Rogan's List for June 23, 2023

Engage with legislators, support the Equality Act, save student debt relief, and more!

Contact all members of Congress:

Contact White House or other federal agencies:

ENGAGING WITH OUR LEGISLATORSWe at Rogan’s List are always encouraging readers to contact our MoCs (Members of Congress) to express our concerns and wishes. We all know we can call or write our MoCs, but we can do more — and get more results from them. Let’s use this guide from Indivisible to learn how we can build a real relationship with our MoCs.
SUPPORT THE EQUALITY ACTThis week, the Equality Act (H.R. 15) was once again introduced in the House. “The bill would expand federal civil rights law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in areas such as public facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system.” With over 500 state laws being introduced and passed designed to curtail LGBTQ+ rights, passage of this bill would require full protection under the law for all citizens. Let’s tell our representatives that we agree with this legislation and want them to vote for it.

SAVE STUDENT DEBT RELIEF Currently, student debtors owe $1.8 trillion. On October 1, the pause in payment will expire; interest on these loans will begin to accrue again on September 1^st. Republicans are pushing to add retroactive interest and to revoke public service loan forgiveness. Pres. Biden’s debt relief plan also faces a challenge in the Supreme Court, to the great dismay of the NAACP, Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights, and the Student Borrower Protection Center, among others, who marched to the White House on Tuesday. We must make it crystal clear to our congresspeople and to the White House that we support debt relief or, better still, debt forgiveness. We don’t want to see an entire generation sacrificed for the profit of the big banks.

PROTECT DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES FROM TOXIC CHEMICALSBlack, Latino, indigenous and economically disadvantaged communities are particularly at risk from dangerous cancer causing air pollutant, ethylene oxide. This chemical, derived from fossil fuels, has been used to make other chemicals and to sterilize some medical devices. Prolonged exposure to it, by living, working, or going to school near a facility that uses it, puts people at serious risk. While the EPA is designing regulations, there are still several loopholes that need to be tightened to help keep people safe. We can find out more about the damage ethylene oxide causes here and use the talking points to submit our comments here by Tuesday, June 27. Together, we can make a safer world.

CENSURE IN THE HOUSEIn addition to the Mueller investigation, the Republican-led Senate also undertook an investigation into whether Russia had influenced the 2016 election. Their report, like the Mueller report, indicated that such interference had occurred, even if direct participation by the Trump campaign did not. Three years later, House Republicans voted on Wednesday to punish Rep. Adam Schiff for making comments he made several years ago about investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. Schiff had already been punished by the GOP when he was denied his seat on the House Intelligence Committee in January. Let’s tell our representatives, particularly if they are Republicans, that the facts speak for themselves and that we sent them to Washington to represent their constituents, not seek revenge based on disinformation.

STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

NE – STOP ATTACKS ON PUBLIC EDUCATION
Across the country, teachers and parents are refusing to let the GOP destroy public schools. Last month Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed into law LB753, which will effectively divert public money into scholarships for private school tuition. This measure which would harm rural communities and benefit mostly parochial schools that can discriminate against LGBTQIA students. The Support Our Schools Nebraska coalition is swinging into action, seeking to gather 90,0000 signatures in 90 days to put this program on the ballot in November 2024. If we’re in Nebraska, let’s be sure to sign this petition ASAP and volunteer to help get more people on board, and the rest of us can consider a donation to support these efforts if we’re able.

Thanks for reading Rogan’s List ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.