There is no more powerful force in the world than the collective will of the people. In a democracy, that will is expressed at the ballot box, but also on the streets, in neighborhoods, at coffee shops and libraries, in conversations and when you contact your government representatives. To protect our democracy, citizens need to show up. That's why we ask you to do more than vote.
This week, we've got a number of actions you can take to be heard by your representatives.
Voting Rights
Tuesday (tomorrow) morning, the court case challenging Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's requirement that proof of citizenship accompany any voter registration is being heard at the Federal Courthouse in Kansas City, KS. Activists are planning on attending, and could always use your voice. If you go, know that cell phone (or any electronics) will not be allowed in the court, so leave them in your car. Our partners the ACLU and the League of Women Voters have been leading this fight.
Preventing Gun Violence
In a surprise move, the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs today brought up one of the gun bills passed by the House earlier in the session. HB 2042, which requires that Kansas honor any other state's gun carrying laws, has passed out of committee. This reciprocity bill would allow citizens of states with (even) more lenient gun safety laws than Kansas to carry as they would back home. Should Kansas ever return to some measure of gun safety common sense, this law would still let those people carry openly or concealed. On top of that, it looks like the one piece of gun safety legislation, HB 2145 preventing domestic violence abusers from owning firearms, is stalled in the same committee. We have sent postcards, we have called, we have testified and we have worked with the Kansas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Grandparents Against Gun Violence to stay on top of the issues.
- Learn more with Plenty of gun issues await Kansas lawmakers’ action, but will they go anywhere? - Lawrence JW
- Contact your KS Senator and Representative asking them to support HB 2145, preventing gun violence
Supporting Public Education
While there still isn't any movement on the thorny issue of financing public education in Kansas, two other initiatives need your attention. First, there is a measure sitting in the legislature to return due process to public school teachers. This would undo the late night, tacked on vote taken years ago in the midst of Kansas' budget meltdown, and would return to Kansas teachers the assurance that their profession is valued, and that we trust them to teach our children. And this week, a bill will be introduced to ensure that funds to transport children to and from school, in place for decades, will not be taken away due to political gamesmanship. Our partners at Game on for Kansas Schools will be covering education action in the Legislature this week.
- Follow Game On for more (Facebook)
- Contact your KS Senator and Representative asking them to support HB 2179, restoring due process for teachers
Health Care Expansion
With SB 38 passed out of committee and waiting for action in the Senate, our partners at the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas continue to ask for citizen participation. While Gov. Colyer has reiterated, just today, his opposition to expansion, a wide majority of Kansans support it, and so does MainStream. 150,000 working Kansas could access health care, and it would bring with it thousands of good-paying health jobs.
- Contact your KS Senator and Representative asking them to support SB 38, expanding KanCare
Transparency
One transparency bill has made it, so far, through the committee gauntlet in the Kansas Legislature. That bill is HB 2562, creating the Kansas Transparency Act and would require audio and video of all public meetings at the Statehouse be recorded and archived and made available to the public. Right now, nobody is allowed to even take a picture of the large vote recording board in the House or Senate chambers. MainStream supports this bill.
- Contact your KS Senator and Representative asking them to support HB 2562, requiring audio and video of ksleg meetings
Get ready to walk!
MainStream has just announced that our annual Walk the Vote event will take place on June 9, 2018, in Overland Park, KS. Last year hundreds of people gathered to march and raise funds for action supporting candidates who stand for good governance, quality public education, healthy communities and sustainable fiscal policy. Save the date, and start talking to your friends, because change starts here, with you.
Thank you for all that you do. Change begins with you.
It starts here. Do more than vote.
