Call to Action Archive
Suit Up Maine publishes new calls to action (C2A) each week. The current actions can be found on our homepage, but past C2A can be viewed here in our archive by topics. For more information on the specific issues and the working groups that produce them, click on the issue headers below.
PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS: Tell Trump #NoGagRule
The Trump administration wants to block all federal family planning funding to health centers that provide abortions or abortion referrals, which would eliminate contraceptive and preventive care for millions of women.
QUICK ACTION: Learn about the proposed rule, offer a public comment, and demand that state and federal legislators halt their attack on women’s rights.
MEDICAID EXPANSION: Support bill to fund Medicaid expansion
Medicaid expansion becomes the law of the land July 2, expanding critical health care to 70,000 Mainers. But Gov. LePage has stalled on funding the state’s share of expansion. UPDATE 4/19: Republicans chose to leave Augusta before their work was done. A special session may be called by House and Senate leadership. QUICK ACTION: Contact your legislators and tell them you expect them to finish the work we sent them to Augusta to do, including voting YES on LD 837.
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CHILD ABUSE IN MAINE : Save the Community Partnership for Protecting Children
Paul LePage has instructed DHHS to end funding for the Community Partnership for Protecting Children at a time when child abuse rates in Maine are on the rise.
QUICK ACTION: Contact your local reps and urge them to continue funding the program and to address the lack of funding and resources within DHHS.
#FakeEmergency: Tell Congress to Override Trump’s Veto
Trump’s #FakeEmergency attempts to snatch Congress’s power of the purse, funding from military construction projects, and citizens’ private land, despite evidence that no emergency exists. Both the House and Senate have passed a bill to repeal the emergency declaration.
QUICK ACTION: Thank our Maine MoC for voting to uphold Congress’s constitutional authority, and ask them to urge more fellow legislators to join them in overriding Trump’s expected veto.
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN YEMEN: End U.S. Support for Saudi-Backed War
U.S. military and financial participation in Yemen’s civil war is contributing to what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in 100 years. The Senate again passed a resolution to end U.S. support for the war. The new Democratic-controlled House will now take up the measure.
QUICK ACTION: Thank Collins and King for their support of the measure and ask Reps Pingree and Golden to support H.J. 37.
NO FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE: Oppose Andrew Wheeler for EPA Director
UPDATE 2/28: Andrew Wheeler was confirmed by the Senate 52-47, with both Maine senators voting NO. Former coal lobbyist and acting EPA director Andrew Wheeler has been nominated by Trump to take over the position permanently. The Senate could vote on his confirmation as early as THIS WEEK.
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SUPPORT “RED FLAG” BILL: Reduce Suicide & Domestic Violence Gun Deaths
Last year’s “red flag” bill never received a final vote, but a new bill, LD 1312, has just been introduced. Red flag bills reduce gun-related suicides and domestic violence homicides by temporarily suspending access to firearms for people who are a danger to themselves or others.
QUICK ACTION: Join the Maine Gun Safety Coalition and Moms Demand Action at the State House for their Advocacy Day on Tuesday March 19 from 9am to 3pm and help build support for LD 1312.
MAINE LEGISLATURE ROUNDUP: This week in Augusta
Here’s our Legislature Roundup for the week of March 11, where you’ll find details on bills dealing with reducing carbon pollution, protecting children from preventable diseases, the CMP corridor, an early voting amendment, earned paid sick leave, and much more.
QUICK ACTION: Review this week’s public hearings, submit testimony on bills that matter to you, and tell your legislators how you’d like them to vote.
#VoteThemOut: Defeat House Republicans who opposed Medicaid expansion
58 Maine House Republicans voted to uphold Gov. LePage’s veto of a bill to fund the first year of voter-approved Medicaid expansion in the state. QUICK ACTION: Help #VoteThemOut by volunteering for their opponents’ campaigns.
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NO FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE: Oppose Andrew Wheeler for EPA Director
UPDATE 2/28: Andrew Wheeler was confirmed by the Senate 52-47, with both Maine senators voting NO. Former coal lobbyist and acting EPA director Andrew Wheeler has been nominated by Trump to take over the position permanently. The Senate could vote on his confirmation as early as THIS WEEK.
