The biggest political fight of the year, and maybe of a generation, is coming to a head this week.
Senate Leader John Thune has announced the SAVE America Act will receive a vote on the Senate Floor this week, though his real intentions remain unclear.
Meanwhile in Colorado, our State Legislature is grappling with truly difficult problems such as forcing employers to call gender confused employees by whatever name they feel like that day, and of course, how to end-run TABOR once and for all.
Read more below in this week's Freedom Action Report.
The SAVE America Act
This week, the U.S. Senate will finally vote on the SAVE America Act.
Many conservatives are cautiously optimistic, while others are saying this will be nothing more than a "show vote."
The most logical way to pass this bill would be with a talking filibuster, forcing Democrats to hold the floor for a long period of time to explain why they oppose it.
A secondary option would be to nuke the filibuster and pass the bill on a simple majority.
Senate Leader Thune is reporting he doesn't have the votes for either of those options.
Instead, he plans to put the bill on the Senate floor and allow a long, open debate or “talkathon.”
Polling shows that the more this bill is discussed publicly, the more support it gains. The "talkathon" method could help by adding even more pressure to swing-state Democrats or Republican holdouts to change their stance.
This is when public advocacy for the bill will have the greatest impact.
In 1964, Republicans debated the Civil Rights Act for two months before wearing down enough Democrats to support the legislation.
Thune has promised that after debate there will still be a vote, though he continues to temper expectations.
Don't let up. Keep the pressure on Thune and on both Hickenlooper and Bennet, who are both on the ballot this November.
Last week, we alerted you about Senate Bill 135 in Colorado, which is the Democrat's attempt to streamline the end-run of TABOR by adding a question to your November ballot to dismantle TABOR refunds over a 10-year period.
The legislation continues to move through the Senate, so if you didn't take the opportunity to contact your representatives last week, you can do so here:
Oppose Senate Bill 135 Here.
Another bill worth taking a look at is HB26-1319 which seeks to ban an employer from calling employees by anything other than their "preferred name."
Additionally, the bill prohibits an employer from having a workplace dress code that imposes different requirements on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. An employer must allow each employee access to a restroom and changing facility that corresponds with the employee's gender identity.
That means if your employee decides to identify as a cat, you are required to provide a little box for them. The bill doesn't seem to require you to be the one to clean it, however.
The link above will take you to the bill page. Take a look at it if you haven't had a really strong eye roll in a while.
For Freedom,
Colorado Freedom Force
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