ACTIONS OF THE MONTH (JUNE)
Action: Public Comment on Redefinition of the Poverty line - TIME SENSITIVE ACTION - 6/21/19
Submit a PUBLIC COMMENT in the federal register to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by June 21, 2019 on the Trump administration’s plan to redefine the poverty line.To get to the correct comment page, type the following words into your phone or computer’s search engine: OMB comment consumer inflation measures. This should bring you to the page where you can leave a public comment. PERSONALIZE any of the following points (duplicate messages are not counted). Most helpful if you can tell a real life story of how the poverty level guidelines matter in your or a loved one’s life.
· Impact on real people: This proposed change will result in a continuously lowering threshold and will cause millions of people losing access to government assistance programs like Medicare, free school lunch, Head Start, SNAP benefits, rental assistance, and many others.
· Inaccurate model: The different measures suggested by the administration (the chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCEPI)) rise more slowly than the current measure, the CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which will create a lower threshold for the poverty line, and over time it will get lower and lower compared to the current calculation.
· Ill-advised plan: If the administration plans to change how the poverty line is calculated, then it should follow recommendations of economists and use a calculation that accurately reflects the expenditures and cost patterns of the poorest Americans, which neither the current nor the proposed measures do.
STATE ACTION: Support the Act to Remove Obstacles and Expand Abortion Access – The “Roe” Act
Background Info:
The Act would amend the current laws to allow an abortion after 24 weeks in cases when the fetus has a fatal anomaly. Currently, state law allows abortion after 24 weeks only to save the health or life of the mother, not in a case when the fetus will not survive past birth. The bill would also remove a requirement that any abortion after 24 weeks take place in a hospital, rather than a clinic. Other parts of the bill would extend state-sponsored health safety net insurance coverage to cover abortions, eliminate an unenforceable 24-hour waiting period and update language. For example, it would eliminate language that describes pregnancy as carrying an “unborn child” rather than a fetus. Finally, the act would remove the requirements that minors first obtain consent from their parents or petition a Superior Court judge to obtain permission.
Important - Extremist opponents of this bill are going all out spreading falsehoods and attacking politicians who support this bill. They are referring to it as an “infanticide” bill that would eliminate medical care for pregnant woman and permit “abortion on demand” anytime, anywhere.
Write Governor Baker and your representatives and tell them to support this Act. Also ask that they speak out against the smear campaign targeted at supporters of this bill.
Rep. Mindy Domb; PO Box 3215, Amherst, MA 01004-3215
Rep. Natalie Blais; 24 Beacon St., Room 134, Boston, MA, 02133
Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa; 76 Gothic Street, Northampton, MA 01060
Rep. Thomas Petrolati; 116 Sewell Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056
Sen. Jo Comerford; 24 Beacon St., Room 70C, Boston, MA, 02133
Sen. Donald Humason; 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA, 01085 or 60 Shaker Road, Unit 3B, East Longmeadow, MA, 01028
Governor Charlie Baker; 24 Beacon St., Room 280, Boston, MA, 02133
Action: Call to Support Aid for Minors at Mexican Border
Senator Warren (202) 224-4543 or (413) 788-2690; Senator Markey ((202) 224-2742 or (617) 565-8519; Representative James McGovern (202) 225-6101 or (413) 341-8700
Script: Hello. My name is ___ from [ZIP] and I’m calling to ask [Senator/Representative __________] to do everything [he/she] can to insure necessary funds are appropriated and released to the Office of Refugee Resettlement for the care and support of minors arriving and seeking asylum, with appropriate oversight on its use, and with a restriction that it not be used for ICE* and CBP.** (* “ICE” stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and** “CBP” stands for Customs and Border Patrol).
Action: CONSUMER FIRST ACT
Background Info:
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, introduced the Consumer First Act, a bill to block the Trump Administration’s anti-consumer agenda and reverse their efforts, led by Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Waters said: “It is clear that President Trump and his budget director are doing everything in their power to roll back consumer protections, strip the Consumer Bureau of its resources and prioritize Wall Street at the expense of consumers. My bill would reverse the harmful changes the Trump Administration has imposed on the Consumer Bureau by restoring the agency’s supervisory and enforcement powers and increasing the transparency and accountability needed for the agency to carry out its important mission. Under prior leadership, the Consumer Bureau returned $12 billion to nearly 30 million consumers who have been harmed by financial institutions, handled over 1.3 million consumer complaints about financial institutions, and made the financial marketplace stronger and fairer for all Americans. But under Trump and Mulvaney’s direction, consumers come last. This critically important agency must get back to work fulfilling its statutory purpose and actually protect Americans from unfair, deceptive or abusive practices. I call on my colleagues in Congress to put consumers first by supporting this legislation to ensure the Consumer Bureau’s statutorily mandated mission no longer continues to be undermined.”
