Catholic Church Spent 2 Million To Block Child Sex Law Reform

[stromboli]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/catholic-church-hired-lobby-firms-block-n-y-kid-rape-laws-article-1.2655010

ALBANY â€" Not leaving it to divine chance, the state Catholic Conference has turned in recent years to some of Albany’s most well-connected and influential lobby firms to help block a bill that would make it easier for child sex abuse victims to seek justice.

The Catholic Conference, headed by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, has used Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, Patricia Lynch & Associates, Hank Sheinkopf, and Mark Behan Communications to lobby against the Child Victims Act as well as for or against other measures.

All told, the conference spent more than $2.1 million on lobbying from 2007 through the end of 2015, state records show. That does not include the conference’s own internal lobbying team.

Filings show the lobbyists were retained, in part, to work on issues associated with “statute of limitations” and “timelines for commencing certain civil actions related to sex offenses.” Other issues included parochial school funding and investment tax credits.

“They are willing to spend limitless money in order to basically keep bad guys from being accountable for their actions,” said Melanie Blow, chief operations officer of the Stop Abuse Campaign. “I think they’re doing it because they don’t want to have to pay out settlements.”

Added Kathryn Robb, an advocate and survivor who says she was abused by her brother as a 9-year-old: “If they need to spend that much money on lobbying, clearly, then, they have some pretty big secrets to hide.”

Melanie Blow, chief operations officer of the Stop Abuse Campaign, says the Catholic Conference is paying lobby firms because they want to avoid settlements for lawsuits.

While a far cry from the millions in lobbying top special interests spend in Albany each year, advocates for child sex abuse survivors say the $2.1 million spent likely represents a worthwhile investment to the Catholic Conference if it can continue to block legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations on child sex abuse civil cases and open a one-year window to bring lawsuits for victims who can no longer sue under current law.

The Catholic Conference has argued that opening a one-year window to revive old cases could ultimately bankrupt the Church.

The firms the Catholic Conference chose is also telling.

Wilson Elser has long been Albany’s biggest lobbying firm. The firm represented the Catholic Conference from at least 2007 through the end of 2015 and was paid more than $1 million during that time, according to online filings with the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

After several key people either left the firm or reduced their responsibilities, the Church did not renew the contract with Wilson Elser for 2016, sources said.

Wilson Elser, which was being paid $10,000 a month by the Catholic Conference, had no comment.

In its place, state records show, the Catholic Conference hired another prominent firm, Greenberg Traurig, which it is paying $6,000-a-month. The lobbyist from the firm representing the Church is Michael Murphy, who used to be an assistant counsel for the Senate Republicans.

The Catholic Church, some Orthodox Jewish groups, and other private entities oppose legislation by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Queens) and Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) that would eliminate the time limit that prohibits adults who were victimized as children from bringing civil cases after their 23rd birthdays.


Another top firm, Patricia Lynch & Associates, whose namesake had close ties to now disgraced Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, was hired by the Catholic Conference in 2009. Lynch’s firm for many years was ranked in the top 3 of well-paid lobbyists.

Lynch’s hiring by the Catholic Conference came after the Assembly passed different versions of the Child Victims Act four times from 2006 to 2008. The measure never came up again for a vote after Lynch was hired.

“Once Ms. Lynch lobbied for the Catholic Conference, Mr. Silver’s support for our bill ended, and the bill did not come out of the Assembly’s Codes Committee ... which as speaker, he controlled,” John Aretakis, a former lawyer and an advocate for victims of clergy sex abuse, wrote in a scathing letter recently to a judge handling Silver's recent criminal sentencing.

State lobbying records show the firm’s contract with the Catholic Conference was terminated earlier this year, not long after Lynch was outed in court papers as having had an affair with Silver.

Silver was sentenced earlier this month to 12 years in prison after his conviction on federal corruption charges.


Lynch, whose firm was being paid $7,500-a-month, would only say her contract with the Catholic Conference was ended by “mutual consent.”

