The Gov Hub: September 25, 2023

Author

Gov Hub
September 25, 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.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

THE ACTION ITEMS

Jump right in

ACTION 1:

The Ask: Tell your governor to provide pardons for marijuana-related convictions.

The Action: Hit send this pre-written digital note to your governor.

The Background: ICYMI Biden used his powers of clemency to pardon people with federal convictions of simple marijuana possession. For many reasons this was a positive move in the right direction – especially in a time where we continue to see people behind bars for marijuana-related charges while in some states, it’s legal to purchase, sell, and use marijuana in regulated capacities. Now, it’s time for governors to follow in Biden’s footsteps and deliver pardons for marijuana-related convictions. Oregon, Illinois, and PA have already gotten in the mix. For the 40+ other states and their governors, it’s time to issue pardons.

ACTION 2:

The Ask: Tell your [federal] reps to co-sponsor and pass the just reintroduced, Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2023.

The Action: Hit send on this pre-written digital note via the Tyler Clementi Foundation [editor’s note: the dates of reintroduction haven’t been updated here, but the send tool works all the same, and so does the message].

The Background: In 2010, Tyler Clementi, a Freshman at Rutgers University in NJ tragically lost his life to suicide following harasment over his sexual orientation. This past Friday, on the anniversary of his death, a bill named in his honor, the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2023, was reintroduced. The bill would require colleges and uni’s receiving federal dollars to establish anti-harassment policies that would “prohibit harassment based on perceived race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion, and it would require schools to recognize “cyberbullying” as a form of harassment.”

ACTION 3:

The Ask: Tell your Senators the filibuster has got to go.

The Action: Send them this pre-written digital note from NextGen.

The Background: The filibuster is like fetch, it’s just not working – for anyone, except for maybe Mitch McConnell in 2017 when he used it to pack SCOTUS with the worst-us. The filibuster has gotten makeovers and make-downs 161+ times throughout the years, so yea there’s precedent for changing the rules, don’t let anyone fool you twice on that. And the filibuster or fili’s 60-vote requirement is the ultimate cockblock for common sense and even bi-partisan legislation from making it over the finish line – hello, gun reform?! Anyways, like we said, tell ‘em you want them to say toodles to fili in all its forms.

Action Item Appetizer: In prep for this week’s Girl and the Gov, The Podcast episode with Congressman Khanna on SCOTUS reforms, tell your reps you want to see term limits for the court by sending them this note.

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

BOOKMARK IT

Don’t lose the link, bookmark it

AMERICAN CLIMATE CORPS: She’s gorgeous, she’s cute, she’s the American Climate Corps. This hot new drop from the Biden Admin is set up to train young people in high-demand skills needed for jobs in the clean energy economy. Basically, it’s an opportunity to get the resume bullet points needed to get good-paying jobs that will help push back on climate change, advance enviro justice initiatives, get clean energy to the next level, and so much more. For those interested in applying for the corps or wanting to get in the loop on how to support, this is the page to bookmark.

SALARY TRANSPARENT STREET: TBT and RIP to when talking about money, politics, and religion was taboo. Okay, maybe not exactly a “was” yet, but conversations about salaries are coming to the surface – some thanks to newly passed state salary transparency laws like this one, some because creators like this one are asking questions, and others because we’re more connected than ever – shoutout TikTok. Regardless, progress to be made about understanding the lay of the pay – that progress can start here with this database. Peruse and see what people are making in specific positions and areas. Add yours to help build context for others too. It’s a bookmarkable for sure.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat

  • On the topic of a gov shutdown, what happens during one? This.

  • Pass the petition to a pal – specifically this one, telling Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.

  • If someone tells you that pumpkin spice is basic, tell them it’s a nearly billion dollar sector and just another way women are carrying this economy on their backs. You’re welcome, Ken.

  • Meanwhile, in ‘23, we have the FIRST crash test dummy designed to accurately represent a female body in a crash – see it here. They’ve literally been using “scaled-down dummies, based on male proportions, to represent women and children” because cutting corners when it comes to women apparently does let some people sleep at night – couldn’t be us.

  • KY Governor Beshear dropped this powerful campaign ad featuring childhood rape survivor’s testimony focused on bodily autonomy and abortion as election day comes into view. This is the must-watch ad.

