Entries tagged with legislation

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Ideas to block the current bill

There are 17 medical professionals in the current House of Representatives. 11 are Republicans. Trying to argue on most issues with the bill is difficult with such a tight deadline, but the one item most people -- including Congressional Representatives -- are reacting to negatively is the closure of Rural and Regional hospitals. This should be a negative for all of the Republicans, but the ones who understand what lack of medical provision can do should be especially ripe to listen, perhaps even be persuaded.

I live in Georgia. Rich McCormick is Georgia District 6, and I live in District 1. But he's more likely to respond to someone from the same state, especially if he has Senate or Gubernatorial ambitions in the future.

The list I found is through The Patients Action Network. If you are in a District with one of these Republican representatives, particularly if they specialize in Emergency or Family medicine, start calling and/or emailing. If you are in the same state, email them and let them know you have a long memory if they're thinking of statewide offices.

In the meantime, send support to the few Republicans in the House who have already voted against it and continue to oppose it. At the very least, let's make them miss their deadline for vacation.

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federal funding for transgender health care

I saw via a Mastodon link that Republicans in Congress are trying to stop the federal government for paying for any gender-affirming health care. The person who posted about this urged people to write to our representatives, but I didn't see a link or suggested text.

So, I used my congresswoman and senators' web sites to write to them. This could probably be better written, but I think it's good enough. Slightly different phrasing for the House and the Senate. What I sent my senators is:

Republicans, led by Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House, are trying to insert sweeping anti-trans language into must-pass funding bills. They want to stop the federal government from paying for any gender-affirming care. These anti-trans provisions are already in the House versions of the Health and Human Services and military appropriations bills.

This law would have a horrible effect on transgender people. People die by suicide when they can't get the care they need.

I suspect that's not a bug for them, but a feature--they literally want my friends dead. Please work to block this in the Senate.

What I sent Rep. Pressley is:

Republicans including Marjorie Taylor Greene are trying to insert sweeping anti-trans language into must-pass funding bills. They want to stop the federal government from paying for any gender-affirming care. These anti-trans provisions are already in the House versions of the Health and Human Services and military appropriations bills.

This law would have a horrible effect on transgender people. People die by suicide when they can't get the care they need.

I suspect that's not a bug for them, but a feature--they literally want my friends dead. Please work to stop this.

Depending on whose district you're in, it might or might not be a good idea to emphasize that the cruelty is part of the point.

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Blocking the EARN IT Act

The EARN IT Act is the latest threat to open expression and privacy online. It is yet another anti-LGBT, anti-sex-worker, anti-privacy bill that supposedly aims to protect children, while actually making the situation worse. In this case, it would remove ability to send end-to-end encrypted messages: the end to privacy online.

Despite purporting to protect children from sexual exploitation, the EARN IT Act in fact will make online platforms less able to report and remove child pornography. Making platforms liable for content hosted on them actually makes companies less willing to do anything that involves trying to seek out, take down, and report CSAM, because of the greatly increased liability that comes with admitting that there is CSAM on the platform to search for and deal with. In the meantime, it will destroy Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the part that the ACLU regards as “foundational to modern online communications.” In destroying end-to-end encryption, EARN IT will also destroy the Internet as we know it, and continue chipping away at the right to privacy. It will also encourage platforms and far-right interest groups to label anything having to do with sexual health and sexual expression as dangerous pornography, ushering in an era of censorship and repression under the name of keeping children safe, all the while actually making the Internet less able to cope with the very real problem of CSEM. The EARN IT Act has been roundly condemned by nearly every major LGBTQ+ advocacy and human rights organization in the country, and for good reason. It is based on fundamental misunderstandings of the law and reality.

Tumblr user

fullhalalalchemist has a much longer and more comprehensive description of the bill's aims and failings, as well as a bibliography of news analysis of the bill; I encourage you to go read it.

In order to contact your senators to prevent this bill's passing, you can:

- Call the Congressional hotline at: 202-224-3121
- Email your representatives in the House and Senate
- Send a Resistbot text-letter already written for you. Text SIGN PVLKLV to 50409.

