23 statement, the USCCB noted: “We recognize the need for just immigration enforcement and affirm the government’s obligation to carry it out in a targeted, proportional, and humane way. However, non-emergency immigration enforcement in schools, places of worship, social service agencies, healthcare facilities, or other sensitive settings where people receive essential services would be contrary to the common good. With the mere rescission of the protected areas guidance, we are already witnessing reticence among immigrants to engage in daily life, including sending children to school and attending religious services. All people have a right to fulfill their duty to God without fear. Turning places of care, healing, and solace into places of fear and uncertainty for those in need, while endangering the trust between pastors, providers, educators and the people they serve, will not make our communities safer.”

On January 26, following criticism of the Church’s resettlement efforts for refugees, the USCCB issued the following statement: “Faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church has a long history of serving refugees. In 1980, the bishops of the United States began partnering with the federal government to carry out this service when Congress created the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Every person resettled through USRAP is vetted and approved for the program by the federal government while outside of the United States. In our agreements with the government, the USCCB receives funds to do this work; however, these funds are not sufficient to cover the entire cost of these programs. Nonetheless, this remains a work of mercy and ministry of the Church.”

On February 10, the U.S. bishops received a letter from Pope Francis, exhorting “all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.”

Action Alert: Ask Congress to Urge Administration to Resume Humanitarian Foreign Aid

The Trump Administration has also issued immediate stop work orders on almost all U.S. foreign assistance programs. An exception was recently made for lifesaving humanitarian assistance, but that has still not allowed any assistance or funding to flow so that lifesaving work can continue. This freeze is impacting millions of our sisters and brothers who need access to lifesaving humanitarian, health, and development assistance provided by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and other humanitarian organizations. CRS is the U.S. bishops’ international development and humanitarian agency and an important provider of this assistance. While CRS can fill in with some money from Church and other private fundraising, the loss of the federal money is extremely detrimental to millions of people around the world who need the help.

U.S. foreign aid has a real impact on human life and dignity and advances U.S. national interests. It provides lifesaving assistance in emergencies and supports long-term development programs that help families and communities build resilience, reducing the need for humanitarian aid in the future.

Please contact your U.S. senators and representative below and ask them to engage with the Administration to continue allowing humanitarian foreign assistance programs to operate during the review process.

Take action