GOOD NEWS BEARS

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

BIDEN ADMIN ESTABLISHES WH OFFICE OF GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION: Bb, we’re in biz – after years of lobbying from gun reform and gun violence prevention groups like March For Our Lives, the Biden Administration has forged ahead with creating the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The office will be overseen by VP Kamala Harris, alongside Stefanie Feldman, a long time policy advisor on gun violence, and gun violence prevention advocates Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox. The office will be tasked with implementing executive and legislative action focused on gun violence prevention and reform – this includes taking a comprehensive look at what executive actions would be most effective, as well as legally feasible, and putting them into play. This news came with a Rose Garden presser featuring gun reform activist and now Congressman, Maxwell Frost (D-FL) – see it in action here:

NY GOVERNOR HOCHUL SIGNS VOTING RIGHTS PACKAGE: NY Governor Hochul signed a voting rights package that included more goodies than your average Halloween candy haul. The package included 10 bills, all of which expand voting rights and access in the state. Most notably, the package makes NY the 36th state to allow voters the option to vote by mail. Voting in the comfort of one’s own home? Yes, please. The package also implements same-day voter registration on the first day of early voting. Given that same-day registration has proven to increase youth voter turnout, we’re excited beyond words. Speaking of young voters, one of the other bills signed into law [SB 1733], requires that local boards of ed, BOCES, charter schools, and non-public schools to promote voter reg and pre-reg, including making these processes accessible to students throughout the school year. It’s a ‘meet young people where they are approach.’ The full package of bills can be viewed here.

PA GOVERNOR SHAPIRO ROLLS OUT AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION: No, like the way that last wk was a wk of voting rights wins – we can’t even, but we can enough to tell you what this is and what it means. Now, PA residents who are either getting a new driver’s license or state-issued ID card, that are eligible to vote, will be automatically taken through the voter registration application process. They are able to opt-out if they decide for whatever reason they don’t want to register to vote [don’t yell at us, we’re just the messenger]. This process is one of streamlining – and aims to not only make it easier for residents to register, but to reduce the paper application processing burden that falls on the shoulders of county election offices. Naturally, this burden has been known to increase in major election years, so in having the voter reg process attached to DMV activities, the updates and new registrations will flow in more evenly, lessening the election year work crunch. This update brings PA in line with 23 other states who have been rockin’ with AVR.

THE ICK LIST

A very rotten egg takes over the whole list

SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ [NJ-D]: For the love of corruption, we’ve got another indictee to add to the list, and this time it’s the Senator from NJ, Dem, Bob Menendez. On Friday, he was indicted on allegations that he and his wife accepted over $600K in bribes from a group of NJ biz guys on behalf of Egyptian interests. What’s included on the list of gifts aka bribes is giving 1980s mafia movie vibes: gold bars, cash, a luxury car [don’t get us started on how we feel about Mercedes], and even a mortgage on the family home. The related raid by the FBI, which results in finding $500K in cash and $100K in gold, really adds to the whole dumb criminals in high places of power tale.

Now for where this gets even more treacherous, he’s accused of using his Senate position to advance an arms deal with Egypt and lobby for a dam that’s considered to be important to the Egyptian government. This power play was literally executed through an LLC that the Senator set up – do these people have no shame?! I think we all know the answer to that one. Anyways, as of now, Menendez, his wife who kind of reminds of the wife in Wolf of Wall Street, and three biz dudes have been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud – oh, and there’s the conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right charge.

This so far has resulted in him denying allegations, but also stepping down as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Dems have begun telling the guy it’s time to go, including NJ Congressman Pascrell and NJ Congressman Kim who is now going to make a run for the seat. Congressman Kim is also known for his ultimate dad vibes from this heart melter of a story.

Subscribe while you scroll, sign up for The Gov Hub Newsletter here if you’re not already on the list.

Wait, people still call each other on the phone….? If you’re clueless in the under 30 department, we can help with that → see here.

WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME

ICYMI, droppin deats, ‘dates, & top stories

TENTATIVE DEAL REACHED TO END THE WRITERS STRIKE: As of late last night, a tentative deal between union leaders and Hollywood studios has been struck to bring the almost 5-month long screenwriters strike to an end. The deal is very TBD and will have to be given the official thumbs up [vote] by the WGA’s board and its members before the strike would end. Another TBD is the terms. And another is the separate but adjacent strike feat 65K film and tv actors. So, we’ll see, but moves are being made.

PENTAGON TAKES STEPS TO RESTORE BENEFITS TO LGBTQA+ VETERANS PUSHED OUT BY “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL:” Following the 12-year anniversary of the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” or DADT policy, the Pentagon has begun an effort to reach out to LGBTQA+ veterans who were discharged under less than honorable conditions for “LGBTQA+ conduct” prior to the DADT repeal. The Pentagon, by getting into contact with these veterans, aims to help them through a process to request a correction to their military record. If corrected, the new records would enable these veterans access to the benefits they are duly owed. Stats, resources, and details on how this process will work can be accessed here.

MORE KEY STORIES TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR THIS WK:

  • Politico: Can Katie Britt Be the Face of the GOP’s Post-Trump Future?

