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By Gary Haugen and Victor Boutros

Reprinted by permission of FOREIGN AFFAIRS, (May/June 2010, Volume 3, Number 89). Copyright 2010 by the Council on Foreign Relations, Inc.

Excerpt:

……Efforts by the modern human rights movement over the last 60 years have contributed to the criminalization of such abuses in nearly every country. The problem for the poor, however, is that those laws are rarely enforced. Without functioning public justice systems to deliver the protections of the law to the poor, the legal reforms of the modern human rights movement rarely improve the lives of those who need them most. At the same time, this state of functional lawlessness allows corrupt officials and local criminals to block or steal many of the crucial goods and services provided by the international development community. These abuses are both a moral tragedy and wholly counter-productive to the foreign aid programs of countries in the developed world. Helping construct effective public justice systems in the developing world, therefore, must become the new mandate of the human rights movement in the twenty-first century.

……This problem is made worse by the simple scarcity of lawyers in the developing world. The average person in the developing world has never met a lawyer in his or her life. In the United States, there is approximately one lawyer for every 749 people. In Zambia, by contrast, there is only one lawyer for every 25,667 people; in Cambodia, there is one for every 22,402 people. There are more lawyers in the New York offices of some major law firms than there are in all of Zambia or Cambodia. Of this small class of lawyers, prosecutors represent an even tinier subset—and some of these are not even trained lawyers, and others, much like the police, extract bribes to drop cases. When cases are reported and referred for trial, there are frequently too few public prosecutors to handle the volume. This creates an enormous backlog, allowing cases to languish indefinitely on overloaded dockets.

……Some experts, for example, have estimated that at the current rate, it would take 350 years for the courts in Mumbai, India, to hear all the cases on their books. According to the U.N. Development Program, India has 11 judges for every one million people. There are currently more than 30 million cases pending in Indian courts, and cases remain unresolved for an average of 15 years.

……The modern human rights movement must enter into a new era, shifting its focus from legal reform to law enforcement. In other words, the time has come to move human rights from wholesale to retail— to take the human rights promises stored in the warehouses of national law and deliver them to the poor standing in line for justice. Admittedly, creating functioning public justice systems in the developing world will be difficult. It will require political will, steadfastness, and local knowledge and creativity. On the local level, approaches must focus on directly cultivating the political will and capacity of the police, prosecutors, and judges who are supposed to enforce the law on behalf of the poor. This could include providing financial assistance to build police and judicial units with salaries high enough to make petty corruption less likely; material resources that give police, prosecutors, social workers, and judges the basic tools of their trade; practical on-the-ground casework training; and legal aid and social services to the poor. These would be expensive investments, but they would represent a small fraction of the trillions of dollars that governments have spent on development aid—much of which has been of questionable long-term value given the absence of effective law enforcement systems for the poor. Indeed, rule-of-law aid and development aid are mutually reinforcing: as functioning public justice systems in the developing world mature, the poor will begin to fully reap the benefits of the enormous investments in development being made on their behalf.

……At the state level, aid must focus on developing both the political will and the capacity of government elites to enforce existing laws. This aid should target the diplomats, politicians, and policymakers who set the agendas for the large cadres of enforcement personnel under their authority. To push this along, developed-country governments should link their international development assistance to the willingness of developing-country governments to improve their public justice systems. One example of such a strategy is already working its way through the U.S. Congress: the Child Protection Compact Act would authorize U.S. government grants to developing countries that have demonstrated a commitment to combating child trafficking with effective tools, measured by concrete benchmarks. Likewise, the United States and other governments in the developed world should cut off or limit foreign aid to countries that are unwilling to improve their capacity to protect the poor from abuse and violence—especially since rampant lawlessness is likely to make any such assistance unproductive in the first place.

……To accomplish this goal, the human rights and development communities will have to restructure themselves to include those with the backgrounds and technical skills to diagnose and repair the ailments of broken public justice systems. Of course, these experts will not come with ready answers or quick solutions—but they will know where to start looking and will recognize what matters and what does not. And given even a small fraction of the time and money that have been devoted to fixing roads, improving health systems, providing clean water, and building schools in developing countries, they will begin to enable the poor to retain the benefits of such development assistance. On behalf of the billions of poor people in this world who are made small under the vast shadow of lawlessness, the time has come to construct a shelter of justice.

