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 8/31/20

On Mondays, Rogan’s List features a listing of proposed rule and regulation changes that are currently accepting public comment.  Commenting is the way to show government agencies how we feel about these proposed changes. Our comments also become part of a record that will be reviewed by courts if and when a reg change is contested. Courts use comments to judge whether an agency is acting arbitrarily and capriciously.

    Organization

Closing Soon
Recent   
Section I - ICE, DHS, DOL, NLRB
Section II - everything environmental - EPA, BLM, DOE
Section III - Civil rights, housing, education, healthcare
Other: More on regulations (tracking the trackers/general information)  

(Note: After a couple of weeks items are moved from “Recent” and “Closing soon” into the Roman numeral sections. A note on regulatory processes: there are three stages - Notice, Proposed Rule, and Rule. There’s usually a time lag of a few months to a few years between them, and they must be published in the Federal Register before appearing on Regulations.gov. Comment time varies from 10 days to 2 months, sometimes with extensions.)

The redefinition of "critical habitat" is closing soon as is increasing the methods of federal executions. Under recent, a host of proposals from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission involving procedures during an emergency and evacuation times - this is alarming. Also, they are relaxing regulations because of the emergency. Here's the link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pVh2Vk3n14GmJWRJoNmL0_DkOvofbzT_/view?usp=sharing







8/27/20

NATIONAL ISSUES


Contact all Federal Members of Congress
(includes contact info and links to social media)

Fax legislators for free:

Or use Resistbot:  https://resist.bot/

Purchase stamps, postcards, and other mailing supplies: 



TELL SENATE TO REJECT CHAD WOLF AS DHS SECRETARY: After it’s been determined that Chad Wolf has been serving illegally as the Acting Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, Trump has now nominated him for Senate Confirmation. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/25/chad-wolf-secretary-of-homeland-security-401600. Wolf has been a leader in the policies that separated families at the border, and was also involved in sending DHS troops in riot gear to American cities during the Black Lives Matter protests, which served to escalate, rather than curtail violence. Let’s tell our Senators Wolf should not be confirmed and that DHS’s rogue policies need to be fully investigated and curbed.

2020 CENSUS AT RISK:  The census—which is mandated by the Constitution to count all RESIDENTS of the US every 10 years—will determine both our representation and our access to federal funds for the next decade; Trump has tried—and failed—to include a citizenship question, but he has succeeded in demanding that the count end a month earlier than planned: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/901833534/the-2020-census-could-be-the-least-accurate-ever-and-its-ending-a-month-early and https://www.vox.com/2020/8/6/21354283/trump-census-2020-end-early-covid-19It is essential that we fill out the census form ourselves and get to work helping the Census Bureau to achieve a full count by the end of September: if we have not filled out the Census, we must take 5 minutes to visit my2020census.gov or call (844) 330-2020 to ensure a complete and accurate count and commit ourselves to getting at least three friends or neighbors to do likewise. Only a little over 62% of households have been counted so far!

POST OFFICE WOES CONTINUE:  “U.S. Sen. Gary Peters on Tuesday toured a U.S. Postal Service facility in Kentwood to investigate what he says is a national slowdown in mail delivery caused by recent operational changes — which have since been put on hold — by U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. . . [Peters] said he did not get many answers during his tour of a postal service facility on Patterson Avenue SE. Senior management acknowledged there has been a slowdown of delivery since July, but they “were not able to give me concrete reasons as to why that is happening,” the senator said. “Which is very concerning,” Peters said. “We would hope that senior management at the postal service would have a sense.”” https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2020/08/sen-peters-gets-few-answers-on-mail-delays-during-grand-rapids-post-office-visit.html In the meantime, prescriptions are not getting to people on time: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/postal-service-delays-prescription-drugs-put-thousands-american-lives-risk-n1237756 and food is rotting in transit and animals are dying.  https://www.businessinsider.com/usps-california-overwhelme-food-rots-and-animals-dies-in-cuts-chaos-2020-8  Let’s contact our MoCs and ask them to get to the bottom of this mail slow-down and to exert some pressure on those who make these decisions.

FALSE ANTIBODY PLASMA TREATMENT:  Although he has admitted exaggerating after scathing criticism from scientists, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn claimed with great fanfare that a treatment the agency had just given emergency authorization would save 35 lives out of every 100 people with the coronavirus who got the treatment.  The problem is less Hahn’s false statement—mortality, in fact, improved by 3 or 5 percentage points--or the FDA emergency authorization; it is, as Dr. Eric Topol of the Scripps Translational Research Institute says, that “"when politics mixes with science, as is evidenced here, that could be the precursor to an even worse situation with the vaccine in imminent weeks":
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/08/25/905792261/fdas-hahn-apologizes-for-overselling-plasmas-benefits-as-a-covid-19-treatment Let’s make sure Hahn knows his FDA is feeding the mistrust that will, inevitably, greet a vaccine: @SteveFDA or -888-463-6332.

