Episode 41: Legislative Update 2.12.23
 

Citizen Initiative Petition Bills

HJR 43 (Changes Missouri’s Initiative Petition law to establish an insurmountable threshold for any future Initiative Petition)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee. Committee members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets February 13th at 1:00pm, but send your emails even after this deadline.

 

SB 102, SB 113, SJR 2, SJR 5, SJR 10, SJR 12, SJR 17, SJR 28 (All make changes to Missouri's Initiative Petition process)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee. Committee members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets February 13th at 1:00pm, but send your emails even after this deadline.

 

HJR 28, HJR 29 (Make changes to Missouri's Initiative Petition process)

• 5 for Democracy: **SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY HERE**  Click on the 2 Initiative Petition bills, affirm, and submit. You should receive an email to confirm your submitted testimony. Make sure to click the link in the email you receive to confirm your testimony is submitted!

 

Voting Rights Bills

SJB 44 (Makes removing registered voters from the voter roles easier)

• 5 for Democracy: Contact your senator and urge them to vote NO on SB 44.

 

Education Bills

SS#2 SCS SBs 4, 42 & 89 (Hands over curriculum control to the state legislature)

• 30 Minute Matters: Send an email to each member of the Fiscal Oversight Committee and urge them to oppose this bill. Committee members can be found HERE.  Contact your senator and urge him to vote against the bill on the senate floor: Legislator Lookup. 
• Links to further reading: Missouri Independent article: "Missouri Senate advances ‘Parents Bill of Rights’"

 

Social Justice Bills

SB 82 (Ensures access to assistance like SNAP, TANF, and child care to persons working to establish self-sufficiency and "get off welfare" without putting them at risk of net losses due to assistance withdrawal)

• 5 for Democracy: Call or email your senator to urge them to support SB 82: Legislator Lookup. 
• 30 Minute Matters: Ask your friends to take action with you!

16min 57s

Published February 13, 2023 at 12:44am

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 40: Legislative Update 2.5.23
 

Citizen Initiative Petition Bills

SJR 2, SJR 5, + SJR 28 (Changes Missouri’s Initiative Petition law to establish an insurmountable threshold for any future Initiative Petition)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee. Committee members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets February 6th at 1:00pm, but send your emails even after this deadline.

 

Citizen Initiative Petition + Voting Rights Bills

SJR 17 (Changes the threshold for passage of Initiative Petitions AND prohibits Missouri from joining the National Popular Vote Compact)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee. Committee members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets February 6th at 1:00pm, but send your emails even after this deadline.

LGBTQ+ Rights Bills
SB 14 (Prohibits anyone of any age from changing the sex listed on their birth certificate, thus blocking trans people from acquiring accurate government IDs among other things)

• 5 for Democracy: Call your state senator and express your opposition to this bill.
• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the General Laws Committee. Committee members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets February 7th at 10:00am

Get typing!

6min 31s

Published February 5, 2023 at 7:55pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 39: Legislative Update 1.29.23
 

Citizen Initiative Petition Bills

HJR 19 (Changes Missouri’s Initiative Petition law to require winning not just a majority of votes cast but also a majority of votes in more than half of the state senate districts.)

• Five for Democracy: Submit testimony in opposition to HJR 19 before the hearing HERE. Deadline: Committee meets January 31st at 12:30pm

HJR 30, + HJR 43 (Both of these bills proposes changes to the Missouri citizen Initiative Petition law as enshrined in the Missouri Constitution)

• 30 Minute Matters: Read the Missouri Independent’s article by a conservative, “Missouri voters won’t fall for the ballot initiative power grab”
• Anne's Bonus Task: Talk to your friends and family about Missouri's Citizen Initiative Petition process!

LGBTQ+ Bills

HB 337, HB 183, HB 170 (Together, these bills create the Save Women’s Sports Act or define what “sex” is so only biological females would be allowed to participate in women’s sports)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the General Laws Committee. Committee members can be found HERE.

 

Let's go!

Published January 29, 2023 at 8:15pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 38: Legislative Update 1.22.23
 

Citizen Initiative Petition Bills

HJR 18, HJR 24, HJR 25, HJR 30, + HJR 43 (Each of these bills proposes changes to the Missouri citizen Initiative Petition law as enshrined in the Missouri Constitution)

• Five for Democracy: Submit testimony in opposition to any or all 5 bills before the hearing HERE. Deadline: Committee meets January 24th at 12pm

 

Voting Rights Bills

SB 44 (Sets up an onerous voter purging regime that makes voter inactivity over a 2 year period a criteria for removal from the voter registration list)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the Local Government and Elections Committee. Committee members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets January 23rd at 2pm

 

Education Bills

SB 42 (School districts would be prohibited from teaching about “any divisive concepts." The bill also targets trans kids.)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets January 24th at 8am

 

Tax Bills

SB 93 (Would reduce the current 4% income tax on corporations to 0% by 2027)

• 30 Minute Matters: Email your opposition to this bill to your State Senator and members of the Economic Development and Tax Policy Committee before the hearing. Committee Members can be found HERE. Deadline: Committee meets January 23rd at 2pm

Published January 22, 2023 at 7:27pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 37: Legislative Update 1.15.23
 

Tax Bill: SB 8
Gradually does away with personal property tax which will hurt school districts etc that rely on this revenue stream.

