MUUSJN
Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network
Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network
BACKGROUND
On Saturday, August 26th, a young man in his 20’s deliberately shot three Black people at a dollar store in Jacksonville, Florida. This young man, according to declarations he sent to his father and swastikas on his AR-15 rifle, indicated that he identified as Nazi who hated Black people. This disgusting racial hatred and the willingness to use violence is a sign there’s a sickness in our society. It deeply violates our religious values of love and respect for the dignity of all people. There are things we can do to address this sickness
Assault weapons are considered to be the weapons of choice of those who wish kill large numbers of people in a short amount of time. As of this August, there were over 470 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
In Michigan, there has been progress in adopting gun violence prevention laws that some other states would envy: expanding background checks; requiring safe storage of guns; and red flag laws that restrict people who are a danger to themselves and others from having a gun. However, a ban on assault weapons, that has the potential to keep dangerous guns out of the hands of dangerous people. It’s a reform that should be adopted in Michigan and at the national level.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly urged Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons. An assault weapons ban has been adopted in 10 states: Delaware, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington and Washington DC. Assault Weapons Ban bills were introduced in both the U.S. House and the Senate in 2023. You are urged to contact Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow to advocate for passage of S. 25. Along with 41 other senators, they are co-sponsors of this legislation.
Individuals would be allowed to sell existing assault weapons but only after the completion of a Brady Background Check.
The August 8th Michigan primary elections will decide who will serve as a clerk or become a city council member or whether your local school will get funding. Here’s what you can do to learn whether elections are being held in your community and what’s on the ballot:
If you have more questions, you may contact MUUSJN consultant Nomi Joyrich at nomijoyrich@gmail.com
YOU ARE INVITED TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH A FRIEND OR RELATIVE!
Dear Friend,
Last year, MUUSJN, Jews For A Secular Democracy and many other organizations helped Michigan enshrine reproductive rights in the Michigan constitution. Kate Lannamann, a member of MUUSJN’s Interfaith Reproductive Justice Coalition, has been enthusiastic about the work we’re doing in Michigan. She’s President of a Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice AND she’s Board Chair of Southwest and Central Planned Parenthood. Lannamann said, “Florida is following Michigan’s lead by organizing their own reproductive justice ballot proposal.” Let’s lend them a hand!
Like Michigan, Florida’s ballot initiative would enshrine abortion rights in their state constitution. Spearheaded by FPF (Floridians Protecting Freedom), the ballot proposal is titled, “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion.”
Here’s a summary of this proposal: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
It’s bad enough that Florida already has a 15-week limit on legal abortion; if court challenges fail, an even more extreme 6-week ban may take effect.
The Floridians Protecting Freedom campaign needs to get over 900,000 signatures to place this on the ballot. Let’s help Florida secure the same protections that we enjoy in Michigan!
On June 6th the Michigan Senate heard testimony on SB 38 and SB 39, bills to ban the practice of Conversion Therapy. Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) sponsored these bills.
Advocates testified that Michigan should end this cruel practices of trying to persuade a young person to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there is no evidence that this practice is effective but there is evidence that it is harmful. The American Journal of Public Health in 2020 found that youth subjected to Conversion Therapy were more than twice a likely to report having attempted suicide in the last year. The Trevor Project, an advocacy group seeking to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, reported that 14% of Michigan of LGBTQ+ youth in Michigan had been subjected to or threatened with Conversion Therapy.
Rep. Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield), Michigan’s first African American elected to the Michigan legislature, introduced identical bills in the Michigan House. Hoskins said that Conversion Therapy allows “discrimination to flourish” and send a message that “you need to be fixed”.
ACTIONS:
Call your Michigan State Senator. Click HERE to get the phone for your state Senator.
TALKING POINTS:
According to Federal Reserve Secretary Janet Yellen, the U.S. would need to reach an agreement on lifting the debt ceiling by June 1st or else the U.S. would default on its debt. Exploiting this routine vote to pay the bills, the House last week passed a FY 2024 budget that cuts domestic spending for human needs and community concerns by 22%. The proposal would also limit future spending to only 1% a year for 10 years. The budget assumes no cuts in Pentagon spending. President Biden’s FY 2024 budget proposes reducing the deficit by nearly $3 trillion by requiringg wealthy and big corporations to pay their fair share.
Here are examples of what the impact of 22 percent cuts in the federal budget would be based on analysis of Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and budget:
These cuts are unacceptable! For information on what President Biden recently said about next steps toward addressing this budget impass, click HERE
Tell our Senators to reject these proposals for cuts, caps and eligibility changes in domestic and community spending. Urge them to support Biden’s proposal to require higher income people pay their fair share.
Michigan UU Social Justice Network (MUUSJN) is co-sponsoring this special program hosted by Jews for a Secular Democracy and several other groups.
Separation of church and state has always been an important issue. Sadly, women, LGBTQ+ people and people from many different races and cultures have been denied their dignity and their rights in the name of religion.
MUUSJN, Inclusive Justice and Jews for a Secular Democracy filed an amicus brief last fall that said that one religion should not force their beliefs and practices on other people. For more discussion on separation of church and state in Michigan, sign up to be present in person or on- line next Saturday April 29th at 7 p.m.
On March 16th, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a historic bill that expands the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to provide basic human rights to LGBTQ+ people. This means that members of the LGBTQ+ community can not be discriminated against for jobs, education, housing or public accomodations. This a reform that advocacy groups have been demanding for 40 years!