Sheinkopf, meanwhile, has had close ties with Gov. Cuomo, the former leadership of the Senate Democrats when they were in control of the chamber, and even the Senate Republicans.

Like the others who were hired by the Catholic Conference, he would not discuss the specifics about what he does for the $5,000-a-month he is being paid.

“They like me,” he said. “They think I’m smart.”

In an email, Catholic Conference spokesman Dennis Poust wouldn’t comment directly on his organization’s lobbying efforts. He also would not comment on the reasoning behind why specific lobbying firms were chosen.

“The Catholic Conference lobbies on many issues, from assisted suicide to farm worker rights to school choice to criminal justice reform,” Poust said.

He said the conference’s lobbying activity is in full compliance with the law and is reported, as required, to the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

“As such it is all a matter of public record,” Poust said. “We have no further comment beyond that.”

Hope you're reading, Randy. This is your holy church in action.

[reasonist]

Very upsetting! Jefferson would be irate how his separation of church and state is ignored every day.
Not only does the cover up continue and is paid for handsomely by the church, but the attempted influence on state and federal laws is contrary to everything the 1st Amendment stands for. Where is the same attention as the 2nd Amendment is given? Where is the outcry?
The problem is, they get away with it. If they would be doing their singing and kneeling in their homes and churches, so be it. But they are not happy with that. They have to change everybody's life according to their book(s). They have to influence law making and financial decisions all the time. Tax them and audit them, that would bring an end to this bullshit!

[drunkenshoe]

May be we shouldn't use the word 'SEX' in this issue, but only ABUSE and RAPE.

Because these people actually do see it as 'SEX' and the expression 'child sex' is inappropriate, imo.

[widdershins]

“They are willing to spend limitless money in order to basically keep bad guys from being accountable for their actions,” said Melanie Blow, chief operations officer of the Stop Abuse Campaign. “I think they’re doing it because they don’t want to have to pay out settlements.”

$2.1 million is nothing compared to the cost of compensating the thousands of victims out there.  Like everything with the Corporate Church, this is about money.  Victims don't even place in their priorities and never have.

Personally, I think this act, alone, should disqualify them as a "charitable organization".  If an organization puts its own self-interest above the tens of thousands of its own victims, that is not a "charity".  Start by taxing them.  Then move to forcibly collecting compensation for victims, not based on what they can afford, but based on a reasonable (and by that I mean fucking outlandish) settlement, then move on to prison sentences not only for the abusers, but also for all those who covered it up and especially those who put additional children at risk by covering it up and top it all off with some hefty fines.  And not for individual churches, the organization as a whole.  There is nothing like the threat of losing money to make any religious organization show its true colors.  They will IMMEDIATELY drop the fight against Satan himself and accept him as their Lord and Savior if it will cost them a shitload of money not to.

[stromboli]

$2.1 million is nothing compared to the cost of compensating the thousands of victims out there.  Like everything with the Corporate Church, this is about money.  Victims don't even place in their priorities and never have.

Personally, I think this act, alone, should disqualify them as a "charitable organization".  If an organization puts its own self-interest above the tens of thousands of its own victims, that is not a "charity".  Start by taxing them.  Then move to forcibly collecting compensation for victims, not based on what they can afford, but based on a reasonable (and by that I mean fucking outlandish) settlement, then move on to prison sentences not only for the abusers, but also for all those who covered it up and especially those who put additional children at risk by covering it up and top it all off with some hefty fines.  And not for individual churches, the organization as a whole.  There is nothing like the threat of losing money to make any religious organization show its true colors.  They will IMMEDIATELY drop the fight against Satan himself and accept him as their Lord and Savior if it will cost them a shitload of money not to.

Every religion that I have been involved in has a similar model as far as hiding the facts and hoarding money. Catholicism has just been around longer, is much bigger and more powerful. You know their power when the pope can go to the UN and address every nation, and come to the U.S. and address congress. The pope should be prosecuted for their crimes.

[Hakurei Reimu]

The Catholic Church proves that the adage, "By their fruits ye shall know them," is something that they should heed most of all. The ones who need moral instruction the most are the church fathers, not anyone in the flock.

