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- The Gov Hub Newsletter: November 18, 2024
The Gov Hub Newsletter: November 18, 2024
Two races where less than 100 votes separate the candidates, NYC passes a pro-renter bill, and RFK Jr. eats McDonalds
Gov Hub
November 18, 2024
Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov® – a Dem tent weekly that shares action items you can do from your phone, good political news, civic engagement tools and topics, and a little dose of political goss too, right to your inbox.
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THE ACTION ITEMS
Get ‘em done from your phone
ACTION 1 – NJ X BOOK BANS
The Ask: NJ residents — tell NJ Governor Murphy to sign the Freedom to Read Act.
The Background: The NJ state Senate voted to put the Freedom to Read Act on Governor Murphy’s desk. The goal of the bill is to limit book bans in public schools, as well as to protect librarians from both lawsuits and criminal charges. If the bill becomes law, it will require the state’s education commissioner to create specific policies on how library materials are selected and how challenges to books being available at school libraries should be handled. This framework would then be used by local school and library boards, which would use it as the basis for their own policies.
ACTION 2 – MEDICARE
Brought to readers on behalf of the Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease
The Ask: Tell Congress to pass H.R. 4818/S. 2407:Treat and Reduce Obesity Act [TROA].
The Background: Obesity is a serious, progressive, and chronic disease. But it’s also treatable and preventable. This Congress has the power to immediately expand Medicare access to obesity medicines, which could help vulnerable populations AND save taxpayers up to $245 billion over a decade. Congress can address this crisis by passing H.R. 4818/S. 2407: the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act [TROA], which would expand access to critical obesity medications for millions of Americans enrolled in Medicare.
ACTION 3 – PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES
The Ask: Tell Congress to pass the bipartisan Patients Before Middleman Act.
The Background: 3rd party intermediaries aka middlemen that are responsible for managing prescription drug benefits and pharmacy networks on behalf of health plans like Medicare Part D plans are incentivized to push both health plans and seniors toward more expensive prescription drugs. Why, you say? Because their incomes are linked to the price of the prescriptions, along with these reasons. The Patients Before Middleman Act would – per Senator Marshall’s press release:
Prohibit PBM compensation based on the price of a drug as a condition of entering into a contract with a Medicare Part D plan. Service fees will not be connected to the price of a drug, discounts, rebates, or other fees.
Create an enforcement mechanism requiring PBMs to pay to the Secretary any amount in excess of the designated service fees.
ACTION 4 – DISASTER RELIEF, NORTH CAROLINA
The Ask: North Carolina residents – tell your state legislators not to override Gov. Cooper’s veto of school voucher expansion bill, HB10.
The Background: The state leg is back in action starting tomorrow [the 19th] and their heads should be in the game of ensuring that North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Helene have the resources they deserve. Ensuring funding for those purposes, requires not wasting taxpayer dollars on things like vouchers for private schools – the goal of HB10. The bill, which earmarked $463 million in funds for vouchers, was vetoed by Gov. Cooper, but could be overridden with the current make-up of the state leg. Tell the leg not to override the veto and to use that money for hurricane relief.
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
RFK Jr. – Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, who has gone on a “Make America Healthy Again” crusade, was spotted with Zyn [nicotine patches] and a tray full of McDonalds – not very MAHA of him. The epitome of health and wellness, the only man who comes close to Trump in the bad spray tan category, would be able ‘to do this, but not that’ if confirmed via the Senate to be America’s lead on health.
Another clown in the dangerous circus that is Trump’s cabinet picks, Pete Hegseth – Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible ‘insider threat’ in the military for his alt-right, white supremacist tattoos. In addition, the man has openly shared how he doesn’t think women should serve in combat roles and has admitted that he doesn’t wash his hands [ew].
If anyone ever tells you that your vote doesn’t matter – or you feel like your vote doesn’t matter because you live in a ‘blue state’ there is currently a Congressional race in California that hasn’t been called yet, and the difference between the candidates is 36 votes [at the time this is published]. In North Carolina, the current difference in the uncalled state Supreme Court race is 24 votes. Showing up literally makes the difference.
2025 has some big AF elections in the pipeline, including the race for NJ governor, which Congressman Josh Gottheimer just put his hat in the ring for. He joins a number of other Dems who have formally announced their candidacies and will battle it out in the primary.
In a ray of positive news, Hawaii state Rep. Nadine Nakamura is set to be the first women speaker of the state house. Previously, Nakamura served as the state house majority leader.
