GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY
On June 2nd, NCJW members joined advocates across the country in #Wear Orange to demand better laws to stop the gun violence in America.
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| STATE OF THE STATE
It’s June and the minds of weary advocates turn to escapism. Escape to northern climes, escape to an easy chair with a good novel and a cold drink — escape from the roiling political system!! This year our desire to flee might be particularly strong. But, as much as we want to put our feet up and forget, the issues don’t go away just because the summer doldrums are setting in.Not only is the election in full-swing, but we may have unparalleled access to the ears of our legislators. They will be in their districts, and they may be at candidate forums or in less formal environments where we can ask them questions. We should take advantage of these opportunities. It is also essential that we direct our efforts to educating the public about the importance of registering to vote and actually voting. Moreover, we have a responsibility to ensure that Floridians are informed about the issues. |
GET READY to VOTE on AUGUST 30TH!
Not many people are aware that there is a Primary on August 30, 2016 in Florida. No, it is not a Presidential primary, but it is a primary for Federal and State Senators and Representatives, among others. Also many local positions — and possibly even some state ones– will be elected on that day. Unusually, there is also a proposed Constitutional Amendment on the ballot on August 30.
Florida’s electoral system is very difficult for the average citizen to understand. And, this year, everything is a little more complicated than normal because Florida has undergone a major redistricting. This means that your district and precinct may have changed, your state senators and representatives may be different, and you may even have a new polling place. Many (if not all) registered voters will receive a new Voter Identification Card this summer.
These changes also mean that there is more room for errors. So, when you get your Voters ID card, it is vital that you check the accuracy of the following: your name, address, and PARTY AFFILIATION.
To vote on August 30th, you need to be aware of the following:
1. If you are not already registered, you must register by August 1, 2016.
2. If you want to vote in the primaries on that day for partisan positions (e.g. senators, representatives, sometimes county commissioners, state attorney, etc.), you must indicate your party affiliation when you register. Florida is a closed primary state, so in just about all these races, you can only vote in your own party’s primary. Not all incumbents who are running are facing challengers, so in some cases, there will not be primaries. Candidates have until June 24 to qualify to be on the ballot.
3. If you choose “No party” affiliation you will still be able to vote in the non-partisan races, e.g. for school boards, property appraisers, county and circuit court judges – and others. These are IMPORTANT offices in your community that make a real difference in the quality of all our lives. Everyone, whether registered with a party or not, will also be able to vote on the following constitutional amendment that will be on the August ballot:
Constitutional Amendment #4 – The Florida Tax Exemptions for Renewable Energy Measure, is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator Brandes (R) and in the House by Rep. Lori Berman (D) and Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R) last session.
- a vote FOR the measure would extend property tax exemptions for solar power and other renewable energy equipment to commercial properties.
- a vote AGAINST the measure would prevent property tax exemptions for commercial properties for renewable energy equipment.
So far, there is little opposition to Amendment #4. Many editorials have come out in support of it. For example, the editorial in The Tampa Bay Times on April 1, 2016 stated:
“The Legislature’s measure on the August ballot is a clean shot, good for business, homeowners, the solar industry and the state’s economic climate. It could induce big businesses — from the largest retail chains to manufacturers and shopping malls — to invest significantly in energy-efficient technologies that create jobs, improve public health, diversify and strengthen the electric grid and position the state to better address the impacts of climate change. This is a good step in fashioning a larger and smarter energy policy, and voters should support the amendment ” http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-one-good-one-bad-solar-amendment/2271572
For more information, see http://www.flsolarchoice.org/get-the-facts-on-4/
TAKE ACTION:
If you have not done so already, REGISTER to vote today! Make sure every person you know, who is eligible, is also registered to vote!
