where would you find homosexuals, transexuals & evangelicals together? Here. locking arms for the kids.
making history
Come join me for a history-making kind of a day where people from a variety of backgrounds, lifestyles and religions are going to lock arms for the fight against the far left agenda that is targeting our children. SB 49, sponsored by Senator Mike Moon, is a ban on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones & gender surgeries for children. Our legislators aren't getting the job done so it's time to take a stand!
We have an amazing day planned and it's getting better by the hour! I'd love for you to come stand alongside us for the benefit of Missouri's most precious treasures - our kids.
All events will take place here at the Capitol in Jefferson City, MO. They are free and we'd love for you to come with a car load, van load or even a bus load of your favorite people. Share this with your civic groups, your BFFs, your Sunday School class & anyone else who wants to join.
It's going to be a super fun day full of inspiration, great speakers, food & friendship.
schedule - PLease rsvp RSVP Here Event Details
11:30 to 12:30
Prayer & Praise in the rotunda
12:30 to 2:00
Lunch will be on your own. If you register to attend, I'll send you all the details you need about food options downtown within walking distance from the Capitol.
2:00 to 4:00
Missouri Kids FIRST Rally in the rotunda. You'll enjoy a great group of people, motivating speakers & a few office holders, including our favorite Missouri Senators who are standing firm for our kid's sake. So far our special guest list includes:
- Scott Newgent, featured in the documentary What is a Woman? and in this NY Times article.
- Chris Barrett, Missouri Chapter Leader of Gays Against Groomers
- Dr. Bob Onder
- Catherine Dreher, Vice Chair, Missouri Libertarian Party & Mom
- Adam Dommeyer, Turning Point USA Faith
- Pastor Kirk DeMars from House of Prayer, Jefferson City
- Senator Mike Moon
- Senator Bill Eigel
- Senator Jill Carter
- Senator Andrew Koenig
4:00 - ??
Plan to stay and watch the Senate at they convene. Let's see what happens!
Yes, I may be there overnight & I hope you'll join me. It'll be like our own version of Night at the Museum, only ours is The Night in the Capitol. LOL
Our hope is:
- Senator O'Laughlin calls SB49 to the floor.
- Democrats filibuster all night while the Republicans hold their ground for a ban that includes puberty blockers, hormones & surgeries. We need a bill that is constitutional - NOT rolled up with another unrelated sports bill.
It's possible we might see:
- Senator O'Laughlin might not call the bill to the floor at all.
- If O'Laughlin doesn't call it to the floor, it's possible the conservative senators would filibuster to hold the floor until she does.
- Although I don't think it's likely, it is possible that O'Laughlin would NOT call up the bill and the conservatives DON'T hold the floor. This is my least favorite option.
- Senator O'Laughlin adjourns early during the democrat filibuster.
Whatever happens, come & plan to stay as late as you can. You won't want to miss the fun!
come with unity in mind - RSVP Here Event Details
Many different faiths, lifestyles and backgrounds will be represented here on Monday. It's obvious we don't agree on some things. We believe that’s ok.
We DO agree, however, that children should not be victimized by the destruction caused by puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or transition surgery before they are old enough to understand the full consequences of their actions.
Monday, we will be unified in our message of love, hope and protecting children. Monday - nothing else matters. Missouri Kids come FIRST.
Hope to see you there!
please help us spread the word - RSVP Here Event Details
Please post & use across all your platforms. #standtogether4kids
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Stories:
PDF to print:
scott newgent screams louder
TreVoices, founded by Scott Newgent, exists to educate and empower people to speak out against medically transitioning our children.
Scott was gracious enough to travel here to Jefferson City a few weeks ago to testify at our Senate hearing on SB 49, The Safe Act. However, he was thrown out when the Chair of the committee decided he was being disrespectful to Senator Razer. You can learn more about that and hear Scott speak about it HERE.
Today, I wanted to give Scott the opportunity to finish his testimony and share his heart without being interrupted. We met on Zoom and recorded it so you could watch at your convenience. Please help us educate Missouri and share this blog with all your friends & family who care about our kids.
