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 6/22/20

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.)

Moving target - a lot of proposed regs - many using the pandemic as cover - are allowing only a couple of weeks for comment. There are some huge EPA ones. Closing and new this week - EPA overall guidance documents and regulatory procedure. Trump admin's rush to use the pandemic emergency to codify and solidify anti-environment regulatory actions and make them harder to undo. Eliminating many work visas - coming soon. Inspectors General - proposed rule on HHS IG oversight, and DOJ IG criticism of dangerous training for federal prison employees (some were used in BOP crisis management groups deployed to Miami and Washington, D.C., during the recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25th.





6/18/20

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: 



ADVOCATE FOR CHANGES TO GOP POLICE REFORM BILL: Yesterday the GOP Senate, without any input or negotiation from Democrats, revealed their own police reform bill. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/503134-read-break-down-of-senate-gops-police-reform-billUnlike the Democratic House bill, which “bans chokeholds, eliminates the legal shield protecting police from lawsuits, mandates the use of body cameras nationwide, bans military-style weapons for police and creates a national database disclosing the names of officers with patterns of abuse,” https://thehill.com/homenews/house/501636-democrats-unveil-sweeping-legislation-in-response-to-protests-of-police and https://www.npr.org/2020/06/08/872180672/read-democrats-release-legislation-to-overhaul-policing, the Senate bill simply “incentivizes police departments to do these things by making them ineligible for federal grants if they don’t. This is not enough, and let’s make sure our Senators know that we expect much more definitive action on a problem that has been happening for far too long.  Let’s tell our Senators not to support this bill and to advocate for the provisions in the much stronger House bill. 

PROTECT THE RESULTS OF THE 2020 ELECTION: In response to disturbing reports speculating that Trump will not concede and transfer power peacefully if he loses the election, Indivisible and Stand Up America have instigated an organizing effort to protect the results. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/24/us/politics/trump-2020-election-voting-rights.html Let’s find out more and pledge to take action here, if Trump does not willingly leave office. 

CALL SENATORS TO SUPPORT DEMILITARIZING THE POLICE:
The events of the past few weeks have shown that police violence is a serious problem we must address. A key step towards that is demilitarizing our police forces by ending the 1033 Program, which funnels military equipment to police departments through our country. https://www.wired.com/story/pentagon-hand-me-downs-militarize-police-1033-program/ We can learn more about demilitarization and the 1033 program here.
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/demilitarization We can ask our senators to support Senator BriaSchatzs amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to end the 1033 Program, which equips local law enforcement with used military equipment like armored vehicles and bayonets.

NATIVE AMERICAN VOTER SUPPRESSION: “Within the last decade, a host of new laws have appeared that further disenfranchise marginalized voters, including Indigenous voters, according to the Native American Voting Rights Coalition, a nonpartisan alliance of voting rights advocates. In June, the coalition published a detailed report on widespread Native disenfranchisement.”  “Frankly, the overt racism that we saw throughout the field hearings, I think, would be shocking to the average American. Most people don’t think that type of racism exists anymore.” https://www.hcn.org/issues/52.6/indigenous-affairs-election-2020-report-indigenous-voters-face-racism-and-suppression  Let’s ask our MoCs how they are planning to address this.

SUPPORT CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION TO COMBAT POLICE BRUTALITY 
Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Karen Bass, and Barbara Lee have written a resolution condemning racial profiling, police brutality, and the use of excessive force. It also calls for better oversight and independent investigations, stronger DOJ involvement, civilian review boards with clout, and policies to reduce police violence, and racial profiling.  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-george-floyd-protests-ayanna-pressley-racism/ We can read the resolution here:   https://pressley.house.gov/sites/pressley.house.gov/files/A%20Resolution%20Condemning%20Police%20Brutality_0.pdf   We can sign here to become a Grassroots Co-sponsor, then call our Representatives and ask them to support this resolution: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/end-police-brutality

FIGHT NOMINATION OF NANCY BECK: “Trump's nominee to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission is Nancy Beck, a toxicologist who currently leads chemical and pesticide regulation at the Environmental Protection Agency. . . "When I heard that Nancy Beck was nominated to head the CPSC, I was truly and profoundly concerned," says Rachel Weintraub, the legislative director for the Consumer Federation of America, which advocates for safe products. "[Beck's] record is one of thwarting consumer protections, mostly in the realm of toxic chemicals."”  https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/16/876309425/scientists-warn-against-consumer-protection-nominee  Let’s make sure our senators know we do not want this nominee confirmed. 

