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- The Gov Hub Newsletter: June 3, 2024
The Gov Hub Newsletter: June 3, 2024
Gov Hub
June 03, 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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THE ACTION ITEMS
Get ‘em done from your phone
ACTION 1 – CONTRACEPTION
The Ask: Tell your Senators to pass the Right to Contraception Act.
The Background: An action that’s made its way here in a different capacity i.e. telling Schumer to bring this Act to the dance floor, is now here in the form of telling your Senators to vote for it, since the man with a mic ~ listened ~ and is bringing the bill to the floor this Wednesday for a vote, which means it’s go time.
ACTION 2 – SCOTUS
The Ask: Demand that SCOTUS put forth an ENFORCEABLE code of ethics [and follow it].
The Background: Because SCOTUS seems set on breaking more rules than most teenagers with an ax to grind with over having a curfew, they introduced a code of ethics last year. However, they forgot a little tiny tidbit that’s super duper important – a way to enforce it. Given Alito’s antics and Clarebear’s access to the billionaire gifting suite, an enforcement mechanism is v necessary.
ACTION 3 – REENTRY & 2ND CHANCE LEGISLATION
The Ask: Tell Congress to pass the Clean Slate Act.
The Background: Criminal records can follow people for a lifetime, erecting barriers upon re-entry that prevent access to employment, housing, wages, educational opportunities and more. The Clean Slate Act can help with that, easing reentry and reducing recidivism.
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
2024 is littered with political fever dreams, including none other than former President Trump claiming he never said “lock her up” about Hillary Clinton despite it being the cornerstone of his 2016 campaign. And then the same man saying he’d be “okie dokie artichokie” with house arrest following his conviction, which makes him joining TikTok like we all did during the pandemic make more sense? Wake us up when September ends?
Pre-weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs made a trip to the White House – a trip that had dance moves, The Hill trolling everyone’s least favorite kicker, and Travis at the mic.
So you run for office and you get elected - then what? Cosmo interviewed these women electeds on their experiences and what no one tells you about ‘a day in the life’ once you’re in office.
This Denver, CO neighborhood is using a rent-an-e-bike program to connect people and places, with the idea of solving for its status as a transportation desert.
While we’re on the topic of bikes, PA Governor Shapiro was interviewed while on a bike ride with the goal of sharing the state’s growing tourist attractions and the state’s new tourism motto.
ELECTION SZN 2024
Guides, chatter, who’s who
Another week, another set of congressional primaries to vote in – if you’re in these states and districts – and to keep tabs on.
There are four candidates [GOP] for US Senate that appear to not even live in the states they’re running to represent. Then there’s this Oklahoma GOP Congressmember that’s being primaried by a guy who can’t stop dodging questions about his location, location, location + having voted in the TX March primaries…
Meanwhile in Wisconsin’s Dane County, loads of candidates are vying for assembly and senate seats, including these.
In Montana, these three candidates for state superintendent of public education shared their POVs on school funding, which are particularly relevant since the state superintendent is the HBIC of the Montana Office of Public Instruction.
Chicago is set to have its first school board elections this fall, and how it all came together and is coming together is a bit confusing. This explainer provides a ray of clarity on it all.
In Nevada’s Washoe County, the County Commission, an elected body which controls local election policies like certifying the results of an election, has a number of characters running for its seats.
GATG MERCH LAUNCH: GOV CLUB SWEATSHIRTS
Summer sweatshirts = perf summer fits
Just in time for summer nights that require a cozy sweatshirt, The Gov Club Collection is built for the chic to chill pipeline of moments. The Collection is inclusive of five color options to match all your faves. Get ‘em all.
HGW LISTENS
Hit play on these pods
What will it take to give Ted Cruz the boot? TX Congressman Colin Allred – who is running to replace Cancun Cruz – shares all and what Texas voters are contending with on this episode of Girl and the Gov, The Podcast.
The Manhattan jury that presided over Trump’s hush money [election interference] gave us some answers. This episode of Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick provides more.
There’s an uber important governor’s race in North Carolina this year – and a particularly insane GOP candidate, which is the focus of this episode of The Focus Group Podcast.
BOOKMARK IT
Don’t lose the link
THE TREVOR PROJECT’S ALLY GUIDE: Take a read, then bookmark The Trevor Project’s Guide to being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People.