SB 49 is actually being heard on the MO Senate floor this week!! Of course, the democrats are furious about it and our republicans don't seem to be standing as strong as I'd hoped. I'm praying they actually get it passed before the end of their week without diluting it so much it's meaningless... before they go on spring break, which is Thursday.
take action
1. PRAY. Without ceasing, until this bill has passed.
2. Contact Senators Cindy O'Laughlin, Majority Floor Leader & Caleb Rowden, Senate President Pro Tem. Let them know you want SB 49 to PASS prior to Spring Break.
Email Addresses: cindy.olaughlin@senate.mo.gov and caleb.rowden@senate.mo.gov
Phone Numbers: Cindy - 573.751.7985 & Caleb - 751.3931
3. Contact YOUR Senator as well as ALL the Republican senators and ask for support to PASS SB 49 ASAP. Ask them to help influence the process and support its passage in any way they are able, along with a yes vote. Senate Directory
UPDATE - 3/4/23 @ 8:30am. I was sent a radio show this morning in which Senator Caleb Rowden shared his position that he would think it would be common sense to ban puberty blockers, hormones & gender surgeries for children. I would assume with that public statement we could count him as a yes vote, so make that 19 Republican expected yes votes.
UPDATE 3/3/23 - These are the only senators left on the Undecided List. Thank you so much for sending screenshots of emails, reporting conversations and letting me know what you've heard. I'm thrilled so many have decided to commit to a yes on SB 49 to keep our kids safe from this abuse. By my counts, we now have at least 18 republican yes votes if we can get a clean bill to vote on, which is enough to pass or stop a filibuster should the democrats start one.
This evening, a gentleman told me he doesn't believe people in politics really lie, but instead they have different points of view and most often miscommunicate. I find that very interesting. Miscommunication, he feels, happens often because in negotiations the parties aren't specific enough in their wishes.
According to his way of thinking, Senator Holly Rehder and I must've had a miscommunication even though I was very specific with her staff about my request. I probably wouldn't have bothered to even tell you, but she's decided to share her thoughts with others that I'm a liar. If you've been told that, I need to be clear with you about what happened.
And If I lied, then let me be the first to say I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I do not believe I lied but I'll give you the details and let you decide.
The search for votes on The safe act
Along with a friend of mine, I went searching for support of The SAFE Act this week. We visited every republican senator's office and posed the same question, "We're wondering if you're a yes, no or undecided on SB 49, the ban on puberty blockers, hormones and gender surgery for kids."
We got two clear types of responses and they were very distinct. There was no middle ground. It was either one way or the other.
Response Type 1. We heard things like this:
Are you really asking us? You know you don't have to. Why are you even asking us this? You know we're a yes! Of course we're a yes.
When we got those responses, we said we thought that would be the case but wanted to just verify and not assume. Everyone was all smiles and we went on our way.
Response Type 2.
Hmm.. I'm not sure. The senator really can't commit right now. The bill isn't up. I can't commit because we don't know what amendments will get added. I haven't talked to the senator about this and I'm just not sure. You don't know how this works. He doesn't know. Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter.
Now, when we got these responses which were often extremely rude and condescending we repeated that we were looking for one of three answers: yes, no or undecided. It was really a simple question. We reiterated the qualification that we are assuming the bill stays as it currently is with no substitute and no amendments.
In ALL cases where staff said they hadn't talked to the senator and just did not know - we told them we would put them in the "undecided" category AND we gave them my cell phone number so they could text me a quick correction if they discovered "undecided" wasn't correct. We said time & time again - we are only interested in sharing the truth, so please let us know if undecided is incorrect so we can fix it.
senator holly rehder is telling people i lied about her & others
In the case of Senator Rehder's office, we spoke with her Legislative Assistant. He's a very nice young man and he's new to his job this session. We were very kind and he was very professional. There was never a "demand" made and only a polite request for the senator's position on the bill.
We told him more once that we were compiling a list and we wanted to be sure to know the truth. He didn't know what her position was, so we asked if he'd like to text her real quick to find out while we were there. He had his phone and it appeared that he did text her. Who knows...maybe he texted his mom...but it appeared he was trying to get the information.