TRUMP CORONAVIRUS “SUPERSPREADER” RALLY:  In Tulsa, OK, where Trump plans to rally thousands of supporters on Saturday at an indoor arena, residents, businesses and nonprofits joined a suit to get organizers to enforce social distancing protocols and abide “by the government-mandated CDC guidelines with respect to mass events,” claiming the rally could act as a “superspreader” event in a state where coronavirus rates are already increasing:  https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/17/879193876/judge-denies-request-to-force-coronavirus-safety-measures-at-trumps-tulsa-rally and https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-reports-259-new-coronavirus-cases-wednesday-1-additional-death/32893461 They lost--despite insisting that they’d file the same suit “If Joe Biden, if the [Oklahoma City] Thunder, if Garth Brooks was wanting to have a 19,000-person event. . . .“ Even Dr. Fauci would not attend such a rally for health reasons.   https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/course-not-fauci-says-he-wouldn-t-attend-trump-rallies-n1231262  Let’s tell the mayor of Tulsa, GT Bynum, a Republican who won’t himself attend--https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-06-17/dont-ask-tulsas-mayor-about-trump-rally-plans --to put a stop to this madness, and likewise tell OK’s Republican governor, Kevin Stitt: Bynum: 1-918-815-9268 and Stitt at #GovStitt or https://www.governor.ok.gov/contact/leave-comment

PETITION TO RENAME EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE: "It’s far past time to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge after Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon that nearly gave his life on that bridge,” said Michael Starr Hopkins. “Edmund Pettus was a bitter racist, undeserving of the honor bestowed upon him. As we wipe away this country's long stain of bigotry, we must also wipe away the names of men like Edmund Pettus." We can sign the petition here:  https://www.change.org/p/governor-of-alabama-rename-the-edmund-pettus-bridge-after-rep-john-lewis

ELECTION/VOTING

2020 ELECTION CALENDAR: This resource is searchable by date and state -  https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2020-state-primary-election-dates.aspx

REMINDER- CHECK VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS:   Let’s make sure to regularly check our voter registration status. States are purging voters routinely--we don't want to get caught off guard. Take 1 minute and check right now: I Will Vote  Then, let’s check how to vote by mail in our state. Many rules have changed due to the pandemic and we may be able to vote with a mailed ballot. We can find our state's latest voting rules here: How to Vote By Mail in Every State

TUESDAY PRIMARIES:  KY, NY, VA:  Tuesday, June 23, primaries will be held in Kentucky, New York, and Virginia.   Let’s get out the vote!

SUPPORT CAMPAIGNS FROM WHEREVER WE ARE:  Common Purpose Now, a non-profit based in Washington state, works with local partners across the country, following their lead to provide support that they request (such as fieldwork on a campaign). While the organization previously arranged for volunteers to travel (using their own funds) to swing states for on-the-groundwork, everything is currently remote. That means there are lots of opportunities to *remotely* help campaigns in AZ, ME, MI and more. Common Purpose also has trainings, lectures, and discussions. They put young, diverse people in key positions and support their development as leaders. Here's where we can sign up to help: https://cpnow.org

TEXT WITH BLACK VOTERS MATTER: “Black Voters Matter is dedicated to building power across the south! We need your help to do so!”  Let’s sign up here:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hSLgv-0KVTFcJcuIi-mGoqHq5EclnhSG4o5eCtnu0D4/viewform?edit_requested=true

Fill out this form to sign up to help and we'll notify you when the campaigns are launching!

STATE/LOCAL

ALL:  RELEASE INMATES FROM COVID-INFESTED PRISONS: While COVID rates in many states are decreasing, in prisons they have increased by 73%.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/us/coronavirus-inmates-prisons-jails.html and https://www.mic.com/p/coronavirus-deaths-in-prisons-have-skyrocketed-73-in-a-month-22985167  This is just one more reason why we must ask our governors, local sheriffs and state legislators to release all inmates who don’t pose a threat to public safety, including those who can’t make bail and are awaiting trial, non-violent offenders, and immigrant detainees.

MA: SUPPORT RANKED CHOICE VOTING IN OUR STATE: We have a historic chance to strengthen our democracy and expand our choices at the ballot box through Ranked Choice Voting, https://voterchoice2020.org/about/   which lets  voters rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference: first, second, third, etc.  If one candidate gets a majority of the first-choice votes, they win. If not, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated, and those votes count instantly towards the next choice on each voter’s ballot. The process continues until one candidate gains the majority and wins. https://ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV) If we would like to support Ranked Choice Voting, we can complete this form and help put it on the ballot. After filling it out, we will be redirected to sign the official petition. We must be a registered voter in Massachusetts to sign it: https://sign.voterchoice2020.org/

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS

JUNETEENTH: Whoever we are, let’s be sure to turn up at a live or virtual event on Friday, June 19th, afternoon or evening to make clear our solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.  To find an event in any area throughout the country, let’s check here: https://map.sixnineteen.com/