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Contact your congresspeople about finding graves at Indian residential schools

There is currently an act before the senate, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, which would establish a commission to investigate past injustices of the federal government's cultural genocide and assimilation practices through its Indian Boarding School policy.

If you would like to contact your senators about it, the ELCA (a Christian denomination) has a widget that will email them for you. It is quick and easy to use, and easy to edit out the religious bits if you wish.

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End sub-minimum wages for people with disabilities

Currently, in the US, federal law allows disabled people to be paid sub-minimum wages under certain conditions. That's right, disabled people can be paid less than the minimum wage, and it's perfectly legal! This exception was carved out of the minimum wage back when it was first implemented, because obviously nobody would ever be willing to pay disabled people a living wage, amirite? And they should be grateful to have any job at all, amirite? 😱

There is currently a bill before congress called the The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA), which would end the discriminatory practice of subminimum wage, and give states and service providers the resources they need to create better employment support programs.

If you would like to contact your members of congress to encourage them to support TCIEA, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network has a handy widget to help you email them.

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CA only: sticking it to tech with SB 331

NDAs play a huge role in enforcing silence around discrimination and harassment and are particularly beloved of tech and entertainment companies. Pinterest, for example, famously bound many of its BIPOC employees with NDAs that prevented them from speaking out about pervasive racist harassment at the company, and NDAs also restricted many women in the entertainment industry from speaking out on MeToo matters. NDAs act as, essentially, a loophole in federal whistleblower law, threatening people who want to speak up about poor treatment at the hands of past employers with loss of pay and possible legal action. Read more about NDAs at the Guardian here.

In 2018, California passed SB 820, which specifically bans NDAs in cases of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sex discrimination. SB 331, or the Silenced No More Act, seeks to complement this bill by banning NDAs in all cases of workplace harassment and discrimination, including along axes of race, disability, age, and religion. SB 331 has passed the State Senate and now faces the Assembly.

If you're in California, please contact your Assemblymember (find out who they are here) and tell them to support the Silenced No More Act. Find a script below for calling, writing, or emailing.

You can also send a ResistBot message by texting PKLNMK to 50409.

( Call and/or Email Script )

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Weekly Check in June 7

Hey folks, it's been a long hard week, but I hope you find it motivating. If you go out to protest, please wear a mask and good shoes, and take care where you can. Afterwards, if you'd like to share your experience here, please do.

New Actions and Resources
Protesting Philippines' "Anti-Terror" Bill
Info/Action: Two Twitter Threads on measures that are effective at stopping police violence
Support Puerto Rico against anti-LGBQT and anti-environement legislation: 'No' al Código Civil
Black Lives Matter: compilation of fundraisers, petitions, scripts, and action opportunities
Donate: Bail Funds
Templates for Letters to your Local City Council and Mayor about police

Ongoing Actions and Resources
US: FDA Relaxing Labeling Requirements
George Floyd: Official George Floyd Memorial Fund On Go Fund Me And Other Resources
Action: 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice

Coronavirus
CDC coronavirus page
Johns Hopkins Global case tracker
A bunch of newspapers have dropped their paywall for coronavirus coverage

How's everyone holding up?

Poll #24168 This week I

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15

View Respondents

View Answers

called my one senator
1 (7.1%)

called my other senator
1 (7.1%)

called my representative
2 (14.3%)

called my governor
1 (7.1%)

called my state reps
2 (14.3%)

sent a postcard/email/letter/fax
8 (57.1%)

attended a town hall
1 (7.1%)

donated money to a cause
12 (85.7%)

attended an in-person activist group
0 (0.0%)

participated in phone/online training
2 (14.3%)

View Answers

went to a protest
6 (42.9%)

signed up for alerts
5 (35.7%)

worked for a campaign
0 (0.0%)

did textbanking/phonebanking
1 (7.1%)

took care of myself
8 (57.1%)

not a US citizen but worked in solidarity in my own community
2 (14.3%)

did something else
6 (42.9%)

committed to action in the coming week
4 (28.6%)