POMPEO BREAKS HIS OWN RULES:  No other sitting secretary of state has delivered a speech like this before their party's political convention. By doing so, Pompeo broke a decades-old taboo and his own policies for the department. The speech sparked widespread criticism, including from former top Republican officials and even some Israeli officials, now wary of how Trump has politicized U.S.-Israel policy. The House committee tasked with overseeing the State Department announced it was investigating the speech hours before it aired.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pompeo-breaks-rule-praising-trump-unprecedented-convention-speech/story?id=72605047 Let’s remind Pompeo that he is not above the rules. Tweet him and let him know that he is supposed to be the example not the rule breaker. @mikepompeo.  Let your MOCs know that you support this investigation

WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DEMANDING SAFE ELECTIONS: The November elections may be the last important elections of our lives. With Democracy at a turning point, it has never been more vital to vote, but with a pandemic raging unchecked, it also has never been more dangerous to head to the polls. We shouldn’t have to choose between voting and staying safe, Warren Democrats.  https://elizabethwarren.com/ has a way for us to tell our State Officials and Congress Members to act. We can make our voices heard by writing a letter to the editor demanding emergency elections funding and safe voting measures in every state. Warren Democrats will submit our letters to our local papers and give us an example to draw from. We can click here to write and send Letters to the Editor demanding safe election procedures for all of us: https://elizabethwarren.com/democracy

ELECTION/VOTING

POLL WORKERS NEEDED: Most poll workers, in the past, were older retired people with a day to spare; these are now the people at the highest risk for contracting covid-19 and sensibly reluctant to spend election day in close quarters with strangers.  We desperately need to aid in the effort to recruit poll workers from among the younger (under 50) and healthier.  In at least some states, college or even high school students can work at the polls. Here in NY, poll workers are paid $250 for the day and another hundred for training; whatever our state pays, it is at least something for those who are unemployed.  PLEASE alert any younger people in your vicinity!  And here is an online tool from Power the Polls to help us recruit poll workers everywhere:  https://www.powerthepolls.org/

FREE ID ASSISTANCE FOR ABSENTEE/VOTING BY MAIL: If we live in one of the following states, we may need to submit a copy of ID to vote by mail or absentee ballot: AL, AR, KS, KY, LA, MO, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, SD, TX, WI. If we need help getting a photocopy of our ID to vote or to register to vote, Vote Riders can help—entirely for free. Let’s use this service if we need it and spread the word: https://www.voteriders.org/photocopy-my-id/

ADOPT A SENATE RACE: Let's support Democratic Senate candidates in our own states and if our own Senators are not on the ballot this year, let's adopt one from another state. Twelve (12) seats held by Democrats and twenty-three (23) seats held by Republicans are on the ballot this year. (Source: Ballotpedia.) Today let's take a look at a) the most vulnerable seat Democrats are defending and b) the tossups. (Links on a Democratic candidate's name will take us to their campaign website.) a) AlabamaDoug Jones (D) is defending his seat from challenger Tommy Tuberville (R); b) Six (6) races are currently rated as toss-up's (source: Ballotpedia): 1) ColoradoJohn Hickenlooper (D) is challenging incumbent Cory Gardner (R); 2) GeorgiaJon Ossoff (D) is challenging incumbent David Perdue (R); 3) IowaTheresa Greenfield (D) is challenging incumbent Joni Ernst; 4) MaineSara Gideon (D) is challenging incumbent Susan Collins; 5) MontanaSteve Bullock (D) is challenging incumbent Steve Daines (R); 6) North CarolinaCal Cunningham (D) is challenging incumbent Thom Tillis.  Some campaigns include postcarding, texting and phone-banking opportunities even if we are in a different state. Let's adopt a senate race from these or one of the many others and find ways to contribute and volunteer. 

HELP GET OUT THE AMERICANS ABROAD VOTE: This election every vote counts and we need as many as we can to get our country back on track. Important, but often overlooked, overseas voters can play a key role delivering us a victory the November. That’s why Action Together Zurich  has launched #passthevote. We can click to watch their video, then take the challenge. We can find three American friends living abroad and ask them about their plans to register, request and return their ballots. Then we can share this link and challenge on social media: https://www.actiontogetherzurich.com/pass-the-vote  

STATE/LOCAL

ALL STATES: VOTING RIGHTS: In order to ensure free and fair elections for all, political law expert Marc Elias has created Democracy Docket. Democracy Docket has been litigating cases in the United States, protecting what it calls the four pillars of voting by mail, that each state should be implementing at a minimum. These pillars include: 1. postage must be free or prepaid by the government, 2. ballots postmarked on or before Election Day must count, 3. signature matching laws need to be reformed to protect voters, and 4. community organizations should be permitted to help collect and deliver voted, sealed ballots. Democracy Docket has already seen wins in states like Wisconsin  Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, among others. Let's check to see where our state stands in protecting the four pillars, then let's contact our state MoC and our Secretary of State and ask them to create protections for each of these pillars.

CA: INCARCERATED FIREFIGHTERS:  7000 fires have destroyed 1.4 million acres in California so far this year; the state saves about one million dollars a year by using prison laborers to fight fires at $1 an hour.  This year, coronavirus has produced a firefighter shortage because of early releases or sick prisoners: https://www.kqed.org/news/11835134/how-california-relies-on-incarcerated-firefighters  Once released, these formerly incarcerated firefighters find it nearly impossible to get jobs with county or city fire departments in California. Let’s tell Gov. Gavin Newsom that California’s exploitation of underpaid incarcerated labor is not acceptable: 1303 10th Street, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814 or (916) 445-2841

MA--ALLOW FREE TELEPHONE SERVICES FOR INMATES: Massachusetts charges inmates more than most states including immigrants detained by ICE--to make much needed phone calls. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/21/opinion/calling-home-hardship-prisoners-boon-bristol-county-sheriff/. Currently, legislation has been introduced that would allow the prisoners the right to make free calls. Let’s contact our State Senators and ask them to pass S2846 before the legislative session ends. Talking points, supplied by Families for Justice and Healing can be found here.