MASS POOR PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY & MORAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON: “The Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington is going digital! On June 20th, we will hold the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-wealth people, moral and religious leaders, advocates, and people of conscience in this nation’s history. A global pandemic is exposing even more the already existing crisis of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. On June 20, the 140 million poor and low-wealth people across this nation will be heard!”  We can sign up here:  https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rsvp-for-june-20-2020-mass-poor-peoples-assembly-moral-march-on-washington

VOLUNTEER TO ADOPT A BATTLEGROUND STATE FOR 2020 VICTORY: The election may hinge on six key states and a Vote Save America has just launched a strategy to win them.  The Adopt a State Program is brand-new remote mobilization program that will help us directly support the work of organizers and candidates in these six key battleground states that will be most important to winning a progressive majority on Election Day—no matter where we live. After months working with the most effective state parties, political strategists, and progressive organizations on the ground in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to find out where we can help the most, they will only send us actions that will make a real impact. We’ll get first rate training to become part of the best group of digital organizers out there. This custom live training series will include four sessions on Thursday evenings in June, curated to help make us the most effective organizers we can be. When we sign up, we’ll learn the messaging that works best, and the remote and in-person opportunities that will help us make the biggest possible impact on the outcome of its races:  https://votesaveamerica.com/subscribe/

GET TRAINED TO VOLUNTEER VIRTUALLY FOR BIDEN: The upcoming 2020 Presidential Election will be crucial in deciding the fate of our country and our democracy. After 2016, we know we cannot be complacent, but must do everything possible to defeat Trump and get our country back on track. One way to start is to help Joe Biden's campaign which is looking for volunteers right now. We can click here to join an Action Center trainings (which will be offered 75 times between May 27 and November 1) and learn how to use our online organizing hub to volunteer virtually for Joe:  https://www.mobilize.us/joebiden/event/149561

READING/WATCHING/LISTENING

U.S. plummets to 10th spot in World Competitiveness Ranking - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-plummets-to-10th-spot-in-world-competitiveness-ranking/


How you can be an ally in the fight for racial justice - https://ideas.ted.com/how-you-can-be-an-ally-in-the-fight-for-racial-justice/


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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





6/16/20

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: 



LGBTQ RIGHTS/POLICE IMMUNITY:  While we celebrate Monday’s Supreme Court ruling that the 1964 Civil Rights Act barring sex discrimination in the workplace likewise protects LGBTQ employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation-- https://www.npr.org/2020/06/15/863498848/supreme-court-delivers-major-victory-to-lgbtq-employees --we must be aware that it simultaneously refused to reexamine the doctrine of “qualified immunity” that has shielded the police from lawsuits over their misconduct: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/15/876853817/supreme-court-will-not-re-examine-doctrine-that-shields-police-in-misconduct-sui   And we should know that this ruling does NOT guarantee LGBTQ people freedom from discrimination by, for example, landlords or healthcare providers or any number of other non-workplace actors.  For that, we must we urge our senators to adopt HR 5, the Equality Act, which would provide explicit, comprehensive, nationwide nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ people.

STOP TRUMP FROM PUTTING FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON ASYLUM: The Trump administration is proposing new asylum regulations, which are even more strict than those currently in place, likely resulting in making it impossible to gain asylum for many immigrants who are fleeing death threats and gang violence.  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-asylum-rule-redefine-who-qualifies-for-refuge-on-us-soil/. Let’s read about the new regulations and make sure to submit a public comment on the federal register. Let’s also talk to our MoCs and ask if there’s anything they can do on the legislative end to expand access to asylum for those in dire need. 

VOTE AGAINST EXTREMIST JUDGE JUSTIN WALKER: The Senate is expected to vote to confirm extremist judge Justin Walker to seat on the powerful DC Circuit Court. Judge Walker, a protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is known for his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and has been questioned for being both too ideological and too inexperienced. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/judicial/501182-why-the-senate-must-vote-against-justin-walkers-nomination-to. Let’s read more about Judge Walker here and tell our Senators to vote no on his confirmation. We should make sure our Senators know that a vote for Judge Walker could end up compromising accessibility to health insurance for more than 135 million Americans.

