From now until the summer Congressional recess, healthcare will take center stage. The House version of the bill was widely discussed, with details from the final bill revealed to the public well in advance of the final vote. In contrast, the Senate has been working behind the scenes to shape a bill that will strip healthcare from millions of Americans and leave our most vulnerable citizens at risk. Now is the time to increase our advocacy efforts.
Thanks to everyone who attended our meeting last week! While we will not reconvene in a general meeting until September, we will continue to send weekly emails and inform you of smaller local events hosted by RaisingVoices committees.
We are excited about the future of RaisingVoicesUSA and are grateful to each and every one of you for your involvement and commitment to advocacy and action.
Ways to take action this week:
Participate in the national call-in day for healthcare
The Senate is trying to pass their version of a healthcare bill with no public input. You can explore what the American Healthcare Act would mean for your state here. The good news is that public input and pressure have the power to sway senators. Wednesday, June 14 is a national call-in day for healthcare. Click here for scripts that detail what to say to your elected official about the future of healthcare in our country.
Catch up on our meeting minutes
At our final meeting before the summer break, we shared an update on RaisingVoicesUSA at our six-month mark, including a path forward for the group. We also heard from Joann Smith, the President & CEO of Planned Parenthood Nassau County. Click here to read through our minutes and to review Joann’s informative and inspiring presentation.
Advocate for transgender rights
In New York State, the proposed Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) would make it illegal to discriminate against people because of their gender identity or expression. Nineteen other states currently have gender identity and gender expression written into their anti-discrimination and hate crime legislation, but for six years, the New York State Assembly has passed GENDA only to see it defeated by the State Senate. Most recently, GENDA failed in a New York State Senate committee, and the fear is that it will not come up for a vote again until 2019. Click here to find your senator’s contact information and tell them to make passing GENDA a priority of this legislative session.