She didn't respond very quickly so we told him we'd add her to the undecided list instead of wasting his time. I gave him my cell number, and he wrote it on a sticky note. I'm pretty sure it was pink. We then asked him to please send us a text if he found out she was a yes or no so that we could put her on the correct list. He NEVER texted.
Later that evening, this past Tuesday, I wrote up the blog on The Safe Act with our lists and asked you to take action in order to help encourage our legislators on the undecided list to vote yes.
another opportunity
This morning, I got up and decided to send all our senators on the undecided list an email just to make certain of their position and to give them another direct opportunity to express their support of SB 49 in case they were now ready to commit. The only one I've heard from is Senator Rehder, although I have heard from some of you that you have gotten responses from others. You can see the updated lists below based on that information.
The email correspondence between Senator Rehder and myself today is here as well. She responded with a hateful message, called me a liar and attacked my character in an email where she also copied Senator Jill Carter. I'm not sure what that was about as Senator Carter had no involvement or even knowledge of my search for votes or my email. I would assume Rehder knows of my friendship with Senator Carter and she'd probably find it beneficial to divide & conquer.
Later on this afternoon, a friend from Rehder's district sent me the response she received. She referred to me as a liar in that message as well and made the point in both that I need to read my Bible more. Who knows how many others she has emailed with those sentiments.
I believe you deserve to know the truth about Senator Rehder and her character, including how she treats Missouri citizens. It's my understanding you're going to see her name on a state wide ballot in the near future. My personal suggestion is you vote for anyone but her. I'd vote democrat before I voted for Holly Rehder and there's more reasons than this one.
did I lie? You decide.
If you feel I did, please forgive me. It's my only intent to share accurate information with you as best I can. Every senator or staff member we spoke to was asked the same question and given the same opportunity to connect with me at any time. I heard from no one, including Rehder or her staff even though they had my number. My friend and I both watched him write it down.
my experience with other offices
Senator Tony Luetkemeyer - His Chief is the worst I've ever experienced. He literally told us in a hateful, very rude manner that he wasn't giving us the senator's position and that he didn't care what we did. If you need to deal with that office, pray up before you go in. Luetkemeyer has one of the most liberty destroying bills on the list this year. I wouldn't vote for him for anything where he'd have any ounce of influence over policy.
Senator Travis Fitzwater - His LA was kind and welcoming. She didn't know his position on the bill when we asked but later in the day she did literally come out of her office when she saw us in the hallway to let us know he was a yes. We appreciate her for this and told her so and we did exactly as we said we would - we added him to the yes list.
Senator Elaine Gannon - We really like Senator Gannon. She's very welcoming. She and her staff have always been open and kind. We've been in agreement on other bills so we assumed she'd be a yes on 49. However, her Chief wasn't certain and couldn't commit so we put her on the undecided list. We also gave her my number in case that was wrong but we didn't hear from her. Since the list was published we have been told that Senator Gannon has responded to those asking that she is indeed a yes vote on SB 49. We are thrilled to hear it!!
Senator Mike Bernskoetter - We spoke directly to Senator Bernskoetter in the hallway. He refused to commit based on the possible changes that might be made to the bill. Even when we said we were talking about the bill as-is, he would not offer his position. BTW...we are his constituents. I won't be voting for him in the future, either. As far as I know, he still has not committed.
Senator Karla Eslinger - When we walked in to her office, the doors separating her desk from the foyer were open and she was sitting at her desk working. There were a couple lobbyists in the foyer visiting with each other. When her Chief heard us ask the question of her Legislative Assistant (LA), he came out and shut the doors indicating access to the senator herself was not going to be happening. So, we asked him the question and he responded that they wouldn't commit. He easily could've asked her directly or offered to let us speak with her for a couple minutes. She was just behind that door, but he did neither. He would not commit. I've heard she's rather upset about the blog and feels we were on a mission to attack these senators. That couldn't be further from the truth. We are on a mission to protect our kids. Period. That said, I have heard from one of you that she did commit to vote yes. For that, I'm thankful.
