Federal Action Alert – Nov. 25, 2021

Produced by Democrats of the Red Rocks and Coconino County Democratic Party

THIS WEEK’S ALERTS TO OUR SENATORS:   Voting Rights – Don’t Adjourn the Senate for Holiday Break until Addressed; Yes on Build Back Better; Ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on dangerous greenhouse gases.

A.  Voting Rights – Don’t Adjourn Senate For Holiday Recess Until a Vote.   

Multiple groups are calling on the Senate not to adjourn for the holiday recess until they take another crack at the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and the associated modification of the filibuster.  

Sample voicemail/email to our Senators:  “I’m a lifelong Democrat living in XXXXX.  You know how important the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act are.  The fact that several states are using gerrymandering in their redistricting to distort and disempower the voting power of many Americans makes this especially urgent! Please do not adjourn on December 13 for the 2021 holiday recess until the Senate has the chance to modify the filibuster and to debate these crucial bills!!  Our democracy is at stake.”  

B.  Senators Kelly and Sinema on the Build Back Better Reconciliation Bill (Social Infrastructure):    The Build Back Better reconciliation bill is now in Senate hands.  Review by the Congressional Budget Office has shown that the measures in the bill, and enhanced tax collection enforcement, will more than pay for themselves, NOT add to the federal deficit. So Senator Sinema has no reason to hold back approval because of the cost. It’s critical that we get this bill through the Senate – it will have historic impact on climate action, on health care access and costs, and on other critical pieces of our social infrastructure.  

Sample script:  “My name is XXXX; I live and vote in YYY, Arizona. 

 [For Sinema only:I know you’ve communicated with your constituents about the important investments that are being made thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill – and we are grateful for your support and leadership in that effort. But those improvements in roads, bridges, and internet are not enough – we need to invest in families, social infrastructure, and climate action too!] 

[For both Senators] The House of Representatives has done the very hard work of hammering out compromises for the Build Back Better act in many areas, from expansion of health care access and lower drug prices, to the childcare tax credit and expansion of home and community-based care, to meaningful investments in clean energy jobs and climate action. Build Back Better will pay for itself.   Please move NOW to support this bill through reconciliation – we can’t afford NOT to make these investments.” 

C. ASK THE SENATE TO RATIFY THE KIGALI AMENDMENT TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL – PHASING OUT DANGEROUS GREENHOUSE GAS COMPOUNDS: More than 120 nations (including China and most European countries) have already ratified an amendment to the so-called Montreal Protocol, which limits production of certain refrigerants that contribute hugely to climate disruption. The amendment expands the international treaty to require phasing out of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, which have been used to substitute for the banned refrigerants but which themselves are also potent greenhouse gases. The Trump administration had declined to join the rest of the world in this effort to limit climate damage, but President Biden has now conveyed the treaty to the Senate for ratification. Action on this would bring manufacturers in the US into compliance with the rest of the world, meaning that our technology and products will be marketable and competitive – as well as helping us make actual progress on mitigating climate change. 

Sample text or message to our Senators: “My name is XXXX, and I’m a long-time resident and voter in northern Arizona. Climate change poses an existential threat to society and to the beautiful Arizona landscapes we treasure. I was excited to hear that President Biden conveyed the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to the Senate last week. At long last we have the chance to act in phasing out dangerous HFC’s. And it is so important to US manufacturing that we avoid technologies – like HFC’s – that are unacceptable to China, Europe, and other countries. Previous amendments to this treaty have all passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support – I hope you will help ensure that the Kigali Amendment is ratified soon. ”

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. 

Sen. Mark Kelly: Call (202) 224-2235 (DC),  Email via his website at http://www.kelly.senate.gov Tag the Senator at @senmarkkelly . 

If you can access the Washington Post: Biden submits Kigali Amendment to Senate for ratification – The Washington Post

Press release from Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works: Carper Statement on Kigali Amendment Transmittal to the U.S. Senate – Press Releases – U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

D.  GET READY FOR THE START OF THE STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION! We saw last year that transparency and public feedback, including aggressive use of the Request to Speak (RTS) system, resulted in many very bad legislative proposals being abandoned without a vote – and others were moved forward only at the last minute by being attached to the budget. (And now the courts have ruled that particular nefarious mechanism unconstitutional!) We’d love to see even more Arizona residents testifying in front of legislative committees, so that it isn’t just paid lobbyists being heard in committee deliberations. Civic Engagement Beyond Voting is holding some on-line training sessions to help people feel comfortable showing up to comment on proposed legislation. Each session covers everything you need to know, from how committees work to how you can maximize the impact of your 2 or 3 minutes of testimony.

Dec 1, 6:30 pm, pre-register HERE 

Dec 4, 10:00 am, pre-register HERE

Dec 7, 7:00 pm, pre-register HERE

Jan 5, 6:30 pm, pre-register HERE

This is the same group that does training in using RTS – we’ll forward information about RTS training when we get it!

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