The Gov Hub Newsletter: July 15, 2024

Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®. This weekly pop of politics is designed to share action items, resources, & quick links to civic engagement tools & topics. Find a typo? Congrats, today is your lucky day!

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Before you dive into the usual mishegoss this newsletter provides, a word from the wise on this weekend’s violence from former Congresswoman Giffords:

THE ACTION ITEMS

Get ‘em done from your phone

ACTION 1 – STOCK TRADING

The Ask: Tell Congress to pass the ETHICS Act.

The Background: Stock trading by members of Congress who get access to info that may inform their trades? Not cute. The ETHICS Act [scroll to Good News Bears], which has come together in a revised form and in a bipartisan nature in the Senate, would ban members of Congress, the prez, the vp, and their fam jams from stock trading while in office.

ACTION 2 – IMPEACHING SCOTUS

The Ask: Tell Congress to impeach SCOTUS.

The Background: SCOTUS, inclusive of “Clarence take all the freebies Thomas” and “Samuel red flag Alito” has been in the spotlight for its corruption meets democracy altering decisions. In response, AOC has filed articles of impeachment in an attempt to give them a pink slip, which in process, would look like this.

ACTION 3 – VOTING

The Ask: Encourage friends to register to vote and provide a link to doing so.

The Background: Encouragement from friends and family to vote can make a world of difference. The same goes for registering to vote in the first place. Send ‘em a link and make a voter plan for the day of together – coffee before the polls? perfect!

Looking for more action items? Check our library of past Gov Hub’s.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat

• Following the assassination attempt on former President Trump, two members of Congress are working across the aisle to increase Secret Service Protection for him, President Biden, and presidential candidate RFK Jr. with a new bipartisan piece of legislation. 

• Meanwhile, this Congressman from Wisconsin thinks that the “feminist movement is emasculating men” and we should take a one-way ticket back to the 60s…amongst other insane things. 

• On a more positive note, Congressman McGarvey’s child for president please after hearing this iconic story involving Jack Harlow.

• The bots trying to influence more than Alix Earle and a ring light can apparently be broken – with these little tidbits of advice.

• It’s a Monday, and no matter the industry, we can all relate to feeling like this with some of our colleagues.

• Big events = huge amounts of disinfo/misinfo/fake news/AI bologna and cheese, like this photo from the Trump shooting. Get the skinny on how to up your skills on identifying the fake from the real here.

WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME

Political stories of note

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AT TRUMP RALLY: This past weekend, the Citizen App seemed to break the news before every major press outlet that gunfire had erupted at a Trump rally in Butler, PA. What the gunfire turned out to be was an assassination attempt of former President Trump by a man now identified by law enforcement as Mathew Brooks, a 20-year old man from Bethel park, PA. The FBI is investigating the shooting that left one man dead, several injured, and Trump with a bloodied ear, as domestic terrorism. In response to the security failures, that even those attending the rally had apparently pointed out to law enforcement, the Secret Service will participate in an independent review. President Biden delivered remarks on the assassination attempt amidst calls from unity against political violence.

THE RNC BEGINS IN MILWAUKEE TODAY: In a city that former President Trump has referred to as “horrible,” the Republican National Convention will begin today, marking the start of the four-day event that will conclude with nominating Trump as the party’s presidential candidate. As for the ‘run of show,’ the convention will be speech central and be the moment for the party to “vote” on their platform. The shiniest object in question will be the reveal of Trump’s VP pick, who will likely speak at the convention. Drum roll please…?

GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]

BIDEN SIGNS BIPARTISAN FIRE GRANTS AND SAFETY ACT: A bipartisan win, President Biden signed the Fire Grants and Safety Act into law. The bill aka now law reauthorizes funding through the 2030 fiscal year for the U.S. Fire Administration, the Assistance to Firefighters Program, as well as staffing capabilities for the Adequate Fire and Emergency Grant Program. The bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct an audit and provide a public report on the barriers that prevent fire departments from assessing federal funds and the U.S. Fire Admin. In addition – for a little fiery twist – the bill also “makes the government of China, and any entity or organization operating or incorporated in China, ineligible to be a recipient or sub-recipient of federal assistance under such programs.”