Thanks to all who responded to MUUSJN’s alert to advocate for this legislation.
On March 2nd, the Michigan House of Representatives voted to adopt HB 4006 and a package of other bills to REPEAL an old 1931 anti-abortion law that criminalizes abortion. On March 8th, this legislation was approved in the Michigan Senate without religious exemption amendments. MUUSJN filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court opposing this 1931 law. We argued that right wing religions that oppose abortions should not be able to impose their beliefs on other people of faith or on humanists. This legislation is going through further review to reach agreement on the House and Senate versions of this legislation. A spokesperson for the Governor’s office predicted these bills should be coming to the Governor for her signature by the end of March or early April. Another legislative achievement to celebrate!
Finally, MUUSJN was part of a large coalition that advocated for expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income working families. This bill was adopted in both the Michigan House and Senate along with other tax bills. However, in order to allow the bill to take immediate affect so lower income people can use the EITC deduction for THIS YEAR’S taxes, bill sponsors are reintroducing EITC reform as SB 144. The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee is scheduled to vote on SB 144 TOMORROW (March 21, 2023) at 2:30 p.m.
YOU CAN HELP MAKE THIS TAX DEDUCTION FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES HAVE IMMEDIATE AFFECT BY SUBMITTING ELECTRONIC TESTIMONY TO THE COMMITTEE.
Email your comment to SenKMcDonaldRivet@senate.michigan.gov Senator Kristin McDonald Rivet will forward your testimony to the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee. In the subject of your email write: “Electronic Card: Senate Housing & Human Services Committee: Support SB 144. In the body of your email, write “Hello. I am emailing to electronically put in a card of support from (organization) for SB 144 that is up in the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee. List your name, your phone number and email. Thanks, (your name)
(This guidance provided by Adam Bitely, Senior Communications Specialist, Martin Waymire.)
BACKGROUND
On Thursday, March 2nd, the Michigan House of Representatives voted to adopt a package of bills to REPEAL the old 1931 anti-abortion law that’s still on the books. Even though voters affirmed a ballot proposal that enshrined abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution, legislators and reproductive justice advocates believe it’s important to remove the 1931 law from the books in the event that a court might strike down our newly affirmed reproductive rights.
I am proud to report that MUUSJN consultant, Nomi Joyrich, testified on Wednesday March 1st in favor of bills to repeal the 1931 law in both the House and the Senate.
On March 2nd, a package of bills (SB’s 2, 37, 38 and 93) were adopted by the Senate Health Policy Committee and were forwarded to the full Senate for a vote. If these bills are fully affirmed in the Senate they can be forwarded to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for her signature. A vote on these bills could happen soon.
Call or Email Your Michigan Senator (To get the phone and email of your Michigan Senator click HERE)
On February 28th, the Michigan Senate voted to adopt Senate Bill 4 that would expand the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include rights of people from LGBTQ+ communities. YES! The ELCRA bans discrimination in employment, housing, and public services based on other categories such as: religion, race, color, national origen, age, sex, height, weight, and marital status. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled last year that discrimination based on sex includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Democratic controlled Senate refused to adopt a religious exemption amendment that would have allowed discrimination toward LGBTQ+ people under the guise of religious beliefs. Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), who sponsored this bill, said “we are not asking for anything more than anyone else has but we are not going to accept anything less than full protection under the law”. MUUSJN agrees with Senator Moss. Religion should be a source of love not an excuse for creating harm.
The next step for expanding LGBTQ+ rights is adoption of HB 4003 sponsored by Michigan Representative Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield). This bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Representative Kelly Breen.
ACTIONS: Call or email your Michigan State Representative. Click HERE to get the phone and email of your state Representative. AND call one or more members of the House Judiciary Committee (preferrably one with an “R” behind their name) listed below:
TALKING POINTS:
Dear Friends:
Today was a red letter day for low and moderate income Michigan families, The Michigan Senate and the Michigan House rapidly passed bills that would expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. This is legislation that Governor Gretchen Whitmer, in her state of the state address on Wednesday, called the “Working Families Tax Credit”.
The new bills would expand the amount of state match that Michigan would pay to supplement the federal income tax credit from 6% to 30%. Both the House and the Senate legislation would give the bills immediate effect and would expand the tax credit to low and moderate income working families from 6% up to 30% of the federal rate.
An example of what this state benefit increase could mean: A single mother earning $17,000 per year who has two children would receive $350 from the current credit. Expanding the credit to 30% of the federal credit would mean that she’d receive about $1,700. A married couple with no children would only be eligible if they earned less than $22,610 in 2022. But a couple with three kids would be eligible for the credit it they earned less than $57,187/year.
Governor Whitmer, who made this one of her priorities in 2023, is expected to sign this legislation. Last year, MUUSJN agreed to work for this goal in 2023 and joined a statewide EITC coalition.
Here’s part of MUUSJN’s testimony given to the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee earlier this week:
“One of the core principles of Unitarian Universalism is that each person should be treated with dignity. We support SB-3 because it would support low-income working people who often struggle with purchasing food, paying rent, buying clothes for their children and paying their utility bills. Increasing Michigan matching funds for the federal EITC from 6% to 30% will help families live with greater dignity.”