MORE POWER for Sep. 2nd
1000 MORE's weekly nonpartisan roundup of the most important happenings in federal government, written in a way that doesn't require a law degree to understand, with tools to take action
September 2, 2022
This week in MORE POWER, we review Congress returning to D.C., upcoming judicial nominations in the Senate, abortion access bills Congress can act on, how to find & contact your reps in 1000 MORE, what Congress can vote this month, as well as this week's FAQ: why is the platform called 1000 MORE.
HAPPENINGS ON THE HILL
Congress returns to D.C. in September
Congress' recent “District Work Period”, AKA August Recess, ends this month.
The Senate is scheduled to resume their work on the Hill this Tuesday, September 6th and the House of Representatives is scheduled to start voting again on Tuesday, September 13th.
You can use 1000 MORE to contact your representatives’ offices and tell them what you would like them to act on in September.
Us, thinking about how powerful judges are & how little we know about the federal judiciary
This week, the Senate is scheduled to vote on presidential judicial nominees.
The president doesn’t just pick Supreme Court Justices. There are 870 federal judgeships that the president is tasked with choosing judges for too.
Because of their “advice and consent” power, the Senate must hold a hearing process for each nominee and vote to approve the judge before they can take the bench.
Right now, the president has 52 federal judge nominees waiting for Senate confirmation.
Next week, the Senate is scheduled to vote on two of them: John Z. Lee, of Illinois, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit and Andre B. Mathis, of Tennessee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit.
John Z. Lee is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. After earning his law degree from Harvard Law School, Judge Lee worked at the Department of Justice, then in private practice, until President Obama appointed him to the federal bench in 2012.
Andre B. Mathis is an attorney who represents corporate and government clients. After earning his law degree from University of Memphis School of Law, he has been a lawyer in private practice serving both civil and criminal clients.
You can use 1000 MORE to contact your Senators on how you want to see them vote on these nominees.
Abortion access bills in the Senate
Currently, there are two pieces of legislation in the Senate that would protect abortion access nationwide if passed into law:
Ensuring Access to Abortion Act: the House of Representatives passed Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-TX 's Ensuring Access to Abortion Bill - H.R.8297 in July. The bill is now in the Senate.
Women's Health Protection Act: in the Senate, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT introduced the Women's Health Protection Act - S.4132 - in May. In July, the House passed their own version of this bill, Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA's Women's Health Protection Act - H.R.8296.
Abortion is a key issue in mid-term election campaigns across the country. Will the Senate take action and hold a vote on these bills?
You can use 1000 MORE to learn about them and contact your Senators on how you would like them to take action. We even have scripts for you to use in case you’re nervous about what to say.
Get started here:
FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Us, when people say they can't find their reps.
Once you enter your street address into 1000MORE.com, you can see all of your federal legislators in one place, along with their phone number, email, and Twitter. We make it easy to exercise your power.
With one tap, you can call, email or Tweet them about what matters to you. If you want to contact them on a particular bill, we even have scripts that you can use, depending on whether you are for or against a bill.
It's that easy!
BILLS ON THE HILL
Will Vice President Harris be saying this a lot this fall? Or will it be a time of inaction? Watch this space...
What Congress can vote on when they return
Standouts in the Senate
H.R.8404 Respect for Marriage Act
S.4132 Women's Health Protection Act
Sign in to 1000 MORE to read summaries on these bills, find your representatives, and contact them to tell them how you want them to vote.
YOUR WEEKLY FAQ
Q: Why is the platform called 1000 MORE?
A: I named it after my favorite quote, often attributed to Harriet Tubman, "I freed 1000 slaves, I could have freed 1000 more, if only they had known they were slaves." I believe that if only people knew how powerful their voice is in a democracy, they would realize their full civic power. Months after buying the domain, while sitting in a New Orleans coffee shop preparing to pitch the idea for the first time, I discovered that Harriet Tubman never said that, but our name still embodies the sentiment.
My team and I built this platform to give everyday people political news and the tools they need to engage in civics, all in one place. Now it's up to you to take action.
