On this day, the bold women of The Broad–Cast called to urge their reps to pass a bill to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a program jointly administered by state and federal governments that insures children (and, in some states, pregnant women) whose families’ incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid. Federal funding for CHIP expired on September 30th and must now be renewed before Thanksgiving to prevent state CHIP programs from completely running out of money.
However, the House GOP has proposed a bill (the “HEALTHY KIDS” Act) that would fund CHIP by cutting more than $5 billion from the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund. read more…
Your script:
[IF SENATE]: I’m calling to urge Sen. [NAME] to support the KIDS Act, S. 1827, to reauthorize Children’s Health Insurance Program funding. Millions of children rely on this funding for insurance, and its reauthorization should not be held hostage to score partisan victories.
[IF HOUSE]: I’m calling to urge Rep. [NAME] to support bipartisan reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Millions of children rely on this funding for insurance, and its reauthorization should not be held hostage to score partisan victories like cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund in the proposed HEALTHY KIDS bill.
Thank you so much for your time.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied] read more…
Nearly all (48 of 50) responding states (including DC) assumed continuation of federal CHIP funding in their FY 2018 state budgets. In addition, 34 of 42 responding states assumed that this funding would continue with the 23 percentage point enhanced federal match that was included in the ACA.
Because states have assumed continued federal funding in their state budgets, the majority of states will face a funding shortfall if Congress does not extend federal funding. Addressing these shortfalls will likely require special legislative sessions and/or Governor action because state budgets have already been passed. States will face challenges replacing federal dollars since many were already facing budget shortfalls heading into FY 2018.
Of the 42 states (including DC) that provided an estimate of when they will run out of their FY 2017 CHIP allotment, 11 anticipate exhausting funding by the end of 2017 (Figure 1). A total of 32 states project they will exhaust federal funds as of the end of March 2018.
“Some lobbyists and congressional staffers suspect Republicans will attach riders to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare, which would likely cause Democrats to vote against the legislation. Other sources said that both Democrats and Republicans might use the renewal bill as an opportunity to extend ACA payments to insurers, which would cause far-right lawmakers to vote against it.
The attaching of unrelated riders to massive pieces of legislation — called “Christmas Tree” bills because everyone is hanging their own item on it — can cause lawmakers to vote for things they wouldn’t otherwise in order to get what they want, or it may cause them to vote against something they might otherwise support because it’s lumped in with other things they oppose.
If Congress does not vote to reauthorize funding by the deadline, they may have to start making plans to wind down the program, notifying families with children who are in the midst of life-saving treatments.”
– Countable Read More
“The federal portion of CHIP expenditures in each state is based on a formula that builds on the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), the federal guidelines used to determine the distribution of Medicaid funding. CHIP’s formula is called the enhanced FMAP and reflects each state’s average per capita income relative to the national average and takes into account states’ child population growth, prior spending on CHIP, and medical inflation. FMAP percentages displayed are rounded to the nearest percent.” – The Pew Charitable Trusts Read More…
The horrifying mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, which left nearly 60 people dead and hundreds injured, has once again illustrated the need for comprehensive legislation to address gun violence. The United States has more guns per capita than any other peer nation; Americans constitute about 4% of the world’s population but own 42% of all civilian firearms. There is a mass shooting, on average, almost every day of the year in the United States, and the nation has far higher rates of gun homicides than any other developed nation.
The bold women of The Broad-Cast will be calling their representatives today regarding the Dickey Amendment, which drains money from research on gun violence, and regarding the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow gun owners to cross state lines with concealed weapons and enter school zones and federal property.
Your script:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [TOWN].
I’m calling to urge Rep. {NAME] to take action to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in the United States by…[CHOOSE 1-3 POLICIES BELOW]
– Closing the loophole that lets people buy guns at shows and through private sellers without background checks
– Instituting universal background checks for ammo and gun buyers, a measure 80% of gun owners support
– Removing the Dickey Rider from the federal budget and finally allow the CDC to research gun violence prevention
– Funding evidence-based community antiviolence programs, like Ceasefire, which have been shown to reduce shootings
Thank you for your time and attention.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
In United States politics, the Dickey Amendment is a provision first inserted as a rider into the 1996 federal government omnibus spending bill which mandated that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”[1] In the same spending bill, Congress earmarked $2.6 million from the CDC’s budget, the exact amount that had previously been allocated to the agency for firearms research the previous year, for traumatic brain injury-related research.[2] The amendment is named after its author Jay Dickey, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas.[2] The amendment was introduced after lobbying by the National Rifle Association in response to their perceived bias in a 1993 study by Arthur Kellermann that found that guns in the home were associated with an increased risk of homicide in the home, as well as other CDC funded studies and efforts.[2][3]
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to allow a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must: (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid state-issued concealed carry permit, or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence.
While the rule itself does not directly block research on gun violence, it was signed into law along with an earmark that drained money from CDC programs to study gun violence. The $2.6 million in funding originally intended for the program was redirected elsewhere. Since then, the amendment has created a strong chilling effect in the way funding is distributed as well as a lost generation of researchers who study gun violence, Boston University’s Sandro Galea told Newsweek.