  • The American Independent: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves appointed DA who fought to keep wrongly convicted man in jail

  • Tennessee Lookout: Tennessee leads nation in arresting and punishing pregnant women

  • AP: First refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia following Azerbaijan’s military offensive

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

Bills, bills, bills

TW: If you or somebody you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, the 988 hotline is available for free, 24 hours a day.

FEDERAL: It’s often the little things that make a huge difference, and the Gun Suicide Prevention Act certainly taps into that notion. The Act, is passed, would require that newly produced guns include the national suicide hotline number - 988 - either to be physically engraved on the gun, for it to be printed on the gun’s packaging, or included in any written material that comes with the gun [ex: instruction manual]. The message itself would be paired with a yellow triangle with an exclamation point in the middle, and this message: “IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE, PLEASE CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE AT 988.” The bill, introduced by California Congresswoman Brownley, looks to reduce the whopping 54% of suicides that are conducted using a gun.

FEDERAL: After skies from the east coast to Chicago looked like a scene from the literal apocalypse, the Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act of 2023 has come to the forefront thanks to Senator Merkley [D-Oregon]. The bill [S. 2387], would allow the prez to declare a smoke emergency, which would then allow federal agencies to provide emergency assistance – think helping with relocation efforts, smoke shelters, etc. The best way to explain this bill though is with this musical display.

FWD, SUBSCRIBE

Inbox musts and mentions

  • Hmm That’s Interesting: This newsletter is a gem of gems, and written by none other than TikTok gem and PR skit aficionado Clara of Color Me Lovely. The reads are culture takes as applied to all the wild things going on across this crazy lil’ planet. Subscribe here.

  • The Buzz: This newsletter from The State newspaper, is all about South Carolina politics. It fives the quick 1-2 on all-things SC politics in an easy to read format. Subscribe here.

NEW ON THE POD

The latest and greatest

26 mill. That’s the number of Americans that don’t have an ID, which is a huge motherfuckin’ problem because IDs allows people to obtain legal employment, to accept scholarships, to secure housing, to utilize SNAP, WIC, and other programs, to receive one’s SSI, to access veteran’s benefits, and kind of literally everything one needs to survive. Shit has got to change, and Kat Calvin is making it happen. The founder of the Project ID Action Fund and the author of American Identity in Crisis: Notes From An Accidental Activist has been getting IDs to people for years, and now has taken this work to the Hill with the introduction of the Ids For An Inclusive Democracy Act. The bill would provide a free federal ID for all. Learn about how she got her, the bill, the book, and more by tuning into the eppy on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts.

CANDIDATE WATCH ‘24

The following Dems have said put me in coach for…

  • CALIFORNIA: Gil Cisneros has put his hat in the ring for a CA Congressional seat. Learn more about his campaign here.

  • TEXAS: State Representative Rhetta Bowers has entered the race for Collin Allred’s Congressional seat. Learn more about her campaign here.

ELECTION SZN ‘23

Into the thick of it

SPECIAL ELECTION - ALABAMA: House District 55 has a special election on the docket for Tuesday – yes, tomorrow. And ICYMI, Sylvia Swayne is running for the seat. She’s already making history as the first openly trans person to run for state office in Alabama. Iconic. District 55 resident? Find out the where and when here.

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

ALL THINGS GIRL AND THE GOV®

THE GOV CLUB: Focused on political networking and community amongst civically engaged besties, The Gov Club provides members access to free virtual networking events, 1v1s, and connections with one another. The Gov Club has also made moves from its old Slack channel home to the Geneva platform to make connecting with one another easy as pie. Sign up for the Gov Club, here.

#VIRAL, THE NEWSLETTER: Skip the meeting, make it an email – subscribe to Girl and the Gov®’s paid newsletter, #VIRAL, dedicated to providing the 411 on the social media trends, tricks and tips, and how-to’s for politicos is hitting inboxes with a splash, weekly. A sample of the newsletter, which we dub ‘social media consulting to your inbox,’ can be viewed here, and interested humans can subscribe here.

PODCAST AUDITS: Girl and the Gov®’s Podcast Audit service provides a comprehensive review of the client’s existing show with the goal of identifying areas of improvement. This is for clients with existing podcasts at any stage that wants to bring their show to the next level. Start the process with a Discovery Call.

SOCIAL MEDIA AUDITS: Think it’s time for a social media audit? Girl and the Gov® can help with that. Get up to speed on what needs to stay, and what needs to go on your social media accounts for it to go from zero to hero. Book a Discovery Call to learn more about what an audit can do for your accounts.

Other *things* of note on the comms front:

For pitches, PR, partnerships, collaborations, and more, send all details to info@girlandthegov.com.