Legislative Action and Advocacy Committee |
Legislative Action and Advocacy is an Ad Hoc Committee of SoCal Grassroots that conducts research and recommends positions on legislation and issues advocacy to the Coordinating Committee, with the exception of electoral issues, which are the purview of the Endorsements Committee. LA&A has responsibilities for formulating and implementing action plans to further such legislation and advocacy, subject to approval by the Coordinating Committee or the membership, as defined by the by laws. LA&A can also, at its discretion, develop legislation to further the goals of SoCal Grassroots, should it deem that no existing legislation does so.
The Ad Hoc LA&A Committee is open to all SoCal Grassroots members. Members must attend at least one previous meeting in order to vote on issue and/or legislative recommendations. For more information, or to request legislative/advocacy items for the committee’s consideration, please contact legislative@socalgrassroots.org.
May 2008
SJR 19: “Health Professional: Torture” - One State issue with world wide impact
SJR 19 was passed 22-11 in the State Senate on 4/21/2008, on a strict party line vote, with 3 Democrats and 4 Republicans not voting. It now moves to the Assembly.
With passage of this measure, California would take the lead in hopefully sparking a movement of revolt amongst state legislatures to thwart, or at least counteract, the repeatedly unsuccessful legislative attempts to eliminate torture at the federal level. The measure is very strong and clear. It requests all relevant and inclusively listed California agencies to notify (ALL) California-licensed health professionals about their professional obligations under international law relating to torture and the treatment of detainees and to notify said professionals that those who participate in coercive interrogation, torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment may be subject to prosecution and are at risk for losing their license. The measure would “…absolutely prohibit California-licensed health professionals from knowingly planning, designing, participating or assisting in the use of condemned techniques.” The measure contains references to upholding the Hippocratic Oath and specifically refers to Common Article III of the Geneva Conventions; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the amended War Crimes Act and US Army regulations. Most importantly, the measure states that “…no law, regulation, order or exceptional circumstance may be invoked as a justification for torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”
Finally, the measure requests the DOD and CIA to remove all California-licensed health professionals from participating in prisoner and detainee interrogations, as specified.
The rule submitted by the FCC overturned a 30 year old rule that prevented one company from owning a major newspaper and a radio or TV station in one town, though the FCC has had a policy of granting “waivers” after consideration of such requests from corporate media owners. The rule also does not recognize the crisis in local, minorities and female media ownership, or the increasingly narrow control by 5-6 corporate big media giants. In 2003, after intense public outcry, the Senate voted to overturn an even much broader deregulation of media ownership rules, before the courts tossed out the matter. This is the FCC’s latest attempt, passed on a strict 3-2 party line vote, that has not received comparable public visibility.
SJ Res. 28 was favorably reported out of committee and placed on the Senate legislative calendar on 5/8/08. While Sens. Boxer and Feinstein are co-sponsors, they should be reminded of the urgency to pass the measure. HJ Res. 79 remains in the House subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. So Cal Reps. Capps (CD 23), Harman (CD 36) and Solis (CD 32) are members of this subcommittee, so especially people in their districts need to remind them of the rapidly approaching deadline for passage of this resolution.
S 22, introduced by Sen. Webb, currently has 57 co-sponsors, including our two Senators and Sens. Obama and Clinton, leaving it three votes short of the 60 votes required for a motion of cloture. However, two co-sponsors have now also signed on as co-sponsors of S 2938, the “Enhancement of Recruitment, Retention, and Readjustment through Education Act”, recently introduced by Senator Graham, with Sen. McCain and 18 other Republicans as co-sponsors. The intent of the latter bill is to produce and retain career military personnel. Both bills are currently in the Senate Veterans’ Committee, with hearings having just been held on S 22 on 5/7/08. Again, please contact Sens. Boxer and Feinstein to urge them to help to quickly find @ 5 colleagues to vote for S 22. Senators who are up for election this year are a likely source.
There are currently 30 co-sponsors of HR 5740 from the California delegation, 26 Democrats and 4 Republicans. Among those yet to co-sponsor are So Cal Democrats Stark (CD 13), Becerra (CD 31), Solis (CD 32), Watson (CD 33), Linda Sanchez (CD 47) and Finer ( CD 51). Except for Republican co-sponsors Herger (CD 2), Gallegly (CD 24), Bono Mack (CD 45) and Bilbray (CA 50), many of the other 15 Republicans are also from So Cal. If you vote in any of the districts where the congressperson has not yet signed as a co-sponsor, please contact the congressperson to request that (s)he vote yes on this bill. Please advise them that their vote will be made public during the election campaign.