“The Consumers First Act would send a clear message to get the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau back on track to carrying out its mission of protecting consumers, and in particular to restoring the structures it needs to fight discrimination in lending and stand up for student loan borrowers,” said Linda Jun, Senior Policy Counsel at Americans for Financial Reform.
Call the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs to urge them to move this legislation forward.
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs; Dial (202) 224-7391
Suggested Script:
Hello, my name is __________. I live and vote in Massachusetts. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________.
Tonight I am calling to get a message to Senators Mike Crapo and Sherrod Brown in their capacity as Chairperson and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban affairs. The Consumer First Act was received in the Senate on May 23rd and referred to this committee for review. I want you to move this important legislation forward to a vote in the senate. Thank you.
Action: Repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)
Background Info:
The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), was passed days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and it has been cited as a justification for conflict 41 times in 18 countries. As lawmakers grow increasingly concerned over the possibility of war with Iran, the House Appropriations Committee recently approved an amendment to a defense spending bill that would repeal the AUMF, which has been used as legal justification for military operations in almost any setting. “In the last 18 years, it really has become increasingly clear that the AUMF has essentially provided the president, and that’s any president, the authority to wage war anywhere in the world at any time,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the only member of Congress who voted against the AUMF when it was passed. “It has already been floated as a possibility for using this AUMF as the legal basis to go to war with Iran, a war, again, that Congress has not debated or authorized,” she added. The Constitution of the United States grants Congress the sole power to declare war, and Congress should act to restore this balance of power.
Call Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Dial (202) 224-4651
Suggested Script:
Hello, my name is __________. I live and vote in Massachusetts. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________. Tonight I am calling to ask Senators James Risch and Bob Menendez in their capacity as Chairperson and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee-- to do what they can to repeal the AUMF. The Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Congress should repeal the AUMF to restore this balance of power. Thank you.
Call Elizabeth Warren (413) 788-2690 or (202) 224-4543
Hello, my name is __________. I live in_____ and I am your constituent. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________. Tonight I am calling to ask Senator Warren to contact the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to urge them to do what they can to repeal the AUMF. The Constitution says only Congress can declare war, and Congress should repeal the AUMF to restore this balance of power. Thank you.
Call the House Armed Services Committee; Dial: (202) 225-4151
Suggested Script:
Hello, my name is __________. I live and vote in Massachusetts. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________. Tonight I am calling to ask Representatives Adam Smith and Mac Thornberry in their capacity as Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Armed Services to do what they can to repeal the AUMF. The Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Congress should repeal the AUMF to restore this balance of power. Thank you.
Call the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Dial: (202) 225-5021
Suggested Script:
Hello, my name is __________. I am an American citizen living and voting in Massachusetts. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________. Tonight I am calling to ask Representatives Elliot Engel and Michael McCaul in their capacity as Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to do what they can to repeal the AUMF. The Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Congress should repeal the AUMF to restore this balance of power. Thank you.
Call Rep. McGovern (413) 341-8700 or (202) 225-6101
Hello, my name is __________. I live in_____ and I am your constituent. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________. Tonight I am calling to ask Rep. McGovern to do what he can to get the House Foreign Affairs; and the House Armed Forces Committee to do what they can to repeal the AUMF. The Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Congress should repeal the AUMF to restore this balance of power. Thank you.
Action: DEMAND INVESTIGATION OF MIGRANT CHILDREN DEATHS
Background Info:
A 16-year-old has become the fifth migrant child since December to die after being apprehended at the U.S. border. In a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the boy, whose name was not released, was "found unresponsive" during a routine welfare check Monday morning at Weslaco Station, the facility where he was being held. The boy was taken into custody after crossing the U.S. border in Texas' Rio Grande Valley on May 13 and was due to be moved into custody of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees care of unaccompanied or separated migrant children after they are initially processed by immigration authorities. The cause of death is unknown and the case is being reviewed by CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility. Migrants from Guatemala often flee poverty and violence there, and over the past few months several Guatemalan children have died after crossing the border into the U.S. A 2 1/2-year-old whose family was apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso in April died on May 14 after spending weeks in the hospital with pneumonia and a high fever. A 16-year-old, Juan de León Gutiérrez, died on April 30 after being apprehended by Border Patrol agents near El Paso on April 19. The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry said Gutiérrez died of complications from an infection in the frontal lobe of his brain. On Dec. 8, a 7-year-old girl, Jakelin Caal Maquin, died of a bacterial infection after being in Border Patrol custody, and an 8-year-old boy, Felipe Gómez Alonzo, died of flu and infection while in CBP custody on Christmas Eve.
