Call to Action Archive
Suit Up Maine’s current calls to actions (C2As) 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.
NO WAR WITH IRAN: Tell Congress to Block an Illegal War
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain high following the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the second-most powerful leader in Iran. The House passed a war powers resolution with bipartisan support, and the Senate will soon take up its own measure.
QUICK ACTION: Tell Susan Collins to support the Senate war powers resolution, and get caught up on the developments.
NO TAXPAYER-FUNDED DISCRIMINATION: Oppose proposed HHS rule
The Trump administration has proposed a new rule that would allow faith-based organizations that receive certain types of federal funding to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals, women, people of color, and non-Christians without losing taxpayer dollars.
QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment opposing the rule by midnight THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19.
SAVE SNAP: Oppose Trump’s cuts to food assistance program
The Trump administration has issued a proposed rule change that would cut food assistance to 3.1 million people—including 44,000 Mainers—and eliminate school meals for 500,000 children. QUICK ACTION: Submit a public comment opposing the rule change by September 23 and tell your MoCs to protect vulnerable Mainers.
TAKE ACTION MAINE: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and communities around Maine are holding events to draw attention to intimate partner violence and violence prevention
QUICK ACTION: Attend an event near you.
DECLINE TO SIGN: Beware petitions to rollback critical legislation
Lawmakers passed a number of key bills this session that protect public health, curb environmental damage, ban conversion therapy and racial discrimination, expand abortion access, promote voter registration, and protect the rights of terminally ill patients. Efforts to repeal these laws via “people’s veto” are underway in Maine as petitioners race to collect the required signatures by Sept. 13. UPDATE 9/18: 11 of the 12 people’s veto efforts have failed. Unfortunately, anti-vaccine groups appear to have collected enough signatures to place a “people’s veto” on the ballot in March to repeal a law that strengthened childhood vaccine requirements. Click below for more details.
FACT CHECK: Correcting Anti-Vaccine Testimony
While measles outbreaks are spreading across 22 states and Maine’s pertussis rate is the worst in the nation, our state’s non-medical vaccination opt-out rate is more than triple the national average. At the public hearing earlier this year for a law passed by the Maine Legislature to strengthen vaccination requirements for school children, false and misleading information was shared by anti-vaccination advocates. We decided to do some fact checking to set the record straight.
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!
TRAIN. RUN. WIN. Apply for Emerge Maine Class of 2019
The number of progressive women running for office in Maine and around the country is breaking records, thanks in part to programs like Emerge Maine that train women how to run for office.
QUICK ACTION: Apply for the 2019 Emerge Maine class and join the ranks of women working to change the political landscape.
RUSSIAN ATTACKS: Demand Congress Defend Our Country and Election Systems
Despite 13 new indictments against Russian operatives, Trump still refuses to implement sanctions against Russia, undermines investigations into their interference, and offers no plan to prevent them from doing it again.
QUICK ACTION: Demand that Congress defend our country by forcing the president to implement sanctions, approving bills to protect Mueller’s investigation, and crafting a defense plan.
ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILL: Oppose LePage’s Expansion of ICE Power in Maine
Extremist Rep. Larry Lockman and Gov. LePage are back with another anti-immigrant bill that would force local law enforcement to serve as extensions of ICE deportation forces. The House rejected the bill today 76-65 (House roll call) and the Senate votes next. QUICK ACTION: Call your senator at 1-800-423-6900 and leave a message with her/his name, your name and town, and that you want them to NO on LD 1833.
DACA UPDATE: Stay Focused on DREAMers
Two important court decisions have temporarily secured DACA, but we still need a permanent solution.
QUICK ACTION: Learn how our Senators voted on recently failed plans, and what new ones could be in the pipeline, and make sure our reps stay focused on permanently protecting DREAMers.
FIX DACA NOW: Pass Bipartisan “Phase One” Bills
Trump eliminated the DACA program and his incoherent and racist policy positions are propelling the government toward a second shutdown. Bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that can resolve the crisis.
QUICK ACTION: Speak out publicly in support of DACA, and tell your MoC: no more delays. Support the bipartisan “Phase One” bills and solve the DACA crisis before their time runs out.
Let the FBI Do Its Job: Key Witnesses for Kavanaugh Investigation
The FBI reopened its background investigation of Brett Kavanaugh, but now the White House and Senate Republicans are attempting to drastically limit the people who can be interviewed.
