Rogan's List - March 5, 2024

March 5, 2024

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REINTRODUCTION OF JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACTAlthough Republicans have long shot down voting rights legislation, senators have re-introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (not yet numbered). This bill would restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act. The racial gap between Black and white voters has grown with the weakening of the now-weakened Voting Rights Act which invited widespread voter suppression laws. This new bill is supported by NAACP, and by Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Human Rights Campaign, Legal Defense Fund, and Network Lobby among others. As we approach the 59^th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, which was led by John Lewis, let’s tell our senators that this legislation is essential to restore voting rights for everyone.
DISCHARGE PETITION ON FOREIGN AIDSpeaker Johnson has been adamant about bringing the foreign aid funding bill to the floor of the House despite its passage in the Senate. This includes the essential funding for Ukraine to give them a chance to stop Russia. We know that a discharge petition is a way to bypass the wishes of the Speaker. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, is working on doing just that. He needs to get 218 House signatures to move this along to a vote. Let’s tell our representatives that we want them to sign on.

REPUBLICANS NOT VOTING FOR TRUMPWhile we wish these folks had come out sooner with what they knew was happening, it is important that they are doing so now. Mitt Romney is clear that Trump should not be president. This clip, along with the insights of these three former Trump White House employees, who are also anti-Trump, need to be shared with our more moderate Republican friends who still wonder what the heck happened to their party. This type of messaging is key: “Sarah Matthews, a former deputy press secretary to President Donald Trump, is supporting Nikki Haley in the Republican primaries. But if her choices on Election Day are Trump and Joe Biden? She’ll support Biden. “We can survive bad policy from a second Biden administration,” Matthews says, “but I don’t think we can survive a second Trump term, in terms of our democracy.”” Let’s share with our moderate Republican friends.
STATE OF THE UNION VIRTUAL WATCH PARTYAlthough some on the far right are calling for Speaker Johnson to rescind his invitation to President Biden to present the annual State of the Union message, it is scheduled to happen this Thursday evening. Democrats.com is holding a State of the Union Virtual Watch Party beginning at 8:15pm EST. Let’s sign up and watch together!

FEDERAL LAW TO STOP “MILITIAS” FROM DISRUPTING DEMOCRACY
All fifty states currently prohibit people who are armed and acting as part of a private military organization like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers from actions like intimidating state and local officials, interfering with government proceedings, pretending to be law enforcement, and infringing on the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens. Unfortunately these bans are often outdated, under-enforced or ignored – and fail to account for public safety threats with national agendas and national activities. Marking the third anniversary of the coup attempt on January 6th, Senator Ed Markey and Rep. Jamie Raskin have proposed the Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act (S.3589/H.R.6981) to address this gap in the law and add a federal prohibition on paramilitary conduct with civil and criminal penalties. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and ask them to support this legislation. We can also contact our state legislators and ask them to review our relevant state laws for ways they can be improved and better utilized.

STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

FL – NO ROLLBACKS TO POST-PARKLAND GUN LAWS
Exactly six years and one week after the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas in which 17 people were murdered, lawmakers advanced to the House floor two proposals that would undo key provisions of the gun laws passed in its wake. HB1223 would lower to age to purchase long guns back to 18, after it was raised to 21 – in spite of data that shows 18-to-20 year olds are significantly likelier to commit deadly shootings than other age groups. HB17 would kneecap the new mandatory three-day waiting periods by allowing gunmakers to release a firearm after three days even if the background check hasn’t been completed yet – creating a state version of the Charleston loophole we have fought so hard to close at the federal level. While Senate leaders have indicated they are unlikely to move on this legislation even if it makes it through the lower house, this is clear momentum towards an even more dangerous state, and we have to make sure legislators know we won’t accept it. Let’s call our reps and tell them we want them to vote on these bills, and ask our senators to publicly commit to opposing them.