In academia, where funding shapes careers, relatively few researchers are willing to stake theirs on studying the issue. As Garen Wintemute, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, told The Atlantic, “I’ve received death threats. It kind of comes with the territory.”
“The bill would allow gun owners to carry firearms over state borders and override federal restrictions on carrying a gun in a school zone and in federally owned public areas. Currently, 42 states require a state-issued permit to carry a weapon in public.
New York mayor Bill de Blasio and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel wrote a resolution during the U.S. Conference of Mayors in June condemning the legislation, according to Politico.
United for Puerto Rico is an initiative brought forth by the First lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló in collaboration with the private sector, with the purpose of providing aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by the passage of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane María.
The entire island of Puerto Rico is without electricity and will likely remain that way for 6 months. In addition to obvious things like perishable food, it also means that medications, blood supplies, all the things that need refrigeration are now going bad. Total darkness at night also means more crime and assault. The Emergency Management Antenna and the NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center have collapsed. Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González remarked, “The devastation has set us back nearly 20 to 30 years.”
The White House has signaled that it will not request relief funding from Congress until the first or second week of October— a notably slower timeline than the relief process for Texas and Florida. Congress must act now to pass a robust relief package to protect the lives of these Americans in the midst of a dire humanitarian crisis.
Today the women of The Broad-Cast will be calling to urge our reps to pass a relief package, and additionally to ask them to put pressure on President Trump and Homeland Security to waive the Jones Act.
Your script:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [TOWN].
I’m calling to urge Rep. {NAME] to immediately pass a hurricane relief package for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. It is inexcusable for the federal government to not take swift protective action when millions of Americans are in the midst of a dire humanitarian crisis.
Thank you for your time and attention.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied] read more…
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (P.L. 66-261), also known as the Jones Act, is a United States federal statute that provides for the promotion and maintenance of the American merchant marine.[1] Among other purposes, the law regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Section 27 of the Jones Act deals with cabotage and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
“Thanks to the law, the price of goods from the United States mainland is at least double that in neighboring islands, including the United States Virgin Islands, which are not covered by the Jones Act. Moreover, the cost of living in Puerto Rico is 13 percent higher than in 325 urban areas elsewhere in the United States, even though per capita income in Puerto Rico is about $18,000, close to half that of Mississippi, the poorest of all 50 states. This is a shakedown, a mob protection racket, with Puerto Rico a captive market.”
– The New York Times Read More
US Won’t Waive Shipping Restrictions for Puerto Rico Relief
“In a letter to the department on Tuesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) urged DHS to rethink the decision, citing the agency’s willingness to waive the Jones Act for relief efforts in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
“The Department of Homeland Security has been given the ability to waive the Jones Act to accommodate national security concerns, and has done so twice in the last month,” McCain wrote. “These emergency waivers have been valuable to speed up recovery efforts in the impacted regions. However, I am very concerned by the Department’s decision not to waive the Jones Act for current relief efforts in Puerto Rico, which is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis following Hurricane Maria.”
McCain called the department’s decision “unacceptable” and warned that Puerto Rico faces a humanitarian crisis as the island’s 3.4 million people struggle to survive without power or clean water.”
Cash. Most organizations are asking for cash, rather than supplies, so they can route help to where it’s needed most more quickly. Here are some of the largest groups with campaigns underway:
GoFundMe has also created a hub that includes all campaigns for Hurricane Maria. You can also find campaigns for individual families seeking help for loved ones
Supplies. The government of Puerto Rico has also launched a guide that details how individuals or companies can donate emergency and construction supplies (from bottled water, hand sanitizer and formula to extension cords, tarp and safety glasses). The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) is coordinating many of these donations here (and corporate giving here).
Volunteers. Once infrastructure is stable, the island will also need volunteers. VOAD is a good place to start. It can help match you with organizations with efforts already underway.
Spread the word. Part of the problem is that much of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean isn’t able to ask for help, due to loss of power and infrastructure.
Facebook has a safety check page for victims and their families to check in with each other, as does Google Docs’ person finder. If you or loved one has access to any kind of cell or internet service, the American Red Cross also has an Emergency! App for saftey check-ins and updates. Univision launched an interactive page where you can search for updates on individual municipalities. Officials in Puerto Rico are asking people to report U.S. citizens who need emergency assistance to the State Department through its Task Force Alert program. Go to http://tfa.state.gov and select “2017 Storm Maria.”
The bold women of The Broad-Cast will call their representatives to denounce Trump’s ban on transgender troops using the script below from 5Calls, and will also support the bill HR2282, which would include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation.
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [TOWN].
I’m calling to ask Rep. —- to denounce the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the military. These dedicated Americans should have the right to serve their country even if they need special medical care. It is unacceptable for Trump, the Pentagon, and Defense Secretary Mattis to strip them of these rights.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. The bill defines: “sex” to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; “sexual orientation” as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and “gender identity” as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth.
“The ban on trans troops violates the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and substantive due process by singling out transgender individuals for unequal and discriminatory treatment.
Military, medical and legal experts have concluded that allowing open service by transgender individuals, many of whom have been serving in silence for years, does not disrupt military readiness or unit cohesion and imposes negligible costs. By contrast, barring transgender individuals from joining the military and discharging those who are already serving is exceedingly costly and undermines national security and military readiness…”
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