For more information click here: http://dos.myflorida.com/elections/for-voters/voter-registration/register-to-vote-or-update-your-information/
On June 3, Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida and Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida jointly filed a civil action in federal court against the State of Florida challenging HB 1411, the law that prohibits public funding of Planned Parenthood programs and mandates medically unnecessary regulations against abortion providers. They are also seeking emergency relief, which if successful, would temporarily prohibit the law from going into effect on July 1st.If you have been reading the Newsletter, you already know that HB1411 would effect thousands of people across Florida who may no longer be able to receive essential reproductive health care, such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment and well-woman exams. This dangerous law removes access to health care from those who are most at risk.
The Planned Parenthood legal action challenges the law under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the United States Constitution. Specifically, this lawsuit addresses three issues: defunding of preventive and educational services by abortion providers; establishing onerous inspection requirements that violate the privacy of patients; and setting new and confusing standards for determining gestational age that go against medical practice. See the press release at : https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-south-east-north-florida/newsroom/press-releases/planned-parenthood-sues-florida
If you would like to show that you stand with Planned Parenthood, you can sign their petition at: http://ow.ly/MK5T300Rf9O
On Thursday, June 2nd advocates in NCJW and many other participating organizations wore orange to raise awareness about gun violence prevention.
SE Atlantic member Marsha Lotstein participates in #Wear Orange.
We know that the terrible legislation that the NRA fought to pass last year in the Florida legislature will most likely be back next year. We will face the issue of campus carry, open carry — and any other nefarious policies they can design to spread guns everywhere in our society (or everywhere except where our elected representatives “work”!) So, let’s show our continuing determination to fight these policies!
WASHINGTON WORDSENATORS, DO YOUR JOB! Despite the facts above, we have seen little progress in moving forward Judge Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by the sudden death of Justice Scalia. Most people agree that an eight-justice bench is far from ideal. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said last week, “Eight is not a good number.” It can easily produce a 4-4 split that can deny a litigant a decision. A recent example of a 4-4 split is the Court’s May 16 Zubik v. Burwell decision as Dahlia Lithwick from Slate explains here. The court unanimously ruled to send the consolidated cases back to the lower courts to reexamine. Without a nationwide ruling on this issue, women’s religious liberty and access to birth control coverage remains at stake. Zubik illustrates the need for the Senate to do its job to fill the current Supreme Court vacancy by holding hearings and allowing a vote to confirm a ninth justice as soon as possible. This week, however, there is some good news on the federal judicial vacancies in Florida. Both Senators Nelson and Rubio have nowsubmitted “blue slips” for three recently nominated U.S. District Court nominees, Judge Patricia D. Barksdale, for the Middle District of Florida; William F. Jung, Middle District of Florida; and Judge Philip R. Lammens, for the Northern District of Florida. This is presumably an acknowledgement that both Senators approve of the nominations and that the Judiciary Committee should hold hearings on them. At the same time, Senator Rubio’s office continues to deny a blue slip to Mary Barzee Flores for a position in the Southern District that has been vacant for over 750 days! Even though we now have three nominees that can go forward, the backlog of judicial nominees in the Senate is so large that we need to push to ensure that the Senate Judiciary Committee hold hearing on them. The two Middle District positions (as well as Mary Barzee’s vacancy) are considered judicial emergencies. But the situation is also grave elsewhere in the country, as illustrated by this national tally of judicial vacancies in federal courts:
TAKE ACTION: CALL or EMAIL: Senator Rubio LGBT PRIDE June is LGBT Pride Month ! If you or your sections are planning an event to mark Pride, email Faith Fried (faith@ncjwdc.org) or Linda Geller-Schwartz lndgellerschwartz@gmail.com to let us know. In Tel Aviv, some 200,000 people marched in a Gay Pride Parade on Friday, June 3, reported the Jerusalem Post. The parade, included music, festivities, speeches and shows. It is the largest Pride Parade in the Middle East. This year the event spotlighted “Women for a Change,” an organization that highlights the role of women in the LGBT community. In 2012, GayCities.com named Tel Aviv the “Best Gay City” and the Boston Globe ranked it “the gayest city on earth.” (For more details of the parade see: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/LIVE-Some-200000-people-march-in-Tel-Aviv-LGBT-pride-parade-455813) |
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