2020 CENSUS: Completing the census is essential to the wellbeing of our country.  It needs to be completed in a timely manner and the time will soon come when census workers will be contacting those who have not already filled out the short form. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/12/876432449/skipped-the-census-a-knock-on-your-door-may-be-coming-as-early-as-july   Here's the timeline the government has set:  https://2020census.gov/en/important-dates.html. There, it says that "Census takers will interview homes that haven't responded to the 2020 Census to help make sure everyone is counted" in the fall, but let's not assume this will catch everyone. Self-reporting is important, and happens very unevenly across the country, as we can see on this heat map:  https://bit.ly/3d0sN0SLet's fill out our census form and remind everyone we know to do so as well, herehttps://2020census.gov

IMMIGRATION/CONCENTRATION CAMPS: An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concentration camp in Adelanto, CA, operated by the GEO Group is spraying a toxic disinfectant numerous times each day in direct proximity to people who are currently being held there (https://yhoo.it/2Y1Emk3). Immigrants are experiencing blisters, bleeding, breathing difficulties, and other severe reactions to the disinfectant, HDQ Neutral (https://bit.ly/30KC62I). In Florida, at an ICE facility operated by the Glades County Sheriff's Office, immigrants are being exposed to Mint Disinfectant, and are suffering similar reactions. Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice and Freedom for Immigrants have sent a letter to officials with ICE and DHS, expressing their concerns regarding multiple complaints that they have received from immigrants inside these camps. They are also asking that all immigrants be immediately released from the Adelanto facility. Let's contact the Department of Homeland Security and tell them to either take appropriate and safe precautions to protect immigrants against COVID-19 in concentration camps, or to release all immigrants immediately: Phone: 202-282-8495 Email: DHSExecSec@hq.dhs.gov Twitter: @DHS.gov We can also use the email tool from United We Dream to send a message to ICE Acting Director Matthew Albence. Finally, let's be sure to share reports about the toxic exposure, as most mainstream news organizations have failed to pick up the story: https://yhoo.it/2Y1Emk3https://bit.ly/30KC62I

FIND AND DEMAND REMOVAL OF CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES: It is long past time for Confederate monuments to come down.  https://abcnews.go.com/US/confederate-statues-memorials-removed-us/story?id=71200382  Fortunately, the Southern Poverty Law Center has an interactive map to help us achieve this, with 1,747 monuments, place names and other symbols of the Confederacy listed within the United States. We can click here to look up the location of Confederate monuments within our own communities and then demand that they be removed. 

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT PARTISAN ATTITUDES ON COVID-19 MAY BE CHANGING: “Throughout the coronavirus crisis, many Republicans have remained skeptical about the threat of Covid-19. But as the disease moves from urban Democratic strongholds such as New York into some of the rural and exurban areas that voted for Donald Trump, research suggests those partisan attitudes to the pandemic may be shifting. Coronavirus cases are climbing in Arizona, Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas. In Texas, hospitalizations for Covid-19 are up 42% since Memorial Day. In Oklahoma, health officials have expressed concern that a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa this weekend could contribute to the spread of the disease in a city that has experienced a recent rise in cases.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/15/first-thing-covid-19-skeptics-may-convert-virus-hits-trump-country-coronavirus-cases  There must be some real concern about attending as those who do are required to sign medical waiver.  https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/502764-val-demings-trump-requiring-medical-waivers-good-clue-he-shouldnt-hold   Let’s ask OK governor John Stitt to step in to support public health and cancel the rally:  https://www.governor.ok.gov/contact/general-info/contact-governor/ or phone: (405) 521-2342

AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE ACTION FUND: Following the murder of George Floyd, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has committed to growing the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, with a goal of raising $25 million. “Our mission,” according to National Trust President Paul Edmondson, “is to draw attention to the remarkable stories that evoke centuries of African American activism and achievement, and to tell our nation’s full story.” Let’s learn more and donate here:  https://savingplaces.org/african-american-cultural-heritage

TINY PRICKS PROJECT:  Tiny Pricks Project is a public, textile-based project. There are already over 3,000 hand-stitched pieces made in protest of this presidency by participants from around the world. Each piece is donated to the collection. All are welcome to participate and for most it's been transformative. The project is on Instagram: @tinypricksproject, Facebook: Tinypricksproject, Twitter ; @tinypricks. All press and information on the website: www.tinypricksproject. Over 55k people follow the project on IG and it's been covered by everyone from Vogue to NPR. The physical collection will be exhibited in Boston, NYC, and Washington DC leading up to the election. Let’s learn more about this project and how we craftivists can become part of it:  https://www.tinypricksproject.com/participate/

FREE DIVERSE LIBRARY PROJECT: Sarah Kamya, a resident of Arlington, MA, has launched the Little Free Diverse Library Project,  https://www.instagram.com/littlefreediverselibraries/, in an effort to fill the Little Free Libraries, https://littlefreelibrary.org/ , dotting her town with books written by Black authors, many purchased from Black-owned bookstores. Let’s read about how she did it,  https://www.boston.com/culture/local-news/2020/06/13/little-free-diverse-library-project-amplify-black-voices-through-books. We can support her project here, https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2N6G2DIBWQDIT  and consider starting a Little Free Diverse Library Project in our own communities.

