Secular Coalition National Weekly Update
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National Secular Movement Update
Newsletter & Call
September 25, 2014
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Please note there will be no call on October 9th!
Voter Guides - The Secular Coalition yesterday released 22 new voter guides for races upcoming in November. This is in addition to the 17 voter guides we released last week--we also plan to release our final 18 voter guides for this season next week for states Texas through West Virginia (listed alphabetically). The guides released yesterday graded candidates in the following districts:
KS District 1
KY-Senate
LA Districts 3 and 4
Maryland Districts 1 and 2
Michigan Districts 7 and 11
Minnesota Districts 6 and 7
Missouri District 4
Mississippi Districts 1, 2 and 4
North Carolina Districts 3 and 8
Nebraska Senate Race
New Mexico District 2
Ohio Districts 1, 2, 4 and 5
The Voter Guides are part of the Secular Coalition’s “50 Secular Races to Watch” list which the Coalition is currently rolling out based on the U.S. House districts that received the worst grades on the Coalition’s 2013 Congressional Report Card. In addition to the 50 U.S. House races to watch, the Secular Coalition is also grading seven Senate races across the country. You can also find the voter guides as they are added on our 2014 Elections Resources Page.
Table of Contents:
Inside the Beltway
Legislative Update
Secular & Related News
SCA State Chapters
Judicial Update
Youth Movement Update
Secular Events and Calendar
Secular Community Updates
Staff Contacts
1. Inside the Beltway
The House and Senate have kicked off their long vacation and will not be back until mid-November. The President spoke at the United Nations yesterday, stating “there’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate."
2. Legislative Update
Post-Hobby Lobby HHS Regulations
The Department of Health and Human Services announced two rules designed to clarify contraceptive coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act, in light of recent Supreme Court decisions. For religious nonprofits objecting to sending a three question Form 700 to their insurer, the Form or a letter with the same information can now be sent directly to HHS. The second rule allows this option for small, closely held for-profit companies in line with the Hobby Lobby ruling. The Secular Coalition is preparing comments to submit to HHS "on how to define a closely held for-profit company and whether other steps might be appropriate to implement this policy."
3. Secular & Related News
Get Daily News Updates: click "update subscription preferences" at the bottom of this email and select "Morning Links."
SCA in the News
Secularism takes over religion newswriters (Religion News Service)
Atheist grade Alabama congressional candidates (The Greenville Advocate)
Durbin launches second positive ad (Capital Fax)
Congressman Franks Gets an "F" Grade From Atheist Coalition for Blending Religion, Politics (Phoenix New Times)
Press Release: Atheists Grade Kansas Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Kentucky Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Louisiana Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Maryland Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Michigan Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Minnesota Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Missouri Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Mississippi Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade North Carolina Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Nebraska Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade New Mexico Congressional Candidates
Press Release: Atheists Grade Ohio Congressional Candidates
Secular and Related News
After Praying for Years to Have a Son, Mother Loses 22-Month-Old Toddler to Drowning in Church Baptistery (Christian Post)
Gerald A. Laurie dies at 98; former minister debunked biblical stories (Chicago Tribune)
Being 'Openly Secular' Is the First Step to Eliminating the Stigma (Huffington Post)
Hobby Lobby leader plans Bible museum (Journal Gazette)
US Air Force: 'So help me God' in oath now optional (GOPUSA)
Florida Satanic Church To Pass Out Children's Coloring Books in Public Schools (Huffington Post)
4. State Chapters
New! Election Resource Center: Want to put together your own voter information guide? Interested in starting a voter registration drive? The Secular Coalition has a new election resource center just for you!
Registration for Texas Secular Convention Now Open! Registration for the Texas Secular Convention is now open at a special early-bird rate. Book your tickets now!
Upcoming State Calls: Join the call for your state chapter by dialing in: Call in number: (530) 881-1400 - Participant code: 978895.
Today: Maine at 6:30 pm ET
Tuesday, September 30: North Carolina at 8:30 pm ET
Wednesday, October 1: Minnesota at 9 am CT
STATE LEGISLATURES
Currently, 9 out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session, as well as the District of Columbia council.
Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire are in session.
Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Florida, and Kentucky are accepting prefiled bills. Virginia is meeting in special session.
Michigan
HB 5797 - To require employers to provide information about insurance coverage related to reproductive health choices to current and prospective employees; to specify methods of disclosure; and to provide for sanctions.
Ballot Measures
Colorado and North Dakota both have ballot measures up for vote that would enshrine personhood into their state constitutions.
Tennessee is voting on a constitutional amendment that would strip women of their right to privacy and give elected officials the ability to further restrict abortion rights.
Hawaii is voting on an amendment that would increase public funding to private pre-schools.
More Information on States
Legislation tracking is now available on the chapter pages of all officially launched Secular Coalition chapters sites!
We encourage everyone to “like” the Facebook pages of their state chapter, listed as “Secular Coalition for [State].
Get the latest updates and sign up to receive emails about the chapter forming in your state on the state chapter’s page on our website.