Senator Jason Bean - We did ask Senator Bean directly whether he would support or not. We told him which bill we were talking about but he said he didn't know and couldn't commit. He was busy with some lobbyists and really didn't have time for us but we did tell him he was going on the undecided list. I have heard through the grapevine that he has committed to support SB 49 at this point. I haven't seen that in writing but I'm hoping it's true.
Senator Justin Brown - His staff would not commit to a yes and they were told he'd be on the undecided list. Since the blog was published, I have heard from you that he is a committed yes.
Senator Caleb Rowden - His staff also wouldn't commit to anything and didn't seem to care that he would be on the undecided list. I haven't heard differently.
Senator Rusty Black - Again, he was in his office and his staff did ask him if he would commit to a yes but he would not. I have not heard if he has changed his position but I'm hoping he'll be a yes when it counts.
Senator Lincoln Hough - This one was interesting. They pretty much told us we didn't know how this all worked and they would not commit to a position. We told them we'd put him down as undecided and they didn't seem to care.
Senator Cierpiot - Same thing. Not rude but no commitment and we didn't hear from them otherwise.
updated lists
Yes Votes
Moon
Carter
Brattin
B Brown
Eigel
Hoskins
Schroer
Trent
Coleman
Koenig
Fitzwater
Gannon
Eslinger
J Brown
Rehder
Bean
O'Laughlin
Undecided
Bernskoetter
Black
Rowden
Luetkemeyer
Hough
Cierpiot
Crawford was out all week. We have no information on her position at this time.
possible problems
There are a couple rumors floating around the Capitol about this bill.
1. They are going to try to combine Senator Moon's SB 49 and. Senator Rehder's Girl's Sports bill. While we do want both to pass, it will be unconstitutional if they put them together in one bill. And they know it. If they combine and it would be challenged in court, it would not stand up. The two topics are too broad to be in the same bill and comply with the Mo Constitution. If you see them do this - you can rest assured all those voting yes under those circumstances would be working AGAINST you.
2. Please know that if the combine the bills - it will likely be Rehder that gets to carry it. Personally, I don't care who carries it but I do want you to know she is not the true champion of this issue. The champion is Mike Moon.
The Safe Act bans puberty blockers, hormones & transgender surgery in Missouri kids under 18.
It's pretty straightforward in my mind. You?
A couple weeks ago there was a whistleblower that came out with information about the Washington University transgender clinic. It's horrific.
The week after, The Safe Act had a public hearing in the Missouri Senate. I was at the hearing and also had the opportunity to spend time that day with Scott Newgent, Luka Hein and Chloe Cole. Scott is a trans-man who founded an organization called TreVoices. Luka & Chloe are both young women were victimized by leftist counselors and doctors. They all came in to testify at the committee hearing.
If you aren't familiar with the details of this issue, I truly encourage you to click on the links and learn more about these precious people and the issues our children are facing.
o'laughlin lays it over
Yesterday, Monday, February 28th, SB 49 came up on the Senate floor for debate and perfection. However, the Majority Floor Leader, Cindy O'Laughlin, and President Pro Tem, Caleb Rowden, don't want to deal with the bill. Honestly, I don't think Rowden wants the bill to pass at all. Maybe Cindy does, but she seems to be cow-towing to Rowden so it doesn't really matter. She's not helping.
Of course, Washington University doesn't want it to pass. Big pharma doesn't want it to pass. The medical lobby doesn't want it to pass. We know that. And they have the dollars to back it up.
The trustees and heavy hitters from Wash U have been gunning for the conservatives for a while now. It was about this time last year that they created a PAC called RightPath and raised over $2 million to fight senate conservatives. That's in addition to the other two PACS Wash U funds. There are too many PACs from the medical and big pharm industries to name.
Caleb has tons of donations from all these special interests and I'm sure he's got more on the way. Probably, Cindy does, too, and my guess is these senators who won't commit to a yes have taken more than a few dollars as well. Maybe I'll take some time to find those MEC reports later on.
One of her jobs is to bring bills up to the floor but she just doesn't think it's a good time to bring The Safe Act forward. Hmm....I'm wondering why.