MA: PASS IMMIGRANT DRIVERS LICENSE BILL: While fourteen other states have passed legislation allowing undocumented residents to apply for a driver’s license, supposedly progressive Massachusetts, which has been working on this issue for 15 years has once again had their bill stalled by legislative leaders. https://www.telegram.com/news/20200731/we-are-essential-to-this-country-undocumented-immigrants-maintain-push-for-state-drivers-licenses?. Let’s contact Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, Robert.DeLeo@mahouse.gov,  Senate President Karen Spilka, Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov, and Chair of the Transportation Committee William Straus William.Straus@mahouse.gov and demand that they pass The Work and Family Mobility Act (H3012/S2641) now! We can get more information and talking points from The MIRA Coalition

MI:  PROTECT ABSENTEE BALLOT SECURITY: “Michigan’s Secretary of State says more than 10,000 absentee ballots were rejected for Michigan’s primary election on Aug. 4.” https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan/2020/08/14/why-10000-absentee-ballots-were-rejected-in-michigan-primary/   Voters Not Politicians’ VoteSafe Campaign seeks to ensure that every person in Michigan can exercise their constitutional right to vote via absentee ballot. On August 4, 1.6 million Michiganders voted by absentee ballot. Secretary of State Benson estimates that the total number of absentee voters will increase to 3 million or more for the November 3 general election.  Let’s reach out to our state MoCs asking them to support the four bills identified here:  https://secure.everyaction.com/6O0wkRyZuEOWIeHsixX-iw2

TN: GOV SUPPRESSING THE VOTE FOR PROTESTERS: A new Tennessee law, signed by the governor this week, makes it a felony for protesters to camp out overnight on state property. If convicted, they could lose their voting rights and face up to six years in prison. Although some states are moving towards restoring voting rights for felons, it remains illegal for felons to vote in Tennessee. https://time.com/5882735/tennesee-law-protest-voting-rights-felony/ Let’s tell our Governor that state land is our land and no peaceful protesters should lose their right to vote while expressing their right to free speech on land that is paid for by our taxes. Free speech is not a felony.

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS

BLACK NATIONAL CONVENTION: From M4BL: "On August 28, 2020, at 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT, the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and Electoral Justice Project will host the 2020 Black National Convention (BNC) virtual broadcast. Together, we will ratify a Black political agenda days after the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and ahead of November, when Black voters will play a pivotal role in determining whether we have four more years of domination or a new set of challenges to overcome." Let's learn more, including accessibility options of the broadcast, and sign up to attend: https://blacknovember.org/

SUPPORT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WITH RADICALIZE THE VOTE!  On Saturday, August 29  (12PM Eastern/11AM Central) Radicalize the Vote will be holding a Radical Registration Telethon, a 12-hour Indigenous-led event to promote voter registration in Indian Country. 
They’ve created a voter registration portal, and the Registration Telethon will help promote it nation-wide. While national in scope, their focus this year is on “seven states where Indigenous people have the ability to shift the vote this year. Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Utah are states that, together, encompass over one million Indigenous voters”.   Let’s learn more and help spread the word  at:  www.radicalizethevote.org. (h/t Your Weekly Pep Talk & Action List!)

LEARN HOW TO PUT YOUR GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN PLAN INTO ACTION: If we are running for office, working for a campaign, or helping to rally voters for upcoming elections, we know that getting out the vote (GOTV) is not just a matter of finding supportive voters. We also need to plan and prepare to get them to the polls. This Thursday, August 27th from 8pm-9pm EST, the National Democratic Training Committee https://traindemocrats.org/  has a free virtual live training on “How to Put Your GOTV Plan into Action” just for us. In this session we’ll learn how to prepare our teams for GOTV and how to develop our GOTV plan timeline. We can find out more and register for Thursday’s free GOTV virtual workshop here: https://traindemocrats.org/event/how-to-put-your-gotv-plan-into-action-08-27-2020/

READING/WATCHING/LISTENING

Republicans Blast Democrats As Socialists. Here's What Socialism Is - https://www.npr.org/2020/08/25/905895428/republicans-blast-democrats-as-socialists-heres-what-socialism-is



The End of a Political Era: Movement Conservatism Gets Real - https://billmoyers.com/story/maga-movement-conservatism-era/

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We can stay up to date on Congress by checking out their schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday) as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule





8/25/20

NATIONAL ISSUES


Contact all Federal Members of Congress
(includes contact info and links to social media)

Fax legislators for free:

Or use Resistbot:  https://resist.bot/

Purchase stamps, postcards, and other mailing supplies: 



JUSTICE FOR JACOB BLAKE:  Once again the brutal shooting of an unarmed black man, Jacob Blake, by police, this time in Kenosha, WI, on Sunday all while the man’s children watched.  https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/08/24/wisconsin-police-shooting-jacob-blake-live-updates-kenosha/5625277002/ America is awakening to this other pandemic attacking our country.  We are beginning to understand that this is a Black and White problem that needs to be fixed.  Let’s use this guide from Anti-Racism Daily for some actions we can take:  https://www.antiracismdaily.com/archives/demand-justice-for-jacob-blake-anti-racism-daily

RUSSIAN BOUNTIES FOR AMERICAN TROOPS:  As Sen. Tammy Duckworth tweeted yesterday, “I shouldn't have to keep up these tweets for 59 days—but here I am. Because Donald Trump still hasn't publicly condemned Putin for reportedly offering bounties for the murder of American troops overseas.”  https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-paid-bounties-taliban-to-target-us-troops-afghanistan-cnn-2020-8  Let’s not let this go unchallenged.  Let’s contact our MoCs and the White House asking for support for Trump’s public condemnation of this egregious situation and for an investigation of wrongdoing.