Call the House and Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them to launch an investigation to learn why children are dying in detention in CBP custody.
House Judiciary Committee; Dial 202-225-3951
Suggested Script:
Hello, my name is __________. I am an American citizen. I live and vote in Massachusetts. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________. Tonight I am calling to ask Representatives Jerry Nadler and Doug Collins in their capacity as Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee— to start an investigation to learn why migrant children are dying- and determine if the children are being mistreated while in detention and in the custody of Custom and Border Patrol. Thank you.
Senate Judiciary Committee; Dial (202)224-5225
Suggested Script:
Hello, my name is __________. I am an American citizen living and voting in Massachusetts. My phone number if you want to call me back is ____________. Tonight I am calling to get a message to Senators Lindsey Graham and Dianne Feinstein in their capacity as Chairperson and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee-- to start an investigation to learn why migrant children are dying- and determine if the children are being mistreated while in detention and in the custody of Custom and Border Patrol. Thank you.
Action: The “Save the Internet Act of 2019” (on net-neutrality);
[H.R. 1644 Passed House and now sits with the Senate]
Background Info:
In Dec. 2017, the FCC voted 3-2 along party lines to end net neutrality (net neutrality, established by the 2015 Open Internet Order) allows all users have equal access to all internet content). The Save the Internet Act of 2019 would return protections of the 2015 Open Internet Order, ensuring an open internet for everyone.
Script:
Hi My name is and I’m a concerned [constituent/citizen] from [Full address, City, zip]. I’m calling to express my support for HR 1644, the Save the Internet Act of 2019 to restore net neutrality regulations. A free and open internet is essential to protect freedom of speech and is a cornerstone of our democracy. I’m asking that you do all you can to bring this legislation for a vote in the senate. Thank you for your time.
Contact: Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541; Senator Edward Markey 202-224-2742 or Springfield 413-785-4610; Senator Elizabeth Warren 202-224-4543 or Springfield 413-788-2690
Action: The Equality Act [HR 5. Passed House and now moves to Senate]
Background:
The Civil Rights act of 1964 protects people from discrimination based on race, skin color, sex, religion, and national origin. However, the Act does not protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identify. On March 13, 2019, Democrats in the House and Senate introduced HR 5, the Equality Act to remedy the issue. The bill would provide necessary national-level protections for LGBTQ people by updating existing laws, to explicitly ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Script:
Hi My name is and I’m a concerned [constituent/citizen] from [Full address, City, zip]. I’m calling to express my support for HR 5, the Equality Act of 2019. LGBTQ people still face significant violence and discrimination at the workplace, in the housing market, and in everyday interactions. Civil rights protections must be expanded to include gender identity and sexual orientation as protected characteristics. I’m asking that you do all you can to bring this legislation for a vote in the senate. Thank you for your time.
Contact:
Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541; Senator Edward Markey 202-224-2742 or Springfield 413-785-4610; Senator Elizabeth Warren 202-224-4543 or Springfield 413-788-2690
Action: The American Dream & Promise Act of 2019
[HR 6 Passed the House on June 4, 2019]
Background:
The House Democrats’ Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (HR 6) would provide permanent legal protections and a pathway to citizenship for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) recipients. The bill would let TPS recipients who have been in the US since Fall 2016 apply for green cards and after five years, full citizenship. DACA recipients could apply for “conditional permanent residency” after meeting certain requirements. They then could apply for a green card after completing two years of a bachelor’s degree or technical program, receiving a degree from an institution of higher education, serving in the military for 2 years or working for 3 years. If passed it will help as many as 2.5 million people obtain legal status.
Script:
Hi My name is and I’m a concerned [constituent/citizen] from [Full address, City, zip]. I’m calling to express my support for HR 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019. It is time we permanently protected our DACA and TPS recipients and I expect [Sen name] to support this legislatioin. I’m asking that you do all you can to bring this legislation for a vote in the senate. Thank you.
Contact:
Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541; Senator Edward Markey 202-224-2742 or Springfield 413-785-4610; Senator Elizabeth Warren 202-224-4543 or Springfield 413-788-2690