Other than special interest dark money influence, leadership often likes to hold bills hostage as leverage to get the things they want. And then....at the end of session when they accomplish their disgusting priority, things like the gas tax or PDMP, they'll give you a tiny token of something you want and carry it home like a 1st place trophy. You'll sing their praises and they won't tell you the whole truth about the way they sold you down the river a thousand different times.
I guess it could be that they know this bill might be divisive among the body because things might be uncomfortable in the hallways and office relations may be tense for a bit. As far as I'm concerned, suck it up buttercup. That's part of the job description.
I'm honestly not sure why she doesn't want to deal with it right now. But she doesn't.
Back to The Safe Act.
SENATE LEADERSHIP
Rumor has it that Senator O'Laughlin has promised that SB 49 will come up for perfection next Tuesday. We'll see. But why next Tuesday? I have no idea. Why not today? Why not yesterday? It's all such a dog & pony show.
Get it done, Cindy. GET. IT. DONE.
If you are holding our kids ransom for GOP establishment priorities - then just stop. Your voters are sick of these games you all play with our lives & the lives of our children.
If you're worried about upsetting your Senate buddies just suck it up. From what I understand, we've even got some democrat support on this bill so even if they vote no, there's a fair chance they actually agree with the bill at heart.
CALL TO ACTION: Call and email leadership to let them know that protecting Missouri kids is your priority and you want to see SB 49 on the floor, perfected AND passed BEFORE spring break.
Senate President & Lt Governor, Mike Kehoe. 573.751.4727
Senate President Pro Tem, Caleb Rowden. caleb.rowden@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1141
Senate Majority Floor Leader, Cindy O'Laughlin. cindy.olaughlin@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.7985
yes, no or undecided?
Today, I was in every Republican senate office in the building with a friend of mine. We asked the question, "Is the senator a yes, no or undecided on The Safe Act?" Here are the answers we got and the contact information you need to reach out to these so-called Republicans.
Of course, no Republican would say they are a no. But we did get a surprising amount of 'Undecided' responses that were, frankly, mostly rude and condescending staffers who were giving us their token response. Frankly, on this issue, if you are undecided - you're a no. If you can't commit to a yes on this issue - you're a problem.
And just so you know, this bill has been on the informal calendar for over week. It has been a hot topic in the press and in the building. There is no excuse for ANY staffer or senator to NOT know their position at this point. It was literally supposed to be perfected on the floor yesterday. They should've already read the bill - not acted like they hadn't even seen it before.
The question stated was, "If SB 49 came to the floor TODAY as it is TODAY are you a yes or a no?"
Their excuses are just that. EXCUSES. Even the excuse regarding possible amendments is a joke. If you are undecided - that means you aren't committing to a yes and that's a no as far as I'm concerned.
list of "undecided" votes on the safe act
ACTION: Please call this list of senators and let them know what you think. If I hear that their position changes, I'll update the list and let you know. These are all Republican senators.
Senator Rusty Black - rusty.black@senate.mo.gov 573.751.1415
Senator Karla Eslinger - karla.eslinger@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1882
Senator Jason Bean - jason.bean@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.4843
Senator Caleb Rowden - caleb.rowden@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.3931
Senator Elaine Gannon - elaine.gannon@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.4008
Senator Tony Luetkemeyer - tony.luetkemeyer@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2183
Senator Mike Bernskoetter - mike.bernskoetter@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2076
Senator Lincoln Hough - lincoln.hough@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1311
Senator Justin Brown - justin.brown@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.5713
Senator Holly Rehder - holly.rehder@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2459
Senator Mike Cierpiot - mike.cierpiot@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1464
Note: Senator Sandy Crawford is absent this week. We were unable to get a response from her office.
Safe act champions
These senators have committed to a yes on SB 49. Simple as that. We asked the question and they immediately responded, "Yes!" In a lot of cases, they said things like, "Is that a real question?" or "You have to ask?" They had zero hesitation in committing to protecting our kids and supporting SB 49.
ACTION: Please call them and let them know you appreciate their support of SB 49 and request them to use every ounce of their influence with leadership to get SB 49 to the floor for perfection and a vote for passage BEFORE spring break.
