Feel-good update: The first election of 2020!
Alert! Tomorrow, 1/28, is the first election of 2020: Eliz Markowitz is on the ballot to flip a House seat in Texas.
Alert! Tomorrow is the first election of 2020: Eliz Markowitz is on the ballot to flip a House seat in Texas. NowThis did a great video on her election if you need a refresher. You can make calls on her behalf from wherever you are — it’ll make you feel good, promise.
In other alumni & candidate updates:
- Virginia Democrats are dismantling dangerous restrictions on abortion — they’re expanding the categories of health professionals who can perform abortions, remove requirements for ultrasounds and waiting periods and eliminate rules that made some clinics ineligible to perform the procedure. Democratic state legislatures — pretty great!
- Philadelphia Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson is leading the fight to sue the state so the city can enact its own gun laws. It’s personal for her, after her cousin was shot and killed on his front porch earlier this month
- MA state Sen. Becca Rausch is co-sponsoring a bill that will make Massachusetts a safer place for undocumented immigrants by separating the work of local police from that of federal immigration authorities.
- Similarly: In Colorado, state Senator Julie Gonzales has introduced a bill that prohibits ICE agents from showing up at courthouses to detain immigrants.
- NY state senator Andrew Gounardes has introduced a bill to provide a tax refund for New Yorkers whose property tax bill is over a certain percentage of household income, providing much needed relief to low- and middle-income homeowners.
- Austin City Council Member Paige Ellis is working on how to keep dockless scooters out of the city’s waterways — the kind of small legislation that can make a difference in Austinites’ quality of life.
- In Iowa, Waterloo City Councilmember Jonathan Grieder is pushing his city to declare a climate crisis and reduce its carbon footprint. Local gov’t doing things Washington won’t — you love to see it.
- In an effort to reduce the maternal mortality rates — especially among rural communities and women of color — Washington state Senator Emily Randall has introduced a bill that would provide one year of state-funded health insurance for all new moms at or below 193% of the federal poverty line.
- SC Rep. JA Moore’s bill to improve access to mental health resources in public schools passed unanimously last week.
In related reading:
- The Time magazine cover story this week is on how millennial leaders will change America. It’s worth the read.
- Our partners at Forward Majority have a great op-ed on the impact of investing in state legislatures. TL;DR: A small investment can make a huge difference in the future of our democracy.
With many state legislatures and city councils now in session, there’s so much good news from our alumni. Thanks for making their public service possible.