The Gov Hub: September 18, 2023

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Gov Hub
September 18, 2023

Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®. This weekly pop of politics is designed to share action items, resources, and quick links to civic engagement tools and topics to inboxes far and wide. Typos included free of charge. PS and by the way, this issue stretches below the classic Gmail cut-off line - hit View entire message at the end to get the full kit and kaboodle.

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THE ACTION ITEMS

Jump right in

ACTION 1:

The Ask: Tell Congress to set term limits for SCOTUS.

The Action: Send this across the digital airwaves to their inbox.

The Background: If we had a quarter for every Clarence and Ginni Thomas corruption story that dropped, we’d be as rich as Harlan Crow himself. Okay, maybe not that rich, but still. The corrupt and inexcusable behavior of many of the SCOTUS justices has proven these lifetime appointments are not the vibe. Accountability is though, and part of that puzzle is making term limits a part of the SCOTUS equation. To get ‘the part one’ of how this would work, pop this on. To get ‘the part 2’ on why this is needed, subscribe to Girl and the Gov, The Podcast to get notified of next week’s convo with Congressman Ro Khanna on his five point plan for cleaning up SCOTUS (and Congress too).

ACTION 2:

The Ask: Tell Congress to deliver a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.

The Action: Add your John Hancock to this petition.

The Background: Judge Hanen just ruled against DACA [again] and doubled down on his decision to halt new applications. DACA’s future is still in limbo, and this only sets it on a pathway to the Supreme Court [see above for context on why that’s worrisome]. Providing a path forward has always been important, but with threats to DACA like this, it’s even more critical to get it done now.

ACTION 3:

The Ask: Tell Congress to remove the savings penalty for those who Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program enrollees, namely individuals with disabilities and the elderly.

The Action: Hit send on this pre-written note as shared by alliewheelz.

The Background: The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program is an economic lifeline for many individuals with disabilities and older Americans, providing basic financial assistance to cover things like food, shelter, etc. The program, while vital, has its flaws, and those flaws include that the program penalizes enrollees if they save even as much as $1.00 over the program’s asset limits. This would be a great time to mention that the program and those limits haven’t been updated in over 40 years. The asset limits for individuals are $2,000 and $3,000 for couples. Insanely low. It means that enrollee’s cannot save money because it could mean losing their benefits. Enrollees cannot get a better paying job, because again even a $1.00 over the threshold knocks them out of enrollment. And enrollees are hit with a marriage penalty, which limits their ability to marry their partners. We’re not math people, but $2,000 per individual = $4,000 versus if a couple gets married, they get knocked $1,000, to a $3,000 total limit. No dice on marriage equality here. There is however, a bi-partisan, bicameral bill [H.R. 5408 / S. 2767] on the table – who knew that was even possible in 2023?! The Savings Penalty Elimination Act would bring those caps right up – $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for married couples, and index them to inflation moving forward. Passing it is also possible by telling your reps to do so with the note above.

ACTION 4:

The Ask: Register to vote.

The Action: Register here — or if you’re already registered, double check to make sure everything is up to date.

The Background: Tomorrow is National Voter Registration Day, so naturally, we’re using this gorgeous lil’ symbolic moment to remind you to do something critical/big/v important. And we hope you’ll use this moment to remind your friends to register too – drop ‘em the link.

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

  • GOP presidential hopeful and anti-young people voting guy, Vivek Ramaswamy joined TikTok, and people are having a field day. And to that, we present the comments section on his debut:

  • As for Trisha Paytas, she has reasons as to why she votes for Joe Biden. We also have our reasons – see this shareable mini list.

@girlandthegov

Just some #darkbrandon wins to tell the fam jam / pregame / group chat with #darkbrandonrising #inflationreductionact

  • Vassar students stood in solidarity with dozens of women professors at the college who have signed onto a federal class-action lawsuit that alleges gender-based pay discrimination at the once women-only higher education institution.

  • The Senate’s wardrobe is getting a dress down – or at least permission to go a lil’ more work casual. Not that anyone in the history of fashion has ever actually understood what that’s meant. On the House side to city councils, dressing for the job has become part of the job – at least for Gen-Z politicians. Check out what they’re wearing and why with this drop – who knows, maybe it’ll serve as a bit of inspo for the newly released from extreme formal wear Senate.

GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political reads and achievements [yes, those do exist]

OLIVIA HILL BECOMES TENNESSEE'S 1ST TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER: History has been made in the state of Tennessee, with the Nashville metro area electing Olivia Hill to the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County, becoming the state’s first transgender lawmaker. Not only that, she was also the first trans person to appear on the state’s ballot. To make this history-making W a double, Olivia’s election was a part of historic change to the council’s membership, with a record number of women being elected to the council, resulting in women holding the majority of seats on the 40-member council.

PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO MAKE CITY A SANCTUARY CITY FOR GENDER AFFIRMING CARE: Pittsburgh’s City Council took two steps and eight votes in the right direction of making the city a sanctuary city for gender affirming care. The City Council voted to revise a 2011 ordinance that deemed Pittsburgh a “Human Rights City.” The amendment to the ordinance will “shield care providers, as well as recipients and their legal guardians, from out-of-state investigations or prosecution for receiving gender-affirming care.” The measure is followed by another that would deprioritize local enforcement of any care bans, should one come to fruition at either the state or federal level [To Note: No PA laws restrict access currently].

NV COALITION BEGINS PROCESS FOR GETTING ABORTION ON THE STATE’S BALLOT: Is it the decade of the ballot measure? A coalition of repro right advocates and groups certainly think so and have taken the first steps to getting abortion on the Nevada’s ballot. Specifically, the coalition is aiming to have abortion protections enshrined in the state by amending the state’s constitution. In Nevada, should the petition get the go-ahead via the Secretary of State, the coalition will need to first collect 103,000 signatures from registered voters by June 26, 2024 to get a moment to shine on the November ‘24 ballot. But that’s not where the song and dance ends. Then, if the initial ballot measure passes by a simple majority, it will make a second debut on the 2026 ballot aka midterm election time. If it passes then, hallelujah, mama we made it changed the state constitution. For a preview of the fresh constitutional lang, see here.

WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME

ICYMI, droppin deats, ‘dates, & top stories

TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON ACQUITTED ON ALL CHARGES: The Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been at the center of securities fraud charges for over eight years [shoutout Texas Tribune for that stat], has found himself taking a sigh of relief. Because these charges are gonzo? No, no, they’re still very much alive and well, and in motion. However, the 16 articles of impeachment brought against him for ~ fun tings~ like bribery, corruption, disregarding his offish duties, went goodbye. He was acquitted on all charges, and his state Senator wife didn’t even vote on his fate [wasn’t allowed to, just allowed to be a witness to the chaos]. Now, that doesn’t mean he’s not guilty with a cap G, it just means that they couldn’t get 21 senators to vote for him off the island. That magic number on at least one of the articles of impeachment was required. Welp, that was an interesting use of tax-payer money? And what an interesting way to start off impeachment szn? Anyways, the dude gets to keep his job.

UAW STRIKE CONTINUES INTO NEW WEEK: The United Auto Workers’ strike against GM, Ford, and Stellantis continues onward for its fourth day. The strike comes at a time when these automakers are reporting record or near-record profits, a turnaround to say the very least from where these three were about a decade earlier. In that prior too-big-to-fail almost sliding out on a bankruptcy moment, unions parted ways with a number of benefits, like a cost of living adjustment [COLA]. Now, the union, which reps 150,000 autoworkers, is looking to bring previously held benefits back, as well as acquire pay raises – ya know since their CEOs all saw a 40% pay increase on average over the last four years – a 32 hour work week, more paid time off, and a benefit pension. Conversation amongst the parties are continuing with the White House sending a team to help with the negotiations, and representatives like Senator Fetterman driving in to hold the line. A parting word from the UAW President:

@detroitfreepress

UAW president Shawn Fain joins striking auto workers at Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne. #fyp #uaw #uawstrike #Ford #chrysler #detr... See more

WISCONSIN GOP VOTE TO REMOVE STATE’S TOP ELECTIONS OFFICER: How low can they go? The limit does not exist for the Wisconsin GOP which voted to remove the state’s top elections official late last week. Megan Wolfe, the administrator for the bi-partisan Wisconsin Elections Commission was given the boot on a party-line vote after she became the scapegoat for a whirlwind of election related conspiracy theories led by Trump’s stolen election claims. For the backstory, Democracy Docket shared that the [again, bipartisan] commission was literally created “to serve as the state’s election regulatory agency and carries out a wide range of election administration-related functions for the state.” So to make a long story short, they didn’t like the result of 2020, needed someone to take the blame, Megan became target numero uno as well as the integrity of elections as a whole, and then the state GOP pulled what Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, deemed as illegal – he is now suing for her to keep her position . **throws hands in the air**

While we have your eyes on the Wisconsin GOP…

If you’re a Wisco resi, call your rep and tell them not to undemocratically impeach democratically elected state Supreme Court Justice Protasiewicz. Yea, that’s literally a thing rn. That tea – here.