If you’ve heard the term ‘recess appointments’ thrown around the last ten days, it’s absolutely one to get a thorough 411 on. Hit add to vocab with this USA Today explainer.
For South Carolina’s state legislature, the 2025 agenda is looking like the focus will be on school vouchers and income taxes – a little preview here.
GOOD NEWS BEARS
Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]
NYC PASSES PRO-RENTER LEGISLATION WITH THE FARE ACT: The NYC Council passed the FARE Act or in full as its known, the Fairness in Apartment Rentals Act. The legislation will require that the person/party that hires a broker must be the one to pay for the broker services, as it relates to rental properties in NYC. Broker fees have been an insane hurdle and point of frustration for renters across the city, especially when most people are finding their apartments themselves, on StreetEast, without ever actually using a broker. It’s a BFD and was a BFB [big fuckin’ battle] to get it done.
NY STATE’S CLEAN SLATE ACT GOES INTO EFFECT: A year after the Clean Slate Act was signed by NY state Governor Hochul, the law has gone into effect. The law aims to reduce recidivism and provide those convicted of a crime a second chance to get their life on the right track. Via the new law, people with certain types of criminal convictions will have their records sealed, with the goal of enabling them to access housing, education, and employment. There are exceptions for law enforcement jobs and others that work with vulnerable populations per ABC7’s reporting. On the specific end, for those with a misdemeanor conviction, their records will be sealed three years after conviction or their release from jail. For those with a felony conviction, their records will be sealed eight years after conviction or prison release. Importantly, those with convictions that include sex crimes and/or Class A felonies [those that are not drug-related], like murder, are not eligible for their record to be sealed.
U.S. SENATE CONFIRMS ETHICS CZAR TO 5-YEAR TERM: The U.S. Senate confirmed President Biden’s nominee to lead the Office of Government Ethics – David Huitema. He will serve in that role for five years [should he manage to not get fired by Trump on day one of Trump Admin 2.0]. To go back to basics for sec, the Office of Government Ethics [OGE], is supposed to be the oversight HQ for the executive branch, taking on conflict of interest issues. OGE was created in 1978 and leads the executive branch ethics program and is focused on preventing financial conflicts of interest. Circling back to the deats on how this confirmation came to be, this just about covers it.
BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T
A bill, bill, bill
FEDERAL: The BABES Enhancement Act, which has bipartisan support, would make it easier for families flying with breast milk, formula, and pumping supplies. The bill, sponsored by the Queen of White Boards, Congresswoman Katie Porter, would direct TSA create new guidelines for how they handle the screening and re-screening of products like breast milk that would minimize the risk for contamination and train TSA employees to know how to safely handle infant nutrition products and supplies. The bill’s Senate version passed, and now needs the full House to pass it for it to go to Biden’s desk.
POD TALK FOR YOUR WALK
New from Girl and the Gov, The Podcast
Four political podcasters, four mics, and loads of election takeaways on this episode featuring our friends from the American Fever Dream Podcast, V Spehar (@undethedesknews) and Sami Sage (@betches_news). Low key, high key this episode could’ve been over 24 hours long, but we wrapped it up into a digestible first look at what happened this election, and what we’ve gleaned so far. It’s the first of many postmortems and rants, and a jumping off point for the work we’ll all have ahead. Tune in via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
CHRONICALLY ONLINE
Politics meets social media
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs shared what’s on the House’s agenda RN all while somehow managing to put eyeliner on in a moving car – something that this team can barely do sitting still.
LGBTQ Congressional members-elect Julie Johnson, Sarah McBride, and Emily Randall said hi, hello, we’re here for new member orientation with this TikTok.
WV Delegate Kayla Young explained how the state will legit have FOUR governors over the course of January 2025 – INSANITY.
In Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has forged a partnership with Saginaw Public Schools to help students access driver’s licenses and enable voter registration.
Over in Michigan, state Senator Jim Runestad had a mansplaining, temper tantrum where he couldn’t handle his emotions while state Senator Sarah Anthony answered a question related to her safety being compromised.
For the love of that is healthy in the name of science, this is what pasteurization is. It’s literally a lifesaver.
Stacey Abrams meet Grace Abrams, and visa versa – because apparently this is now a classic mix-up.
WHEN IN DOUBT, VOTE THEM OUT
Our classic merch is back with a new look
the perf gift for your political besties
KEY READS
Important stories from around the USA
BEFORE YOU GO…
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