INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Category: State politics

  • Raising the Keystone – Upholding Democracy in Pennsylvania

    Contributed by Lisa Bergson.

    Writing on the night of January 6th, we see the extreme danger of embracing tyrants and coddling vigilantes and militias. Today, we saw the consequences in the invasion of our capital, the disruption of our formal electoral process, and the ransacking of the Capitol Complex, forcing our elected representatives to shelter, as though from an invader.  

    Dear ILNHers, these thugs are our neighbors. Right up my block, read lawn signs: “America for Trump” “Trotsky, Stalin, and Socialists for Biden” and “Christians for Trump.”  My husband and I joked about posting a sign: “Hitler, Mussolini, and Putin for Trump”. But, we pulled up our election signs by November 10th for a reason. Win or lose, this is our community.  And our grassroots organizing must continue; our commitment to heal the searing wounds that divide us, is more urgent than ever. 

    Here’s what to do now:

    Protect Our Democracy:  This call just received from Jason Henry, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, is so grave that I’m posting it verbatim:

    “For months, Harrisburg Republicans have echoed dangerous lies about mail-in voting—a process they, themselves, voted for just last year. They’ve held sham hearings, joined outrageous lawsuits to disenfranchise millions, and supported Trump’s calls to throw out their own constituents’ votes.

    “On Tuesday, they escalated again. Mere hours before a mob wrecked our nation’s capitol, Republicans shamed our commonwealth’s capitol by refusing to seat a duly elected Democrat, citing the same unproven voter fraud Trump used to spur violence. That a handful of PA Republicans “disavowed” the political violence they spent months stoking is not enough. Immediate, corrective action is needed to restore faith in our electoral system.

    “The fact is: There’s a dangerous anti-democratic streak among Pennsylvania Republican leaders. Today, we call on them to make amends and begin rebuilding the public’s faith in our elections.

    First, the PA Senate should immediately swear in Senator Jim Brewster, the certified winner in Senate District 45.

    Additionally, we ask that GOP leadership once again condemn violence, and we call on Senator Jake Corman to investigate his caucuses’ role in the attack, especially the presence of Doug Mastriano.

    Finally, we call on Pennsylvania’s Republican leadership to state jointly and unequivocally that President-Elect Joe Biden won our state.

    “None of these actions will fully correct the damage, paranoia, and division their actions have caused, but they’ll mark good first steps in the long road towards restoring faith in democracy.”

    ACTION: Please call your Republican officials and ask that they take these steps towards restoring our democracy.

    Block State Republican Attempt to Hijack the Courts. First, PA Republicans joined forces to try to disenfranchise all of us who chose to safely and legitimately vote by mail. Now, the GOP-controlled legislature is attempting to gerrymander our court system, which has served to protect our democracy by standing up to their baseless contention of voter fraud. With no provision for public comment and over the objection of legal experts and many former judges – Republican and Democrat — their goal is to splice the election of 31 Appellate Judges who rule statewide, into seven local districts. This power grab serves to reduce our judiciary’s political independence and diversity reflective of our state. It robs us of a say in the election of 90% of our statewide judges.  Our Republican-dominated State Legislature is fast-tracking this HB38 to amend our Constitution and degrade our widely respected judiciary.

    ACTION: Join me and send a letter to your local representative.

    TO LEARN MORE: 

    • Watch this short video: 
    • Attend an online event presented by the Bucks County League of Women Voters on Saturday January 9th. Register here. 

    Feed Your Head.  As activists, the better informed and united we are, the more effective we can be.  That’s why Turn PA Blue is sagely using this time to offer an intriguing series of Wednesday seminars. Topics include “local races, our courts, redistricting, policy updates, data/mapping, and more”. In doing so, the organization aims to offer “opportunities to come together to listen, learn, plan, and continue our work for a better future”.

    Dates, Times, and Events (events and speakers will be updated):

    1. Wednesday, January 13th, from 7-8 PM: No Off-Years: The Importance of Local Races. Guest speakers include Lara Putnam, Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh, State Representative Jennifer O’Mara, and Scranton Mayor, Paige Cognetti.
    2. Wednesday, January 27th, from 7-8 PM: Judicial Gerrymandering: What is it? Why Does it Matter? How Can You Stop It? Guest speakers include State Representative Mike Zabel, Deborah Gross, President and CEO of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, and PA Superior Court Judge Carolyn Nichols.
    3. Wednesday, February 3, Lunchtime (12-1 PM): Mapping the Political Geography of PA. Guest speakers included Lara Putnam, Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh, and Ben Forstate, Political Analyst.
    4. Wednesday, February 10, from 7-8 PM: PA Policy Update. Guest speakers include State Senator Katie Muth and State Representative Joanna McClinton.

    CALL TO ACTION: I hope to see you at any or all of these Turn PA Blue events.