HRC’S HEALTHCARE FACILITIES TOOL: Take this tool out for a spin to find healthcare facilities in your neck of the woods that have taken the Health Equality Index 2024 survey, and where they match up on LGBTQI+ inclusion.
GLSEN STATE LEGISLATIVE TRACKER 2024: Pop into this interactive map tool that lets users keep tabs on pro-LGBTQI+ legislation and what states the bills are billing in.
GOOD NEWS BEARS
Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]
VERMONT HOLDS BIG OIL ACCOUNTABLE WITH CLIMATE SUPERFUND ACT: The first of its kind to be enacted at the state level, the Climate Superfund Act [S.259] aims to hold big oil accountable for climate change and the detrimental impacts it’s had on the state of Vermont. The law takes inspiration from a federal variation, and requires oil companies to pay for damages that their ‘products’ have caused via climate change. The formula for how many dollars will be owed to the state will be based on damages (ying) and the percentage of emissions that company was responsible for between 1995 and 2024 (yang). From there, according to Vermont Digger, “the money would be deposited into a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program Fund, designed to pay for projects that protect Vermonters from climate change and help the state adapt to it.” The big elephant in the room on this is whether legal action will sink this accountability-ship and whether VT has the funds to buoy that fight.
COLORADO GOV SIGNS BILL APPROVING STATEWIDE VOTING PROGRAM FOR PRISONERS: A win for voting access in Colorado – Governor Jared Polis signed a bill into law that creates a voting program for inmates held in county jails. The program is focused on expanding voter access for those held in local custody. The law will require countries to have a designated employee that’s tasked with coordinating voter access. It’ll also require at least one day of in-person voting to be held. Per The Hill and the Colorado secretary of state’s office, there will be at least 61 voting sites set up at county facilities for the fall 2024 elections.
ARIZONA EXECUTIVE ORDER EXPANDS ACCESS TO FREE BIRTH CONTROL: We’ll admit, we’re fashionably late to sharing this news, which seemingly slipped under the radar. The news is that Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs issued an executive order that expands access to birth control for AZ state workers by requiring that the Arizona Department of Administration designate oral birth control [contraceptives] as essential, preventive health care and thus must be provided to state employees at zero cost. A number of reporting mechanisms are also a part of the executive order with eyes on how to expand coverage for over the counter BC. In addition, the EO includes training for pharmacists on compliance via the state Pharmacy Board and the Arizona Department of Health.
WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME
ICYMI quick political news notes
JURY FINDS TRUMP GUILTY ON 34 FELONY COUNTS: Former President Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers on 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in the first degree. The trial was largely known as the hush money payments trial or the Stormy Daniels trial, but at its core was an election interference trial. As a result of the outcome, the former president will be sentenced on July 11, 2024 – just a mere few days before the Republican National Convention. In the meantime, he’s asked his pals on SCOTUS to intervene. What will happen as the outcome of that sentencing and any/all related appeals is TBD. One interesting fact in the matter however is that with his felon status, Trump is no longer able to travel to 38 countries.
JOE MANCHIN SWITCHES FROM DEM TO INDEPENDENT: Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema have a lot in common – switching party identifications while in office as US Senators seems to be one of those commonalities. Senator Manchin caused less of a stir, and more of a wave of eye-rolls when making the switch from Dem to Independent late last week. The news comes adjacent to the rumblings of the rumor mill that he may try and run for West Virginia’s governor’s seat – a return to his old job.
BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T
Bills, bills, bills
FEDERAL: SCOTUS has been all types of shady recently, and perhaps they got the idea to be so via the nickname for the court’s emergency docket – the shadow docket. The cases that qualify are those where immediate action is requested, and as explained by Democracy Docket, “require extraordinary circumstances and proof that people would suffer “irreparable harm” if the ruling was left in place.” Now to the bill – Senate Dems introduced the Shadow Docket Sunlight Act. The act, if passed, would require both a written explanation from the court on any ‘injunctive decision’ that they make, and would require the vote count for any of these decisions. The idea is transparency, transparency, transparency.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Just signed into law by Governor Sununu, HB 1171 extends the commission to study environmentally-triggered chronic illness. The bipartisan bill brings the commission’s final reporting date from 2024 to 2029.
KEY READS
Important stories from around the USA
BEFORE YOU GO
…say hello!
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