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Weekly Full Policy Report - 6/28

It’s PRIDE! Who Invited SCOTUS?


*Editor’s Note: We will not be sending a Postcard next week to observe America’s birthday!


INTRO

There’s an old song: Every party has a pooper, that’s why we invited you - Party Pooper! It’s not a particularly great song, but is fitting for this Pride; and SCOTUS is the Party Pooper.

The Supreme Court of the United States term is from October to June, with June being reserved for the cases that are most difficult or most controversial. Thus, June has witnessed such wonderful moments as marriage equality being affirmed in Obergefell, but have been devastated by rulings in bodily autonomy (Dobbs), voting rights (Shelby County) and most recently with gender affirming care (Skrmetti). 

When overlayed with Pride month, one can imagine the euphoria of the Obergefell ruling on June 26, 2015; and the devastation in Shelby County - issued the same day - which gutted the Voting Rights Act. With so much at stake, June has become a pensive and reflective time: How does queer advocacy move forward in these current circumstances? How does one stay safe and healthy when their healthcare is banned/limited/under attack? Should or can one leave the country to seek care and equal protection under the law?

The Supreme Court is one of the three branches of government, but holds tremendous influence on how current and future laws are interpreted, enacted and enforced. For example, with the Skrmetti ruling, other states seeking to ban trans pediatric patients from care will look to Tennessee's law and cut and paste it. It’s been affirmed by the highest court of the land and will take at least a generation to remedy. 


The current circumstances serve up opportunities for our community to be erased and invalidated. We have seen policy attempts here in Arizona that seek to keep LGBTQ books and authors off library shelves and all digital LGBTQ web sites are for authorized users over 18; regulating pronouns and eliminating access to healthcare for gender nonconforming individuals. These elimination efforts will continue and will not be limited to transgender folks. 


This is the time for leaders and community members to organize and work in solidarity to maximize community power. Historically, we can look to groups like Daughter of Bilitis, ACT UP and the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (now GMHC) and their radical grassroots beginnings. These groups were entrenched in pushing back against institutional power and ignorance. 


And these are our circumstances today: the government and emboldened righteous people are focused on erasing, demonizing, and criminalizing trans people and immigrants. These efforts are meant to terrorize communities and ensure that individuals who are (or perceived) to be trans or immigrants hide who they are. These were the realities for gays and lesbians not too long ago and those who seek to deny human and civil rights to entire classes of people are using the same playbook.


When our communities were attacked in the past we organized and fought back; and we are called today by these same cruel realities to organize and educate our communities. Our friends, families and neighbors must not just know of these injustices but understand that our fight is their fight. Equality is for everyone. Discrimination is violence and harms everyone. Our power is multiplied and leveraged when we act in solidarity for the humanity of all. 


Celebrate! Educate! Organize!



LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

It is the 167th Day of the Session. And it’s messy. The Governor and the Senate have agreed on a budget. The Senate passed that budget last week. The House has canceled meetings with the Governor and as of this writing, she has vetoed 2 budgets put forth by the House. 


The path to budget victory is in the Senate budget; but not everyone is on the same page. Some Democrats hate the immigration enforcement earmarks and the Freedom Caucus is big mad about spending. The House gaveled in the final budget votes on Friday to send it to the Governor where she is expected to sign it. 


May the odds be ever in their favor. 



SCHOOL BOARD ACTION

Serving on a school board is a vital public service. School boards are responsible for millions of dollars meant for salaries, support, infrastructure, research, and learning. They are also critical to the civic fabric of democracy to ensure that local control can be an effective tool for co-governance. 


Have you ever considered running for a school board seat? Did you know there are resources available to support would-be candidates in their candidate journey. From filing to run for office to fundraising to sharing your theory of change, Education Action Alliance can help connect you to our partners who have access to a multitude of resources and are well-versed in Arizona elections. 


Still deciding? Reach out! We’d love to chat about how and where you see your public service now and in the future! 



CIVIC LITERACY - War Powers

There’s a lot happening in the world right now and the discussion of checks and balances and the branches of government could not be more salient. The Executive cannot unilaterally declare war. In Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution:

[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; . . .

And in 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution of 1973 is a federal law intended to check the U.S. president's power to utilize American forces into armed conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress. This means the President must get Congressional approval for any actions by U.S. Armed Forces.


So why so salient? Well, when the current president sent the U.S. Armed Forces to attack targets in Iran without Congressional approval, he broke a lot of laws - both foreign and domestic. In response, Republicans and Democrats have introduced war powers resolutions to attempt to claw back Executive Branch access to military resources. Currently, House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 38 by Rep. Thomas Massie (R) has 72 bipartisan cosponsors - the most of any war powers resolution introduced so far. Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] is the only Arizona Congressional delegate signed on as a co-sponsor. 


If you would like to reach out to your Member of Congress and our two Senators, you can find their information here


NEWS


*Editor’s Note: We will not be sending a Postcard next week to observe America’s birthday!

 
 
 

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