    Promote Awareness and Uproot Racism in Our Community.  In the aftermath of the brutal murder of George Floyd last summer, an interracial team was forged under the aegis of the Bucks County NAACP to focus on Criminal Justice and Education.  Specifically, they aim to work on legislation; to “reimagine public safety”, and to raise awareness among the general public and within our schools. “You can’t address racism unless you understand that it’s in your community,” says Helen Tai, who is helping to spearhead this vital initiative. To that end, the team has put together seminars on “Understanding White Privilege” and “Being a White Ally”, with February dates scheduled for, “Talking to Your Children About Racism” and “Implicit Bias and Micro-aggressions.” 

    CALL TO ACTION:  

    • To get involved with this exciting and impactful mission, sign up for the Bucks County NAACP January newsletter, which details recent accomplishments and upcoming activities.
    • To volunteer for the NAACP Bucks County Criminal Justice and Education Committee, please contact Miriam Tucker (miriam@cjecbucks.org)

    BUILD OUR BENCH: For our February edition, there will be an overview of the critical local elections coming up in 2021.  In the meantime, a wonderful opportunity to meet the Democratic candidates for Bucks County District Attorney and Judge of the Court of Common Pleas will be sponsored by Bucks Voices Zoom Webinar on January 25th at 7:00 p.m. Register for our Webinar!

    I welcome news of your wins, events, and announcements.  Please email me at: LisaBergson0@gmail.com.

  • NJ Politics – Get Ready for 2021 Election Year

    NJ Politics – Get Ready for 2021 Election Year

    Contributed by Olga Vanucci.

    2021 is a big election year!  Wait, what? 2021?  Yes, it’s a big election year in New Jersey, where the Governor and the entire Legislature are up for election.

    NJ Spotlight News provides an overview of what to look for:  Get ready for a busy election year in New Jersey | NJ Spotlight News.  Here are the highlights:

    Governor Murphy is popular.  The most recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University in mid-October showed Murphy with a 60% approval rating overall and 72% support for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    One major obstacle that the GOP nominee, whoever that will be, will have to overcome is the Democrats’ huge voter registration advantage — registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by more than 1 million.

    Locally, a competitive race is likely in one of the two purple districts in the state, the 16th, encompassing parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties. The senator is a moderate Republican and the two Assembly members are Democrats.  Both Democratic Assembly members in the 16th, Andrew Zwicker and Roy Freiman, are rumored to be interested in challenging Republican incumbent Christopher “Kip” Bateman for the Senate in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 20,000 but a plurality of voters is unaffiliated.  According to New Jersey State Senate District 16 – Ballotpedia, Kip Bateman won the election for State Senate in 2013 by nearly 12,000 votes, but he won in 2017 by only 574 votes.

    Most likely, new legislative districts will not be in place for this year’s elections after voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2020 delaying the use of newly drawn districts until the 2023 elections if the state does not get its official 2020 census counts by Feb. 15. Given delays caused by the pandemic, and a potential challenge to the count should it not include the number of undocumented immigrants, it is unlikely the state will get its population estimates by that date.

  • From the NJ Statehouse: The Good, the Bad, the Missed, and What to Watch for Next

    From the NJ Statehouse: The Good, the Bad, the Missed, and What to Watch for Next

    Contributed by Amara Willey and Liz Glynn.

    Big win in NJ legislative session for ACA protection

    For residents of NJ, there’s good news coming out of Trenton for a change that should have progressives cheering. There’s always a but, however, and other legislation didn’t make the cut and some that did isn’t quite what we hoped. So here’s the good, the bad and missed, plus be sure to check out what’s coming up in this next session.

    The governor signed 80 percent of the bills that had passed both houses. These included a bill banning flavored vaping to reduce its appeal to children, a requirement that health insurance companies provide a choice that limits prescription drug costs to insureds, and the creation of a telephone hotline for state employees to confidentially report incidents of workplace harassment or discrimination. The 33 unsigned, or pocket-vetoed, bills included tightened regulations for tobacco and vaping sales, allowing preserved farms to hold 14 special events a year and requiring the installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems in new townhouses.

    The Good

    Happily, the majority of the ACA Protection Bills passed this session – paving the way to protect NJ patients from the GOP sabotage on the federal level. In addition, important policies have passed to advance racial justice and support working people, including driver’s licenses for all, voting rights restoration, expungement of marijuana offenses, and ending prison gerrymandering.