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By Amy Wiles

I remember sitting at my desk on the first day of my internship at the Christian Life Commission – nervous, excited, and feeling a bit like a fish out of water.

I had recently ended a five-year teaching career as a public school music teacher to follow a call to ministry and attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  My seminary education and experience serving and attending churching communities had taught me that pursing justice was a part of the Christian call to discipleship.  My problem – I had no idea how to do that.  Don’t misunderstand me. I had wonderful opportunities to serve people through mission trips to places like New Orleans, Toronto, Kenya, and my own hometown.  Still, I had very little experience working to change the systems that created poverty, inequality, and injustice around me.  I had done the important work of treating the symptoms of these systems, but had never reformed the systems themselves.  Serving others in church ministries had raised many questions.  Why do people live in poverty?  What can be done to fix the problem?  How can I help to change systems of injustice?  But, I didn’t have the answers and didn’t know where to find them.  So when I heard about the internship at the CLC from Suzii Paynter, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about advocacy, public policy, and how I could help.

On my first day, Suzii tasked me with learning more about predatory lending and had given me a report from the Commission on Thrift to read.  The report talked about credit cards, gambling, and sub-prime mortgages – topics that I vaguely knew.  Then, I began reading about payday lending, and I was shocked by what I found.

Payday loans are small dollar loans with enormously high service fees and interest rates that offer instant cash with no credit check.  On average, these fees and interest rates amount to 500% APR.  Borrowers secure the loans with a checking account and are expected to pay back the full amount in two weeks.  If they cannot pay the full amount, the borrower rolls over the loan paying another high fee.  Many borrowers roll over loans multiple times before being able to pay the entire loan.  Payday lenders profit from creating this cycle of debt.  Even worse, they prey off of the most vulnerable in our society.  A recent survey conducted by Texas Appleseed (pdf) found that most borrowers work for $30,000 a year or less and use the loans to secure basic necessities like groceries, rent, mortgages, or medical expenses.

The Texas Finance Code sets restrictions on fees and payment periods.  Yet, many lenders operate as Consumer Service Organizations (CSOs) in an effort to avoid regulation.  CSOs register with the Secretary of State but are not regulated by or required to obtain a license from the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner.  This business model takes advantage of a loophole in Texas law and sidesteps many state regulations on the books.  Consumers have no place to voice complaints, and data concerning industry business practices cannot be collected.  Without closing the loophole, the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner cannot react to the industry’s wrongful business practices.

I was outraged that this multi-billion dollar industry was preying off of the poor and no one was stopping them.  Everyday during those first few weeks of my internship, I would rush home to share what I had learned with my husband, my mom, or a classmate.  I relished the opportunity to write articles for the Baptist Standard and speak at conferences and with student groups.  Like myself, most of the people I talked to had no clue that this industry was running rampant in Texas.

When I talk to Christians about payday lending, they are shocked, appalled, and generally ask, “Why are payday lenders unregulated?  How are they getting away with exploiting the poor?  How can I help?”  They ask the same question that I was asking at the beginning of my internship.  But, now I have a few more answers.

As Christians, we are called to be a prophetic voice to a hurting world.  We are called to speak up for those who have no voice.  We are called to speak for the victims of predatory lending and find ways to pull them out of the cycle of exploitive debt.  We can make our voice heard by urging local government officials to pass resolutions calling on the state legislature to close the loop hole in the 2011 Legislative session.  More cities can pass ordinances like Irving and Richardson that restrict zoning regulations of payday and auto title lenders.  People can sign petitions and share personal stories about how payday lending has negatively affected them.  Churches can offer financial education classes like Money Smart to warn people about the predatory practices of payday and auto title lenders.

The AARP and Texas Appleseed along with other partnering groups have initiated the 500% Interest is Wrong campaign to further educate people about the devastating effects of payday lenders and offer avenues for people to speak out against predatory lending.  I encourage Christians to educate themselves about the issue of predatory lending, join the campaign, and speak out for those who have fallen victim to payday loans.

