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.
Ten Reasons to Remove Acting AG Matthew Whitaker
Acting AG Matt Whitaker has a background overrun with fraud, scams, dark money payments, conflicts of interest, and other potentially illegal activity. The appointment of Trump’s “White House spy” poses a direct threat to the Mueller investigation.
QUICK ACTION: Tell your MoC to demand the immediate replacement of Matt Whitaker with the proper successor, Rod Rosenstein, and to pass legislation to protect Mueller’s investigation.
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 passed a resolution to end U.S. support for the war. The new Democratic-controlled House will take up the measure in January. QUICK ACTION: Thank Collins and King for their support of S.J. Res. 54 and ask Pingree and Rep-Elect Golden to support the measure in January.
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PUBLIC CHARGE RULE: Oppose Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Regulation
Trump proposed a new rule seeking to limit U.S. entry as well as visa and green card applications by low- to moderate-income immigrant families and immigrants with disabilities.
QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment by midnight, Monday, Dec. 10 opposing this new rule.
#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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MAINE LEGISLATURE ROUNDUP: Special Veto Day Edition
The Maine Legislature is back in Augusta Monday to vote on veto overrides on 36 bills rejected by LePage last week—including a bill to fund Medicaid expansion and a ban on the harmful practice of conversion therapy—and to continue debate on bills to release clean elections funding and tax conformity. QUICK ACTION: Learn more about the bills and call your legislators TODAY and let them know how you want them to vote!
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PROTECT RANKED CHOICE VOTING: Vote YES on 1
Maine voters approved ranked choice voting in 2016 and the courts have ruled that the process can be used in the June primaries, but the fight to keep RCV is not over.
QUICK ACTION: On June 12 vote YES on Question 1 to tell the legislature that the people of Maine veto their repeal of ranked choice voting. UPDATE 6/12: Question 1 passed by 54% and will be in place for the Congressional elections in November!
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.
COAL LOBBYIST NOMINATED TO EPA: Oppose Andrew Wheeler for EPA Deputy Adminsitrator
Long-time coal lobbyist and climate-change denier Scott Wheeler is up for the second most powerful post at the EPA. With EPA secretary Scott Pruitt’s job on the line, the Senate confirmation vote is more critical than ever. UPDATE 4/12: WHEELER WAS CONFIRMED, with Collins voting yes and King no.
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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.
PROTECT TITLE IX: Oppose rollbacks of protections for survivors on campus
The Trump administration has issued new Title IX regulations that would make it harder for students who are sexually assaulted to report the assaults. QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment opposing the new rules by Jan. 30 and ask Reps. Pingree and Golden to support 3 bills in the House that protect Title IX.
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Take Action: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Communities around Maine are holding events during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October to draw attention to intimate partner violence and rally support for prevention efforts. Take action and attend an event near you!
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BAN BUMP STOCKS: Submit a Public Comment by June 27
The ATF has proposed a rule that would ban bump stocks under the National Firearms Act, and the public comment period is open until June 27. Gun rights activists have already added tens of thousands of comments opposing the measure. QUICK ACTION: Submit your comment before the deadline, voicing your support for the rule change.
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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.