MORNING COFFEE ACTIONS
(Actions you can do while enjoying your morning cup!)
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Call for CDC Research on Gun Violence to Protect Public Health
Since 2013: 301 school shootings, 1,300 mass shootings, 65,758 people killed. Alex Azar, Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS), proclaimed during his 2018 nomination proceedings that he would be proactive in support of CDC research on gun violence. He has yet to take action. HHS scientific research holds the key to developing effective health policies and guidelines to keep the public safe from gun violence. It’s time to call on Azar to keep his word. Use these sample email scripts to urge Secretary Azar to take action now. 

Help Get Big Money Out of Politics
We helped People Govern Not Money gather enough signatures last fall to clear the initial hurdle to get a question about the 28th amendment on the MA ballot this coming November. Starting this month, they need to collect an additional 20,000 signatures from across the state. You can see a list of places where they are already planning to collect signatures here and volunteer to help out using this link. Not able to collect signatures? You can also help by making a secure donation here.

Advocate for Civics Education
The erosion of many of our democratic norms has led to renewed calls for better civics education. In March, the MA State Senate passed An Act to Promote and Enhance Civic Engagement (S.2375)  which is now pending before the Committee on House Rules. Please contact your state representative and ask them to support this legislation and its project-based requirements and urge the House leadership to take it up quickly.

Support the Poor People's Campaign at the State House
The Poor People's Campaign is launching 40 days of action that will include rallies, education and organizing, cultural arts events, nonviolent civil disobedience, and coalition building in at least forty-one states. There will be five Monday actions at the State House in Boston each with a different theme. Monday actions will begin at 2 pm with a rally followed by optional non-violent direct action. ​

​Wear Orange for Gun Safety
Orange has long been the color of gun violence prevention and on June 3rd, residents, survivors, students, elected leaders, community leaders, parents and kids in Boston will join together to #WearOrange and show indisputably that there is a movement of Americans committed to stop gun violence.

Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor when she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15 — just one week after performing at President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade in 2013. After her death, they asked us to stand up, speak out, and Wear Orange to raise awareness about gun violence. You can find more info here. 

Sign up for the event in Boston using this link. Thank you for helping us turn America orange — louder and brighter than ever!

Phonebank for Wisconsin's Special Election
Our friends at Flippable are hosting virtual phonebanking for two candidates running in Wisconsin's special election on June 12th. Let's help elect Caleb Frostman to the state senate and Ann Groves Lloyd to the assembly, showing Scott Walker that special elections are what democracy looks like!  Use this link to start making calls.

 

​Support Automatic Voter Registration Now!
We are heading into the home stretch with AVR and we really need your help! The next month is critical since we are finishing a legislative session and there is a lot going on at the State House. Call, email or send a postcard and ask your state representative to "please tell Speaker DeLeo to bring H.4320 up for a vote." Please watch this 2 minute video for a quick overview on AVR and share it with friends on social media. See this link for more information on AVR and other simple steps you can take to help MA join the twelve other states and the District of Columbia that have already approved AVR. ​

Common Cause is also organizing weekly literature drops at the State House through the end of June (typically on Wednesdays although this is somewhat flexible) and needs a few more volunteers. It takes approximately 2 -3 hours for two people who pick up packets of information to distribute to state representatives from Common Cause, which is located around the corner from the State House. You can sign up using this link or email Devon Nir at Common Cause if you prefer not to have your contact information shared with others.

Contact Your State Rep. to Support Clean Energy Legislation
Please call your state representative to push for action on clean energy legislation and urge the House to adopt the policies included in the Senate Climate Omnibus bill ((S.2302). To keep pressure on the MA House to take up the legislation, organizers are asking clean energy supporters to call every Monday, but calls or emails anytime are helpful; a call-in script can be found here. Prefer to lobby your state rep in person? Use this link to RSVP for the Mass Power Forward Lobby Day this Thursday, May 10th from noon to 4pm at the State House. If you'd also like send a postcard to Governor Baker or write a letter to the editor supporting carbon pricing, this action toolkit from the Massachusetts Campaign for a Clean Energy Future has all the information you need.

Help Fight Against Medicaid Cuts
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to propose up to $25 billion in spending cuts, including targeting safety net programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. AARP has a campaign for people to tell Congress to protect Medicare. You can help by filling out AARP’s online form to automatically contact your Members of Congress (MoCs). Alternatively, you can call your MoCs or email them via webform, thank them for their past support of Medicare and urge them to fight against any cuts to Medicare or other safety net programs. You can check your MoCs’ voting records on Medicare here.

 

Help Reduce Plastic Bag Pollution
The Massachusetts legislature is currently considering a bill (H.4234) to prohibit stores from providing single-use carryout bags to customers at the point of sale on or after August 1, 2019. If the bill passes, reusable grocery bags or recycled paper bags could be provided or sold as an alternative. While 65 cities and towns in MA have passed similar bans, this legislation would provide a consistent retail environment for businesses and reduce plastic bag pollution even more. The bill was reported favorably out of the Natural Resources Committee and is now in the House Ways and Means Committee. Please call your state representative and ask them to support this bill. See this fact sheet for more details

Sign Up to Register Voters 
Our members have been volunteering with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) to register new American citizens just after they are sworn in. Interested in joining us? You can see what's involved on MIRA's website, then sign up for specific days using this link. Volunteers are typically needed for an hour or so on Thursday afternoons in Boston and a coordinator is at every event to answer any questions and provide brief training on the day of the event. There are many events scheduled from May through September.​
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​Protect the Integrity of the Census
The Department of Commerce recently decided to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census, prompting public outcry from many officials (including our Senators, MoCs, and Secretary of State Galvin). MA Attorney General Maura Healey has joined many other states in a lawsuit and several Senators, including Senator Markey, have co-sponsored a new bill (S.2580) to block the change and ensure an accurate census count. Please thank these officials for speaking out and taking action. You can call the Department of Commerce, Office of Public Affairs at 202-482-4883 to express your opposition to including this question in the census. 
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Protect Mueller's Investigation
Trump called the recent FBI raid on the office of his attorney, Michael Cohen “an attack on our country,” increasing the likelihood that he might try to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But that’s not the only way that Trump can impede the investigation. There are other “red lines” that Trump could cross including:

• Firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
• Pardoning Key Witnesses
• Taking Other Actions that Interfere with the Investigation (such as repealing the regulations establishing the special counsel's office)

If these red lines are crossed, we need to respond. Here is what we can do NOW:

1. If you haven't already, use this link to sign up for one of the more than 900 Mueller Rapid Response rallies that will take place all over the country. Tell your friends to signup too. Have your T-shirt and sign ready to go! 
2. Sign up to receive alerts from Indivisible - Text LINE to 97779
3. Read Indivisible's new toolkit on what to do next
4. Ask our MoCs to support bills to protect Mueller. Senators can support S.2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, which merges two bipartisan bills to protect against a Mueller firing that were introduced last year (S. 1735 and S. 1741). Representatives in the House can co-sponsor H.R. 5476, the companion bill in the house.led by Representatives Cohen and Jones.

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