Social Justice Advocates
Social Justice Advocates are asking for you to take action to write to your representatives for this very important legislation consideration.
Dear church family,
Our church’s Social Justice Advocates is asking you to write to senators in our state and other states urging the passage of this bill. We are providing a sample text you can use. If you prefer to send a postcard, the church is providing a small stack of them on our bulletin board in Fellowship Hall for your use.
Our faith requires us to support freedoms for ALL people, and this Bill addresses many current problems, like gerrymandering, voting rights and opportunities, and much more. Below is the summary. The entire 800+ page Bill can be viewed at govtrack.us. The House passed HR.1 on March 3. It has now gone to the Senate, and will be discussed in committee on March 24th. To contact any senator, search for “contact senators”, find their state, and follow to their email and mailing address.
For the People Act of 2021, S.1 for the Senate version, and HR1, for the House version;
This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government.
Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls.
The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting.
Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.
Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.
The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House.
The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns.
SAMPLE LETTER
I urge you to co-sponsor and support S.1, the For the People Act, to expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes. As a person of faith, I think this is an important piece of legislation.
Sincerely,
Name Name
Member, Congregational Church of Algonquin
Address
Address
Hint: you can use a return address label under the church name.
Illinois Senators: Sen. Richard Durbin Sen. Tammy Duckworth
711 Hart Senate Bldg. 524 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C., 20510
Other possible choices:
Sen. Joe Manchin Sen. Mitt Romney
306 Hart Senate Bldg. 124 Russell Senate Bldg.
Washington, D.C., 20510 Washington, D.C., 20510
Sen. Rob Portman Sen. Kevin Cramer Sen. Susan Collins
448 Russell Senate Bldg. 400 Russell Senate Bldg. 413 Dirksen Senate Bldg.
Washington, D.C., 20510 Washington, D.C., 20510 Washington, D.C., 20510
Sen. Joni Ernst Sen. John Boozman
111 Russell Senate Bldg. 141 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, D.C., 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
Social Justice Advocates meets:
