by Elisabeth Parker | Mar 6, 2019 | Actions, Events, News
House & Senate Republicans Want to Get Away with Some Pretty Shady Stuff.
Can we count on you to help?
All we need you to do is make three quick phone calls – one to your U.S. House rep. and two to our senators. Urge them to act on the items below. It’s super easy. We’ve even listed their phone numbers below for handy dandy reference.
MoC Actions
- House floor vote on H.R. 1 for Electoral Reform: House Democrats are on track to pass this historic legislation. But urge your rep to keep a beady eye on those sneaky Republicans. They’ve got a sneaky procedural trick up their sleeves called the “motion to recommit” (MTR) for derailing or watering down bills. Urge our reps to vigorously oppose any MTRs and bad faith amendments.
- Senate vote on Trump’s fake emergency: It’s official. Thanks to the handful of Senate Republicans who still care about the U.S. Constitution, we have the votes to revoke Trump’s fake state of emergency. Please tell Sens. Murray and Cantwell we have their backs. And let’s thank them for their strong statements against Trump’s abuse of emergency powers.
- Senate vote on the U.S. War in Yemen (S.J. Res. 7): Demand that our senators sponsor and urge their colleagues to pass a resolution that orders Trump to end our unauthorized and immoral U.S. support for the Saudi-backed war in Yemen.
MoC Phone Script
It’s easy and takes less than five minutes, we swear!
For calling your rep.: “Hi, I’m __________ from Indivisible Tacoma and District __. I support electoral reform for ending corrupt practices and making it easier for people to vote. Please stand strong for H.R. 1 and reject all Republican MTRs and bad faith amendments.”
For calling our senators: “Hi, I’m ____________ from Indivisible Tacoma. Please vote yes on S.J. Res. 7 to end our illegal and immoral war in Yemen, I also want to thank you for rejecting Trump’s fake emergency. Please urge your colleagues to join you. Thank you!”
Call Now!
What’s a Motion to Recommit?
NOTE: No parakeets were harmed in the production of this GIF
House Republicans have a sneaky weapon for nuking the legislation we care about. it’s called a “Motion to Recommit” (MTR). Before a bill goes to the House floor for a vote, the minority party gets to offer an MTR and require it as a final step before passage.
An MTR lets them send a bill back to committee or to add amendments that weaken the bill. And you can pretty much count on them doing this with H.R. 1 (also known as the For the People Act of 2019) for electoral reform. These changes would crack down on corruption and make it easier for people to vote. And we all know that when more people vote, Republicans tend to lose.
Of course, these motions almost never pass. After all, why would the party in power ever allow that?
That wouldn’t make any sense … Unless you’re a Democratic member of Congress.
Republicans have found an easy way to weaponize MTRs by picking an issue that divides Democrats or is a deal-breaker. And then they wait for the fun to begin.
Take H.R. 8, for example. This bill requires more background checks for buying firearms, and closes the gun show loophole, Republicans tried to add an amendment that would require gun shops to report “illegal” immigrants trying to buy guns.
Thankfully, the Democrats clapped a stopper on those capers and passed the bill without the amendment.
For more information, see Indivisible U.S.A.’s Legislative Process 101 — Motion to Recommit.
On your phone? Click on the button below.
CALL THE CAPITOL HILL SWITCHBOARD NOW!
Or you can simply call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Either way, they’ll send you to your MoC’s voicemail so you can leave a message. Click here for a list of phone numbers for our members of Congress and our state legislators.
by indivisibletacoma | Feb 24, 2019 | Actions, Events, News
This Week: Please Urge Our State Reps & Senators to Kick CO2s and Defend Our Shared Natural Resources
(Because If the U.S. Government Can’t Do It, We Here in Washington Can)
Hi everyone. The good news is, there’s a slate of great environmental bills in the state leg. The bad news is, they need all the votes we can get, and some are still stuck in committees. The list below may seem like a lot, but it’s easy. You can simply call and leave a message.
We’ve even written you super-short and sweet scripts to make it easier. This way, you can just call your reps and your senator, leave your message and be done in less than 10 minutes. And when our reps and senators hear from us, it really makes a difference.
So, are you ready? Let’s start with the House bills.
PLEASE ASK OUR STATE HOUSE REPS TO MOVE THESE URGENT ENVIRONMENTAL BILLS FORWARD.
TLDR* Script: Hi, [Name of Rep], I’m ______. I’m your constituent in [your zip code]. I support reducing our carbon emissions and giving our state’s Dept. of Fish & Wildlife the tools they need to enforce our environmental laws. Please approve HB1110 and HB113. Please pass HB 1112 and 1579 out of committee. Thank you.
[*The short “too-long-didn’t-read” script you can use if you trust us on whether these bills are worthy of your support and you’re in a hurry]
HB 1579 – Chinook abundance – Message: Please pass out of committee.
I support this bill, which provides the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife the same tools that other agencies have to enforce critical environmental laws and effectively deter habitat destruction. This will help secure the food web for our Southern Resident orcas.
(P.S., some bears might thank us too).
HB 1110 – Low Carbon Fuel – Message: Do Pass
Please approve this bill, which supports the deployment of clean transportation fuel technologies through a carefully designed program that reduces the carbon intensity of fuel used in the state.
HB 1112 – Hydrofluorocarbon phase out – Message: Please pass out of committee.
I support this bill, which phases out the sale and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are primarily used as refrigerants, by 2024. HFCs are extremely potent greenhouse gases with existing alternatives for their use.
HB 1113 – Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Message: Do Pass.
Please approve this bill, which updates state emissions limits to be consistent with recommendations from the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, as well as United States commitments to the Paris Climate Accords
PLEASE URGE YOUR STATE SENATORS TO MOVE THE FOLLOWING ENVIRONMENTAL BILLS FORWARD
TLDR* Script: Hi, I’m ______. I’m your constituent in (your zip code). I support clean energy, reducing toxic pollution, energy efficient buildings, and phasing out HFCs. Please vote yes on SB 5125. And please vote to move SB 5116, 5293, and 5426 out of committee. Thank you.
{*The short “too-long-didn’t-read” script you can use if you trust us and you’re in a hurry)
- For a list of all our lawmakers and their phone numbers (both U.S. and state), click here:
legislators-phone-numbershttp://indivisible.org/
- Or you can simply call the Washington State Legislature’s hotline and leave a message: 1-800-562-6000 (TTY for Hearing Impaired 1-800-833-6388).
SB 5116 – 100% Clean Energy – Message: Please move out of committee.
I ask you to preserve the key target dates of coal plant shutdown by 2025 and 80% electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Please limit opportunities for utilities to avoid being held accountable to these dates.
SB 5135 – Reducing Toxic Pollution – Message: Please vote yes on SB 5135.
I support this bill which authorizes the Department of Ecology to take actions to reduce the use of harmful chemicals in consumer products before the pollution contaminates homes, people, waterways, salmon, and orcas, and before it creates the need for expensive cleanup and treatment.
SB 5293 – Energy Efficient Buildings – Message: Please vote to move out of committee.
I support this bill which reduces emissions from buildings, which currently produce 27% of Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions – our second largest source of emission.
SB 5426 – Hydrofluorocarbon phaseout – Message: Please vote to move out of committee.
I support this bill, which phases out the sale and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are primarily used as refrigerants, by 2024. HFCs are extremely potent greenhouse gases with existing alternatives for their use.
Great job, everyone. Let’s all give ourselves a round of applause.
Yours in solidarity,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Indivisibles