BLACK MONEY MATTERS: One United Bank is the nation’s largest black-owned bank. It is FDIC-insured, with offices in Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami; invests in urban communities; and offers affordable financial services to all. Let’s explore One United Bank’s website and consider opening an account: https://www.oneunited.com/

POSTCARDING OPPORTUNITIES:  From one of our own:  Here are the postcarding write-ups I did for this week. Please feel free to use/share/distribute. Please don't let the bastards push you to the point where you find yourself unable to speak your beliefs. Keep speaking out. Keep finding and expressing the words for your truths.  Let’s write: 

STAND UP TO RACISM:  As a fundraiser for the Conscious Kid, “an education, research and policy organization dedicated to reducing bias and promoting positive identity development in youth”, t-shirts are now available: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/stand-up-against-racism Funds will support the Conscious Kid: Anti Racist Children’s Book Education Fund.  Let’s check it out and support this worthy cause.

ELECTION/VOTING

2020 ELECTION CALENDAR: This resource is searchable by date and state -  https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2020-state-primary-election-dates.aspx

REMINDER- CHECK VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS:   Let’s make sure to regularly check our voter registration status. States are purging voters routinely--we don't want to get caught off guard. Take 1 minute and check right now: I Will Vote  Then, let’s check how to vote by mail in our state. Many rules have changed due to the pandemic and we may be able to vote with a mailed ballot. We can find our state's latest voting rules here: How to Vote By Mail in Every State

“DITCH MITCH” POSTCARDS—The Kentucky Women’s March needs volunteers to help them reach their goal of sending 2.2 million postcards to women voters in Kentucky, urging them to vote against Mitch McConnell. They send us the postcard kits for free; we supply postage. Let’s read more about this campaign and sign up to get a postcard kit:  https://www.womensmarchaction.com/women-ditch-mitch-postcards

STATE/LOCAL

STATES: (ALL) Massachusetts is introducing legislation that would ban chokeholds, tear gas, no-knock warrants, and require police officers to intervene when a fellow police officer uses unnecessary force. https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-bill-would-ban-use-of-chokeholds-no-knock-warrants-by-police-officers/32861160. Let’s research what (if any) legislation is being proposed in our state and ask our state legislators to either introduce, sponsor, or pass similar legislation as soon as possible.

ME: SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES IN MAINE:  If we are looking for actions to advance racial justice and equality, we can consider supporting Black-owned businesses in our state. Black Owned Maine has created a directory of Black-owned businesses with searchable listings, businesses organized by industry, and a submission form to add Black-owned businesses to the directory.  We can find and share the Black Owned Maine website here: https://blackownedmaine.com/  We can also learn more about the site and its creators here: https://bit.ly/2BTkkj8

MI: CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM: Last fall, a bipartisan group of legislators in the House passed a package of bills (HB 4980-4985) which would significantly improve the expungement process and expand eligibility for expungement in Michigan (https://bit.ly/2kvLZhO). Expungement is a crucial piece in improving the lives of formerly incarcerated people, by expanding employment and housing opportunities, among other benefits, and reducing the likelihood of recidivism (https://bit.ly/2m7gNWN). While the bills passed through the House quickly, they have stagnated since being referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety in November. Let's call the republican members of the committee and ask them to move these bills forward for a full Senate vote: Sen. Peter Lucido (chair) (517) 373-7670, Sen. Tom Barrett (517) 373-3447, Sen. Ruth Johnson (517) 373-1636, Sen. Jim Runestad 517) 373-1758

NY: JOIN RACIAL JUSTICE VIRTUAL DIALOGUE TONIGHT:  Ready to demand that our nation and our state act to protect black people and all minorities from racism and police violence? We can join Candidates Joe Seeman (112 District Assembly)  and Thearse McCalmon (49th District, State Senate) TODAY, Tuesday, June 16 at 7pm ET, to discuss the recent Black Lives Matter protests and how to create an America that works for everyone. We can click here to find out more and to join in: https://facebook.com/events/s/racial-justice-virtual-dialogu/293216528491124

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS

VOLUNTEER TO ADOPT A BATTLEGROUND STATE FOR 2020 VICTORY: The election may hinge on six key states and a Vote Save America has just launched a strategy to win them.  The Adopt a State Program is brand-new remote mobilization program that will help us directly support the work of organizers and candidates in these six key battleground states that will be most important to winning a progressive majority on Election Day—no matter where we live. After months working with the most effective state parties, political strategists, and progressive organizations on the ground in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to find out where we can help the most, they will only send us actions that will make a real impact. We’ll get first rate training to become part of the best group of digital organizers out there. This custom live training series will include four sessions on Thursday evenings in June, curated to help make us the most effective organizers we can be. When we sign up, we’ll learn the messaging that works best, and the remote and in-person opportunities that will help us make the biggest possible impact on the outcome of its races:  https://votesaveamerica.com/subscribe/