We value your input and suggestions.
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It is often said that energy efficiency can be considered our country’s largest energy resource for the future. If individuals, businesses and yes, even churches used energy more wisely we could potentially trim our usage by up to 20-25% from projected levels by 2020. Churches can practice being good stewards of God’s creation by reducing their energy consumption throughout the week.

Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:?

1. Conduct an energy audit. By participating in an Energy Audit through your local power company, you can determine how you can make your church building more energy efficient. This is a great way to begin the energy efficiency process because you will know exactly where your church could improve.
2. Control the climate. During the week, when congregation members are not in the building, be aware that your sanctuary and unused classrooms do not need to be a comfortable 75 degrees. By keeping these rooms cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer, you also reduce the cost of your church’s electric bill.
3. Change the bulbs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (or CFL for short) have become popular replacements for incandescent bulbs, with good reason. CLF bulbs use about 75 percent less energy and last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs do.
4. Establish a Creation Care Council. Creating a Creation Care Council allows individuals who are passionate about being compassionate stewards of God’s creation to lead their congregation in action and education on energy efficiency and conservation.
5. Become an Energy Star congregation. Many congregations can cut energy costs by up to 30% by investing in energy efficient equipment, building upgrades and maintenance. Energy Star gives congregations free information and technical support in order for congregations to more easily improve church’s budget costs for energy-related bills.

There are numerous resources available online to educate you and your congregation about energy efficiency and give you more ways to improve your church’s efficiency.

• To read A Christian’s Call to Conserve (pdf) and other CLC publications about energy efficiency and conservation, please visit http://www.bgct.org/texasbaptists.
• To find out more about Energy Star and how your church can become an Energy Star congregation, http://www.energystar.gov/.
• To find out what faith groups in Texas and other states are doing to help conserve energy, visit Interfaith Power and Light.

Solar opportunity for residents in North Texas
Homeowners in North Texas now have an option to “go solar”! TXU Energy is teaming up with California-based firm SolarCity to lease solar panels to homeowners for about $35 a month. Installation of the solar panels is free, and SolarCity takes care of maintenance and insurance. The lease is a 15-year commitment, and the monthly price rises 2.5 percent annually, so over time there is a cost. But the trade-off is well worth it.

The CEO of SolarCity estimates that the panels will result in a 15 and 20 percent savings for customers on their electric bills. And TXU Energy’s vice president for innovation gave the following example in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to illustrate the savings a customer might see.

A 4-kilowatt solar array of about 20 panels, sufficient for a three-bedroom or four-bedroom home, would have an initial leasing cost of about $35 per month. A homeowner paying 12 cents per kilowatt-hour might reduce a monthly electric bill by $50 with the solar system, producing a net savings after the leasing fee.

For residents in the North Texas area, this new solar option is a great way to use a renewable energy source to save money and care for God’s creation.

We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.

By JC Dwyer, Policy Director, Texas Food Bank Network

In your local communities, you may come across this question often. The short answer is Yes, we can! All you need to do is build the will.

Here are six shorthand arguments you may find useful in talking about our 2015 goal:

1. We have the tools… We produce enough food in America to feed everyone – the problem is getting food to the right people, at the right time, and at the right price. This is a logistical problem, not a resource issue, and so is solvable.
2. A measureable problem is a solvable problem… For the first time, the Texas Hunger Initiative is creating an index of how many meals will be needed statewide to achieve food security. Once we have that number, we will have a concrete goal that will be within our reach –an equation that has a solution!
3. The stars are aligned… For the first time in recent memory, hunger has become a priority among our elected and appointed leaders. The Texas Hunger Initiative has the support of USDA, the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and other influential partners statewide. They all want to solve this problem!
4. An ounce of prevention… Hunger costs local communities millions each year in lost worker productivity, student achievement and health care costs. Solving hunger will be much cheaper in the long run than letting it continue. We can also add more than a billion dollars worth of economic development for local communities by signing up eligible participants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
5. Eating the Elephant… Ending hunger is like eating an elephant – one piece at a time! While your local efforts may seem small compared with the overall problem, there are people like you across Texas taking small bites every day, and together we have the power to end hunger for good.
6. Hunger is Unacceptable… Most Texans, regardless of politics or party, agree that in a state as great as Texas, and in a nation as great as America, hunger is unacceptable. Just like social problems of the past, we can end hunger if you can help us turn this sentiment into action!

