miactionlist, 5/16/2017

Politics don’t just happen in Washington, DC! The purpose of this weekly newsletter is to promote progressive policies in the State of Michigan by contacting our state representatives and state senators directly.

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We put a lot of time into carefully researching these actions. But we can make mistakes.

First Steps

Look up your state representative and state senator and put them in your phone book for all future calling.

Tips for Calling

We recognize that calling your representatives and senators can be intimidating. For the pieces of legislation we highlight each week, our goal is to provide you with some basic data, analysis, and talking points for you to steer the conversation, but we encourage you to personalize your message in ways that make sense to you. When applicable, it’s particularly powerful to share your personal experiences and expertise related to given legislation.

If you reach voicemail, we encourage you to leave a message; you should receive a call back. Make sure to include your city or town so that the office knows you are a constituent.

The more you call, the easier it gets!

This Week’s Actions

~When calling your representative and senator, also ask them about upcoming coffee hours!~

1. Community Mental Health is vital and should not be privatized

In our May 2 newsletter we discussed house and senate budget proposals in detail that seek to eventually privatize Community Mental Health programs in Michigan. A version of the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services has passed the Senate (SB 135 - see section 234) and is under consideration in the House Appropriations subcommittee for Health and Human Services. That subcommittee has also independently generated its own recommendations (see section 298). Both versions of the budget being considered by this House subcommittee are extremely problematic in regards to the future funding and administrative structure Community Mental Health Programs. It is urgent to call members of this House subcommittee and your representative to speak out against the bill language as it stands regarding the “integration of behavioral and mental health services.”

Take Action:

If your representative sits on the house appropriations subcommittee on health and human services---Allor, Bizon, Canfield, Faris, Inman, Kosowski, LaSata, Santana, Whiteford, Yanez, or Yaroch---note that they have even more power to make a difference in these bills!

1. Call your representative. Ask your representative….

1. ...what the status of Bills 4238/135 are. If there has already been a floor vote by the time you call, ask them if there were any proposed amendments to sections 234 and 298 and how they voted.

        If there has not yet been a floor vote on these bills, ask them...

2. ...to vote no on any version of Bills 4238/135 that includes language about pilot programs and integration of behavioral and mental health services.
3. ...to propose an amendments to Bills 4238/135 to remove language in

1. Section 234 regarding “benefit and financial integration by September 30, 2020 that will rely on a single contracting model between this state and licensed health plans” and
2. Section 298 regarding pilot programs.

4. If you or a family member has experience with CMH, share your story.
   

2. Contact the chair (Rep. Canfield) and minority vice-chair (Rep. Faris) of this House Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. Ask them...

1. ...what the status of the DHHS budget is in their committee (ask both about bill 135 AND bill 4238) and what kind of changes they plan to make before it gets a floor vote.

If it has not yet cleared committee by the time you call, ask them...

2. ...to remove language in

1. Section 234 regarding “benefit and financial integration by September 30, 2020 that will rely on a single contracting model between this state and licensed health plans” and
2. Section 298 regarding pilot programs.

3. If you do not have a personal experience with CMH programs or services, but know someone who does, reach out to them and urge them to call their representative with their stories.

2. Enbridge Line 5 is a threat to the Great Lakes

You may have heard a lot in the news about Enbridge Line 5 (for example here or here). There are currently resolutions in both the house and the senate urging Governor Snyder and Attorney General Schuette to end the easement that allows Enbridge to maintain this pipeline. Both resolutions are currently in committee.

Talking Points:

• We must protect the Great Lakes and everything that depends on them. This includes local communities and businesses, the “Pure Michigan” economy, commercial shipping, a vital fishery, and the drinking water supply for St. Ignace and Mackinac Island.
• Our state is allowing the Line 5 pipelines to operate despite questions about whether Enbridge, the pipelines’ owner, is complying with the terms of its 1953 easement or laws to protect the Great Lakes.
• At the very least, our governor should shut down the oil flowing through the Enbridge pipelines in the Mackinac Straits while the State and its Pipeline Safety Advisory Board oversees an independent risk assessment and alternatives analysis.
• Pipelines don't belong in the Great Lakes. Attorney General Schuette himself has said, “Certainly, the Straits Pipelines would not be built today, so how many more tomorrows Line 5 should operate is limited in duration.”

Take Action:

If your state representative is on the House Committee for Energy Policy (see below), ask them to support House Resolution 51.

If your representative is not on the the House Committee for Energy Policy,

• Ask them to cosponsor House Resolution 51 (if they aren’t a cosponsor already: Yousef Rabhi - (primary), Robert Wittenberg, Jon Hoadley, Abdullah Hammoud, William Sowerby, Cara Clemente, Jim Ellison, Peter Lucido, Kevin Hertel, Kristy Pagan, Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, Terry Sabo, Stephanie Chang, Sheldon Neeley, Fred Durhal, Sylvia Santana, Tom Cochran, Erika Geiss, Jewell Jones, Leslie Love)
• Contact the Committee Chair and Minority Vice Chair by phone, fax, email, post-card, or in-person in support of Resolution 51

House Committee on Energy Policy:
Republicans-- Glenn (Chair), Hauck (Vice-Chair), Barrett, Cole, Tedder, Bellino, Farrington, Griffin, Johnson, LaFave, Lower, Reilly,
Democrats-- Lasinski (Minority Vice-Chair), Dianda, Kivela, Garrett, Camilleri, Elder, Green

If your state senator is on the Senate Committee for Government Operations, ask them to support Senate Resolution 56.

If your senator is not on the Senate Committee for Government Operations,

• Ask them to cosponsor Senate Resolution 56 (if they aren’t a cosponsor already: Rebekah Warren (primary), Hoon-Yung Hopgood, Rick Jones, Curtis Hertel, Ian Conyers, Steven Bieda, David Knezek, Vincent Gregory)
• Contact the Committee Chair and Minority Vice Chair by phone, fax, email, post-card, or in-person in support of Senate Resolution 56

Senate Committee on Government Operations:
Republicans-- Meekhof (Chair), Hansen (Vice-Chair), Kowall, 
Democrats-- Ananich (Minority Vice-Chair), Hood.

(3) Last week’s actions are still relevant!

Suggested Reading

Each week we share some recent media we’ve found worthwhile. We’ll keep it short! We know many of you already have long reading lists.

A lot of progressive resistance in our internet era congeals quickly over social media. While this leads to quick actions (see, for example, June 3 march below), there is fragility in movements that coalesce this quickly. Author Zeynep Tufekci has recently published a book on this phenomenon--- Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest and was interviewed last weekend on Marketplace. Start at minute 25:30 in the episode.

Other Actions

While the focus of this newsletter is “armchair activism” we’ll also share a featured in-person action each week for those interested and able.

#MarchForTruth, happening Saturday June 3rd across the country, is calling “for a fair and impartial investigation, for the pursuit of truth, and for the restoration of faith in our electoral system and the Office of the Presidency.” There are currently two marches planned in Michigan (Lansing and Detroit), but check back to see if more local marches are added in Michigan, or organize one yourself!