SENATE REPORT CONFIRMS RUSSIA INVOLVEMENT:  “Far from a hoax, as the president so often claimed, the report reveals how the Trump campaign willingly engaged with Russian operatives implementing the influence effort. For instance, the report exposes interactions and information exchanged between Russian intelligence officer Konstantin Kilimnik and then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. According to the report, campaign figures “presented attractive targets for foreign influence, creating notable counterintelligence vulnerabilities.” (Manafort was later convicted of tax and bank fraud.)”  https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/senate-russia-report-proves-trump-was-wrong-mueller-was-right-ncna1237743  and https://apnews.com/5e833a62e9492f6a66624b7920cc846a  Our MoCs need to hear from us asking what they are doing to make this upcoming election more secure and what they plan to do what we’ve learned from this Senate report. 

TELL JOE BIDEN TO COMMIT TO LIFTING DEPORTATION ORDERS AGAINST PEOPLE LIVING IN SANCTUARY:  Undocumented immigrants are still in sanctuary, like this man: https://www.gazettenet.com/Lucio-Perez-marks-two-years-of-living-in-sanctuary-in-Amherst-s-First-Congregational-Church-29426059  The National Sanctuary Collective, has created an open letter to Joe Biden, asking him to commit to lifting deportation orders against people currently living in sanctuary in churches across the United States. Let’s read the letter here. Then, let’s spread it around to gather signatures from individuals, organizations, and elected leaders--town, city, state, and national

HELP DOCUMENT AND COMBAT MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE UPCOMING ELECTION: Now that even the Republican-led Senate has confirmed that Russia interfered in the last election to help Trump, we need to do everything possible to make sure that we minimize foreign interference in this election. This is difficult with people like Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley trying to actively promote misinformation about Russia’s role in the election as part of their Ukrainian investigation. https://www.justsecurity.org/71947/how-sen-ron-johnsons-investigation-became-an-enabler-of-russian-disinformation-part-i/. If we see any wacky stories on our social media feeds (e.g., Joe Biden is training a secret ANTIFA army in Ukraine), let’s let the DNC know so they can track them and respond. We can email tips to disinfo@dnc.org.

RACIAL JUSTICE: It has been over five months since Kentucky EMT Breonna Taylor was killed in her home by police executing a no-knock warrant. Conflicting laws including Stand Your Ground, Castle Doctrine, and the legality of no-knock warrants have created a stalemate in which accountability of the officers is difficult at best (https://bit.ly/2YoSvb1). In order to reach any amount of justice for Breonna's death, Black Lives Matter Louisville has assembled a list of seven demands, along with an Invest/Divest strategy that could be implemented nationwide.  Let's read more, then contact local officials and tell them that we support these demands. We can find contact information and detailed actions here. Then, let's ask our MoC at the federal level to support the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act in the Senate (S. 3955), which would ban no-knock warrants across the country, and the Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 7120/S.3912), which would ban no-knock warrants as well as police use of chokeholds.

DEFEAT BY TWEET: Some of us may be familiar with the app Momentum, which allows users to donate to an organization of their choosing each time a specific action is performed. The app is now powering the #DefeatByTweet campaign, where participants donate to a collection of Black-led political organizations in swing states each time Trump tweets (https://abcn.ws/2Et7BVJ). Let's use Trump's overuse of Twitter against him, and ensure that he does not get re-elected. We can learn more here, then let's sign up; donations can be as small as 1 cent per tweet: https://defeatbytweet.org/

BIRTHERISM, AGAIN:  Newsweek magazine has lent itself to spreading false rumors about Kamala Harris’s eligibility to serve as vice-president should she be elected; the editor of Newsweek has issued an apology, claiming “The essay, by John Eastman [a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute], was intended to explore a minority legal argument about the definition of who is a "natural-born citizen" in the United States” and reprinted the essay:  https://www.newsweek.com/some-questions-kamala-harris-about-eligibility-opinion-1524483  We have seen “birtherism” claims before, and we need to let Newsweek know that when a supposedly reputable magazine perpetuates lies about natural-born citizenship, they are lending their reputation to far-Right conspiracy theorists and should expect to hear from us.  Newsweek can be contacted and subscriptions cancelled at support@newsweek.com.  It is worth our knowing something about the right-wing Claremont Institute, too:  https://www.claremont.org/page/claremonts-mission/

USA COVID-19 K-12 SCHOOL CLOSURES, QUARANTINES, AND/OR DEATHS: The federal government is not tracking COVID in schools.  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coronavirus-spreading-schools-no-one-tracking-all-outbreaks-n1236964  “As schools across the nation struggle to find a safe way to educate students in-person, a Kansas teacher has dedicated herself to tracking school closings, cases and deaths in a budding national database.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/08/15/covid-news-sturgis-motorcycle-rally-cases-in-europe-blood-plasma/5584062002/  Let’s check this out and submit additions or corrections:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQSD9mm5HTXhxAiHabZA6BPUByWBlP5HZ2jfOPEeGZkMB0ZFsmFBL5orqjIq22mjFNZ7n-11ObCylGn/pubhtml

