Action Items

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON HB 1500--CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL REFORM

The state’s 500 public schools have passed a resolution calling for charter school reform. The current system was developed in 2002, and school districts are asking for a more representative use of tax dollars for public education. House Bill 1500 is dedicated to a long overdue charter school reform. This legislation promotes a flat cyber school rate of $8,000. Funding for K-12 private/religious school vouchers has increased nearly twelve-fold over the past two decades with local school districts tasked with increased costs.Pennsylvania residents know very little about how this money is spent or who benefits. The time for more information and reform is now.

MESSAGE TO PA State Senators

I urge you to vote yes on House Bill 1500, the cyber charter reform bill. It will align tuition rates with cybers' actual costs and address the deficiencies in accountability and transparency.

Call or email your Senator:

Senator Kim Ward

Senator Joe Pittman

RECONCILIATION BILL-- BACKGROUND

The bill includes $800 billion in significant Medicaid cuts. It will make a larger number of people ineligible, and reduce reimbursements for Telehealth. Poor and rural communities will suffer the most.

The massive projected increase in our deficit would trigger $500 billion in mandatory Medicare cuts under the statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

(The message below can be used as is, modified, or you can create your own message on this topic. A message in your own words is the most effective.)

MESSAGE TO Senators Fetterman and McCormick 

We were promised no cuts to Medicaid or Medicare: but the Reconciliation Bill includes massive cuts to Medicaid. It will revoke eligibility for many and cut off access to plans through the ACA. The Reconciliation Bill's increase in the deficit will result in mandatory cuts to programs, including Medicare.

Tax cuts for the mega wealthy will result in illness and death to the less fortunate. Vote NO on the Big Beautiful Bill.

Defend Medicare and Medicaid from Cuts, and Defend our Checks and Balances from the "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act - PASSED HOUSE (UPDATED 5/22)

Message for Senators Fetterman and McCormick follows the background information.

BACKGROUND: On May 22nd, House Republicans narrowly passed H.R. 1, aka the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, a bill that funds tax cuts for the wealthy by gutting critical programs like Medicaid and Medicare. Medicaid insures 72 million low-income and disabled Americans, while Medicare insures over 55 million people, primarily seniors. H.R. 1 contains numerous provisions that endanger health care access for both Medicaid and Medicare enrollees.

First, the bill imposes work requirements for nondisabled adult Medicaid enrollees. These work requirements would create administrative complexity and confusion that would cause millions to lose coverage. The bill also targets people covered via Medicaid expansion, requiring them to re-certify their eligibility twice a year and pay copays of up to $35 for services. Further, the bill would reduce federal funding for Medicaid expansion in any states that offer Medicaid coverage to lawfully present immigrants, including children and pregnant people; ban Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care; and generally make the Medicaid enrollment process more complicated and burdensome.

Despite Republican promises to leave Medicare intact, the bill will trigger over $500 billion in automatic cuts to Medicare due to “PAYGO”, a budget rule that requires any reduction in revenue to be offset by cuts in other areas of the budget.

The Senate is now considering the House’s budget proposal. Constituents must demand a budget that preserves Medicaid and Medicare coverage and benefits all Americans, not just the ultra-rich.

There is also a provision in the bill that allows the Executive Branch to ignore any contempt rulings, which is how the court enforces is rulings: “No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued….”

Translated: No federal court may enforce a contempt citation. This is extremely dangerous. 

MESSAGE: (Customize as you see fit):

 Hello, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

 I’m calling to urge [SEN NAME] to oppose H.R. 1, the House budget reconciliation bill that is now in the Senate. This bill will cause millions of people on Medicaid to lose access to health care while making Medicaid more expensive and complex to administer. I'm also deeply concerned about the CBO analysis showing that paying for wealthy people's tax cuts would lead to $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. 

 And I'm also concerned about the provision that allows the federal government to ignore federal contempt charges, leaving the Executive Branch with no checks and balances, a central tenet of our constitution.

 Thank you for your time and consideration.

 IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

contact Senators Fetterman and McCormick

Phone numbers and emails appear on the WOW website.

Background: Congress is considering the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), S. 292 / H.R. 833, a bill that would divert $10 billion per year from public education to fund private school vouchers through a 100% tax credit scheme. This unprecedented tax break allows wealthy individuals to fully offset their donations to scholarship-granting organizations, effectively turning public funds into private school subsidies. 

Message (tailor this In your own words, if you want):

 The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), S. 292 / H.R. 833 lacks accountability measures. It allows funds to flow to private institutions that can discriminate against students and ignore curriculum standards without having to report educational outcomes. This will exacerbate educational disparities, particularly affecting students with disabilities and those from low-income communities.

 Public schools, which serve 90% of American children, will lose critical resources, leading to larger class sizes, program cuts, and school closures. The bill’s structure also opens new avenues for tax avoidance, such as donating appreciated stocks to evade capital gains taxes.

 I urge you to protect public schools and vote No on the ECCA.

Contact your Representative in DC (Guy Reschenthaler or Summer Lee).

Phone numbers and emails appear on the WOW website.

Contact your Representative in DC.

Phone numbers and emails appear on the WOW website.

Message - choose your favorite outrage or call about both

(From Jessica Craven's substack "Chop Wood, Carry Water")

1. I am calling to ask the Congressmember to oppose ALL cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs in the Republican reconciliation bill. In our district alone, (FIND YOUR DISTRICT STATS HERE, [X] people rely on Medicaid and [X] on SNAP. Selling these folks out to pay for tax cuts for billionaires is horrific. Don’t do it. Thanks!
2. I’m alarmed by the Washington Post’s new reporting that Elon Musk and DOGE are creating a single database in which to gather ALL of Americans’ most sensitive and personal data. This is a disaster in the making and Congress needs to stop it NOW. Cyber security experts are horrified by this plan and so am I. Do your job. Make it stop. Keep DOGE out of my personal data. Thanks.

Contact our Senators and your Representative in DC.

Phone numbers and emails appear on the WOW website.

Message

I'm calling/writing to object to the President's vanity birthday parade on June 14. Those millions of dollars could be spent to feed hungry children who are about to lose SNAP benefits because of actions of Congress. Will you take a public stand against this silly expenditure?