JUNETEENTH ACTIONS/VIGILS/PROTESTS: JUNETEENTH MOBILIZATION:  From Movement for Black Lives (M4BL): To honor our ancestors and to lay a path to freedom for future generations, we are calling for the SIX NINETEEN mobilization on Juneteenth weekend, June 19–21, 2020. We invite you to join us by taking action from home, in your community, or in Washington, D.C. This mobilization offers a spectrum of opportunities to take action. Wherever you join us, you are building the movement to shift resources from police who do not keep us safe, to community safety that actually works. And together, we will demand the resignation of Donald Trump, who has marshalled the forces of white supremacy to stoke the flames of racist violence in our country. Take action with M4BL as we organize the next wave of resistance for Juneteenth.  Six Nineteen (a project of the Movement for Black Lives) has a national listing of Juneteenth (June 19th) events including events June 20-21. Let’s plan to attend or plan an event: https://sixnineteen.com/

GET TRAINED TO VOLUNTEER VIRTUALLY FOR BIDEN: The upcoming 2020 Presidential Election will be crucial in deciding the fate of our country and our democracy. After 2016, we know we cannot be complacent, but must do everything possible to defeat Trump and get our country back on track. One way to start is to help Joe Biden's campaign which is looking for volunteers right now. We can click here to join an Action Center trainings (which will be offered 75 times between May 27 and November 1) and learn how to use our online organizing hub to volunteer virtually for Joe:  https://www.mobilize.us/joebiden/event/149561

MASS POOR PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY & MORAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON: “The Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington is going digital! On June 20th, we will hold the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-wealth people, moral and religious leaders, advocates, and people of conscience in this nation’s history. A global pandemic is exposing even more the already existing crisis of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. On June 20, the 140 million poor and low-wealth people across this nation will be heard!”  We can sign up here:  https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rsvp-for-june-20-2020-mass-poor-peoples-assembly-moral-march-on-washington

READING/WATCHING/LISTENING



The emotional impact of watching white people wake up to racism in real-time - https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/12/emotional-impact-watching-white-people-wake-racism-real-time-12839920/

Racial Injustice has Benefited Me - A Confession - https://www.holypost.com/post/how-racial-injustice-has-benefited-me

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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






 6/15/20

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. Further attacks on immigrants, wildlife refuges, national forests, and environmental regulations. What's left? Removing civil rights for trans folks final rule - originally here as proposed rule in 2019. Everything is misnamed. "Civil rights" means lack of, "transparency" means obfuscation. Very Orwellian. 







6/11/20

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: 



END MILITARY POLICING:  If the militarized policing we have witnessed over the past two weeks is not alarming enough--https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/police-militarization-fails-to-protect-officers-and-targets-black-communities-study-finds or https://www.pnas.org/content/115/37/9181 --the armed soldiers without insignia or identifying emblems or name badges clearing protesters in DC’s Lafayette Park should be; when asked, many of these apparently federal agents refused to identify which agency they work for.  As of the last official count, the federal government employed over 132,000 armed civilian law enforcement officers-- https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/fedlawenforceoff2016.pdf --only about half of them work for the big “brand name” agencies and more than half work for agencies led, under Trump, by temporary acting officials:  https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/05/protests-washington-dc-federal-agents-law-enforcement-302551  We must call on our MoCs to deal not only with local police brutality but also with the use (and proliferation) of unidentified soldiers to stop us from exercising our constitutional rights and join with 1200 ex-DOJ officials-- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/10/bill-barr-ex-doj-staffers-want-review-ag-role-clearing-protesters/5334704002/--to call for a review of Attorney General William Barr’s role in the Lafayette Sq. events: 202-353-1555 or Main Switchboard: 202-514-2000 or DOJ, 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20530-0001.

COVID STILL WITH US:  “A total of 14 states and the US territory of Puerto Rico have recorded their worst week yet for new coronavirus infections, with Texas hitting a record high in Covid-19 hospitalizations, all while restrictions to curb the pandemic are being relaxed across America.”  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/09/coronavirus-cases-uptick-detected-some-us-states  “Population-wide face mask use could push COVID-19 transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics, and could prevent further waves of the pandemic disease when combined with lockdowns, according to a British study on Wednesday.”  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-masks-study/widespread-mask-wearing-could-prevent-covid-19-second-waves-study-idUSKBN23G37V  Let’s do our part to ward off this infection by wearing masks and encouraging others to do so as well. Let’s also find ways to maintain our social distancing boundaries:   https://www.stripes.com/news/us/how-to-stand-your-ground-on-social-distancing-without-alienating-family-and-friends-1.632923

