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05/08/23 Missouri Mondays - So much at stake for democracy and freedoms in Missouri!

Take URGENT action in this final week of session!



Welcome to another Missouri Mondays! Last week Missouri Voter Protection Coalition voting rights advocates from all across the state gathered in the Missouri Capitol rotunda to urge lawmakers to reject attacks on the citizen initiative process, move forward with proactive voting measures, and to thank legislators who have already stood up for democracy and our freedom to vote this session.

Denise Lieberman, Director and General Counsel with Missouri Voter Protection Coalition made it clear what’s at stake. “In Missouri we all have a right to have a say. We all have a right to have a voice, and legislation that is pending in the House right now could make that more difficult and illusive for many of Missouri’s voters.” Nimrod Chapel, Jr. President of the Missouri NAACP added, “We aren’t some special interest group, we are the people of Missouri asking for the ability to use our voice. That’s what the initiative petition process is.”

In this final week of session we are calling for URGENT action to make your voice heard! We provide everything you need to take action from home or in Jefferson City. Help us spread the word to others to get involved and share our link to sign up for Missouri Mondays: https://www.moactionalliance.com/signup.

 

TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE AND DIRECT DEMOCRACY THROUGH INITIATIVE PETITIONS!


For more than 100 years Missourians have utilized the initiative petition process to expand Medicaid coverage, overturn the right to work law harming unions, and legalize medical and recreational marijuana and now the MO GOP supermajority wants to take away your voice by making it harder if not impossible to pass initiative petitions statewide.


Caitlyn Adams, Executive Director of Missouri Jobs With Justice Voter Action denounced HJR 43 as “...a clear and unprecedented move to end majority rule in Missouri.” House Democratic Leader Crystal Quade also spoke out against the measure. “Our caucus is obviously very much against doing anything that is trying to take away the voice of voters, which we believe that going after the initiative petition is exactly that.”


SS#3 HCS HJR 43 is now in conference because the House refused to concur with the Senate version. Tell lawmakers to VOTE NO on SS#3 HCS HJR 43 and NO to ANY changes to the initiative petition process!


Senate Version of HJR 43


  • Any constitutional amendment proposed by initiative petition would require 57% of the vote or a simple majority statewide and in five of eight congressional districts.


  • Still includes language banning non-citizens from voting which is already illegal


  • Lawmakers could only change a statute passed by initiatives with a 57% majority in each chamber during the first five years after its enactment.


House Version of HJR 43


  • Increases threshold for passage of constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%

  • Defines “eligible voters” as only U.S. citizens and residents of Missouri, already law. Inserting this language is an effort to trick voters.


House Conference Committee members:

Rep. Mike Henderson 573-751-2317

Rep. Rick Francis 573-751-5912

Rep. Bill Falkner 573-751-9755

Rep. Robert Sauls 573-751-5701

Rep. Steve Butz 573-751-0438


Senate Conference Committee members:

Sen. Sandy Crawford 573-751-8793

Sen. Andrew Koenig 573-751-5568

Sen. Mike Cierpiot 573-751-1464

Sen. Doug Beck 573-751-0220

Sen. Lauren Arthur 573-751-5282


Find your Representative and Senator using the Legislator Lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default



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TELL YOUR SENATOR TO OPPOSE SJR 12 AND ANY CHANGES TO INITIATIVE PETITIONS!


SJR 12 - On the Informal Calendar Senate Bills for Perfection 5/8/2023


  • Under current law, an initiative petition proposing a constitutional amendment must already contain a single subject


  • SJR 12 would add confusing language defining the single subject rule potentially making it easier to further restrict the initiative petition process.


Find your Senator using the Legislator Lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default


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TELL YOUR SENATOR TO OPPOSE SJR 28 AND ANY CHANGES TO INITIATIVE PETITIONS!


SJR 28 - On the Formal Calendar S Bills for Perfection 5/8/2023


  • Undermines the will of the people by changing the threshhold for passage of proposed constitutional amendment from a majority of votes cast to requiring approval by both a majority of the votes cast AND a majority of the votes cast in a majority of the state representative districts.


  • Only allows voting by US citizens who are legal residents of Missouri (already the law); citizenship language weakens the protection for our right to vote in our Constitution


Find your Senator using the Legislator Lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default


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Check out MOVPC’s Legislative Tracker with detailed legislation information here: bit.ly/movotingbills


TELL STATE SENATORS TO VOTE NO ON HB 282 CARRYING GUNS ON BUSES AND IN CHURCHES!


Despite almost daily reports of gun violence in Missouri and throughout the U.S., the GOP supermajority already passed HB 282 in the House and last week HB 282 passed out of the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure, and Public Safety Committee. Radical gun laws pushed by Republicans over the last 20 years have made Missouri the fourth most lethal state for firearm deaths in the country!


