Tucsonitarian Page 4
Interested in the Arizona Legislature
and How it Relates to Our UU Principles
Here's the introduction to Anne Schneider's website and a link to the current alert:
The Arizona Legislative Alert
GUNS! Again & Again & Again
+
UUJAZ and VUU. Giving Voice to UU Values in Arizona
February 24, 2018
Prepared by Anne L. Schneider, PH.D. All opinions are those of the author.
Shining a bright light for social justice!
To be added to the email list, or to be taken off send request to legislativeadvocacy@vuu.org.
“How many times have I told you not to ….” I can still hear my Mother after allthese years reminding me that something bad will happen if I …. play withmatches; run too fast and fall down; don’t do my homework; don’t payattention… It is time, now, to pay attention. And it is the young people whoare telling us: PAY ATTENTION. DO SOMETHING.
This report has these sections:
• Highlights & Quick Read
• Details – Highlights in each policy area and summaries of bills
• Resources – contact information both state and national, calendar of
events, how to use “request to speak” and etc.
To read Anne's complete Action Alert, click here.
_______________________________________________
Sierra Club Environmental Updates
Are We Losing the Night?
Light pollution has increasingly obscured evening skies, blotting out the starry horizon our grandparents once knew. Should we think about the night sky as a natural resource that deserves preservation every bit as much as watersheds or wildlife corridors?
Sierra sent Heather Smith to explore dark-sky parks, where it is still possible to see an unblemished night sky. Click here for the story.
Photo by Harun Mehmedinovic
Reject Trump's Infrastructure Scam
President Trump's so-called infrastructure plan is a thinly veiled attack on environmental protections such as the National Environmental Policy Act intended to pave the way for corporations to build pipelines and other destructive projects—many of them on public lands. Trump's plan even includes a horrifying provision that would give federal deputies the authority to approve pipelines through our national parks.
Tell your representatives in Congress to reject any infrastructure plan that doesn't create family-sustaining jobs and invest in clean energy. Click here.
Support Organic Farming
The Organic Agriculture and Research Act now before Congress stands an excellent chance of being incorporated into the Farm Bill. Organic farming fosters healthier soil, safer working conditions for farmers, and healthier food for consumers—and organic food now accounts for more than 5 percent of U.S. food sales. But the USDA only spends about .01 percent of its annual research budget on organic farming, and American farmers are falling behind in the organic industry as a result.
Ask your members of Congress to support funding for organic agriculture research in the Farm Bill. Click here.
For a link to other stories in their "Insider" newsletter, click here.
From the website Govtrack
What is Congress Up To?
Here's their link: www.govtrack.us
GovTrack.us tracks bills in the United States Congress and helps Americans participate in their national legislature. We publish the status of federal legislation, information about your representative and senators in Congress including voting records, and original research on bills and votes.
What you can do on GovTrack?
Use GovTrack to track bills for updates by getting alerts and understand the broader context of legislation through our statistical analyses. Read our original research on GovTrack Insider.
You can read more about the data we have, including how you can get it. GovTrack was the first to create comprehensive open data about Congress, and we have successfully lobbied Congress to make more and better legislative information available to the public.
Here's the type of information available on their site, in addition to finding out the contact information for your Congressional representatives and the current status of Congressional bills.
H.R. 5129: To reauthorize the Global Food Security Act of 2016, and for other purposes.
This bill is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on February 27, 2018. It will typically be considered by committee next before it ...
Feb 27, 2018 · Introduced
H.R. 1865: Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017
A new bill could become the first law to apply criminal penalties to website owners due to posts of that site’s users — or so Silicon Valley and tech advocates ...
Feb 27, 2018 · Passed House (Senate next)
S. 96: Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017
From the summary for the companion bill H.R. 460: H.R. 460 requires third-party intermediate providers who offer the capability of transmitting covered voice communication to register with the Federal Communications ...
Feb 26, 2018 · Enacted — Signed by the President
H.R. 880: MISSION ZERO Act
This bill passed in the House on February 26, 2018 and goes to the Senate next for consideration.
Feb 26, 2018 · Passed House (Senate next)
S. 772: AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2017
This bill passed in the Senate and the House, but the House made changes and sent it back to the Senate on February 26, 2018.
Feb 26, 2018 · Passed House with Changes (back to Senate)
Should churches be able to endorse candidates or parties and retain their tax-exempt status?
Should churches be able to endorse candidates or political parties and retain their tax-exempt status?
Feb 23, 2018 10:32 a.m. · GovTrack Insider
EL CHAPO Act would put forfeited funds from felony convictions of Mexican drug kingpins to pay for…
What should be done with the $14 billion that drug lord “El Chapo” will have to forfeit if he’s convicted later this year?
Feb 22, 2018 10:20 a.m. · GovTrack Insider
S. 1438: Gateway Arch National Park Designation Act
This bill was enacted after being signed by the President on February 22, 2018.
Feb 22, 2018 · Enacted — Signed by the President
Music Modernization Act would be “the first meaningful update to music licensing since 1998”
Whenever you listen to a song on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon Prime Music, or YouTube, who should get paid — and how…
Feb 21, 2018 12:45 p.m. · GovTrack Insider
Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits have almost tripled since 2013.
A bill which just passed the House would update the law for disabled Americans for modern times, say Republicans. Democrats say it would…
Feb 20, 2018 5:01 p.m. · GovTrack Insider
Four Failed Immigration Votes
Thursday afternoon the Senate held four votes on immigration policy, all of which failed. We quickly cover what was at stake and what…
Feb 15, 2018 10:52 p.m. · GovTrack Insider
It’s Black History Month: What has the 115th Congress been up to?
In honor of Black History Month, we looked for legislation introduced in the 115th Congress which address issues stemming from the…
Feb 15, 2018 2:15 p.m. · GovTrack Insider
S. 946: Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act of 2018
This bill passed in the Senate on February 15, 2018 and goes to the House next for consideration.
Feb 15, 2018 · Passed Senate (House next)
H.R. 1725: To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit certain reports relating to medical evidence submitted in support of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary.
This bill was passed by Congress on February 15, 2018 and goes to the President next.
Feb 15, 2018 · Passed House & Senate (President next)