    The ACA Protection Bills are a set of critical bills that create the safety net we need and protects NJ patients from the potential loss of guaranteed coverage for essential health benefits such as preventative care, treatment for substance use and mental health, and reproductive health services, and loss of protections for pre-existing conditions. Here’s a list of actual ACA Protection bills that have passed: 

    S562/A5248 – Preserves certain requirements that health insurance plans cover essential health benefits
    S626/ A1733 – Prohibits pre-existing condition exclusions
    S3802/A5501 – Requires continuation of dependent coverage until age 26
    S3803/A5507 – Requires health benefits coverage for certain preventative services
    S3804/A5508 – Revises the law requiring health benefits coverage of contraceptives
    S3806/A5503 – Establishes open enrollment period under the Individual Health Coverage Program
    S3808/A5506 – Repeals NJ’s Basic & Essential health benefits plans to conform to ACA
    S3809/A5500 – Expands rate review process for individual and small group plans
    S3812/A5504 – Applies 85% Medical loss ratio requirement to large group plans

    Other:

    • Online Voter Registration A422 modernizes our outdated process and allows easy online access for voter registration to increase participation in our democracy and improve accuracy.
    • Ending Prison Gerrymandering A1987 stops the outdated process of counting incarcerated people as residents of their prisons for the purpose of redistricting and will now count them as residents of the communities from which they have come to restore the voices and resources of their communities.
    • Maternal Health Bill A4934/S3374 extends and expands Medicaid coverage of postpartum women at a medically complex time to ensure the support and health of mothers and their children.
    • Voting Rights Restoration A5823/S4260 restores the right to vote to people on parole and probation and will increase participation in democracy and reinvigorate civic participation.
    • Driver’s Licenses for All A4743/S3229 ensures road safety and access to driver’s license for immigrants to thrive in our communities and take care of their families. 
    • Marijuana Expungement bill A5981/S4154 clears past criminal convictions of marijuana offenses and allows people with a record the opportunity for a clean slate to improve their lives.
    • Marijuana Ballot Question passed with more than three-fifths voting yes, and is now on the ballot for the November 2020 election. (https://apnews.com/372117448cd3dfbb415b1a67204a71b3)

    The Bad

    • S3770 passed which creates a Path to Progress Committee in the legislature. This bill establishes a 12-member “New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Commission” in the Legislative Branch of State government. This legislation implements a proposal in the New Jersey Economic & Fiscal Policy Workgroup’s “Path to Progress” report. The commission will be composed of six members of the Legislature (three from the Senate, three from the Assembly) and six public members. Senator Sweeney will be able to pick the Senators and influence the selection of the other appointees. 
    • S3813/A5510, which would have expanded the “Law Against Discrimination” to apply to health programs and activities, and to prohibit discrimination based on association with individuals in protected classes. It passed in the Senate, but strangely, didn’t get voted on in the Assembly.  To date, and we haven’t received a reasonable answer as to why.  
    • A3783 Railcar Safety would have required trains to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials, including fracked oil, by rail. Passed in the Senate but didn’t get voted on in the Assembly.

    Missed Opportunities:

    • Bag Ban
    • Redistricting Constitutional Amendment
    • Green Amendment – constitutional amendment
    • Corporate Tax Credit Reform
    • Marijuana Decriminalization
    • Environmental Justice – S1700/A5094 Giving NJDEP authority to just say no to new pollution in already overburdened communities
    • ACA Protection Bills:
      • S3811/A5502 – Revises definition of small employer under New Jersey Small Employer Health Benefits Program.
      • S3813/A5510 – Expands “Law Against Discrimination” to apply to health programs and activities, and to prohibit discrimination based on association with individuals in protected classes
      • S3810/A5505 – Revises certain permissible rating factors for premiums charged for individual and small employer health benefits plans. 

    Bills to Watch In this Next session:

    • Fair Work Week
    • Lowering Prescription Drug Prices
    • Coverage for All Kids
    • Annual Budget process – push for raising revenue with the package of proposals that Gov Murphy included in his budget but was rejected in legislature includes millionaire’s tax plus estate tax, sales tax, gun permit fees, opioid manufacturers tax, etc.

    Sources:

    New Jersey Citizen Action Newsletter (Liz Glynn)

    https://whyy.org/articles/gov-murphy-signs-151-new-bills/

    https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2019/12/new-laws-will-clear-nj-criminal-records-for-weed-and-allow-people-on-parole-to-vote.html

  • In Pennsylvania: Ann Marie Mitchell becomes official Democratic Candidate for State Representative

    In Pennsylvania: Ann Marie Mitchell becomes official Democratic Candidate for State Representative

    Contributed by Lisa Bergson.

    On Tuesday night, February 3rd, Ann Marie Mitchell became the official Democratic candidate for state representative of PA’s 178th District.  She is challenging Trump supporter, Wendi Thomas, a Republican known for her conservative positions, who issued nasty attacks in her campaign to defeat ILNH constituent Helen Tai in 2018. 

    Ann Marie has lived in Northampton Township for 20 years, with her husband and children, who were educated in the Council Rock School District.  With degrees from the Wharton School and Penn Law, where she studied bankruptcy with then-professor Elizabeth Warren, Ann Marie stands as an experienced, grounded, and ethical candidate, very much worth our full support.