• Five for Democracy: Email members of the Economic Development and Tax Policy Committee to encourage them to oppose this legislation. Deadline: Committee meets January 17th at 2pm.

Published January 15, 2023 at 7:12pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 36: Legislative Update 1.8.23
 

Welcome back! Rachel and Anne are back to ease you into the 2023 Missouri Legislative Session. This week's Five for Democracy is easy! Just hit the follow button for this podcast on your favorite podcast platform. That's it!

Published January 8, 2023 at 8:22pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 35: Running for Office

Join Anne and Rachel in this send off to 2022 and get ready for 2023!

First off, learn more about writing testimony in favor of or in opposition to bills by reading over testimony from a bill that came up in the 2022 MO Legislative session: https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/witnesses/HJR132Testimony.pdf. When you find our testimony (or your own testimony), let us know!!

Then, thinking about running for office? We break it down step-by-step so that you know how to get up and rolling!

Next, Anne tells us about some unique figures who have run for office through history and gives us a run down on what LWVKC volunteers have been up to!

Published December 26, 2022 at 6:15pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 34: Election Integrity (Go Vote!!)

Rachel and Anne take you through the detailed processes that our local election authorities go through to ensure our elections are secure. Then, how old do you think the Clap-o-Meter is? We'll give you our best guess! Finally, with a run down of election work that the League is doing, we encourage YOU to go to VOTE411 and also to vote early in-person!

Published October 28, 2022 at 2:05pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 33: Voting Changes in Missouri!

Anne and Rachel lay out what changes have been wrought by HB 1878 on Missouri's voting system. Due to provisions in the law, we cannot talk about requesting mail-in absentee ballots, so we encourage you to visit sos.mo.gov for more information on that topic.

Greg Woodhams comes by to talk to Rachel and Anne about the broader picture of changes that HB 1878 has brought to town.

Published October 9, 2022 at 1:36pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 32: VoteRiders

Rachel and Anne discuss federal legislation, the history of polling, and a couple of new projects the League is working on! 

Then, they interview Jazlyn Gallego and Reid Magney from VoteRiders to learn more about their mission and find out how they can help voters in Missouri.

Published September 16, 2022 at 3:34pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 31: Post-Session Legislative Actions

Join Rachel and Anne to learn about what happens to a bill after it passes through the House and Senate. And! Missouri is going to have a Special Session! Anne gives us some little known information about Independence Day.

The interviews with voters have been edited for length and clarity.

Published August 2, 2022 at 12:36pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 30: Rage Rage Vote

We wanted to bring you a brief update on the state of abortion rights. In a slight divergence from the norm, we branch out from our Missouri focus to talk about Kansas's Amendment 2 vote that is coming up on August 2nd. Then, we explain what exactly the laws are surrounding abortion right now in Missouri.

Take care of yourselves. Anger can be healthy. Make sure you check www.vote411.org for your ballot in the August 2nd election!!

Published July 19, 2022 at 6:47pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 29: Missouri's Place in National Trends

Join Anne and Rachel to talk about the differences between State Legislatures across the US and get an idea of where Missouri's legislative activities fit in with other states'. Follow along with Laura while she speaks with a member of the Election Board. And, learn from Anne how Missouri's state flower came to be!

Thank you for sticking with us -- we are back from much appreciated vacations.

Get in touch with us at talktalkvote@gmail.com!

An insight into LWVUS's stance on the rights of trans individuals: www.lwv.org/league-urges-us-senate-pass-equality-act

Published June 19, 2022 at 5:59pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 28: Legislative Update: 5.16.22 End of Regular Session Recap

That's it! The regular legislative session is over. Missouri passed 43 non-budget bills through the House and Senate over this 2022 legislative session. Listen to find out what passed and what didn't!

Thank you to all of you who took pen (or keyboard) in hand this session and made your voices heard!!