Senator Mike Moon, Bill Sponsor. mike.moon@senate.mo.gov 573.751.1480
Senator Jill Carter, jill.carter@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2173
Senator Rick Brattin, rick.brattin@senate.mo.gov 573.751.2108
Senator Bill Eigel, bill.eigel@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1141
Senator Ben Brown, ben.brown@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.3678
Senator Andrew Koenig, andrew.koenig@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.5568
Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, maryelizabeth.coleman@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2459
Senator Curtis Trent, curtis.trent@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1503
Senator Nick Schroer, nick.schroer@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1282
Senator Denny Hoskins, denny.hoskins@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.4302
Senator Travis Fitzwater, travis.fitzwater@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2757
Be sure to subscribe to the blog and I'll keep you posted.
If you're reading this in an email and the videos at the bottom don't come through, read it online.
This is the first in a series of blogs relating to public education and the legislation that is moving through our capitol this session. It's a HUGE topic and I'm doing my best to break it down for you but it's still a lot of information.
It's so important, so please do come back to re-read, absorb and ponder. Then, go talk with trusted friends and resources. Do your own due diligence and develop your own perspective. Our kids & grandkids need you to take the time and get involved.
Sb 4
Parent's Rights. Transparency.
This is what Senator Koenig & GOP leadership know you want. So they gave it to you.
But did they? You decide.
I'm not an attorney. But I did hear the opinions of three unrelated, unbiased attorneys whose expertise is in this field throughout this process. Those who have differing opinions from mine heard from attorneys, too. They were primarily senate attorneys and attorneys that are Missouri senators. There are legal opinions on both sides of this issue.
On my couch with a laptop perched on my lap, I spent hours reading this bill. Re-reading, referencing U.S. codes & current Missouri statutes. I made phone calls, sent and received questions via text and consulted legislators as well as educators and heard opinions of attorneys. Although not an attorney myself, I can tell you I invested many many hours of study and consulted several others.
the good.
What it does do that I'm happy about...
- Restricts the gathering of biometric data on your student. Currently, there are no restrictions whatsoever. Now it is limited to information on their school ID card that can be gathered and stored.
- Requirement to train teachers in patriotic history & civics.
- School accountability report cards for the previous 5 years will be available on the school's website as well as on hand at each individual "attendance center."
- Parents will receive a printed version of the report card within 5 days of the start of school or enrollment. These report cards will have a lot of data including school finances, student-teacher/admin ratios, attendance rates, graduation rates, etc. The report cards have a plethora of information on them. Too much to type here and even too much for one screen shot but here's a glance. The report cards are great information for prospective families or anyone considering moving into a district.
- Requires schools to protect student devices from explicit materials and inappropriate sites. I honestly think most are already doing this but codifying it is good.
the bad
I already blogged about why I don't like SB 4. Check it out!
the vote.
I believe the vote on SB 4 should've been a no. Truthfully, I believe we are all a lot better off when these legislators are at home vs being in Jefferson City. Our liberties are much safer when they are not at the Capitol.
Senators Moon & Carter are the only Republicans who stood against the grain of GOP leadership & voted no. They voted on their principles regardless of what the others were doing. I like that. We need more who are willing to do that.
the real problem
Senator Andrew Koenig put ALL of us in a really tough spot when he pulled a Pelosi-style maneuver and closed debate on the floor hours earlier than what was expected.
Picture This.
Everyone had been told there would be a filibuster lasting into the night. They got their sleep schedules worked out and made plans for someone to bring food in later on for dinner, settling in for their first long night of the session.
The democrats were bantering back and forth holding the floor while our favorite republicans huddled in the back discussing what might be the best options to move forward. They ALL had concerns and they were prepared to work on improving the bill to create something that they could all be proud of.
Suddenly...what did they hear? Nothing but Senator Koenig closing the debate! The democrats suddenly sat down and Senator Koenig CLOSED, which gave the rest of his team basically ZERO time to make any changes at all. The perfection vote is a voice vote - so it passed and that was the end. After perfection, bills are generally not changed any further. They are considered perfect and the next step is a TRAP (Third Read and Pass) vote before it goes to the House.