SENATE SENDS FEDERAL PRISON OVERSIGHT ACT TO BIDEN’S DESK: Big bipartisan moves are happening all around town [DC] with the passing of the Federal Prison Oversight Act. The bill aims to tackle and stop the sexual abuse, physical assault, cruel conditions and overall misconduct that has been reported across the federal prison system. To take this issue on, the bill, once made law by President Biden’s signature, will establish an independent Ombudsman to “investigate the health, safety, welfare, and rights of incarcerated people and staff. The Ombudsman would also create a secure hotline and online form for family members, friends, and representatives of incarcerated people to submit complaints and inquiries.” Meanwhile, the DOJ will be required to have its Inspector General [IG – not to be confused with Insta] to conduct comprehensive, risk-based inspections across all of the system’s 122 correctional facilities and report back with recs on how to fix the problems. 

BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SENATORS RENEW TALKS ON STOCK TRADING BAN BILL: Josh Hawley, what are you doing here?! Being bipartisan apparently would be the answer, and standing figuratively hand-in-hand with Democratic Senators Ossoff, Merkley, and Peters on a reframed bill that would ban stock trading amongst members of Congress, the President, the VP, and their family members. The bill – the ETHICS Act, got new attention per a press conference and a new amendment to the legislation. Should it pass, it would ban the crew listed in the sentence prior to this from trading stocks ASAP – like literally immediately. It would also make purchasing stocks a no-go zone for the president and VP, while members of Congress would have 90 days – not to get a fiancé – but to sell their stocks. Starting in 2027, lawmakers’ spouses and dependent kiddos would also be barred from trading stocks. The penalty is a slight uptick from the current modus operandi of ‘give me a break that’s not even a slap on the wrist’ style of being, with the new bill [should it become law] mandating the offending lawmaker to pay the majority of their monthly salary or 10% of the value of each related covered asset. Where will this go? Hopefully further than the three-year talking stage that the bill has been going through.

MICHIGAN PASSES BUDGET MAKING COMMUNITY COLLEGE FREE THIS YEAR FOR MI HS GRADS: For students that graduate from a Michigan high school this year, community college will be free for those attending this year thanks to the finalized Michigan state school aid budget. Eligible students can earn either an associates degree or a skills certificate from a qualified in-district community college, saving an estimated $4,800 per student. The free tuition is estimated to be free for about 18,000 students. The program is a part of Governor Whitmer’s goal of making education options more accessible for more Michiganders.

HGW LISTENS

Hit play on these pods

• A little bit of matchmaking for Jack Harlow [and Maddie], a little bit of policy talk on small biz, and a lotta bit of chit chat on bipartisanship, this episode of Girl and the Gov, The Podcast with Congressman Morgan McGarvey will give you laughs and hope.

• The magic word of the moment? Staffing, which isn’t just a word, but an issue impacting critical industries like firefighting, a scenario explored in this episode of Consider This from NPR.

• When feelings meet facts you get the Vibes Only Podcast, which drops new episodes every Wednesday.

ELECTION SZN 2024

Guides, chatter, who’s who

• If VP Harris were to take the reins of the top of the Dem ticket, who would the potential VP picks be? The Hill has their eyes on these six contenders.

• How does the RNC work? What’s the sched? What can you expect when you tune in? All the top-line deats here.

• President Biden will be sitting down for an interview with NBC Nightly News’ Lester Holt. This is how you can watch it.

• This candidate could determine the political make-up of the PA state legislature aka a BFD.

• Political parties are made… in school houses? That’s part of the journey CSPAN captures in this look at the founding of the Republican party.

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

A bill of note

MASSACHUSETTS: Passing the state House and now headed right on over the state Senate, this bill, if it makes it over the finish line fully, would ban companies from selling cell phone location data collected during visits to repro clinics and gender-affirming care clinics. The goal is to not only protect the privacy of patients receiving care, but to ensure they’re not harassed or targeted  – the same goes for the providers.

KEY READS

Important stories from around the USA

• AP: Houston community groups strain keep feeding and cooling a city battered by repeat storms

• Mountain State Spotlight: West Virginia communities got money to help tear down abandoned buildings. It wasn’t nearly enough

• NPR: Women don’t have equal access to college in prison.

• Axios Atlanta: We’re the worst: Georgia is No. 1 for late mail delivery

MERCH ME UP

The Gov Club Merch Collection Drops New Additions

The Collection has been expanded from the classic Gov Club sweatshirt to include a cozy long sleeve t-shirt, a French terry navy crewneck, and a cutie lil’ crop top. Shop all of the options here.

BEFORE YOU GO…

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