07/24/23 Missouri Mondays - Get up stand up! Stand up for your rights! Don’t give up the fight!
What you can do this week to make a difference!

Welcome to another Missouri Mondays!
Thank you for staying informed and taking action with us each week! We make it easy to get involved and make your voice heard so help us spread the word and share this link to sign up for Missouri Mondays weekly email https://bit.ly/3pF99Uw.
UPCOMING EVENTS - WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
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 the necessary 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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CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO URGE THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT AND TO REJECT THE ACE ACT!
The Freedom to Vote Act
Empowers voters by creating national standards for our elections to ensure our freedom to vote and combat the influence of big money in politics. Sets standards for safe, convenient practices like early voting, automatic voter registration and vote-by-mail. Protects election integrity by adding safeguards against election sabotage and harassment of poll workers. Bans gerrymandering and prevents states from adopting congressional maps based unduly on voters’ political party. Reduces the power of special interests in our elections by shining a light on secret political spending and getting big money out of politics.
The ACE Act (so-called American Confidence in Elections Act)
The ACE act is an election denial bill rooted in disinformation. It attacks the freedom to vote by limiting voter registration activities, restricts providing assistance to absentee and mail-in voters, limits needed funding to local election authorities and enshrines voter ID requirements, targets voters of color, votes in urban areas and voters with disabilities.
CALL your Member of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and urge their support for the Freedom to Vote Act and to reject The ACE Act!
See the letter to the House Administration Committee MOVPC joined opposing the ACE Act here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xya5vhuA0-im9vTwyY3VE3XQzf4H4Gcp5AbL3hMTqYY/edit
Read the Common Cause letter in support of The Freedom to Vote Act
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Greater Kansas City Womens Political Caucus
GKCWPC July Membership Meeting
Reproductive Roundup ft. Abortion Action MO
Thursday, July 27 (Virtual)
7:00pm-8:00pm
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gkcwpc-july-membership-meeting-reproductive-roundup-ft-abortion-action-mo-tickets-673459153457
Since the overturn of Roe by SCOTUS last year, there seems to be SOMETHING going on every day in both Missouri and Kansas that digs the hole even deeper - legislative whiplash on reproductive justice is just to be expected at this point, right?
Join our July GKCWPC membership meeting as we bring in Executive Director of the *newly* rebranded Abortion Action Missouri, Mallory Schwarz (she/her), to chat with us about what the hell is going on. We are going to dig deep into the ballot process itself, where those abortion policies are in the process as of now, and how we can continue to work together to address the intentionally biased Missouri legislature.
Register for this FREE and VIRTUAL event and we will send you the Zoom information an hour before we start!
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HELP GATHER SIGNATURES!
Missouri Jobs With Justice Voter Action
Pledge Your Support for Fair Wages and Earned Sick Time!
TAKE THE PLEDGE AND VOLUNTEER TO GATHER SIGNATURES HERE:
Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages has launched a ballot initiative to gradually raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $15 by 2026 and allow employees to earn paid time off to care for themselves and loved ones.
Missourians for Health Families and Fair Wages rewards hardworking Missourians by making sure they can care for their families and keep food on the table. By gradually increasing the minimum wage, we can ensure wages can keep up with rising prices. By ensuring that all workers have the ability to earn paid sick leave, we can make sure no parent has to choose between taking care of themselves or loved ones and affording the cost of necessities like medicine or utilities.
NO ONE should have to choose between their paycheck and their family's health. NO ONE working full-time should have to live in poverty. However, this is NOT the reality in Missouri, which is why we are coming together again to do what the legislature won't do for hardworking Missourians.
Take the pledge to show your support for fair wages and earned paid sick time and sign up to volunteer here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/pledge-your-support-for-fair-wages-and-earned-sick-time
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MO House Democrats Summer Caucus Welcome Reception (KC Metro)
Thursday August 10th
6:00pm - 8:00pm
The Rockhill Grille
2000 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
You are cordially invited to the Missouri House Democrats 2023 Summer Caucus in Kansas City, MO. Join us for our Summer Caucus Reception and cocktail hour, where we will be discussing this year's legislative accomplishments, and what the path to victory in 2024 looks like for the House Democrats.