Our favorite senators had no time. They were completely caught off guard and they weren't even given time to read the bill.
Heard of anyone doing that before? Hmm...yeah. Pelosi.
That led to most of our conservatives being between a rock & a hard place on this vote.
the senators say
Most of our senators truly were between a rock & a hard place on this vote. They didn't agree with the perfected version, but they did agree with the heart and intent of the bill as well as particular pieces they believed to be more beneficial than the negatives were harmful. They did agree that there were things about the bill they liked and also things they were and still are concerned about.
What I know of this group of senators is that they are nearly always with us and they typically always vote conservatively. They are our team. They are our team now and they are our team in the battles we will fight in the future.
We aren't always going to agree, though, and that's ok too. If we can agree 80-90% of the time - I'm happy and I think you should be, too.
I got Senators Eigel & Moon on video for you & I personally talked to Senators Hoskins, Brattin, Carter and Brown. Here's what they had to say.
Senator Denny Hoskins did appreciate parts of the bill although he does have concerns about the copyright language and the "CRT" portion. He is committed, though, to working alongside the handler of the bill in the House in hopes of continuing to improve it to the point that we can all be more content.
Senator Rick Brattin shares very similar sentiments as Senator Hoskins. He was actually the original sponsor of SB 42 which was combined with SB 4 and 89. His original bill included language that would require schools to teach patriotic content such as the founding documents, history of civic engagement, excerpts from de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, and an entire list of other patriotic civics topics. That language stayed in the bill and Brattin is very passionate about trying to ensure that our kids are learning what I would consider to be classical American history, civics and a sense of pride in America. He is concerned that the CRT language needs to be improved and he's also hoping to be able to continue to work to create something better as the bill moves forward.
Senator Ben Brown was the original sponsor of SB 89. Some of his language also stayed with the bill and he felt that although there were concerns about the bill, it was still a net win. He's happy with the biometric data piece as well as the transparency language. One concern we both share is the ability of DESE to create so many rules around this. He says he feels responsible to continue to monitor the progress of this bill, help with the improvements as he can and keep a watchful eye on JACOR, which is the committee that approves the rules DESE will write.
Senator Carter hated to vote no, but she saw too many concerns to feel good about voting yes. She voted her conscience and I love that about her. It was a hard hard decision to make and I'm proud of her for sticking to her principles.
my team. we win together. we Lose together.
TRUTH: I hate this bill. I see so many holes & flaws it feels more harmful than good to me.
TRUTH: Senator Koenig threw us all under the bus in the perfection process. That stinks. That's the 2nd time this session. I'm really disappointed and very sad about it.
TRUTH: Our conservative team was between a rock and a hard place feeling like people would be screaming at them for voting down a Parent's Rights & transparency bill if they voted no and they'd upset others if they voted yes. Everyone weighed the vote in their own heart & mind and they made the decision that felt best. I can respect that.
TRUTH: This is one vote of the 10-20% that we won't agree on. It's to be expected.
TRUTH: I know these senators. Their hearts and intentions are good & we all want the same thing. They were each willing to sit down today and talk with me personally and that's worth more than one vote. It's pretty priceless.
TRUTH: These guys are my team. These are the ones I want to go to battle with when it's necessary. And it will be very soon. I'm going to trust them and support them in the hard decisions they are forced to make even when I wish it was different. I hope you will, too. That said... if they continually show themselves to be untrustworthy or not who they profess to be - then they'll have to find another bench to sit on.
TRUTH: IF the House changes even one thing, even as much as a punctuation mark, the senate will be able to take it up again, debate and make amendments if they want. It's not a done deal yet.
call to action
Always. Respectfully, let them know what you think. If you'd like to see them vote differently then tell them. If you're not willing to do that- don't complain. I hope you'll take the time to send an email or make a phone call to these senators, your own or the rest of them. When more of us start speaking up, the more likely we are going to be to see real change not only in the a bill here or there, but in the process of how these things are accomplished. And THAT is the real win.