Get involved by emailing the Texas Hunger Initiative at texashungerinitiative@baylor.edu or calling 254-710-3704.  You can also go to www.texashunger.org for more info.

How YOUR Church Can Help
Our colleagues at Texas Impact have created a wonderful toolkit for folks interested in helping with the summer feeding program. “Feeding Texas Kids with the Summer Food Service Program” gives you step-by-step information on the many different ways you can get involved with SFSP as a faith community.  Get an order form.

We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.

Good News Goods is a very simple concept with a very powerful impact because it connects us to the people who make our products. Purchasing bags and jewelry gives freedom, restoration, and purpose to sex-trafficked women in Thailand and Cambodia; Divine chocolate from Ghana alleviates the forced slavery of women and children working on cocoa bean farms; and coffee provides peace and prosperity to farmers in Uganda who have struggled with constant conflict and poverty.

Good News Goods gives Texas Baptist churches the opportunity to host Fair Trade events & establish on-going Trading Posts where fair trade products are available to your church and community members year-round.  By simply redirecting spending to help the people Jesus called “the least of these,” (Matt. 25:40), we support His mission to “bring good news to the poor,” (Luke 4:18) which is so central to God’s Kingdom.

What Can You Do?

Bring Good News Goods To Your Church

• A JUST ONE card is a plastic card for your wallet that serves as a constant reminder to buy JUST ONE thing from a Fair Trade certified producer. After viewing an explanatory short video about the power of our spending choices (during Sun or Wed service), distribute JUST ONE cards to members and ask them to place them in front of one of their credit cards. Every time they pull out their credit card, this will remind them to go online and buy JUST ONE Fair Trade item from Tradeasone.com/goodnews
• A Good News Goods Market is a shopping event, hosted at your church where church & community members can buy Fair Trade items. The event allows your family, friends and co-workers a convenient and fun way to positively impact the world with their spending power.
• A Trading Post is an ongoing commodity Kiosk held at your church by church members at the time of your choosing (i.e. once a month, twice a month, or even as a part of your church’s bookstore/coffee shop).

Bring Good News Goods To Your College Campus

• Visit the GNG website www.goodnewsgoods.com and sign your campus up for a class presentation, a JUST ONE card campaign, a Market event, or a BSM or club sponsored event
• Event ideas: sell fair trade items during your missions emphasis week;  host a fair trade coffee night; host a fair trade SMORES event made with our delicious chocolate bars
• The Good News Goods rice tote bag is great for carrying books to class or the library and makes for an easy fundraiser item for sororities, fraternities, and various social clubs. To order contact Charlotte Bumbulis at charlotte.bumbulis@bgct.org

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE FOR INDIVIDUAL PURCHASES

• Go to www.goodnewsgoods.com then click on our supplier’s link TRADEASONE.COM.

Plus, 10 % of every purchase goes toward the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger!

We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.

In schools across Texas this fall, students and teachers will observe Red Ribbon week during October 19-23. Communities will be planning prevention and education programs to communicate to students regarding the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.

The Christian Life Commission is sponsoring Recovery Sunday on October 18 to encourage churches in Texas to highlight the issues of addiction, recovery, and prevention. In addition, Recovery Sunday gives Texas Baptists an opportunity to affirm and encourage our students and teachers in their ongoing struggle against drugs and alcohol.

Red Ribbon week grew out of an effort to honor the memory of a DEA agent named KiKi Camarena who died in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel. Following his death, friends and family began to wear red ribbons to honor his memory. This tradition has developed into a national campaign to address the issues of prevention and education. Beginning this fall, the CLC will help congregations to promote Recovery Sunday through providing educational, sermonic, and promotional resources.

