Produced by The Legislative Committee of the Coconino County Democratic Party and Democrats of the Red Rocks
THIS WEEK’S ALERTS: Demand that our Representatives PASS the Respect for
Marriage Act!!; Insist that our Representatives support and pass the DISCLOSE
ACT; Support and reach out to thank our veterans and active duty military
personnel!!; We need our Representatives to support the PRO ACT to promote
union organizing; We need to have our Representatives stop the deal Senator
Manchin made to weaken environmental standards in favor of the fossil fuel
industry.
A. Pass the Respect for Marriage Act in the Senate! The House has passed
the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would enshrine into federal law the
right to same-sex and interracial marriage, as well as repeal the Defense of
Marriage Act, a law allowing states to refuse to recognize same-sex
marriages. This law would protect the right to marry whomever you want from
any future adverse Supreme Court decision. This is a particular fear in view
of Clarence Thomas’ view that other privacy rights (like marriage) may be
reviewed now that they have overturned Roe v. Wade. More than 70% of
American’s support this effort so it’s both popular and the right thing to do!
Get our Senators on board with demanding that the Respect for
Marriage Act be brought to a full Senate vote ASAP and that they
support its passage.
B. Congress needs to pass the DISCLOSE ACT immediately to shine a light
on money in our political process. An ultra-conservative businessman
recently made a huge donation, of $1.6 BILLION, to a group committed to
packing our courts with judges who hold extreme positions against voting
rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and more. The fact that a single
billionaire can buy such outsized political power is the result of the Supreme
Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling. This decision opened the floodgates
allowing mega doners to grant unlimited cash to organizations – often in
secret. This is NOT how our democracy is supposed to work. We the People
shouled call the shots when it comes to the issues that impact our everyday
lives, not a shadowy network of wealthy special interests. Passing the
DISCLOSE ACT would be a huge step towards transparency and
accountability – it would modernize disclosure laws ending political loopholes
that give corporations and special interest groups the ability to hide their
campaign-related spending. Insist our Representatives support and move
the DISCLOSE ACT toward passing!
C. Support those who currently and previously have served to protect and
defend our Democracy – our Veterans. On 9/11/22 it will be 22 years since
9/11. In the year after that tragic day, 181,510 men and women enlisted in
the US military – the most since World War II. Take a minute to reach out to
anyone you may know who is now or had served in the military and thank
them heartily for their service and devotion to our great country.
D. Tell our Representatives to support and vote YES on the Protecting the
Right to Organize Act (The PRO ACT). This bill will help make it easier for
workers to form a union, ensure stronger protections for workers who are part
of a union and hold companies accountable for violating worker rights.
Beyond that, its about dignity and respect. Working people of all stripes are
showing how powerful they are – striking, winning strong contracts, and
demanding a seat at the table with employers in states and cities across the
nation. Corporations like Amazon and Starbucks have been engaging in
union-busting tactics and we need Congress to give our workers the support
they need. Demand our Representatives support and pass the PRO
ACT!
E. Tell Congress to STOP Senator Manchin’s “dirty” deal!! The Inflation
Reduction Act (IRA) makes an historic $369 Billion investment in clean
energy and environmental justice but we need to continue to fight the
influence of big oil. The IRA includes provisions, negotiated by Senator
Manchin, to expand fossil fuel lease sales in the Gulf and Alaskan waters.
Normally, to commence drilling on federal lands, oil companies must have
both a lease and undergo strict environmental assessments to get a permit
from the federal government. Senator Manchin wants to weaken
environmental standards to make oil and gas permitting easier. He
extracted a promise that a law designed to do just this would be enacted by
the end of 2022. Such a law would gut bedrock environmental protections,
endanger public health, fast-track fossil fuels, and push for approval for
Senator Manchin’s pet project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline. This is a dirty
deal written by and for the fossil fuel industry. We must insist our
Representatives do all they can to oppose any such law to come to be!
Sen. Mark Kelly: Call (202) 224-2235 (DC), Email via his website at
http://www.kelly.senate.gov. Tag the Senator at @senmarkkelly.
Sen. Sinema: Call (202) 224-4521 (DC) or (602) 598-7327. Email via her website at
http://www.sinema.senate.gov. Tag the Senator at @senatorsinema.
Rep. Tom O’Halleran: Call (202) 225-3361 (DC) or email via website at
https://ohalleran.house.gov/contact Tag the Congressman @RepOHalleran