Weekly Call To Action - July 11, 2021

Take Two Actions Now:

We Rallied on the Capitol Steps to Protect Democracy

​Now We Continue!

We rallied, we listened to speakers, we took pledges to contact our senators about standing up for democracy and getting SR-1 passed. We helped finish up one of the biggest congressional recesses ever -- with activists nationwide, including Indivisibles throughout Washington, hosting over 350 events in 40 states and D.C. to make sure we meet the Deadline for Democracy!

Now that senators are back on Capitol Hill, it’s not the time to let up the pressure: it’s time to drive the point home. The Senate needs to pass the For the People Act by the end of the month so we have time for its provisions to go into effect before the 2022 midterms. Hundreds of events in their home states showed senators that we demand this bill, and now we need to show them we’re still watching.

Set yourself a daily reminder to call your senator every day and tell them to pass S.1 (the “For the People Act”). Phone calls and in-person meetings are the most effective ways to influence your senator, and since we need to pass this bill before August recess, calling daily now is truly crucial. We know it might feel odd to call over and over, but please know that your second and third calls are just as important as the first one. 
 
Action 1: Call Senators Cantwell and Murray about S.1. Let our Senators know this is urgent. Call today!

• Senator Patty Murray, Phone: 253-572-3636 or Contact Form 
• Senator Maria Cantwell, Phone: 253-572-2281 or Contact Form 
  • Email both your MOCs at once using Democracy.io. 
    
    

Script:  Hello. My name is ___________. I am a member of (INDIVISIBLE
CHAPTER OR AFFINITY GROUP NAME) and am calling from (ZIP CODE/YOUR AREA). I believe that the fate of American democracy depends upon passage of the “For the People Act”. I therefore ask the Senator to commit to delivering on these three things in July:
 

• Keep the “For the People Act” as strong as possible. It's a good policy and the public supports it. Healthy debate is fine, but fight to keep S1 intact. 
• Get the filibuster out of the way, now. Filibuster reform is necessary to begin debate on this bill. I want the Senator to spearhead the advancement of whatever filibuster reform ensures that the majority is able to swiftly bring the S.1 to the floor for a simple up-or-down vote.
• Get this done before the August recess. We’re facing a tight timeline to fight back against the wave of GOP voter suppression and gerrymandering in the states. I expect the Senator to get S.1 passed this summer, even if it means working through August recess.
  ​
  

I expect and support the Senator in doing everything in her power
to deliver on these priorities. Thank you for sharing my message with the
Senator today and be sure to mention that I’m with Indivisible (and/or any
affinity group).

---

Strengthening and Protecting the Watchdogs Role in Our Federal Government (aka Fixing another thing Trump tried to break)

Signe Wilkinson at the Philadelphia Inquirer (Inquirer.com)

Inspector Generals are one of the independent pillars that help safeguard our democracy, foster good government, protect against corruption and maintain the rights of citizens. Most federal agencies have an inspector general, generally operating under guidelines and protections that are established by administrative rule rather than Congressional legislation. That leaves these watchdogs vulnerable to abuse or silencing by a cynical and corrupt administration, as we learned while we endured the four dark years of Trump.

To rectify that, the House of Representatives recently passed HR 2662, the IG Independence and Empowerment Act. The final vote was 221 to 182, indicating some level of bipartisan support. Now the legislation goes to the Senate for consideration. There does not appear to be any action yet in the Senate following House passage on June 29; a related measure S. 426 was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee early in the year and it has not had a hearing yet.

Action 2: Call Our Senators and request that they introduce HR 2662 in the Senate.

• Senator Patty Murray, Phone: 253-572-3636 or Contact Form 
• Senator Maria Cantwell, Phone: 253-572-2281 or Contact Form 
  • Email both your MOCs at once using Democracy.io. 

 
Script: My name is __________ and I am calling as a member of Olympia Indivisible. I am asking (Senator Murray, Senator Cantwell) to introduce legislation protecting Inspector Generals that the House has already passed. The Trump administration was able to corruptly sidestep laws and avoid scrutiny by replacing Inspector Generals with friends that would look the other way and muzzling others. Safeguards for IGs, who are essential to protecting democracy and good government, must be codified into law so they can perform their internal watchdog functions without interference from corrupt or authoritarian administrations. Trump broke a lot of essential functions of good government, it is up to Congress to fix them.

---

Have you scheduled this event?

Are You Ready?

Come to Olympia Indivisible’s Third Annual Picnic!
August 8, 2021, 2:30 - 5:00 pm

Olympia Regional Learning Academy (ORLA)
Outdoors under the Playshed and Playground
 2400 15th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501

To celebrate being able to see other Olympia Indivisible members in person again and another year of effective political action in spite of the pandemic, OI invites you to a family-friendly outdoor picnic. We’ve been through a hard year, let’s enjoy each other’s company. This is a BYO (bring your own food, drinks, utensils, plates, cups, napkins, etc) event, keeping it simple, low-tech, family-friendly, and environmentally friendly.

There's plenty of on-site parking and public transport available.

Our afternoon program will have some uplifting news and views from always entertaining OI Steering Committee member Rory Summerson. And there will be music! We can listen to Olympia's own Vince Brown.

​And there will be treats provided by Olympia Indivisible from Sofie’s Scoops Gelateria! They are a downtown Olympia small business; if you haven’t tried their gelato yet, you’ve been missing out on really great gelato.

​So mark your calendars and save the date!