Please join us as we encourage churches across Texas to confront the issues of addiction in our congregations and communities. We encourage you to wear your red ribbon during the week of October 19-23 to show your support as students and teachers take a stand against substance abuse in their schools.
There is a sample sermon, bulletin insert and the pathways to prevention curriculum available on the website.

View sample sermon

Recovery Sunday Ideas
1. Pastor preaches a sermon on recovery.
2. A testimony is shared about recovery in the worship service.
3. The youth minister utilizes “Pathways to Prevention” and has a Bible Study about a prevention issue.
4. The church could pass out Red Ribbons to the congregation in support of Red Ribbon week.
5. The church could do a focus on Red Ribbon week and be supportive of students and teachers in the public school system.
6. Hand out drug education fact sheets to parents of youth.
7. Invite a counselor or drug prevention speaker to a special forum for youth parents.
8. Include a bulletin insert about Red Ribbon week and/or Recovery Sunday.
9. Have a copy of the 12 steps put in the Sunday bulletin.
10. Provide drug prevention information in the hallway for church members

We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.

By Jeremy K. Everett

The first time I met Dan Trevino, Pastor of Harlandale Baptist Church in San Antonio, he told me a story of two young children he had found dumpster diving at their church on a Saturday morning.  Dan and his sons had come to the church early to fix breakfast for the men in the congregation.  The two frightened boys were trying desperately to get away when they saw Dan drive up.  Dan called to the boys and they confessed that they were looking for food.  They told Dan that they rarely had food at their house, so they typically go without meals at nights and on weekends when they are out of school.

The two boys participate in the free breakfast and lunch program at their schools,  a program developed during the Great Depression to feed the nation’s children so they would be fit enough to join the military during World War II.  Dan took the boys inside and fed them until they could no longer eat.  Then, in addition to their food pantry and community garden, Harlandale Baptist Church decided to join the growing ranks of faith-based communities participating in the summer feeding program.  They simply could not stand the thought of these children going hungry over the summer when school was not in session.

Three million children participate in the free breakfast and lunch programs in Texas schools during the academic year, but only 78,000 of that number participate in summer feeding programs.  So where do the others eat during the summer months?  Currently, the partnerships between the USDA, Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services provide funding for all food purchased for summer feeding programs in the state.  Many faith-based communities, school districts, and nonprofits are beginning to apply for funding from this federal program to feed children that would otherwise not have access to food.

The Christian Life Commission, Texas Hunger Initiative, and Texas Impact entered into a partnership to do a two-year study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to see what steps can be taken by faith-based communities to increase summer feeding programs around the state.  To learn how your congregation can get involved with Texas summer feeding programs, go to the Texas Impact Website or call your regional food bank to see if your church can become a feeding center for the summer.

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Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.

Throughout the 81st legislative session the CLC has welcomed many Texas Baptists to Austin as they have sought to have their voice heard in the capitol. As the final weeks of the session are upon us we would like to take this opportunity to share a few stories of those who have felt called to speak out.

Hispanic Education Initiative – On Tuesday, April 21, several members of the BGCT Hispanic Education Advisory Council came to Austin to advocate for adult basic education and literacy programs. Led by Gus Reyes and Steve Vernon the group had a very successful and effective visit to our capitol. The complete list of participants can be found here. The Hispanic pastors and other leaders met with all of the legislators and/or their staff who serve on House Public Education, Technology, Economic Development and Workforce, and Calendars committees. They also met with all of the Texas State Senators and/or their staff. Several bills critical to adult literacy and career and technology education are moving through the legislative process and are on the edge of not making it through in time before the legislative adjourns. The group was successful in moving these bills forward and the work they did at the capitol will most defiantly bear much fruit.

Susan Ater, BGCT Camp Specialist and Disaster Response Coordinator, and Danny Dowdy, Director, Highland Lakes Baptist Encampment testified at a hearing of the House Health and Human Services Committee in support of HB 2740 by Rep. Bolton (D-Austin).

Scott Talbert, pastor McDade, testified in front of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures committee in opposition to gambling expansion.