KEEP UP PRESSURE ON P.O. LEADERSHIP:  We have heard Louis DeJoy’s obfuscation before the House oversight committee (https://www.c-span.org/video/?474917-1/postmaster-general-louis-dejoy-testifies-postal-service-operations-mail-voting&live) and we should continue to demand his resignation, but, perhaps more important, let’s keep up our pressure on the USPS Board of Governors, United States Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260; 800-275-8777 and Robert M. Duncan, Chair. CEO Inez Deposit Bank, 41 W. Main St, Inez, KY 41224; 606-298-3511; mduncan@inezdepositbank.com.  In contacting these people, we need to know the history of the “crisis” it is claimed now afflicts the postal service: https://ips-dc.org/how-congress-manufactured-a-postal-crisis-and-how-to-fix-it/  Republicans are once again spreading misinformation about how the mail-in voting process will lead to voter fraud.https://www.nbc12.com/2020/08/12/ballot-drop-boxes-are-next-legal-fight-voting/. Given the chaos of the P.O., let’s join the 8 states that already use them (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-dropboxes/ballot-drop-boxes-are-latest-battleground-in-us-election-fight-idUSKBN25G14I) and demand secure ballot drop-off boxes; ask our State Election Office to put them up in order to make voting more accessible to people worried about COVID and the unreliability of the USPS.

LEGISLATION TO HELP POST OFFICE:  The House passed the Delivering for America Act (H.B. 8015) last Saturday after coming back early from recess for the vote in the effort to reverse recent changes in postal service.  https://apnews.com/2e2fcd6f1457cd1ddc3d8f85e9548cc3  26 Republicans voted in favor.  The bill would prohibit Trump’s Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, from changing the level of Postal Service delivery standards that existed on 1/1/2020 during the COVID public health emergency through at least 1/1/2021 or longer if the public health emergency is extended.  The bill also includes $25 billion in funding to the USPS and a requirement that USPS give first-class status to election mailings. While McConnell and Trump both said they will not support this bill, it is important that we let our senators know that we support the bill and want it to be brought up for a vote in the Senate.  It is time to know where senators stand.  We can also sign this:  https://p2a.co/Ut9UYhS

RNC MAKES ITS RACIST COMMITMENTS CLEAR: It is worth our noting, in the midst of the Republican Convention, that the Republican National Committee has passed a resolution delegitimizing the work of the Southern Poverty Law Center (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/24/republican-national-committee-condemns-southern-poverty-law-center/3431429001/) as well as a resolution to “combat prejudice” by protecting monuments to Christopher Columbus. Let’s let the RNC know what we think of this:  RNC at 202-863-8500 or tweet GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: @GOPChairwoman

POSTCARDING OPPORTUNITIES:  From one of our own: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j94_LhSm2JKl8eX-TwmSEgqAB4yJGZQhDmDMIW0DlSc/edit  Let’s write!

 ELECTION/VOTING

BECOME A POLL WORKER: "America needs you to be a poll hero. We’re recruiting thousands of college and high school students to be paid poll workers to make the 2020 Election a success." Most poll workers are older and at greater risk during the pandemic.  https://www.npr.org/2020/08/05/894331965/wanted-young-people-to-work-the-polls-this-november  Now would be a great time for those of us who are younger to step up and help ensure our election security this fall by becoming poll workers. We can sign up here: https://www.pollhero.org

VOTERIZER:  Field Team 6 launched its new Voter Registration portal this past weekend--Voterizer.org.  Born of Jason Berlin's frustration with leaky funnel portals, Voterizer was custom-built to register Democrats, sign them up to vote by mail, let folks know when and where to vote, and because they're a 527, provide information about Democratic candidates. Voterizer works on desktop and mobile, and uses brand-new tech to confirm registrations with a 50-state database (the only app to do this) and sends email follow-ups and reminders automatically. Field Team 6 is sharing this app (for free) with any allied organization who needs it, will plug in their branding, and give them access to every voter they register… empowering them to help drive turnout with hyper-local GOTV messaging. Interested organizations should contact voterizer@gmail.com  But anyone can use the portal now.  Let’s check out Voterizer.org.  We can also click here for prewritten tweets, posts and more to help spread the word. bit.ly/VoterizerStorm  

BOOST VOTER REGISTRATION—Registration of new voters was going like gangbusters until the pandemic hit, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/voter-registrations-are-way-way-down-during-the-pandemic/. We need to be creative as social distancing reduces opportunities for in-person voter registration drives. Field Team 6 has a new online Blue voter registration portal called Voterizer, and a clever social media campaign that we can help go viral. Let’s get involved: https://www.fieldteam6.org/voterizersocialmedia

POSTCARDERS UNITE!  Postcarding is a safe, easy and fun way to reach voters to encourage them to go to the polls. Here are some of the postcarding opportunities open to our participation: a) Postcards to Voters. (P2V) With over three years of operation and over 60,000 volunteers, P2V continues to reach voters for elections large and small. Current open campaigns are to encourage Florida Democrats to enroll in Vote By Mail (VBM). Thanks to these and other efforts, VBM Democrats now outnumber VBM Republicans in Florida. (Source: Politico.); b) Postcards to Swing States (PSS) We now only need to reach four of the fourteen states in this campaign: Georgia, Kentucky, Texas and South Carolina. PSS provides addresses, scripts and postcards. We provide labor and stamps. Postcards written now will not be mailed till October; c) Postcards4VA (P4VA) is now on their fourth campaign after helping to flip VA blue in 2017, 2018, and 2019. P4VA provides addresses and scripts. We provide our own postcards and stamps. P4VA has labels available free by request to assist with date and time information; d) Sister District Project. CA03 and Indivisible Yolo have teamed up to offer various postcarding opportunities for races both in and out of state. They offer scripts and addresses. We supply postcards and stamps. If we are postcarders, let's request addresses from one of these organizations today!