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The Lafayette County Democrat Central Committee & Club
2023 Annual Fundraiser Dinner and Pie Auction
Saturday August 12th
5:00 pm
American Legion Hall
1001 W. 22nd St.
Higginsville MO 64037
RSVP and purchase tickets here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tickets.auction
For more information contact lafcodems@gmail.com
Join the Lafayette County Democrat Central Committee & Club for the 2023 Annual Pie Auction, silent auction and dinner on August 12th @ 5pm.
Speaker lineup: Gubernatorial candidate Crystal Quade, Lt. Gov. candidate Richard Brown, US. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce, Attorney General Candidate Elad Gross, and Senator Greg Razor. MDP Chair Russ Carnahan, MDP Vice Chair Yvonne Reeves-Chong, and MDP Ex. Director Matthew Patterson will also join us. Other guests Sen. Barbara Washington, Representatives Emily Weber, Patty Lewis, Keri Ingle, Peter Meredith, Aaron Crossley and Kemp Strickler. This is your chance to meet and hear from our candidates and representatives in Jefferson City.
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HELP SUPPORT AND ELECT MISSOURI HOUSE DEMOCRATS
Get involved!
We need your help to make sure there is an active presence in every district in our state, because every district matters in the fight to flip Missouri blue. Can we count on you to help us build progressive communities across the state? Get involved in your area https://www.mohousedems.com/get-involved
Make a donation!
Every. Election. Matters. Every gift can help.
Donate today and help us keep building the infrastructure needed to recruit, train, and support local candidates in Missouri.
Organizing efforts require year-round work, not just when there is an upcoming election, and your donation will help build the groundwork needed to bring real change benefitting all Missourians.
Donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mhd-donate-now
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BLUE MISSOURI
Find out more here: https://bluemissouri.org/
Blue Missouri was formerly known as It Starts Today-Missouri. It is a joint project between former Ohio Democratic party chair David Pepper and Every State Blue, formerly known as It Starts Today.
How Blue Missouri Works
Think of us as crowdfunders – for Missouri’s Democratic nominees for state legislature.
We make it easy for you to join thousands of other people and crowdsource democracy – supporting our nominees for a few dollars a month (which, these days, is less than you might spend on a fancy cup of coffee). And, as a monthly program, you just set it and forget it, knowing that you’re doing your part – no matter what else you have going on.
Since 2017, our Blue Missouri community (formerly known as It Starts Today-Missouri) has raised and distributed over $350,000 to Missouri’s state legislative nominees.
Working together, we can show up for Missouri’s Democrats, making sure no Democrat gets left behind … no Missouri voter is left without a choice … and no Republican gets a free ride. By joining Blue Missouri, you become part of a community of thousands of people who understand we are fighting for the future of Missouri.
Find out more here: https://bluemissouri.org/
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FIND MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19AZUdtRH5WXefOC4Q5D9u-HyuzhBEL8rYX9Ospn3n18/edit?usp=sharing
Missouri in the News
“Missouri Supreme Court rejects AG’s push to inflate cost of abortion-rights amendment”
“Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s efforts to inflate the cost of an abortion-rights initiative petition were unanimously rejected by the state Supreme Court Thursday, just two days after judges heard arguments in the case.
The quick verdict, which was written by Judge Paul Wilson, was scathing in its opinion of Bailey’s refusal to sign off on the work of Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, concluding that nothing in state law “gives the attorney general authority to question the auditor’s assessment of the fiscal impact of a proposed petition.” The ruling upheld Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem’s ruling last month ordering Bailey to sign off on Fitzpatrick’s fiscal summary within 24 hours.”
“In early March, 11 versions of a proposed constitutional amendment rolling back Missouri’s abortion ban were filed with the secretary of state’s office. As part of the initiative petition process, the state auditor is required to create a fiscal note and a fiscal note summary that states “the measure’s estimated cost or savings, if any, to state or local governmental entities.” After consulting 60 state and local agencies, including the attorney general’s office, Fitzpatrick concluded the state would face “no costs or savings” as a result of the proposed constitutional amendment.
Bailey refused to give what has traditionally been considered perfunctory approval of the fiscal note. Instead, he demanded the auditor increase the estimate to say the amendment would cost the state billions of dollars. Fitzpatrick said that while he vehemently opposes the proposed initiative petition, the projected cost estimate being pushed by Bailey is not based in reality. To alter his fiscal summary to include Bailey’s “inaccurate information.” Fitzpatrick wrote to the attorney general, would “violate my duty as State Auditor to produce an accurate fiscal note summary.
