BACKGROUND:
The federal government, with bi-partisan support, allocated COVID relief funds in December 2020 that should now be available to help Michiganders deal with the pandemic and its impact. The Michigan legislature is responsible for allocating these funds. Currently, $2.1 billion dollars of these funds are designated for our schools, but are being withheld by the Republican controlled House of Representatives. They are making allocation of these funds contingent on stripping Governor Whitmer of some of her pandemic-related emergency powers. Specifically, they seek to remove the Governor’s ability to close in-person learning and sports activities and to grant this authority to local health departments.
This effort is being led by the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Representative Thomas Albert (R). Albert represents the 86th State House District, which is east of Grand Rapids and encompasses Ionia, Belding and Lowell. As Chair of this important committee, Albert yields tremendous power in this matter.
WHAT ADVOCATES ARE SAYING:
Education groups across the state have blasted this move. Tina Kerr, head of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators stated: “The debate among adults about separation of powers and decision-making authority should not hold hostage these desperately needed funds for our schools and, ultimately, Michigan’s children”. Robert McCann, Executive Director of the K-12 Alliance — an organization representing school superintendents in Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties stated: “The Michigan Legislature has only one job as it relates to this funding: allocate it. Holding critical school funding hostage as part of a political squabble goes beyond ugly partisan politics: It is immoral and fundamentally unacceptable … Students, teachers and staff have faced far too much during this pandemic to now have to worry about becoming pawns in a grossly miscalculated political stunt.” (Detroit Free Press) For more information, go to: https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/27/whitmer-school-funds-covid-michigan/4274515001/)
The federal COVID school funds will help with: before and after school activities; summer school for kids who’ve fallen behind on their learning; school transportation; and repair air ducts for better air flow.
ACTIONS:
You are invited to join the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Poor People’s Campaign and the One For Wage Campaign in a “Raise the Wage Moral Monday” to urge people in Michigan to call their members of Congress, demanding that they support the “Raise the Wage Act of 2021” that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour.
Join these organizations tomorrow (February 8th) at noon for Moral Monday on-line rally to raise the minimum wage. Click HERE to RSVP your place at the rally.
UPDATE: Last Thursday (February 4th) the Senate adopted an amendment to not raise the minimum wage during the pandemic. Bernie Sanders, the author of The Raise the Wage Act of 2021, stated that his bill would not have increased the bill during the pandemic but would have increased the wage in steps over five years. Both of Michigan’s Senators were co-sponsors of $15/wage bill during 2020, as were all of Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Representatives. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that whatever happens with the stimulus package that Democrats would not abandon the cause. However, Sen. Joe Manchin has said he will not support an increase to $15/hour but said he would support something “responsible and reasonable”. This means that citizen advocacy will be even more urgent.
MUUSJN has co-sponsored a forum on “Raising the Minimum Wage…A Reform Whose Time has Come” that will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 20th. You are invited to hear Jonathan Kinloch, the Political Director of the Michigan Service Employees International Union (SEIU), speak on this topic. There will be opportunities for questions. The Michigan SEIU, over the years, has taken the lead in the “Fight for 15” . Jonathan is a progressive member of the Wayne County Commission.
To register for this meeting, click HERE. Click HERE to join the zoom meeting or CALL: 1-646-558-8656; ID: 889 4551 3834
If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to call Randy Block at 248-224-572 (cell).
The Trump Administration was outrageous in the number of ways it attacked the dignity and the rights of people from LGBTIQ+ communities. For an extensive list from the Human Rights Commission (HRC), click HERE.
On January 20th, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation”.
The order says “Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or who they love”. The Executive Order says that every government department must adopt policies and regulations that protect LGBTQ people against discrimination. “Children should be able to learn without worrying whether they will be denied access to a bathroom, the locker room or school sports. Adults should be able to earn a living and pursue a vocation knowing that they will not be fired, demoted or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes. People should be able to access healthcare and secure a roof over their heads without being subjected to sex discrimination. All persons should receive equal treatment under law.” This Executive order confirms a Supreme Court Bostock ruling that laws that prohibit “discrimination based on sex prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation”. For more of the text of this Executive Order, click HERE.
Another Executive Order ended the Trump ban on transgender persons serving in the military. Much more action is needed by the Biden Administration during its first 100 days. For a list of 10 of these reforms, click HERE to see Lambda Legal’s “FIRST 100 DAYS CHECKLIST”.
One reform that faith groups can do is endorse the Equality Act. If passed, the Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system.
Last year the Equality Act was adopted in the House but didn’t get out of the Senate. This year, it has a much better chances of being passed in the Senate. If you are connected to a religious organization, encourage that organization to sign this Equality Act Faith Endorsement. MUUSJN has taken this step.
In Michigan, the Fair and Equal ballot campaign would amend the Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based gender identify, sexual orientation and gender expression. It would provide broader protections in areas of local employment, housing, education, and public accommodations and services. The campaign, under a very difficult COVID pandemic, managed to collect about 530,000 signatures. The campaign raised almost $3 million, mobilized support from many business leaders, and was endorsed by 21 mayors representing nearly 2 million Michigan citizens. Once the petitions have been certified by the Board of Canvassers, the Michigan legislature will have 40 days to either pass the legislation or or send the issue to voters in the fall of 2022. Trevor Thomas, Co-Chair of the campaign, has said we “urge the Michigan legislature to finally act so that all Michiganders will have a fair and equal chance to succeed”.
MUUSJN will inform its readers when the Board of Canvassers has approved this historical ballot proposal. This email describes reasons to hope for stronger rights for people from LGBTIQ+ communities. For more information, contact MUUSJN’s LGBTIQ+ Welcoming and Justice Organizer, Sharon Pedersen, at sspedersen@sbcglobal.net.
The COVID pandemic and the subsequent economic and health crisis it triggered is devastating families across the country. As of January 28th, 29.8 million people have contracted the COVID virus and 433,000 have died from it. President Joe Biden’s new Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellin, said that the “price of doing nothing is higher than the price of doing something big”. The Biden’s administration last week introduced a $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” to help both people and the economy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. This includes support for mass vaccinations; state and local aid; more generous unemployment benefits, raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour and more.
The President said he plans to negotiate with Republicans on this urgently needed spending package. However, if that doesn’t work quickly enough, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that Democrats can use a “reconciliation” rule that allows passage of a bill with only a 50% vote (plus as vote by the Vice President). According to a January 25th article in CNBC, President Biden said negotiations will take a “couple weeks” and then he will decide whether to pass the bill without support from the other party. Based on this prediction, action on this COVID relief package it’s expected to happen in early February.
Click HERE for an outline of what’s in the plan from the January 14th New York Times.
Here’s a summary of key provisions in Biden’s COVID relief bill:
Click HERE for more information about the Biden American Rescue Plan.
Urge them to fight for Michigan families who are struggling to keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads. Urge them to make sure our state and communities have what they need to fight the COVID virus, to protect teachers and other front line workers who are helping all of us. Honor the 29.8 million people who’ve gotten sick from COVID and the 433,000 Americans who died from it.
During the first three days in office, President Joe Biden signed 30 Executive Orders and actions. These rapid fire actions reversed many of #45’s policies and launched new initiatives to move America forward. The Biden Administration’s 23-year-old youth poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, speaking on the inauguration, recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” saying: “Being American isn’t a pride we inherit. It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.”
One former Trump aid, speaking on condition of anonymity, said “at the rate Biden is moving, everything Trump did will be gone by the time the sun rises on Monday — except his judicial appointments”, according to an article in the January 22nd New York Times. Click HERE to see this article.
President Biden’s recently introduced $1.9 trillion COVID relief legislation provides the opportunity to provide boost our economy, provide access to COVID relief and assistance to families. Action on sections of this bill could be adopted in the House during the first week of February, according to a January 21st article in CNBC. Watch for a MUUSJN action alert on this important relief bill. For more information on Biden Executive Orders, click HERE. (CNN, 1/24/21)
Working for justice during the new Congress will be challenging. Please share this information with your activist friends. We need all of us to work together for a better future.
On January 6th, Donald Trump supporters used violence to defy democracy. #45 mobilized his supporters from across the country to storm the U.S. Capitol, destroying property and threatening the lives of elected officials. This was an effort to block Congress from affirming the results of the 2020 election. Five people died during this mob attack. At some peril to their lives, Congress proceeded to adopt the electoral college results affirming that Joe Biden would become the next U.S. President. Trump did nothing to stop the violence. He must be held accountable for his actions.
OPPOSITION TO THIS ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY!
Chad Wolf, Trump’s recently resigned Director of Homeland Security, said #45 supporters were “using violence as a means to achieve political ends”. This week the FBI issued a bulletin saying that armed protests were being planned at all 50 state capitols from January 17th through at least January 20th! On Monday, the Michigan Capitol Commission unanimously voted to ban open carry weapons in our Michigan State Capitol. MUUSJN published an alert urging this network to contact the Commission to ban BOTH open carry and concealed weapons and to install metal detectors.