  • Allows a concealed carry permit holder to lawfully carry firearms on buses and MANDATES acceptance of concealed carry in churches

  • LOWERS the age requirement from 19 to 18 years of age for concealed carry permits.

TELL SENATORS TO VOTE NO ON HB 282!

Assistant House Minority Leader Rep. Richard Brown spoke passionately against HB 282. Watch his full speech shared on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MOLegDems/status/1648332068353372165?s=20


 

TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE YES ON HB 900 HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MIDWIVES AND DOULAS


Sponsored by Rep. Jamie Johnson (D-Kansas City), HB 900 creates provisions relating to health insurance coverage for services provided by midwives and doulas. Last week HB 900 passed out of the House Healthcare Reform committee.


HB 900


  • Would require private insurance companies in the state of Missouri to cover midwife and doula services in their health plans


  • Missouri is 49th in the nation in health outcomes for pregnant people. The bill will work to supply additional resources to improve the health outcomes of pregnant people and alleviate some of Missouri’s issues with maternal mortality.


Find your Representative using the Legislator Lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default


 


CHECK OUT OUR MISSOURI MONDAYS NEWS SUPPLEMENT!


With so much important news each week we don’t want you to miss a thing!



 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS


TAKE ACTION WITH THE MISSOURI VOTER PROTECTION COALITION (MOVPC)

TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE

Join the MOVPC weekly meeting MONDAYS at 10 AM

Text “MOVPC” to 66866 or register HERE: bit.ly/protectmovoters


Our work to protect the vote requires our continued attention! So we hope you'll join our next MOVPC call where we will discuss next steps in our fight to protect the right to vote in Missouri. MOVPC is a nonpartisan statewide network promoting access to the ballot and working to remove barriers to voting in Missouri!


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Blue Missouri Monthly Meeting

Date: Tuesday, May 9

Time: 7pm Central

Location: Virtual by Zoom – Registration required


Join Jessica Piper and the Blue Missouri community on May 9 with special guest, Rachel Vindman. Rachel is a popular writer, co-Host of the The Suburban Women Problem Podcast, mom, and wife (her husband, Alex Vindman, was the Director for European Affairs for the National Security Council under Donald Trump and the military officer who reported the now infamous phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky that led to the first of Donald Trump’s two impeachments.)


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SUPPORT MISSOURI'S CITIZEN INITIATIVE PROCESS WITH MOVPC AND THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE COALITION

IP PRESS ACTIONS

KANSAS CITY / ST. LOUIS / SPRINGFIELD / COLUMBIA

11 AM DAY AFTER ANY FINAL VOTE IN LEGISLATURE


Thanks to all of you who have testified, called and written your legislator - and thanks to lawmakers who stood up against HJR 43! To show statewide support for Missouri's Initiative Petition process, the Will of the People Coalition and MOVPC are planning rapid response simultaneous pop up regional press conferences/support actions across the state - St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Jefferson City. These will occur at 11am the day after any final vote in the legislature passing legislation to gut Missouri's IP process.



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Democratic Legislative Network Monday Night Call

Every Monday night at 7pm


Want to stay up to date on what's happening in Jefferson City and how YOU can help secure Democratic victories for Missouri? Sign up below to join the Democratic Legislative Network and be a part of our Monday night messaging calls.

Sign up here: Bit.ly/MissouriDLN


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MAY IS ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH


May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month -- a celebration of Asian, Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people in the United States.


A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).


Like most commemorative months, AANHPI month emerged from Congress. In 1977, Representative Frank Horton of New York and Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawai'i introduced House Joint Resolution 540 to proclaim the first ten days in May to commemorate the history and contributions of Asian American communities here in the United States.


The week's observance eventually became a month. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants who came to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.


Find more information here:

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THE HEARTLAND POD INTERVIEW WITH MISSOURI ACTION ALLIANCE


Marsha Lerenberg from Missouri Action Alliance joins Adam Sommer for a chat about how with just a simple sign up you too can be informed, engaged, and involved with State politics in the heartland.



Find more information about The Heartland POD and how you can support their work lifting up heartland voices: https://heartlandpod.com/the-heartland-pod


You can also find more Heartland POD podcasts on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHeartlandPOD


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THANK YOU! for answering the Missouri Mondays CALL TO ACTION!

Invite your friends and neighbors to join us and sign up for Missouri Action Alliance and this Missouri Mondays email at moactionalliance.com/signup

Follow us on Twitter at @MissouriAction, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MOActionAlliance and check out our website at http://www.MOActionAlliance.com


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