Olympia Indivisible Weekly Call to Action: Defend ACA and Protect Quality of Life in Puerto Rico

ACA REPEAL DOWN TO THE WIRE: RISE UP!!!!
 
Two of the three “no” votes on the Graham-Cassidy ACA repeal bill are really “maybe no” Senator McCain is firm, Senator Rand Paul has flipped before and Senator Collins says it “looks like” she will vote no. So, to be sure of killing Trumpcare, our focus this week needs to be on Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. Do these two things:

ACTION:  Use the Indivisible peer-to-peer calling tool to contact like-minded folks in Alaska and ask them to call Senator Murkowski 202-224-6665 and tell her vote no! (If you can, donate $5 to support this great tool!)
 
ACTION:  Second, call or email Senator Murkowski directly to ask that she vote no on Graham-Cassidy and save Medicaid and save lives. 202-224-6665 https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact
 
ACA STABILIZATION
Please call or email Senator Murray to support her work on the ACA Stabilization bill with Sen. Lamar Alexander. Ask Senator Murray to be sure their bill (and the 2018 federal budget) fully funds the ACA enrollment, advertising, outreach and website, all of which are currently being undermined by the Trump administration (they are actually shutting down the ACA enrollment website for “maintenance” during the enrollment period.

ACTION:  Please call or email Senator Murray 202-224-0238 https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme

 
Congressman Denny Heck: 360-459-8514 Senator Maria Cantwell: (253) 572-2281
Senator Patty Murray: (253) 572-3636
 
Defend the Americans with Disabilities Act – Stop H.R. 620
H.R. 620 would weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a critical source of rights for people with disabilities to architectural access in public accommodations—that is, businesses such as stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. H.R. 620:

• Removes any incentive for voluntary compliance.
• Rewards non-compliance by allowing businesses generous additional timelines, even though the ADA’s very reasonable requirements are already over 25 years old! The ADA is already carefully crafted to take the needs of business into account.
• Pretends that money damages requested from businesses are part of the ADA. Actually, this part of the ADA doesn’t even allow money damages, so changing the federal ADA will not affect any state law money damage provisions;
• Ignores the extensive, free educational resources already available today to any business on how to comply with the ADA.  
• Ignores the effective & extensive methods already available to courts and state bar associations to deal with a very few frivolous lawsuits or unscrupulous attorneys. We should use those existing legal mechanisms when needed, rather than deny the civil rights established by the ADA that aid people with disabilities every day.
• Look behind the media myths: The vast majority of ADA attorneys and plaintiffs are seeking solutions to fix real denials of access. But the business community has pushed the media to portray “a few bad apples” as a landslide.
• On Sept 7, 2017, the House Judiciary Committee passed this bill out of committee to the House as a whole for consideration.  

Talking Points:

• MYTH:  The “ADA Education and Reform Act” strengthens the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• TRUTH: The so-called “ADA Education and Reform Act” weakens the Americans with Disabilities Act and undermines one of the key goals of the law.

 

• MYTH:  The “ADA Education and Reform Act” doesn’t harm people with disabilities because it merely delays the ability to go to court.
• TRUTH: The so-called “ADA Education and Reform Act” means that people with disabilities won’t have access for weeks, months, or possibly years, and it removes any incentive for businesses to comply proactively with the ADA.  This change in the law would be a boon for businesses at the expense of people with disabilities.

 

• MYTH:  Lawsuits under Title III of the ADA expose businesses to big damage awards for people with disabilities and their lawyers.
• TRUTH: There are no money damages under Title III of the ADA.

• MYTH:  It’s too difficult for businesses, particularly small businesses, to understand their obligations under the ADA.
• TRUTH: Complying with the ADA is no more burdensome than complying with other laws and ample resources exist to aid compliance.

• MYTH:  The “ADA Education and Reform Act” is necessary to stop lawyers who abuse the ADA by filing frivolous lawsuits.
• TRUTH:  The so-called “ADA Education and Reform Act” will do nothing to stop frivolous lawsuits.  And there are ways to address the problem of unscrupulous attorneys without placing unwarranted burdens on the rights of people with disabilities.

 
ACTION: Call Rep. Heck and thank him for his support of individuals with disabilities.  Request confirmation from his staff that he will vote against H.R.620.  Congressman Denny Heck: 360-459-8514 

Sept. 22 Friday (6-8 pm) 
Olympia Indivisible Members Social!
Bring your ideas for making America better! NEW LOCATION ! Three Magnets Brewery 600 Franklin St Olympia.
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Oct. 2 Monday (7-8:30 pm – doors open 6:30)
MEMBER MEETING: CLIMATE CHANGE
Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152. Our speaker will be Rich Harris from Citizen’s Climate Change Lobby, a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change. And we are inviting members of Indivisible chapters of Congressional District 10 to join us. So save the date! Show up! Ask questions! Meeting starts promptly at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm, please arrive early so we can start on time!). And please RSVP at olyindirsvp@gmail.com