MORE OPPOSITION:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the assault on the capitol as a “failed insurrection” that was an attempt to “disrupt democracy”. He concluded “they failed, they failed”. A number of people, including Trump’s former defense secretary, Jim Mattis, called out the President for “inciting mob rule”. Vice President Mike Pence said that January 6th was a “dark day in the history of the United States Capitol”. Rep. Liz Cheney, the #3 member of the U.S. House, spoke in clear and uncertain terms that she would vote to impeach Donald Trump, saying there’s “never been a greater betrayal” by a president to his office and oath to the constitution.
HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE: Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy. We must hold him accountable for inciting violent attacks on the Capitol and his refusal to allow a smooth transition of government. On January 11th, House Democrats introduced a resolution calling for the impeachment of the President, charging him with “high crimes and misdemeanors” and “incitement of insurrection”. A growing number of Republicans are saying they want Trump out of office before President elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20th. A vote on this resolution is expected on Wednesday January 13th. For more information, click HERE.
P.S. 501 (c) 3 non-profit organizations are allowed to do advocacy on impeachment, according to bolderadvocacy.org — a program of the Alliance for Justice.
The Michigan Capitol Commission will be meeting Monday (tomorrow) at 1 p.m. to make a decision about a policy of no longer allowing open carry weapons to be brought into the Michigan State Capitol. A group called Michigan Resistance sent an alert and I’m forwarding information from this alert to you. They would like not only for the Commission to end a policy of open carry of guns in our state capitol, but also would oppose bringing into the “people’s house” concealed weapons. NOTE: Capitol rules now block bringing signs into the capitol, but not guns!
This was a key concern on January 6th when a mob of people attacked the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC. Some of these insurgents were carrying guns and some brought pipe bombs to disrupt Congress’s voting to confirm the results of the 2020 election.
CALL OR EMAIL THE COMMISSION TODAY!
The Michigan Capitol Commission is meeting this Monday at 1 p.m. in an “emergency session” to consider banning open carry of weapons, but continuing to permit concealed weapons. It is vital that ALL weapons be prohibited in our State capitol and grounds.
To express your concern over the urgency of this decision, YOU WILL NEED TO EMAIL THE COMMISSIONERS BY THIS SUNDAY NIGHT. They should also be urged to require metal detectors at all public entrances of the capitol and should order an independent third party to review security practices and procedures. PLEASE HELP PREVENT VIOLENCE BY EMAILING THE COMMISSIONERS.
Email or leave messages on the Commissioners’ phones tonight:
Gary Randall (Chair)
Clerk of the House
State Capitol, Room H-70
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-0135
John Truscott (Vice-Chair)
President, Truscott Rossman
124 W. Allegan, Suite 800
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 487-9320
Joan Bauer
jeb1211@sbcglobal.net
Kerry Chartkoff
Capitol Historian Emeritus
joekerrychartkoff@gmail.com
William C. Kandler
kandlerw@krkm.com
Margaret O’Brien
Secretary of the Senate
State Capitol, Room S-5
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-2400
You can live stream the Michigan Capitol Commission meeting at 1 p.m. on Monday at: house.mi.gov/htv.asp
CONTROL OF THE SENATE: People working for social justice won a victory today as two pioneering candidates, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, won seats in the U.S. Senate according to analysis by the Associated Press. Election of these two candidates means Democrats will control of the U.S. Senate which will have 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie breaker. This will make it possible for President elect Biden to get more Congressional action on his reforms.
HISTORIC CANDIDATES: Rev. Raphael Warnock, who preached at M.L. King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, became the first African American elected as a Senator from Georgia. Michigan activists contributed time and money to this campaign. Efforts of Stacey Abrams and many grass roots organizations in Georgia helped register 120,000 more voters than participated in the November 3rd election. Many of these new voters were people of color. Jon Ossoff, according to the January 6th issue of Haaretz, became Georgia’s first Jewish Senator. As a matter of fact, he became the first Jewish Senator elected from a Southern State since the 1880’s. Both Black and Jewish persons were victims of attacks by white supremacist groups in Georgia like the Klu Klux Klan.
WOMEN’S & LGBTIQ RIGHTS AT STAKE: MUUSJN’s Interfaith Reproductive Justice Coalition has monitored many issues impacting women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights and have expressed concerns about President Trump’s attacks on the rights of these two groups. The Coalition was encouraged that President elect Joe Biden has a platform that includes reforms that would support progressive change for both groups.
THE ELECTION RESULTS: As of 8:35 p.m. on 1/6/21, the Associated Press reported that Rev. Raphael Warnock got 1.6% more (73,484) votes that Senator Kelly Loeffler; Jon Ossoff got 0.8% more (35,615) votes than Senator David Perdue. A recount would only be required if there was 0.5% or less differences between candidates. Georgia’s (Republican) voting implementation manager, Gabriel Sterling, projected that both Democrats would win. Sterling said 60,470 more absentee votes had to be counted, but all were in Democratic leaning areas.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS MOB THE CAPITOL! At the same day Congress was scheduled to vote to ratify electoral college results, #45 mobilized his supporters across the country to come to Washington DC to demand the electoral college vote for President elect Joe Biden should be overturned. There was mayhem as mobs pushed their way into the capitol, threatening the safety of members of Congress. For more information on this situation, click HERE to read an article in the New York Times “Live Updates: Congress Reconvenes Hours After Mob Storms Capitol as Pence Says, “Let’s Get Back to Work”.
STANDING UP FOR DEMOCRACY: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the assault on the capitol as a “failed insurrection”. A number of people, including Trump’s former defense secretary, Jim Mattis, called out the President for “inciting mob rule”. Republicans across the government denounced the violence and, in some cases, Trump for inciting it. Vice President Mike Pence, exercising his legal duty to gavel the Congressional votes on electoral college results, said that today was a “dark day in the history of the United States Capitol”. Senator McConnell described this mob activity as an attempt to “disrupt democracy”… “they failed. They failed.” So today, January 6th, was a historic day. Democracy worked in Georgia and Democracy was preserved in DC. As of this writing, many Republicans have become more inclined to vote to accept the results of the electoral college than before the attacks on the capitol.
As citizens, we must continue to be vigilant to protect our democracy and advocate for justice during 2021. Martin Luther King Jr. and, before him, Theodore Parker (a 19th century Unitarian Universalist Minister) said “the arc of justice is long, but it bends toward justice”.
January 1st is the last day for early voting in Georgia where the results of two runoff elections could tell whether Democrats or Republicans will control the U.S. Senate. No candidate in either of Georgia’s two Senatorial elections won a majority of the votes on November 3rd, triggering this runoff election.
As of December 30, 2020, over 3 millions of people had voted early, over two-thirds of them had voted in person. According to FiveThirtyFive, Jon Ossoff was ahead of his Republican opponent Rep. David Perdue by less than 1 percent. On that same date, Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock led GOP Senator Kelly Loeffler by 1.8%. Both surveys were taken on December 31st. Even though five other polls at the end of December showed Ossof and Warnock leading by as much as 8 percent this election is considered too close to call.
Early voting ends on January 1st but Georgians can still vote absentee and can vote in person on January 5th. Both President Donald Trump and President elect Joe Biden will be in Georgia for campaign events. Clearly, elections have consequences!
Without changes in the Senate, it will more difficult to make progress with legislation that benefits ALL people. Non-partisan efforts have been successful in encouraging traditionally disenfranchised people, such as youth, people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people to get registered and to vote. We need to assure that all voices are heard and that every vote is counted. Special efforts by non-profit organizations in Georgia are being made to affirm that the integrity of free and fair elections is maintained.
LEARN ABOUT OPTIONS FOR VOTING REFORM: MUUSJN is co-sponsoring a zoom forum on “One Person, One Vote” that scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, January 16th. A Wayne State University Professor Kevin Deegan Krause will describe two voting reforms: Rank Choice Voting and National Popular Vote, an alternative to the Electoral College. Click HERE to register for this free community forum.
In January of 2020, the Trump Administration called for imposing a new layer of disability review on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Lawmakers and advocates fought back. However, this August, the Trump administration issued this rule that would force persons on disability to “re-prove” their disabilities every two years. This new step would compel beneficiaries living on fixed incomes to produce additional medical and financial records. It could strip millions of their financial benefits. (For more information click HERE to read article “SSDI Beneficiaries Don’t Need Trump Administration New Rules”, January 10, 2020.)
The administration issued another rule this August that would make it harder for workers with disabilities to appeal their eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Under this rule, agency lawyers who may be politically motivated, will handle disability appeals vs. more objective administrative law judges. Click HERE to see an article in the November 24th issue of The Hill called “Two More Parting Shots from Trump Aimed Squarely at Disabled Workers”.
Both rules were to begin during the middle of December 2020. Now there is less than a week left in year 2000. Congress must stand up NOW for the rights of persons with disabilities.
Call Rep. John Larson and Rep. Dan Kildee, members of the Social Security sub-committee of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over SSDI. Urge them to oppose these harmful rules and call on President elect Biden to rescind them in 2021. (See talking points at the beginning of this alert.)
