Share
There’s a lot going on, so the DLCC is helping you catch up on the state legislative stories you might have missed. It’s August 19th; ease into the weekend with the state of the states.
For questions and suggestions, e-mail us.
ICYMI
- The DLCC applauds President Biden and federal Democrats for passing the historic Inflation Reduction Act that will pave the road for a sustainable future, help put money back into the pockets of everyday Americans, and expand access to life-saving medication. Every single Republican voted against the bill. While Democrats are cutting costs and supporting the well-being of the most vulnerable, Republicans at all levels of the ballot are focused on spreading conspiracies and banning abortion.
- As South Carolina Republicans worked to advance a new, total abortion ban without any exceptions for rape or incest, Democratic Representative Spencer Wetmore made an impassioned plea to her Republican colleagues to call off their draconian bill. In her stirring speech, Representative Wetmore touched on the palpable fear felt by women, doctors, and even businesses: “I wish I could reassure them. But the fact of the matter is South Carolina Republicans are passing a bill that will ban abortion and kill women.” The day after her message to GOP lawmakers, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously to halt the state’s current six-week abortion ban for now, vindicating Wetmore and South Carolinians from across the state who refuse to let GOP extremists control their bodily autonomy.
- We cannot solely rely on judges to protect abortion access. Since the last time we checked in, Idaho’s Supreme Court allowed the state’s GOP restrictive abortion ban to go into effect, even as the U.S. Department of Justice challenges the bill, the Louisiana Supreme Court shot down an attempt to appeal its state’s abortion ban, and a U.S. district judge reinstated North Carolina’s unpopular 20-week abortion ban. In Florida, a court cravenly declared that a parentless 16-year-old girl was not “sufficiently mature” to have an abortion under Florida Repubilan’s new abortion restriction but apparently is mature enough to be forced to have a child. The only way to guarantee abortion remains safe and legal is to elect state Democrats to statehouses all across the map.
GOP Fail
- The latest data from the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office shows that workers across the state are seeing their wages lag behind rising costs. State Democrats have been pushing for $2,000 stimulus checks to put money back in the pockets of Pennsylvanians and calling to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25, but Republicans have already signaled they won’t vote for it. Wait, the same Pennsylvania Republicans who get annual pay raises to help fund their expensive vegetable crudité habit???
- While Michigan Republicans refuse to do any actual legislating, they continue to enable election conspiracies and undermine our democracy. Republican Representative Daire Rendon was recently alleged to have been involved in a scheme to tamper with ballot tabulators across the state during the 2020 presidential election. While House Democrats are calling to censure her for a clear abuse of power, Republicans have not taken any steps to condemn Rendon’s anti-democratic actions. P.S. Remember Doug Logan, the Cyber Ninjas’ CEO who helped Arizona Republicans orchestrate an election review that made that state a national laughing stock? He was also involved in the Michigan GOP’s anti-democratic scheme.
Democratic Leadership
- During last week’s Minnesota primary election, voters chose a historic slate of inspiring, young, and diverse DFLers. The DFL is poised to boost the representation of women of color in the Senate and hopes to celebrate historic firsts including the first transgender legislator and the first Muslim woman in the Senate. While Republicans nominate anti-democratic extremists who don’t reflect the will of their constituents, we couldn’t be more proud of the Minnesota DFL candidates who represent and fight for diverse communities.
- State Democrats are sick of the GOP pushing unpopular abortion bans onto their constituents and are committed to letting voters, not GOP extremists, decide the fate of abortion at the ballot box. After voters in Kansas resoundingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have empowered state Republicans to ban abortion completely, state Democrats from West Virginia to Michigan are hoping to give voters their say. Nationwide, keeping abortion safe and legal is wildly popular, and Democrats, unlike the GOP, aren’t afraid to put that to the test this fall.
- California Democrats are working towards a more sustainable and equitable future for everyone. This week, state Democrats announced they are ready to debate a slew of climate protections and a key measure that would help those fleeing transphobic GOP laws to seek gender-affirming health care. While Republican states abandon America’s young people, who are more environmentally conscious and queer than older generations, Democratic states welcome them with open arms.
