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HR1/S1 â the For the People Act: Voting Reforms
HR1/S1, the For the People Act, is a democracy reform bill that was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in early January 2021. It passed in early March and now awaits a vote in the Senate. The bill is designed to improve access to voting for all citizens, decrease the harmful impact of big money in our democracy, and strengthen ethics rules and regulations. These documents examine some voting reform aspects of HR1/S1. To download the one-page highlights document, click here or on the image below under “Highlights.” To download the in-depth three-page document, click here or on one of the images below under “In Depth.” Highlights In Depth
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HR1/S1 â the For the People Act: Ethics Reforms
HR1/S1, the For the People Act, is a democracy reform bill that was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in early January 2021. It passed in early March and now awaits a vote in the Senate. The bill is designed to improve access to voting for all citizens, decrease the harmful impact of big money in our democracy, and strengthen ethics rules and regulations. These documents examine some of the aspects of ethics reforms of HR1/S1. To download the one-page highlights document, click here or on the image below under âHighlights.â To download the in-depth four-page document, click here or on one of the images below under âIn Depth.â Highlights In Depth
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Call to Action: Support Dreamers and Pass the Dream Act of 2021
UPDATE: On July 16, 2021, a federal judge ruled that accepting new DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) applications is illegal. While this does not change the status of current DACA recipients, it does bar new applicants, emphasizing the need for legislative action. The House passed the Dream Act, but the bill is currently held up in the Senate. We need to continue to encourage our senators to work together to find a legislative solution to ensure Dreamers are protected from deportation and are provided a reasonable pathway to permanent status. The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 is a bipartisan bill that would provide permanent protection and a…
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Practical Peacemaking Week 4: Working Cooperatively to Transform Conflict into Peace (Intro to Mediation)
During Week 1 of our Practical Peacemaking series, we discussed the idea of having five main choices for addressing conflict in our lives: avoiding, accommodating, compromising, competing, and collaborating. As the most skill intensive and character demanding of the five approaches, collaborating will be our focus this week as we learn to engage with others in the facilitative negotiation setting of mediation. Nelson Mandela once said, âIf you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.â Even in intensely trying circumstances, Mandela knew he needed to engage with those who opposed him to make progress toward his respective goals…
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An Open Letter to Arizona State Legislators from the Arizona Chapter of Mormon Women for Ethical Government
Dear Senators/Representatives: We urge you to vote NO on HB 2248, HB 2737, SB 1175, and SB 1459. Our democratically elected commissioners on the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), who are experts in Arizona energy, have spent years developing Energy Rules for our public utilities. These rules, which will require energy production from public utilities to be 100% carbon-free by 2050, proceed from public comments, compromises with interest groups, meetings with industry experts, and buy-in from utility companies. With these rules, Arizona will join other western states, including California, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico, in transitioning to clean energy. They also position Arizona for long-term economic expansion via high-wage jobs, investment…
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Practical Peacemaking Week 3: Preparing to Understand Others to Create Peace â Listening, Perspective Taking, and Empathizing
In a world of increasingly loud and divisive voices of people, organizations, and governments, too few of us are truly listening well enough to really understand each other. As the Swiss psychologist Paul Tournier once said, âListen to all the conversations of our world, between nations as well as between individuals. They are, for the most part, dialogues of the deaf.â Yet even when we do desire to listen deeply to each other, we often lack the skills and attitudes needed to bridge expanding chasms of belief, facts, and purposes that lie between us. This week, to strengthen our peacemaking skills, we are focusing on three critical skills for preparing…
