Rogan's for June 27, 2023

Equality for the LGBT community, standing up for immigrants, beating Lauren Boebert, and more!

Contact all members of Congress:

Contact White House or other federal agencies:

SUPPORT LEGISLATION AGAINST LGBTQ DISCRIMINATION
Democrats in both the Senate and the House have reintroduced the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. Having a federal law against LGBTQ discrimination is even more crucial at present with so many states recently passing transphobic legislation. Let’s ask our MoCs to co-sponsor this legislation and work hard to pass it.
PROTECT THE RIGHT TO AMEND OHIO STATE CONSTITUTION On August 8, Ohio voters will be asked to decide whether it should be harder to amend the state constitution. Issue 1, if passed, would require that 60%–not the current 50%–of voters agree to new constitutional amendments. It would also require that signatures from all 88 counties—not the current 44—be secured in order to put an amendment on the ballot. Lest we wonder about the motivation behind this effort, “this is 100% about keeping a radical, pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution,” said Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a potential senatorial candidate, earlier this month. Given the historically low voter turnout in special elections, we all need to join with Vote Forward to get out the vote on August 8, and Ohio voters need to make it clear to their lawmakers that they see this effort as dangerous to democracy in their state.

SUPPORT THE AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT
Congress recently reintroduced H.R. 16, the American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented residents who are DACA recipients and a more secure legal status for those who have TPS (temporary protected status). The bill has bipartisan support. Let’s tell our MoCs that it’s time to do something for people who were brought here at such a young age they know no other home than the U.S., and for people who have needed to flee their countries for political or environmental reasons. We need them to support this bill and bring it to the floor for passage.

RESTORE THE VRA – FEDERALLY AND IN THE STATES
We’ve just passed the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s devastating decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted the Voting Rights Act by striking down required Justice Department preclearance for changes to elections in areas with a history of voter suppression. Over the last decade we’ve been faced with a torrent of new obstacles to voting, whether through voter ID, early voting reductions, burdens on voter by mail, racial gerrymanders, voter roll purges or changes to polling places. Efforts to restore the VRA have been blocked by Republicans at the federal level, but we’ve seen some progress closer to home: Connecticut earlier this month joined California, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington as the sixth state to pass a VRA of their own, and both New Jersey and Michigan are considering doing the same. Let’s take this moment to push our members of Congress for action on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and contact our state legislators to urge them to get to work on a state VRA.

DEMAND INVESTIGATION OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT BY STATE POLICE
(CW: Sexual assault) 42 different women, including 10 minors, are filing lawsuits against the West Virginia State Police over being subjected to rampant sexual misconduct – including both police cadets and teenage members of the Junior Trooper Program being secretly videotaped in the locker room at the State Police Academy. These are just part of broader allegations into the WVSP including officers committing sexual assaults, thefts, and misuse of state funds and billing for overtime not worked, along with a police killing of a man suffering from mental illness in February about which very little information has been released. While there is an internal investigation and one by the state’s Department of Homeland Security ongoing, the victims’ lawyer has called for an independent federal investigation into the State Police. Let’s contact the Justice Department and let them know we want them to step in.

STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

MA – CLOSE THE OPPORTUNITY GAP FOR UNDOCUMENTED KIDS
The Massachusetts state budget process is under way, and legislators are considering including the Tuition Equity Act – a measure extending access to in-state tuition and state-funded financial aid to *all* Massachusetts high school graduates at our public universities, regardless of immigration status. This has the support of Senate leaders and Governor Healey, but House Speaker Ron Mariano has been an opponent in the past, so it’s important our lawmakers know we want them to get this done. Let’s use this tool from the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition to reach out to our legislators in support of tuition equity for undocumented kids.
CO – HELP PRESSURE LAUREN BOEBERT
Rocky Mountain Values(RMV) is a 501c4 non-profit organization with a targeted focus of supporting the elections of left-leaning Democrats in red areas of Colorado. They helped raise funds to defeat Cory Gardner. They have launched a new ad which has generated a flurry of press coverage that amplified RMV’s argument against Lauren Boebert’s record. RMV is planning a full slate of activity for the summer that will include travel throughout the 3rd District, bracketing Boebert events during the August recess, and creative tactics to earn media coverage. We can sign up for updates on future events and ways to help here.