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PROTECT CLEAN AIR: Oppose Fuel-Efficiency Freeze
Trump’s proposed freeze on fuel-efficiency standards would increase oil consumption, CO2 emissions, gas costs, and health risks.
QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment opposing the proposal before the October deadline!
PROTECT THE CLEAN POWER PLAN: Oppose Trump’s repeal
The Trump Administration is taking steps to repeal the Clean Power Plan, a blueprint for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and stemming the speed of climate change.
QUICK ACTION: Voice your opposition to the stripping of environmental and health protections by submitting a public comment on the EPA’s plan by this THURSDAY.
DO THIS NOT THAT: Stop The Spread of False Information on Social Media
Hoaxes, fabricated stories, and misinformation spread like wildfire on social media sites.
QUICK ACTION: Learn how to identify false stories, report hoaxes, correct inaccuracies and #ProtectTheTruth with eight powerful tips.
SUPPORT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: Build Your Press Room
More than 300 newspapers across the country—large and small, right- and left-leaning—published editorials in a single day in support of a free press. Why? Because the president has targeted the news media in a way no leader of a free nation ever has or ever should.
QUICK ACTION: Support the work of reputable journalists by subscribing to local and national outlets and building your own diversified press room.
PROTECT PERSONAL DATA: Secure Your Online Accounts and Devices
Facebook failed to protect its users’ personal information from exploitation by third parties interested in manipulating voters.
QUICK ACTION: Follow these steps to secure your devices and online accounts, and protect your private data from prying eyes and bad actors.
SUPPORT “RED FLAG” BILL: Reduce Suicide & Domestic Violence Gun Deaths
Last year’s “red flag” bill never received a final vote, but a new bill, LD 1312, has just been introduced. Red flag bills reduce gun-related suicides and domestic violence homicides by temporarily suspending access to firearms for people who are a danger to themselves or others.
QUICK ACTION: Join the Maine Gun Safety Coalition and Moms Demand Action at the State House for their Advocacy Day on Tuesday March 19 from 9am to 3pm and help build support for LD 1312.
ARM YOURSELF…WITH FACTS!
Need quick access to facts to fight back against gun nonsense? We’ve built you a war chest.
Check out our list of the most powerful gun violence statistics and find rebuttals to common arguments against gun reform. Take your weapons into battle and win!
PROTECT TITLE IX: Oppose Protection Rollbacks for Student Survivors
The Trump administration has issued new Title IX regulations that would make it harder for students who are sexually assaulted to report the assaults. More than 100,000 comments were submitted during the public comment period on the rule, with the vast majority in opposition. QUICK ACTION: Stay tuned for updates and ask Reps. Pingree and Golden to support 3 bills in the House that protect Title IX.
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CHILD POVERTY IN MAINE: Support Bill to Improve Parents’ Access to Education and Training
Maine’s child poverty rate is increasing eight times faster than the national average. A bill in the Maine legislature could help bring those numbers down by increasing parents’ access to educational and training opportunities. UPDATE: LD 1774 is now law in Maine! After receiving overwhelming support in the House and Senate, the bill became law without the governor’s signature. A huge thank you to everyone who worked on this important legislation!
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SUPPORT MAINE STUDENTS: Ban Lunch Shaming & Restore Funding for School Health Centers
The Legislature is considering bills to ban food shaming in public schools (LD 1684) and restore funding to school-based health centers (LD 1710). UPDATE: The House passed LD 1710 and LD 1684 and the Senate votes next. QUICK ACTION: Call your senator and ask her/him to pass LD 1710 and LD 1684!
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NO GUNS ON SCHOOLS GROUNDS: Oppose LD 1761
A vote on LD 1761, which would allow people to carry guns in their vehicles on school grounds, could come as early as TUESDAY.
UPDATE: The bill was voted down in the House, and is now DEAD. Great work, everyone!
Suit Up Maine is a statewide, all-volunteer, progressive, grassroots group of more than 5,400 Mainers that seeks to create and foster a more informed and engaged electorate. We raise awareness of and advocate for policies and legislation that promote equity and equality in civil rights, social justice, health care, the environment, education, the economy, and other areas that affect the lives of all people. We are beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians, and we aren’t engaged in fundraising. Suit Up Maine fosters collaboration among our state’s progressive groups and organizations to collectively connect, educate, and motivate Mainers to rise in non-violent resistance to a regressive agenda.