Tomi Grover, Director, Local Transformational Missions, submitted written testimony before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee in support of SB 89 by Sen. Van De Putte (D-San Antonio).

Kim Kotrla – Assistant Professor, Baylor School of Social Work, also provided written testimony in support of SB 89.

Weston Ware – Legislative Director, Texans Against Gambling and John Thielepape – Vice Chair, Texans Against Gambling Board of Directors both traveled to Austin to participate in an anti-gambling coalition meeting and strategy session.

Lester Merriweather, President, Literacy ConneXus, came to Austin for Adult Basic Education lobby day in support of increasing state funding of adult education and literacy programs in the state.

Charlie Johnson, Interim Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Ft. Worth and Co-Chair, Coalition for Public Schools, has worked as an advocate for religious liberty and against our tax dollars going to support private religious education.

Gordon Atkinson, Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church, San Antonio, testified before an interim study committee about barriers to affordable health insurance and the injustice of our health care system.

Here is some helpful information about how to get involved by meeting with your representatives or writing a letter.
Advocacy tips (pdf)
How to write a letter to your legislator (pdf)

We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.

Can you think of a sin about which pastors of evangelical churches do not preach?  At one point in my life I would have said no.  Some preacher always seemed to be hollering at me about sex or honesty or pride.  Oh, I admit that some sins seemed to get more play than others.  Pastors seemed more worried about my sleeping around than about middle-class individuals’ cheating on their taxes.  (If I were cynical I would think that it was because middle-class individuals gave more money to the church!)

Lately, however, I have come to realize that the sin pastors and the church neglect the most is racism.  I was a Christian for ten years before I heard a Bible study or a sermon devoted to aspects of racism.  And while some ministries, such as Promise Keepers, have finally begun to deal with this issue, I still find the church mainly silent about it.  We Christians have paid dear consequences for this silence; disrespect from society, racism in the church, and our inadvertent support of a segregated society are among these costs.  To be frank, as a black Christian, I tend to pay more of these costs than do my white Christian brothers and sisters.  But we all pay the price, in one form or another, nevertheless.

There is a need in the church to develop an understanding of the problem of racism so that we can develop a proper response.  I fear that we have been so silent for so long that when we do deal with the issue, we do so out of ignorance.  I do not claim to have all the answers.  Sometimes I think that I have nothing but questions.  But before we can find answers, we have to try to understand the questions.  Even exploring the questions surrounding racism can be an acceptable beginning point.

It is time to develop a dialogue with each other in the church and to begin to confront the hidden sin.  We may think that the racial issue was solved in the ’60s; it wasn’t.  The darkness of racism still remains even though the form it has taken has changed.  We Christians must shine the light on this darkness so that we can see what is really there.  We must understand how the nature of this sin has changed.  It is only after we have begun to understand how racism is affecting our society that we will find wisdom sufficient to begin to deal with it.

Reference: George A. Yancey, Beyond Black and White: Reflections on Racial Reconciliation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), pp. 11-12.

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The revolutionary rockumentary “Call + Response”. exposing the underworld of modern day slavery was viewed by an engaged and deeply moved audience at the CLC bi-annual conference on faith and public policy. Justin Dillon the film’s producer and director spoke on the Human Trafficking panel with Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Representative Rafael Anchia, and Eric Nichols, Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice for the Office of Texas Attorney General (pdf). 

Major Human Trafficking legislation filed this session:

Rep. Anchia – HB 530 (pdf), 533 (pdf), 628 (pdf)

Rep. Thompson – HB 639 (pdf)

Sen. Van de Putte – SB 89 (pdf)

Sen. Carona – SB 501 (pdf)

Senate Bill 89 by Van de Putte has several moving parts.  The bill in its current form would create a state wide task force, creates a state fund in order provide grants to counties and NGOs combating trafficking, commission a study on juvenile prostitution and alternatives to current punishments, officer training to better equip peace officers to recognize human trafficking, amends criminal codes on forced labor and trafficking of persons.  SB 89 is in its first form and the bill will be amended as it proceeds through the legislative process.  The CLC is very encouraged by the variety of bills filed and the commitment of the different bill authors. 

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