HR 2831: "Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007"
The House passed HR 2831 on 7/31/ 2007 by a 225-199 vote, with 9 not voting. On 4/23/08, the motion for cloture in the Senate failed by 3 votes, with 2(McCain and Hegel) not voting. Sen. Reid entered a reconsideration of cloture vote on 4/28/08. The six Republican “yes” votes are for incumbents up for re-election, so the three votes could potentially be gotten from other Republicans up for re-election.
The Supreme Court in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., No. 05-1074 (May 29, 2007), significantly impairs statutory protections against discrimination in compensation that Congress established and that have been bedrock principles of American law for decades. The Ledbetter decision undermines those statutory protections by unduly restricting the time period in which victims of discrimination can challenge and recover for discriminatory compensation decisions or other practices, contrary to the intent of Congress.
HR 2831 amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when: (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted; (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time compensation is paid. Such an unlawful practice accrues liability, and an aggrieved person may obtain relief including recovery of back pay for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. HR 2831 applies the amendments of this paragraph to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It also amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that an unlawful practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted when a person becomes subject to the decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by the decision or practice, including each time compensation is paid.
HR 5613: "Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008"
The House overwhelmingly passed the bill by a 349-62 vote on 4/23. The bill was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar on 4/28/08.
HR 5613 amends the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 by placing a one year moratorium on key Bush Administration rules and regulations that would significantly erode Medicaid provisions. These regulations would jeopardize states’ abilities to provide critical health services to millions of children, including low-income children, disabled children, children with special health needs and foster youth. The bill also sets up infrastructure to monitor accountability and new recommendations for Medicaid services.
HR 5038 and S 2305: "Caging Prohibition Act of 2008"
The bills amend federal criminal law to prohibit state or local officials from preventing an individual from registering or voting in any federal election if the basis is a voter caging document or list, an unverified match list (death, conviction, change of address, etc.); or an error on voter application/registration documents that is not material to an individual’s right to vote. Any third party individual is liable to prosecution and if convicted, would be fined not more than $100,00 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both, for each violation as a separate offense.
HR 5038 was referred to House subcommittees on 2/4/2008. Reps. Becerra and Linda Sanchez are the only So Cal co-sponsors. Hearings were held in the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration on 2/27/2008. Sen. Feinstein is a co-sponsor, but Sen. Boxer has not as yet co-sponsored the bill.
HR 1281 and S453: "Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007"
The bills are near duplicates. HR 1281 was passed in the House by voice vote on 6/25/07 and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on 6/26/07. S 453 was reported out favorably by the Senate Judiciary Committee and placed on the Senate legislative calendar on 10/4/07. The bills amend federal statutes and criminal law to prohibit any person from knowingly deceiving and/or intimidation any other person with respect to time, place or manner of conducting any federal election. The bills authorize any person to report any false information to the Attorney General The bills prescribe criminal penalties for convictions of deception or intimidation of up to $100,000, not more than 5 years imprisonment, or both.
February 2007
The ad hoc committee on Legislative Action and Advocacy presented its initial recommendations on three Iraq bills to the Coordinating Committee at its February 11 meeting. The Coordinating Committee approved the three bills: S287 (Sen. Kennedy, sponsor plus 9 co-sponsors), HR 353 (Rep. Markey plus 24 co-sponsors) and HR 508 (Rep. Woolsey plus 34 co-sponsors).
S287 and HR 353 are identical: Each prohibits the use of funds for an escalation of US military forces in Iraq above the numbers existing as of January 9, 2007, without a specific authorization of Congress by law for such an increase.
HR 508, entitled “Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Act of 2007”, is an omnibus bill that is in accord with the provisions of the above bills and explicitly repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. The bill provides for ending the occupation of Iraq within six months of bill enactment, during which time security and stability in Iraq will be pursued through diplomacy. The training and equipping of Iraq’s military and security forces will be accelerated, resulting at the end of the six month period in turning over internal security activities and military operations in Iraq to the Iraqi government. The bill prohibits the construction of permanent US military installations in Iraq. It prohibits production sharing agreements for Iraqi petroleum resources. It authorizes the President to support the deployment of international stabilization forces; to provide assistance for Iraqi reconstruction, mine and ordinance clearing, and cultural and historical restoration; and to establish international funds to redevelop Iraqi civic and health institutions. It establishes a Joint Select Committee to review the origins and conduct of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
We urge you to read the legislation as linked above and decide for yourself, then contact your members of Congress.
When supporting or opposing legislation, we urge you to visit the web sites for both the House of Representatives and the US Senate to contact your members of Congress.