5. Judicial
This week's update presented by Andrew Seidel of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
OK Ten Commandments monument case to be appealed - Last Friday (Sept. 19) an Oklahoma state trail court dismissed the ACLU’s claim that a Ten Commandments monument on the state capitol grounds violates the Establishment Clause. The ACLU intends to appeal. The court thought the monument “constitutional because its historical value.”
Louisiana state court ends equal marriage ban - Less than three weeks after a Louisiana federal court upheld a ban on gay marriage, a state judge has struck the ban down. The case involved a California couple that moved to Louisiana and were attempting to adopt a child. The ban was struck down under the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses. The judge also relied on the Full Faith and Credit Clause (“Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state”) to declare that the state also had to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Religious Right goes after Justice Ginsburg - Liberty Counsel, a Christian law firm, alleged that Justice Ginsberg violated ethics rules in recent remarks at University of Minnesota Law School and that she must recuse herself from any future same-sex marriage cases. Justice Ginsburg said that the Justices would be watching the upcoming Sixth Circuit’s decision and that “there will be some urgency” if it finds against marriage equality, but that if the decision agrees with other courts, there is “no need for us to rush in.” Liberty Counsel mistakenly assumed this was a comment on the merits of the case, when actually it was a statement on the type of cases the Supreme Court accepts. One of the primary functions of the Supreme Court is to decide legal issues where the circuit courts split. If the Sixth Circuit agrees with the other courts, there is no split and no reason for courts to rush in. Even so, the Judicial Conference’s Code of Conduct is not binding on Supreme Court Justices, so her recusal is unlikely on both counts.
6. Student Movement Update
Presented by Lyz Liddell, Director of Campus Organizing at the Secular Student Alliance.
The Secular Student Alliance is delighted to report back from the Fourth Annual National Gathering for the President's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, hosted by the White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at George Washington Univeristy. SSA was one of several worldview-aligned organizations helping plan this event over the past months, and one of only a handful of formal sponsors. Throughout the event, outreach and inclusivity of secular students was a prominent theme, from the inclusion of plenary panelist Dale McGowan to a well-received workshop on religious privilege, and mentions in nearly every other session. These events show that secular students are a welcome partner at the interfaith table and we look forward to supporting these partnerships in the future.
As we head into midterm election season, secular student groups in many parts of the country are hosting vote registration drives. SSA affiliate leader Dave Churvis from the Secular Panthers at Georgia State Univeristy was instrumental in the creation of the SCA Voter Guide, and student groups in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and other areas are using that resource as they host drives through the fall semester.
Last but not least, this is the last week for secular students to apply for the SSA's Scholarships for Student Activists. We are offering five scholarships in the first year of this new program to students who have demonstrated effective activism on their campus. If you or someone you know has done great work, encourage them to apply at secularstudents.org!
For more information, questions, comments or additions to student-led efforts in the secular movement, contact Lyz@secularstudents.org.
7. Secular Events and Calendar
September 21-27 - Banned Books Week
September 26-28 - Carolinas Secular Conference
September 30 - International Blasphemy Rights Day
October 9-12 - New York Comic Con
October 10 - World Mental Health Day
October 10-12 - FreeFlo Conference
October 11-12 - Moving Social Justice Conference
October 11-12 - Atlanta Pride
October 16-18 - National Science Teachers Association Virginia Conference
8. Secular Community Updates\
American Atheists, Pennsylvania Nonbelievers, and Truth Wins Out (September 27) - A joint press conference and demonstration will be held in Bedford, Pennsylvania, where a fourteen-year-old teenager is being tried in juvenile court on October 3rd for "desecrating" a Jesus statue, after pictures were posted on Facebook of the teen simulating sex with the statue. American Atheists, Pennsylvania Nonbelievers and Truth Wins Out will come together to speak out for freedom of speech.
Washington, DC Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics (October 7) - The American Humanist Association's DC Chapter is proud to present Roy Zimmerman, a songwriter, musician and comedian famous for songs such as "Creation Science 101," "Abstain with Me" and "Real America." He has performed at dozens of atheist and freethought conferences across the country. Check out his songs at www.royzimmerman.com.
Openly Secular –The Secular Coalition, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, Secular Student Alliance, and the Stiefel Freethought Foundation launched the Openly Secular campaign at the Religious Newswriters Conference this weekend. Openly Secular’s mission is to eliminate discrimination and increase acceptance by getting secular people - including atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, humanists and nonreligious people - to be open about their beliefs. Watch videos of non-believers sharing their stories at openlysecular.org. Upload your own Openly Secular video on YouTube and submit it on the website here. The best stories will be shared on social media and the website.
9. Staff Contacts
Kelly Damerow, Director of Federal and State Affairs (Legislative/Lobbying inquiries)
Lauren Anderson Youngblood, Director of Communications (Communications/general newsletter inquiries/artist of the month submissions)
Diana Castillo, State Chapter Coordinator (State chapters/state legislative inquiries. For specific bills, please add the state and bill number in the subject line of your email)
Sarah Levin, Outreach Coordinator (Calendar additions, community/organizational updates and announcements)
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