QUICK ACTION: We’ve compiled a list of key witnesses and individuals the FBI must be free to interview. Tell your Senators: let the FBI do its job!
#StopKavanaugh: Oppose Extremist’s Supreme Court Nomination
Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation is on shaky ground with credible accusations of sexual assault now public. Serious questions also remain about whether he lied under oath and whether senators should have access to more information relating to his time serving in the White House.
QUICK ACTION: Tell Susan Collins to demand the FBI investigate assault claims, allow the National Archives to complete its work, and resolve questions of lying before any confirmation vote takes place.
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.
KEEP THE COAST CLEAR: Oppose Offshore Drilling in Maine
The Trump administration wants to open most of the U.S. coastline to oil and gas exploration, including Maine. Our congressional delegation as well as the Maine legislature unanimously oppose the plan.
QUICK ACTION: Attend a public hearing in Augusta on Wednesday, March 7 and submit a public comment before the March 9 deadline.
DENY CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS: Oppose Kathleen Hartnett White Nomination
Trump’s nominee to be the nation’s top environmental watchdog calls carbon dioxide a “plant nutrient” and says climate change poses no threat to the environment.
QUICK ACTION: Tell Senators Collins and King to OPPOSE Kathleen Hartnett White’s nomination to lead the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality. UPDATE: The White House has WITHDRAWN White’s nomination in the face of fierce opposition by senators, constituents, and environmental advocates.
CONTROVERSIAL EPA NOMINEE: Vote NO on Michael Dourson
Update 12/14: Facing opposition from a few Senate Republicans (including Collins), Dourson has WITHDRAWN HIS NOMINATION! The Trump administration’s controversial nominee to head the EPA’s chemical safety office is a chemical industry insider with a track record of favoring corporate interests over health safety and the environment. His nomination could come for a vote in the Senate soon.
QUICK ACTION: Call and email senators Susan Collins (202) 224-2523 and Angus King (202) 224-5344 ask them to oppose Michael Dourson for assistant EPA administrator.
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ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILL: Oppose LePage’s Expansion of ICE Power in Maine
Extremist Rep. Larry Lockman and Gov. LePage are back with another anti-immigrant bill that would force local law enforcement to serve as extensions of ICE deportation forces. The House rejected the bill today 76-65 (House roll call) and the Senate votes next. QUICK ACTION: Call your senator at 1-800-423-6900 and leave a message with her/his name, your name and town, and that you want them to NO on LD 1833.
DACA UPDATE: Stay Focused on DREAMers
Two important court decisions have temporarily secured DACA, but we still need a permanent solution.
QUICK ACTION: Learn how our Senators voted on recently failed plans, and what new ones could be in the pipeline, and make sure our reps stay focused on permanently protecting DREAMers.
FIX DACA NOW: Pass Bipartisan “Phase One” Bills
Trump eliminated the DACA program and his incoherent and racist policy positions are propelling the government toward a second shutdown. Bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that can resolve the crisis.
QUICK ACTION: Speak out publicly in support of DACA, and tell your MoC: no more delays. Support the bipartisan “Phase One” bills and solve the DACA crisis before their time runs out.
#ENOUGH: Join Maine Protests Against Gun Violence
Thanks to student activists leading the way, momentum to fight for common sense gun reform shows no signs of slowing down. Next up: Town Hall For Our Lives on Saturday, April 7 in Brunswick and Bangor.
QUICK ACTION: Check out our complete list of Maine events and make plans to join one…or organize your own!
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!
#BOYCOTTNRA: Dismantle the NRA’s Financial Support
In the wake of disturbing comments made after the Parkland school shooting, news that Russians may have been funding the organization to make political inroads, and its continuous funding of legislators, a campaign has begun to dismantle the group’s ties to other businesses.
QUICK ACTION: Let the companies who support and oppose the NRA know how you feel by joining the #boycottNRA campaign.
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Suit Up Maine is an independent, all-volunteer grassroots progressive group that seeks to build a more informed and engaged electorate in Maine. Founded in 2016, Suit Up Maine is run by and for Mainers, and is not engaged in fundraising of any kind. Representing thousands of constituents across Maine’s 16 counties, Suit Up Maine raises awareness of and advocates 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. Suit Up Maine is beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians.