  • Your State Legislature and Judiciary

    New Jersey

    The NJ Legislative branch is comprised of the Senate and General Assembly. The Senate has 40 members, and the General Assembly has 80 members. One senator and two assembly members are elected from each of the 40 districts of New Jersey. The Senate and General Assembly meet for about 40 sessions a year on Mondays and Thursdays.

    Senators face election every four years, with the next election coming in Nov. 2021. Democrats currently control the NJ Senate, led by Senate President Stephen Sweeney. Loretta Weinberg is the Majority Leader; Thomas Kean Jr. is the Minority Leader. Assembly members face election every two years. In November 2019, the entire NJ Assembly is up for election. Democrats also control the Assembly, led by Craig Coughlin; Louis Greenwald is the Majority Leader, and Jon M. Branmick is the Minority Leader.  Senators and Assembly members are paid $49,000/yr for their work in the legislature.

    Committees from each party draft and review proposed legislation, along with several other bipartisan and non-partisan entities. (Learn more about the role of committees and the process of making a law in “How a Bill Becomes a Law”. In addition, the Office of Legislative Services (OLS), a non-partisan agency, provides legal advice and research support to both houses. OLS staff also drafts the bills and resolutions. For a map of NJ’s state legislative districts, please go here.

    In NJ, Congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by two distinct politician commissions. The congressional redistricting commission comprises the following 13 members:

    • The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the New Jersey State Legislature appoint two commissioners a piece (for a total of eight members).
    • The chairs of the state’s two major political parties each appoint two members to the commission (for a total of four members). Commissioners appointed by the political parties cannot be members of Congress or congressional employees.
    • The first 12 commissioners appoint the last member. This member cannot have held public office in the state within the previous five-year period. If the first 12 commissioners cannot agree on an appointment, they must submit two names to the New Jersey Supreme Court. The court must then appoint the final commissioner.

    If the congressional redistricting commission fails to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, it must submit two plans to the state Supreme Court, which must in turn select from those two plans a final map.

    The state legislative redistricting commission comprises 10 members. The chairs of the state’s two major political parties each appoint five members to the commission. In the event that this commission is unable to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, the state Supreme Court may appoint a tie-breaking member.

    The NJ Judiciary decides how state laws should be applied. Judges are appointed and serve seven-year terms, but after they have been re-appointed once, they can serve until they are 70.

    The highest court in the Judiciary branch is the state Supreme Court, which consists of a chief justice and six associate justices, who hear cases related to the NJ Constitution and other major issues. The state Superior Court is where most trials take place and is divided into the Appellate, Law, and Chancery divisions. The Appellate Division hears appeals of decisions from lower courts and state agencies. Law hears cases in its Criminal Division and Civil Division. Chancery consists of a General Equity Division and Family Division. General Equity cases involve matters such as contracts. The Family Division deals with family and children’s legal matters.

    Pennsylvania

    The Pennsylvania Legislative branch includes the Senate with 50 members and the House of Representatives with 203 members. The President of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor, currently Jon Fetterman (D), who only votes in the case of a tie. Pennsylvania state senators serve staggered, four-year terms and half of the Senate is up for election every two years. In 2018, 25 PA Senators were elected, with Republicans maintaining majority control of the Senate, but losing some seats to Democrats. Jake Corman is Senate Majority Leader; Jay Costa is Senate Minority Leader.

    The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is up for election every two years, with 2020 as the next election year for the House. In 2018, the chamber’s Republican majority decreased from 120-79 (with four vacancies) to 110-93. House Speaker is Mike Turzai, Majority Leader is Bryan Cutler, and Minority Leader is Frank Dermody.

    In Pennsylvania, the statutory authority to draw congressional district boundaries is vested with the Pennsylvania General Assembly. These lines are subject to gubernatorial veto.[34]

    State legislative district lines are drawn by a politician commission. Established in 1968, the commission comprises five members: The Majority and Minority Leaders of both Houses each appoint one member, and the four appointees then appoint a fifth member to serve as the commission’s chair.

    Pennsylvania has 60 Judicial districts,  most of which (except Philadelphia) have Magisterial District Judges, who preside mainly over minor criminal offenses and small civil claims. Magisterial District Judges also preside over preliminary hearings in all misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas, which also serve as appellate courts to the district judges and for local agency decisions.

    The Superior Court hears all appeals from the Courts of Common Pleas not expressly designated to the Commonwealth Court or Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the final appellate court. All judges in Pennsylvania are elected; the chief justice is determined by seniority.

    In total, 439 judges preside over the Court of Common Pleas, 9 judges preside over the Commonwealth Court, 15 judges preside over the Superior Court, and 7 justices preside over the Supreme Court. Elected judges run in 10 year terms, at which point they are required to run in a non-partisan retention election if they wish to continue to serve.