VOTER EDUCATION—“The Last Election” https://lastelection.org/  is an effort of Spread the Vote https://www.spreadthevote.org/ to bridge the gap between voter registration and voter turnout. Among the services offered are September Voter Education Courses that teach how to read a ballot, how to vote by mail, voting safely during COVID, voting with a disability, and more. Let’s sign up for the courses, and let’s invite others to do so as well: https://lastelection.org/

HOW TO VOTE IN THE 2020 ELECTION—FiveThirtyEight has a state-by-state voting guide explaining the rules for voting by mail in each state. Let’s educate ourselves and share with others: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/how-to-vote-2020

EARLY VOTING STARTS IN A MATTER OF WEEKS—Let’s make sure we know the deadlines in our state: https://www.axios.com/how-to-vote-by-state-2020-307c3d17-ee57-4a1b-8bad-182ca1cdb752.html

10 MILLION VOTER TURNOUT LETTERS—Democrats will win if enough of us go to the polls. It takes just 15 minutes to write five letters to Democratic-leaning voters in key Electoral College states. Why not write 50? Or 100? Let’s sign up for The Big Send and recruit others to join us: https://votefwd.org/bigsend

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE.  Let's get ready to vote! We can check our voter registration information, polling places and find out who is running and for what at the League of Women Voters' Vote411 site. Let's do this today and share this information with a friend.

STATE/LOCAL

MOST: BALLOT DROP BOXES—There should be ballot drop boxes accessible to every voter in every state. Full stop. Let’s contact our governors https://www.usa.gov/state-governor and our secretaries of state https://www.nass.org/membership and tell them that we want ballot drop boxes installed according to the recommendations of the US Election Assistance Commission: https://www.eac.gov/sites/default/files/electionofficials/vbm/Ballot_Drop_Box.pdf, and that we want official online look-up tools for locating our ballot drop boxes.

ALL:  TELL OUR LOCAL POST OFFICES TO RE-INSTALL SORTING MACHINES: Post Offices in Dallas and Seattle/Tacoma have defied orders from Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, and reinstalled their sorting machines. (Note: DeJoy said on Friday that he would suspend further changes, but he also instructed workers not to re-install equipment that had already been dismantled.) https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielcassady/2020/08/22/washington-postal-workers-defy-usps-orders-and-reinstall-mail-sorting-machines/#33befcd05f80. Let’s tell our local post office that we want them to follow the brave example of these two postal facilities and re-install all dismantled machines immediately, and that it’s worth it to defy any order that is intended to subvert our democracy. 

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS

LEARN HOW TO PUT YOUR GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN PLAN INTO ACTION: If we are running for office, working for a campaign, or helping to rally voters for upcoming elections, we know that getting out the vote (GOTV) is not just a matter of finding supportive voters. We also need to plan and prepare to get them to the polls. This Thursday, August 27th from 8pm-9pm EST, the National Democratic Training Committee https://traindemocrats.org/  has a free virtual live training on “How to Put Your GOTV Plan into Action” just for us. In this session we’ll learn how to prepare our teams for GOTV and how to develop our GOTV plan timeline. We can find out more and register for Thursday’s free GOTV virtual workshop here: https://traindemocrats.org/event/how-to-put-your-gotv-plan-into-action-08-27-2020/

READING/WATCHING/LISTENING

10 Things to Know About Trump’s Post Office Scandal - https://billmoyers.com/story/10-things-to-know-about-trumps-post-office-scandal/

Carter Centre to launch first-ever US election initiative, citing ‘erosion’ of democracy - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election/carter-center-us-election-2020-donald-trump-democracy-a9683011.html


Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 35: Lafayette Square -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oukMRBEHzv4

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We can stay up to date on Congress by checking out their schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday) as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule






 8/24/20

On Mondays, Rogan’s List features a listing of proposed rule and regulation changes that are currently accepting public comment.  Commenting is the way to show government agencies how we feel about these proposed changes. Our comments also become part of a record that will be reviewed by courts if and when a reg change is contested. Courts use comments to judge whether an agency is acting arbitrarily and capriciously.

    Organization

Closing Soon
Recent   
Section I - ICE, DHS, DOL, NLRB
Section II - everything environmental - EPA, BLM, DOE
Section III - Civil rights, housing, education, healthcare
Other: More on regulations (tracking the trackers/general information)  

(Note: After a couple of weeks items are moved from “Recent” and “Closing soon” into the Roman numeral sections. A note on regulatory processes: there are three stages - Notice, Proposed Rule, and Rule. There’s usually a time lag of a few months to a few years between them, and they must be published in the Federal Register before appearing on Regulations.gov. Comment time varies from 10 days to 2 months, sometimes with extensions.)

This week's list - closing soon includes the LNG by Rail that Mother Jones calls "bomb trains", new includes FDA guidance that lets it not review coronavirus tests, and the USPS Board of Governors will post a notice tomorrow under the Sunshine Act that says they met last week, public not allowed. No info on agenda, discussion, or decisions. And the usual environmental assault - reminding everyone that they want to redefine critical habitat in a way that is deadly for endangered species.