Because of the impasse, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has not completed his work on the summary, and thus, supporters cannot legally begin collecting signatures to place the issue on the ballot.
Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling acknowledged how Bailey’s unlawful refusal to sign off on the fiscal note has derailed the initiative petition process. “The attorney general was to have performed that task within 10 days of receiving the fiscal notes and summaries from the auditor, a period that expired more than three months ago,” Wilson wrote in his ruling, later adding: “Because of this logjam, the (secretary of state) could not — and, to this day, cannot — complete his duty by certifying the official ballot titles for the proposed petitions.” If the attorney general had “complied with his duty to approve the Auditor’s fiscal note summaries,” Wilson wrote, the official ballot summary would have been finalized “nearly 100 days ago.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/20/missouri-supreme-court-rejects-ags-push-to-inflate-cost-of-abortion-rights-amendment/ Missouri Independent July 20
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“Missouri has decided to turn down millions in federal food aid for low-income children”
“After struggling for nearly a year to get federal food assistance to qualified low-income families, Missouri has decided not to participate in this summer’s program — forgoing tens of millions of dollars in federal aid.
The problems administering the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or P-EBT, played a major role in the decision not to participate this year. Missouri education officials are not confident new money could be dispersed by a Sept. 30 deadline.
“As many Missouri families can attest, there have been a number of challenges throughout the process due to the federal requirements associated with accessing and administering the benefits,” said Mallory McGowin, a spokesperson for the Department of Elementary and Education, which administers the program, “coupled with the limitations of our current state and local data collection systems.”
P-EBT is a federal COVID relief program administered by states that has operated in various forms since 2020 to provide extra food benefits to kids, which are loaded onto cards and used like the food stamp program. This summer’s program would’ve provided $120 for food to any child who was eligible for free or reduced lunch during the last school year.
McGowin said in the 2021-2022 school year, roughly 356,000 students qualified for free or reduced lunch. If that held true for the next school year, that would mean the state is missing out on $42.7 million dollars in aid.
Challenges collecting and sharing data between agencies caused the major delays in getting last year’s money to eligible children. “It’s just really upsetting to see the dysfunction in the outdated data systems and the dysfunction of the communication between different departments and sharing of data,” said Christine Woody, food security policy manager at the advocacy organization Empower Missouri. “[That] is ultimately what they said is the reason why all these kids aren’t going to get food this summer — when lots of other states are able to make it work and make it happen,” Woody said.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/14/missouri-has-decided-to-turn-down-millions-in-federal-food-aid-for-low-income-children/ Missouri Independent July 14
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“New student-loan forgiveness plan could impact 18,800 Missourians”
“Missourians who have been making income-based student loan payments for at least 20 years may see their debt cleared within 30 days.
The change comes as the U.S. Department of Education and the White House moves to fix “past administrative failures” that inaccurately tracked borrowers’ progress, the Biden administration announced last week. Borrowers with income-driven repayment plans affected by the adjustment should receive an email. Their account balance will be updated within 30 days.
The federal government estimates 18,800 Missourians should receive this loan cancellation — totaling $956.8 million in student-loan debt.
“For far too long, borrowers fell through the cracks of a broken system that failed to keep accurate track of their progress towards forgiveness,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a news release.
Every two months for the next year, the federal government will update the account of borrowers who completed 240 or 300 qualifying monthly payments, depending on their loan. Then, all accounts should have up-to-date information.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Department of Education’s plan to use the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans per person, the Biden administration is looking for ways to continue to spread relief.
“Republican lawmakers — who had no problem with the government forgiving millions of dollars of their own business loans — have tried everything they can to stop me from providing relief to hard working Americans,” President Joe Biden said in a news release. “Some are even objecting to the actions we announced today, which follows through on relief borrowers were promised, but never given, even when they had been making payments for decades.”
https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/new-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-could-impact-18800-missourians/ Missouri Independent July 20
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MISSOURI MONDAYS NEWS SUPPLEMENT!
With so much important news each week we don’t want you to miss a thing! Check out our MISSOURI MONDAYS NEWS SUPPLEMENT here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13cokjWlCh2EkY5K6bM357rjVPizZDzxlMqjAuoBQfoI/edit?usp=sharing
THANK YOU! for staying informed and taking action to make a difference!
Invite your friends and neighbors to join us and sign up for Missouri Action Alliance and this Missouri Mondays weekly email at https://bit.ly/3pF99Uw.
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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