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WORKERS CALL FOR BARR INVESTIGATION ON HIS ROLE IN ENFORCEMENT ON PEACEFUL PROTESTORS:  “Some 1,260 former federal prosecutors, judges and department officials penned a letter Wednesday asking DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate after law enforcement used chemical agents and rubber bullets to scatter the peaceful crowd. If the Attorney General or any other DOJ employee has directly participated in actions that have deprived Americans of their constitutional rights or that physically injured Americans lawfully exercising their rights, that would be misconduct of the utmost seriousness, the details of which must be shared with the American people,” the former officials wrote on Medium.  https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/502074-over-1200-doj-alumni-call-for-probe-of-barrs-role-in-crowd-clearing We can join them by writing, calling or tweeting and ask him to proceed with the investigation and determine Barr’s role in this illegal action. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, at U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20530-0001 Phone: (202) 514-3435 or tweet him here: @JusticeOIG

INVESTIGATE NY POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR BRUTALITY AGAINST LEGAL OBSERVERS: At a protest, last Thursday evening, the New York Police brutally arrested many legal observers who were clearly identifiable in neon green hats, on the bogus charge of violating curfew, which they’re exempt from.  https://gothamist.com/news/round-green-hats-nypd-accused-deliberately-targeting-legal-observers-brutal-bronx-mass-arrest? and https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/06/08/letter-demands-nypd-discipline-after-legal-observers-were-detained-illegally-searched-during-bronx-protest/?slreturn=20200510134220. This is unacceptable and one of the reasons that we need to take bold action against an overall system rooted in racism that has become far too authoritarian. Let’s complain to NYC Police Commissioner Dermott McShea and New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio and demand that they immediately investigate and suspend all the police officers involved in this action.  

VOTER SUPPRESSION IN GEORGIA: Things were predictably a mess in Georgia on Tuesday with voter suppression galore during the primary and peek of what is to come in November: https://apnews.com/44b2c660322b51252fe3a47327fc91f9 Let’s call for resignations of Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: https://gov.georgia.gov/contact-us and  https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/general/secretary_brad_raffensperge

INVESTIGATE VOTER SUPPRESSION IN GEORGIA: Georgia’s primary revealed significant problems in minority areas including long lines, malfunctioning voting machines, and non-delivery of ballots to people who requested them by mail. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/georgia-secretary-state-launches-investigation-after-unacceptable-voting-problems-n1228541. While the Republican Secretary of State has launched an investigation, the governor Brian Kemp, who was the former Secretary of State, has a history of past voter suppression issues. We need to make sure that the investigation is fair and unbiased and that every voter in Georgia has equal access to the ballot box in November. Let’s ask our MoCs to hold a Congressional investigation. Let’s also check out how we can help Stacy Abrams’ organization, Fair Fight which is fighting back against voter suppression, in Georgia and beyond.

THREE FREE SAFETY APPS FOR PROTESTORS: “Police violence and digital surveillance shouldn't be used to intimidate peaceful protestors. These free apps protect protestors exercising their First Amendment right to "assemble peaceably and to petition their government".” Let’s check these out and use them: https://mailchi.mp/thedemlabs/protestpeacefullly

ELECTION/VOTING

2020 ELECTION CALENDAR: This resource is searchable by date and state -  https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2020-state-primary-election-dates.aspx

REMINDER- CHECK VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS:   Let’s make sure to regularly check our voter registration status. States are purging voters routinely--we don't want to get caught off guard. Take 1 minute and check right now: I Will Vote  Then, let’s check how to vote by mail in our state. Many rules have changed due to the pandemic and we may be able to vote with a mailed ballot. We can find our state's latest voting rules here: How to Vote By Mail in Every State

GA:  REQUEST ABSENTEE BALLOT:  From one of our own:  Georgia voters—don’t stand in long lines for the Presidential election in November!!  Apply for your absentee ballot TODAY! Request that application by calling the registrar or absentee ballot clerk in the county where you are registered to vote or download it. You can find it at: https://sos.ga.gov/admin/files/Fillable%20Absentee%20Ballot%20Form%202020.pdf 
Just copy that address and paste it into your browser. If you are only requesting an absentee ballot for the November election, you do not need to give a reason for wanting to vote by mail. Do it today to get your ballot 45 days prior to November 3.

PROTEST AND VOTER REGISTRATION:  From one of our own:  Going to a rally or march? Print one of these QR and text codes from HeadCount (a national, non-profit voter registration org) and stick it on your sign!!! The code will take them to a page with three options: to register to vote, to get their friends to pledge to vote, and to check their registration status.   With the pandemic going on, the tried and true methods of registering people to vote are just not feasible - tabling and canvassing aren't happening anytime soon and that is a problem. This is a GREAT way to help. Another thing you can do is to comment the following when you see someone posting about a march: Please help get folks registered to vote by adding these QR/text codes to your sign:

STATE/LOCAL

ALL: FIND OUT THE OF LEVEL POLICE VIOLENCE IN OUR STATES AND DEMAND CHANGE: It’s time to hold our state leaders accountable for police violence. Using this tool, we can look up our state to find out where our it ranks in terms of police violence, learn about the disproportionate impact it has on Black people in many states. We can use this information to demand a change in policies and practices that threaten black lives: https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/states

ALL: PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS:  The consensus is that the Georgia primary election was a “catastrophe,” with up to 7 hour waits at some of the few polling stations, insufficient testing of a new ballot system or training of poll workers, vote-by-mail ballots not delivered, affidavit ballots in short supply, and so on:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/10/georgia-primary-catastrophe-voting-groups-blast-long-lines-other-malfunctions/5332904002/ or https://www.npr.org/2020/06/09/873054620/long-lines-voting-machine-issues-plague-georgia-primary This is how elections are stolen.  In the absence of federal oversight, we must all contact our state or local boards of elections and make it clear that we expect them to guarantee a fair and efficient process for November:  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/tuesdays-primaries-offer-lessons-for-november  While we’re at it, Fair Vote offers a handy list of nonpartisan voter registration organizations:  http://archive.fairvote.org/?page=2467

ALL: POLICE REFORM:  The effort to reform municipal police departments has acquired a new urgency and a new currency in the past week; in NYC, LA, DC, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, local policymakers are urging that funds be redirected from the police to a variety of  education and/or anti-poverty efforts.  In Minneapolis, the city council has just voted, in a veto-proof majority, to dismantle and replace the police department:  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/07/minneapolis-city-council-defund-police-george-floyd#maincontent  If we are curious as to what this might look like, check out: https://www.mpd150.com/resources/  In the meantime, let’s call our mayors and insist that police budgets are totally out of control and must be cut.

ALL:  DEMAND OUR CITY COUNCILS REFORM POLICE DEPARTMENTS NOW:
City councils determine policies for our police departments and now is the time to demand that they implement changes to protect Black lives in our communities. We can start by reading this twitter thread by Celeste Pewter for key questions to ask our city councils.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1270548314048434176.html  We can also click here to find emails to send to our local government officials and council members to reallocate egregious police budgets towards education, social services, and dismantling racial inequality via this crowd-sourced tool: https://defund12.org  (This tool is designed to help you hold state policy-makers accountable for police violence. It uses data on police killings that have happened from January 2013 through December 2019. You can use the tool to compare U.S. states to identify which states have the highest levels of police violence. You can also see how police violence disproportionately impacts black people in many states. In doing so, we hope you will be better equipped to hold policy-makers accountable for changing the policies and practices that make their states more likely to threaten black lives. And after you've explored this tool, click here to learn which police departments bear the most responsibility for this violence.)

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS

VOLUNTEER TO ADOPT A BATTLEGROUND STATE FOR 2020 VICTORY: The election may hinge on six key states and a Vote Save America has just launched a strategy to win them.  The Adopt a State Program is brand-new remote mobilization program that will help us directly support the work of organizers and candidates in these six key battleground states that will be most important to winning a progressive majority on Election Day—no matter where we live. After months working with the most effective state parties, political strategists, and progressive organizations on the ground in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to find out where we can help the most, they will only send us actions that will make a real impact. We’ll get first rate training to become part of the best group of digital organizers out there. This custom live training series will include four sessions on Thursday evenings in June, curated to help make us the most effective organizers we can be. When we sign up, we’ll learn the messaging that works best, and the remote and in-person opportunities that will help us make the biggest possible impact on the outcome of its races:  https://votesaveamerica.com/subscribe/

GET TRAINED TO VOLUNTEER VIRTUALLY FOR BIDEN: The upcoming 2020 Presidential Election will be crucial in deciding the fate of our country and our democracy. After 2016, we know we cannot be complacent, but must do everything possible to defeat Trump and get our country back on track. One way to start is to help Joe Biden's campaign which is looking for volunteers right now. We can click here to join an Action Center trainings (which will be offered 75 times between May 27 and November 1) and learn how to use our online organizing hub to volunteer virtually for Joe:  https://www.mobilize.us/joebiden/event/149561

MASS POOR PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY & MORAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON: “The Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington is going digital! On June 20th, we will hold the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-wealth people, moral and religious leaders, advocates, and people of conscience in this nation’s history. A global pandemic is exposing even more the already existing crisis of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. On June 20, the 140 million poor and low-wealth people across this nation will be heard!”  We can sign up here:  https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rsvp-for-june-20-2020-mass-poor-peoples-assembly-moral-march-on-washington

READING/WATCHING/LISTENING

“Be wary of things that are purely symbolic”: How to join the conversation on race - https://www.vox.com/2020/6/9/21285062/ijeoma-oluo-interview-talk-race-book-george-floyd-protests


Want to be an Antiracist?  Here’s a Place to Start - https://crooked.com/articles/antiracism-resources/

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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