8/20/20

Special Edition:  Post Office


Contact all Federal Members of Congress
(includes contact info and links to social media)

Fax legislators for free:

Or use Resistbot:  https://resist.bot/

Purchase stamps, postcards, and other mailing supplies: 



Trump would like nothing better than to limit voting in November, and he has appointed the perfect postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a major donor, to effectuate his plan of voter suppression.  One city in Michigan revealed that 165 ballots arrived late and were not able to be opened or counted in the election earlier this month, despite the fact that the ballots had been postmarked by the required deadline. https://www.crainsdetroit.com/government/sterling-heights-clerk-receives-dozens-late-absentee-ballots-mail  DeJoy has eliminated employee overtime, removed mail-sorting machines from postal facilities around the country, and reorganized or eliminated Postal Service leadership—leaving not only mail-in voting in doubt but disrupting the delivery of essential medicine, veteran and Social Security checks, packages, and so on.  While DeJoy has walked back some of his plan, there is no mention of returning the sorting machines, mailboxes, and trucks to bring us back to the same level of service we had before.  https://www.apnews.com/26926bf85cae5175fbd920efb534ef84  As has already been evidenced, the USPS upheaval will affect the 2020 election. 

WE MUST HELP SAVE THE POST OFFICE!

KEEP THE PRESSURE ON DEJOY TO REVERSE POST OFFICE DAMAGE AND MORE:  Caving to pressure from lawmakers, attorneys general, and the public, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that he is “suspending” some policies he instituted that are causing mail delays, https://www.npr.org/2020/08/18/903477948/postmaster-general-will-testify-at-senate-hearing-friday. While this is progress, it is not enough. DeJoy has not said he will undo the damage already done, nor do we know if he will keep his word, especially when the election draws nearer. He also has not addressed his serious conflicts of interests, including involvements with other mail services and suspicious purchases of Amazon stock.   https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/amid-political-controversy-postmaster-generals-stock-holdings-renewed/story   He is untrustworthy, the wrong person for the job and should resign.  The House is not cancelling his hearing, the now-21 states suing him are not backing down:

  • All election mail to be treated as first-class mail, delivered on time, and given the highest priority

  • Reinstatement of overtime hours and extra delivery trips so that all ballots will be picked up and postmarked on the day they are dropped

  • Emergency legislation to fully fund the USPS

  • An immediate end to all mail backlogs and delays; restoration of slashed hours

  • Replacement of all public mailboxes that have been removed since DeJoy’s tenure began and the unlocking of all mailboxes that had been locked

  • Replacements for all mail-sorting machines removed since DeJoy’s tenure began

  • Reinstatement of the 33 USPS experienced executives in their former positions

  • DeJoy’s immediate resignation from his job as Postmaster General for his colossal mishandling of the USPS and injury to the public


FRIDAY:  DEJOY APPEARS BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS:  “The hearing, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET [Friday, August 21] before the Republican-led panel, will mark DeJoy’s first time directly answering questions from Congress about the post office, which has come under intense scrutiny in the runup to the 2020 presidential election.”  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/18/usps-chief-louis-dejoy-to-face-more-scrutiny-in-senate-testimony-friday.html   Trump is not happy with the timing:  https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/08/19/trump-knocks-mcconnell-for-usps-hearing-ahead-rnc-convention/5605708002/  Using the bullet points above, let’s contact members of this committee with our concerns before Friday’s hearing:  https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/about   In addition, if we have experienced delayed mail, prescriptions or benefit checks not arriving in time, mailboxes removed, or other postal problems, we can use this page to let Ranking Member Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) know:  https://www.peters.senate.gov/postal or call the Committee:  (202) 224-4751, then share this call for stories with our friends on social media.

MONDAY:  DEJOY APPEARS BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM:  “The new postmaster general has agreed to testify before the Democratic-led House Oversight and Reform Committee next week amid growing pressure from lawmakers to reverse a series of changes that have led to mail delivery delays, adding to concerns about whether Americans voting by mail could be disenfranchised.”  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/postmaster-general-louis-dejoy-testify-congress-mail-delays/  Using the bullet points above, let’s contact members of this committee with our concerns before Friday’s hearing:  https://oversight.house.gov/members  In addition, if we have experienced delayed mail, prescriptions or benefit checks not arriving in time, mailboxes removed, or other postal problems, we can tweet to @OversightDems, post on Vice-Chair Rep. Gomez’s (D-CA) FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/154054825137425/posts/778661916010043/
or call the Oversight Committee: (202) 225-5051, then share this call for stories with our friends on social media.

TELL OUR REPS: PASS HR 8015 TO RESTORE AND SAVE POSTAL SERVICES: After speaking with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has confirmed that he will NOT undo any of the damage he has already inflicted on the USPS, refusing to replace machines dismantled or removed or to ensure adequate overtime to make sure all ballots are postmarked the day they are mailed. https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/81920  and https://thehill.com/homenews/house/512764-pelosi-says-postmaster-general-doesnt-plan-to-replace-mail-machines-boxes   Now it is even more vital, given DeJoy’s refusal to undo his sabotage, that we urge our Representatives to pass the Delivering for America Act (H.R. 8015), which would reverse changes that obstruct mail delivery and prohibit future ones  during the coronavirus crisis or through January 2021. It includes $25 billion requested by the Postal Service and supported unanimously and on a bipartisan basis by the Postal Board of Governors. https://www.speaker.gov/sites/speaker.house.gov/files/FactSheet_HR8015_DeliveringForAmericaAct.pdf  We can read more here about H.R. 8015, the “Delivering for America” act, then call our Representatives and tell them to vote yes in time for this Saturday’s vote. We can then share this with our friends on social media to help get our Post Office back on track.