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Info/Action: Two Twitter Threads on measures that are effective at stopping police violence

A thread about the research:

For those who are interested in research-based solutions to stop police violence, here’s what you need to know - based on the facts and data. A thread.

https://twitter.com/samswey/status/1180655701271732224

A thread about legislation

*Activists and Legislators:* Here’s a thread of MEANINGFUL legislation that has been proposed and, in some cases, passed in cities and states to address police violence. Consider passing legislation like this in your community, too.

https://twitter.com/samswey/status/1266855519425384450

Also,

fandomtrumpshate has a post on Black Lives Matter: Resources for Supporting the Protests, covering donating, how to protest safely, non-monetary support and good sources of information.

https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/31608.html

(Again, thanks to FFA for the two Twitter threads.)

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The Protect American Votes and Elections Act 2018

Press release: a group of senators has introduced a bill to require paper ballots and risk-limiting audits in all federal elections. (Senators Wyden, Gillibrand, Markey, Murphy, and Merkley.)

These are the two BEST ways to protect our elections against electronic tampering. Taking a statistical sample of the paper ballots, we can check if the results match the electronically-tabulated ones.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer submitted a matching proposal in the House.

PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPS TO DEMAND THAT THEY SUPPORT THE PaveACT 2018!!!

I haven't had a chance to read the bill yet, which is the only reason I'm not (yet) jumping on the tables and begging everyone to call their senators and reps and DEMAND that this bill get passed. But if this bill does what it says, that's exactly what I'm going to be doing.

edit: This is actually from June 12 and has been around for a while; I got really excited because tonight is the first I'd heard of it. I'm sorry if I'm late to the party!

Read them yourself: S.3049 & HR 6093.

A few notes from me (potential issues, but not deal-breakers imho):

- The bills require hand-marked ballots, not just paper ballots that the voter can check. Which means that every jurisdiction with electronic machines is going to have to replace theirs, even if it prints out a paper ballot that the voter gets to verify. This'll be expensive, may need federal money, and may push back the timetable.

- There is some language for accessibility for voters who can't hand-mark ballots, but I'm not versed enough in accessibility to know if it's sufficient.

- They require hand recounts, which will be expensive when they happen and may come into conflict with state election laws.

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Dream Act 2017 introduced

From United We Dream, info@unitedwedream.org:
The Dream Act of 2017 has been introduced in the Senate to protect DACA recipients. It has four sponsors: Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY). United We Dream asks for peole to telephone their Attorney General. The number they give is (832) 610-3896.

Their suggested message is "I am calling to ask the Attorney General to come out publicly to defend the DACA program. This program has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth across the country and it must be protected. I expect my attorney general to support the immigrant community and protect DACA."

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Indivisible Goes State

https://www.ourstates.org/#ourstates

Interactive map of state laws and pending bills in five areas: immigration, policing/protest, reproductive justice, voting rights, and LGBTQ equality, plus a counterpart to their original Indivisible Guide for rousting state rather than federal legislators.

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Action: Bill to Ban Registration Based on Religion

On November 18, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) introduced the No Religious Registry Act (H.R. 6382) to ensure individuals of all faiths are protected from the establishment of a national religious registry. The bill would:

prohibit the Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security and any United States government official from establishing or utilizing a registry for the purposes of classifying individuals on the basis of religious affiliation. The legislation would cover U.S. nationals, U.S. visa applicants and aliens lawfully present in the United States.

Reps. John Conyers, John Lewis, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Doris Matsui, Steve Cohen, Keith Ellison, Andre Carson and Judy Chu are original cosponsors of the bill. According to Rep. Delbene's office, other representatives from Washington State have requested to be added to the bill.

Call your representatives to ask them to publicly support the bill (or to thank them if they have already done so).

Full details of the bill, including a list of co-sponsors, can be found at https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/6382?r=1.