[aitm]

well the babble says that if you pray in earnest you shall receive what you ask…..so either the kids are praying to be fucked or the priests are praying for the kids to be praying to be fucked….problem solved. Thank god eh?

[gentle_dissident]

Hugs Not Molestation

[marom1963]

Very upsetting! Jefferson would be irate how his separation of church and state is ignored every day.
Not only does the cover up continue and is paid for handsomely by the church, but the attempted influence on state and federal laws is contrary to everything the 1st Amendment stands for. Where is the same attention as the 2nd Amendment is given? Where is the outcry?
The problem is, they get away with it. If they would be doing their singing and kneeling in their homes and churches, so be it. But they are not happy with that. They have to change everybody's life according to their book(s). They have to influence law making and financial decisions all the time. Tax them and audit them, that would bring an end to this bullshit!

Why should they have ever been granted tax-free status? That was a violation of the state/church separation clause. They should simply have been granted tax deductions for their charitable donations, like everyone else. And no double-dipping. Nothing for the cash. The flock already gets a deduction for that. The church would get a deduction for its labor. The property? Bullshit. Tax it like any other land. We'd see how quickly these evangelical ministries would die out.

[marom1963]

They would argue that it is an exercise of their free speech to use the money to fight the legislation. And why not? Corporations do it all the time - both to get legislation passed and killed. By getting the legislation killed, the Church stands to save billions in law suits. The statute of limitations is the only thing saving them from thousands of more lawsuits.

[Baruch]

They would argue that it is an exercise of their free speech to use the money to fight the legislation. And why not? Corporations do it all the time - both to get legislation passed and killed. By getting the legislation killed, the Church stands to save billions in law suits. The statute of limitations is the only thing saving them from thousands of more lawsuits.

In some countries, the religious institution is part of the government .. no suing that.  In the US it is treated as a non-profit.  So tax non-profits?  Why tax anyone, since the government can print its own money?  No need to tax for-profits either ... and then no need to have to judicially distinguish profit from non-profit.

[marom1963]

In some countries, the religious institution is part of the government .. no suing that.  In the US it is treated as a non-profit.  So tax non-profits?  Why tax anyone, since the government can print its own money?  No need to tax for-profits either ... and then no need to have to judicially distinguish profit from non-profit.

It has an income. Its income exceeds its output. Clearly it has assets that it does not disburse to the needy or require for the execution of its offices. That means it profits. It should never have been granted that status. Land, rents, ornamentation - on and on and on. The RC Church alone has piled up billions in assets in the US. All of it free from taxation. No. Tax them. Let them deduct their charity like any other business ... Is the Church of Satan the only church that has morals? It was granted tax-free status - but it pays taxes voluntarily b/c it believes that churches should pay taxes.

[SGOS]

Since it says this is from state records, I assume this is to lobby just the New York State legislature?

[stromboli]

Why should they have ever been granted tax-free status? That was a violation of the state/church separation clause. They should simply have been granted tax deductions for their charitable donations, like everyone else. And no double-dipping. Nothing for the cash. The flock already gets a deduction for that. The church would get a deduction for its labor. The property? Bullshit. Tax it like any other land. We'd see how quickly these evangelical ministries would die out.

All that needs to happen is for religion to be treated the same as other non profits. Religion has been given a pass and should be scrutinized by the IRS. The IRS attitude has been hands off because religion screams persecution at the drop of a hat.

https://atheists.org/legal/current/IRS

On December 12, 2012, American Atheists and two co-plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky demanding that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stop giving preferential treatment to churches and religious organizations via the process of receiving non-profit tax-exempt status under the Internal Revue Code (IRC) procedures and definitions.IRS

Groups like American Atheists receive tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) but, because the organization is not classified as religious, it costs American Atheists and other secular non-profits significantly more money each year to maintain that status. In this lawsuit, American atheists and the other plaintiffs are demanding that all tax-exempt organizations, including those characterized as religious by the IRS, have the same requirements to achieve and maintain tax-exempt status.