CONTACT THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE INSPECTOR GENERAL:  “The internal watchdog for the U.S. Postal Service has launched an investigation into recent changes made at post offices across the country by the new postmaster general, who is a Trump appointee, CBS News has confirmed.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-postal-service-inspector-general-investigating-changes-post-offices/  Let’s contact the UPSP Inspector General and encourage this investigation and share some of our concerns:  https://www.uspsoig.gov/form/file-online-complaint or USPS OIG, 1735 North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA 22209-2020.

PUT PRESSURE ON THE USPS BOARD OF GOVERNORS:  According to this, “The [USPS] Board directs the exercise of the powers of the Postal Service, directs and controls its expenditures, reviews its practices, conducts long-range planning, approves officer compensation and sets policies on all postal matters. The Board takes up matters such as service standards and capital investments.” “Most members of the U.S. Postal Service’s board of governors, who were responsible for selecting Louis DeJoy as postmaster general, have numerous ties to the Republican Party as well as to President Donald Trump’s associates and administration.”  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/18/gop-and-trump-ties-run-deep-on-the-us-postal-services-board-of-governors.html  These members, who are appointed by the president and at whose pleasure the Postmaster General serves, need to hear us and our concerns.  Let’s tell them:  https://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/ 

  • Board of Governors, United States Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260; 800-275-8777



  • Ron Bloom, Managing Partner, Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Place, 250 Vesey Street, 15th Fl., New York, NY 10281-1023, (Unverified: ron.bloom@brookfield.com)

  • Roman Martinez IV, Private Investor, Board of Directors, Cigna Corporate Headquarters, 900 Cottage Grove Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002; 860-226-6000;  (Unverified: roman@rmiv.com)

  • Donald L. Moak, Founder & CEO, The Moak Group, 401 9th St NW Suite 740, Washington, DC 20004, 202-838-3800; (Unverified: lee.moak@moakgroup.com)

  • William D. Zollars, Private Investor, Board of Directors, Cerner Corporation, 2800 Rock Creek Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64117, 816-221-1024

 (In contacting any or all of these people, it is worth our understanding the history of the “crisis” it is claimed now afflicts the postal service: https://ips-dc.org/how-congress-manufactured-a-postal-crisis-and-how-to-fix-it/  See also very important information from postal workers themselves: https://www.apwu.org/savepostoffice and https://www.nalc.org/)

VOTE BY MAIL:  All states will mail an absentee ballot to, at least, certain voters who request one. Since voting is a state process, we need to learn what our state can and cannot do.  Let’s use this state-by-state guide from Postcards for America to find out and get prepared for the November election:  https://www.postcardsforamerica.com/vote-by-mail.html  If we request an absentee ballot, let’s be smart about returning it in a timely fashion so that our vote counts. 

CIRCUMVENT THE POST OFFICE BY DROPPING OFF MAIL-IN BALLOTS IN PERSON: For those of us who feel unsafe about voting in person but worried that USPS will not deliver our mail-in ballot in time, let’s Google our supervisor of elections (in smaller towns, this might be the Town Clerk) to find out where we can drop off ballots in person. (Note: This is usually not the polling place). All states allow this option and some states have tracking systems to make sure it is verified--another thing to ask our Supervisor of Elections about. Contact our state legislators and ask them to institute a tracking system, if our state doesn’t have one.  

ASK YOUR STATE TO PUT UP BALLOT DROP-OFF BOXES: Connecticut is the latest state to put up ballot drop-off boxes in public locations across the state. Some states have been doing this for years and the process has been non-controversial--up to now. Republicans are once again spreading misinformation about how the process can lead to voter fraud. https://www.nbc12.com/2020/08/12/ballot-drop-boxes-are-next-legal-fight-voting/. If our state doesn’t have ballot drop-off boxes, let’s ask our State Election Office to put them up in order to make voting more accessible to people worried about COVID and the unreliability of the USPS. 

CONSIDER VOTING EARLY: 41 states have early voting options, which allows voters to cast their ballot with less risk of long-lines and extensive exposure to other people. Let’s check out this list and find out if we can vote early in our state in order to avoid the recent uncertainty around USPS. 

DEMAND RESIGNATION OF POSTMASTER GENERAL LOUIS DEJOY. The current Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, is a Republican megadonor, with no post office experience. His actions have already resulted in slowing mail delivery; he has removed mailboxes and sorting machines and refused to pay overtime, threatening timely mail delivery. He must not be allowed to stay in this position. Let’s sign this petition from MoveOn, that asks the Postal Board of Governors to remove him from this post. Let’s also ask our MoCs to pass legislation that depoliticizes and fully funds the Post Office immediately.

ATTEND “SAVE THE POST OFFICE SATURDAY” RALLY:  “On Saturday, August 22, at 11 a.m. (local time), we will show up at local post offices across the country for "Save the Post Office Saturday" to save the post office from Trump and declare that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy must resign.”  We can sign up here for more information or to organize an event:  https://act.moveon.org/survey/save-the-post-office-from-trump

RESISTBOT:  From one of our own:  Text USPS to 50409. Resistbot will sign and send a letter on your behalf directly to your specific representatives telling them that you are in support of saving the postal service.


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We can stay up to date on Congress by checking out their schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday) as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule