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Mashpee Wampanoag Update On May 12, we contacted our representatives to ask them to support H.R. 312 to confirm the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s sovereignty and right to their land. On May 15, H.R. 312 passed the House. It must still pass the Senate and be signed into law by the president. Action: Contact your Member of Congress and, depending on their vote, thank them or complain. Roll call here: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/roll207.xml
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Prescription Drugs Act quickly - the vote is today! H.R. 987 is expected to be voted on today. This bill would:
Action: 1. Call your Member of Congress and ask them to vote in favor of H.R. 987. 2. Call your Senators and ask them to vote in favor of the corresponding Senate bill, S. 455. Guns A number of states are considering legislation which would either expand or restrict access to guns. Action: 1. Go to www.ourstates.org/#ourstates and see if your state is highlighted as a state with pending legislation (i.e. not a grey state). 2. If your state has pending legislation, contact your state representatives and - depending on the bill’s aims - ask them to either support or oppose it. You can find your state reps here: openstates.org/find_your_legislator/. 3. If your state has no pending legislation, contact the governor of an adjacent state, or a state you visit often. Find governors here: www.usa.gov/state-governor. Syria Idlib, a city in Northwest Syria, is under attack by the Syrian regime and their Russian allies. White Helmets and medics are calling for help in their struggle to protect civilian lives. Action: This site has a list of quick actions you can take to help protect Syrian civilians in Idlib: http://diary.thesyriacampaign.org/sosidlib/?akid=2995.628501.QGLq3w&rd=1&t=7 Mashpee Wampanoag Sovereignty The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s possession of their land is in legal limbo as a result of a series of executive and legal decisions over the past years. To remedy the situation and to confirm the tribe’s sovereignty and their right to their land in Massachusetts, the House introduced H.R. 312. Republicans supported this bill until Trump tweeted his opposition to it, and now its passage is in jeopardy. Trump’s opposition appears to be because he favors the business interests of some of his supporters. Action: 1. Contact your Member of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 312 Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act. If your MoC is a cosponsor, thank them, and if they are a Republican Cosponsor, ask them to refuse to be swayed by Trump’s selfish opposition to the bill. 2. Contact the White House and express your disapproval of Trump’s opposition to H.R. 312. Child Marriage Banned in Georgia Between 2000 and 2015, 10,000 minors under the age of 18 in the state of Georgia were married, many to spouses much older than them. On May 6, 2019 the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp signed a new law prohibiting marriage for those under 18 (except for legally emancipated 17 year olds marrying someone no more than four years their senior). Georgia joins 16 other states who have recently raised the minimum marriage age. Action: 1. Contact the Governor of Georgia to thank him for signing this new law. 2. Consider donating to Tahirih Justice Center. This organization launched the national campaign to prevent child marriage which resulted in 17 states enacting laws to protect minors from forced marriage and other forms of exploitation and abuse. Preexisting Conditions The Trump administration has allowed consumers to use ACA subsidies to purchase substandard health plans which charge much higher premiums for those with pre-existing conditions and which don’t cover essential services such as maternity and mental health care. Allowing consumers to opt into these substandard plans puts patients at risk for financial ruin. In addition, these cheaper plans attract younger, generally healthier consumers away from the larger market, thus raising costs for those who need better plans. Legislation has been introduced into the House and Senate which would prohibit the use of ACA subsidies to pay for junk plans. Action: 1. Contact your Member of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 986 Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019. If your MoC is one of the cosponsors, thank them. 2. Contact your Senators and ask them to support S. 466 Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019. If your Senator is one of the cosponsors, thank them. Free Atena Daemi Iranian activist Atena Daemi is being held in prison, serving a seven-year sentence for her human rights advocacy and criticism of the Iranian government. She is being denied visits from her family. Action: Contact the Iranian government via the Pakistani Embassy (Iran does not have diplomatic relations with the U.S.) and demand the release of Atena Daemi. Email: info@daftar.org Predatory Lending The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is accepting comments from the public regarding a rule change which would roll back protections against predatory pay-day lending practices. You can learn more about the issue in this Consumer Reports article. Action: Leave a comment for the CFPB at this page: http://stoppaydaypredators.org/ |
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