CA BECOMES 1ST STATE TO CALL FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION ON RIGHT TO SAFETY: As gun violence continues to permeate our “normals,” and school shootings hitting an all-time high for the second year in a row, California Governor Gavin Newsom has decided to take a fresh approach to solving this issue. He has called for a Constitutional Convention – think beginning the journey of amending the federal constitution – specifically to address gun safety. The proposed amendment has the moniker the Right to Safety amendment, and just got over the state hurdle, with the state Assembly's passing of Senate Joint Resolution 7, which offish requested the constitutional convention. The Right to Safety amendment itself would, “ensure the people’s elected representatives can determine what gun safety laws are appropriate for their communities and enshrine fundamental, broadly supported gun safety measures into law, including:”

  • Raising the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21

  • Mandating universal background checks

  • Instituting a waiting period for all gun purchases

  • Banning the sale of assault weapons and other weapons of war to civilians

The idea is that the amendment would allow state representatives to make gun safety laws that are constitutionally viable and not have every critical firearm safety law struck down or dismantled by second amendment arguments based merely on the fact that a law involves regulation of a firearm. How far will this get? TBH, we’re still waiting on the literal passing of the ERA [Equal Rights Amendment], so we’re not holding our breath… but it’s a start and you can’t win if you’re not playing the game.

MORE KEY STORIES TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR THIS WK:

  • The Hill: US surpasses 500 mass shootings in 2023: Gun Violence Archive

  • Politico: As the U.N. turns: Relationships to watch as world leaders gather

  • NPR: Thousands march in New York to demand that Biden ‘end fossil fuels’

  • USA Today: House Republicans are in a ‘civil war’ over government shutdown fight, Democratic leader warns

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

Bills, bills, bills

FEDERAL: ICYMI this country is in a child care crisis, and government funding that’s kept 220K child care providers afloat is going to run out on September 30, 2023. Big yikes. The Child Care Stabilization Act would say no-no not on our watch, and if passed, provide $16 billion mandatory funding each year for the next five years to continue the Child Care Stabilization Grant Program. The funding would keep the engine moving, while hoping/praying aka lobbying for larger scale changes across the sector yield something fruitful.

And for one that made it across the finish line…

CALIFORNIA: Call it the Taylor Swift effect if you will, but California passed a bank on junk fees. The bill, SB 478 would outlaw hidden charges on purchases aka junk fees. More broadly, the bill would ban the fees aka menaces to society and consumer wallets by, “expressly prohibiting the pervasive and deceptive practice of advertising a certain price and then adding on mandatory charges that are controlled by the business.” Companies that try to skip the party will get hit with fees…oh, how the tables have turned.

CANDIDATE WATCH ‘24

The following Dems have said put me in coach for…

  • PENNSYLVANIA: Dan Almoney has announced that he’s running for a state House seat [HD-92]. Learn more about his campaign here.

  • CALIFORNIA: Jessica Morse has announced that she’s running to flip California’s District 3 Congressional seat. Learn more about her campaign here.

  • OKLAHOMA: Madison Horn has launched her campaign for Congress with eyes on taking that seat from red to blue. Learn more about her campaign here.

  • NEW YORK: James Gaughran is running for Congress with aims to flip the seat blue. Learn more about his campaign here.

ELECTION SZN ‘23

Into the thick of it

CHEAT SHEET – PA JUDICIAL RETENTION ELECTIONS: First of all, what are these shindigs? Whooooo is involved? What do I need to know? All of those Q’s and more are answered here. Save it, send it – to a PA friend.

DATES & SLATES:

  • VIRGINIA | November 7, 2023: State Senate + House of Delegates [Virginia’s version of the State House], School Boards + Municipal

  • NEW JERSEY | November 7, 2023: State Senate + State Assembly [NJ’s version of the State House], School Boards + Municipal

  • KENTUCKY | November 7, 2023: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture, School Boards + Municipal

  • MISSISSIPPI | November 7, 2023 [November 28 runoff]: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, Commissioner of Insurance, Public Service Commission [3 seats], Transportation Commission [3 seats], State Senate, State House, School Boards

  • LOUISIANA | October 14, 2023 [first round], November 18, 2023 [second round if needed]: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, Commissioner of Insurance, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, State Senate, State House, Intermediate Appellate Courts, School Board, Municipal, Local + State Ballot Measures

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NEW ON THE POD

The latest and greatest

What’s in need of a makeover? The US garment industry – no, seriously, and it’s one that we chatted with Emily Stochl, the Director of Education at Remake about. From piece rate pay [a wormy loophole around the minimum wage], a serious need for oversight, wage theft, and so much more, the garment industry is in need of some big changes, which is where the FABRIC Act comes in. Its design could offer a whole new look for the industry - slay. Learn about its reveal and what’s included in the ensemble by downloading the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Podcasts, and giving it a watch on YouTube.

For more pod things esp, hot goss, tea, povs on politics and pop-cultures from your notorious co-hosts, subscribe to Hot Mic’d. She’s cute, we promise.

ALL THINGS GIRL AND THE GOV®

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Other *things* of note on the comms front:

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