Published May 24, 2022 at 9:10am

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 27: Legislative Update: 5.8.22

Published May 8, 2022 at 5:08pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 26: Legislative Update: 5.1.22

Published May 1, 2022 at 5:57pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 25: Legislative Update: 4.24.22

Published Apr 25, 2022 at 10:09am

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 24: Legislative Update: 4.17.22

Published Apr 18, 2022 at 8:11am

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 23: Local Elections: where society starts

Published Apr 17, 2022 at 1:20pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 22: Legislative Update: 4.10.22

Initiative Petition Bills

• 5 For Democracy: Email or call your State Senator to express your opposition to this bill. Find your Senator here. Deadline is Monday, April 11th.

Published Apr 10, 2022 at 5:57pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 21: Legislative Update: 4.3.22

Voting Rights Bills

• 5 For Democracy: Submit testimony in opposition to this bill here. Deadline is April 6th at 11:00am!
  

• 5 For Democracy: Email your Representative to express your opposition to this bill. SB 654 is scheduled for perfection in the House on April 4th.

5min 26s
Published Apr 3, 2022 at 7:40pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 20: Legislative Update: 3.27.22

• 5 For Democracy: Submit testimony in opposition to this bill here. Deadline is midnight March 28th!
  

• 30-Minute Matters: Contact members of the Senate General Laws Committee and ask them to oppose this bill. Deadline is Tuesday, March 29th at 9:30am!

• 30-Minute Matters: Contact members of the Senate Education Committee and ask them to oppose this bill. Deadline is Tuesday, March 29th at midnight! (**Rachel mistakenly says the hearing is on March 28th, but it is actually on March 29th at 8am**)

 

7min 24s
Published Mar 27, 2022 at 7:32pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 19: Legislative Update: 3.20.22

• 5 For Democracy: Submit testimony in opposition to this bill here. Deadline is midnight March 21st!
  

• This bill has passed through committee and will be back on the House floor soon for perfection and a final vote.
• 5 For Democracy: Email your state representative and tell them to oppose this bill!

• This bill passed out of the House and has now moved to the Senate.
• 30-Minute Matters: Contact members of the Senate Education Committee and ask them to oppose this bill.

• 5 For Democracy: Call your State Senator and tell them to oppose HJR 91.
• 30-Minute Matters: Email or call members of the Senate Interim Committee on Elections and tell them you oppose HJR 91.
• Deep Dive: sign up here for a phone bank shift to oppose HJR 91!

 

6min 10s
Published Mar 20, 2022 at 6:01pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 18: Legislative Update: 3.13.22

Deep Dive into HB 1646!

Click for a link to our LWVKC eVoter newsletter.

4min 4s
Published Mar 13, 2022 at 5:49pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 17: Legislative Update: 3.6.22

5 For Democracy:

• Submit testimony in opposition to: HB 2197, HB 2461, + HB 2734 (prohibiting trans girls from playing sports in school). DUE BY MONDAY (3/7) AT 5PM.
• Submit testimony in opposition to: HJR 133 (increases barriers to citizen initiative petitions). DUE BY WEDNESDAY (3/9) AT 11AM.
• Submit testimony in opposition to: HB 1646 (includes provisions for photo ID requirements, changes to absentee voting policies, and declares that Missouri would not have to follow any federal voting rights laws). DUE BY WEDNESDAY (3/9) AT 11AM.

30-Minute Matters:

• Email the members of the Elections and Elected Officials Committee to encourage them to vote down HJR 132 (increases barriers to citizen initiative petitions). DUE BY WEDNESDAY (3/9) AT 11AM.

Got thoughts? Send us an email at talktalkvote@gmail.com!

6min 3s
Published Mar 6, 2022 at 3:25pm

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 16: Writing Bills and Getting Citizen Initiatives on the Ballot

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 15: Legislative Update: 2.28.22

Read about and make your own decision (ACTION DUE 11:59PM 2/28):

• HB 2189: Modifies and creates provisions regarding the use of certain training, instructional, and curricular materials in public schools and charter schools.  Link to full bill.  Link to bill summary.  Link to submit testimony (DUE BY 11:59PM 2/28).
• HB 1835: Identifies particular social studies academic performance standards and learning standards for elementary and secondary education. Link to full bill. Link to bill summary. Link to submit testimony (DUE BY 11:59PM 2/28).

• The initiative petition process is one of the purest forms of democratic participation.
• For more than a century, Missouri citizens across the political spectrum have been able to make their voices heard through the initiative petition process.
• These bills make it harder for everyday citizens to participate in our democracy.
• These bills make it harder for citizen-generated petitions to pass (SJR 31: 60% or SJR 37: 66%), while legislature-generated petitions will still only require a simple majority.
• SJR 37 increases the number of signatures required to get the petition onto the ballot (there is already a very high signature threshold).

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 14: Legislative Update: 2.21.22

Deep Dives:
- Read about HJR 117 (block funding to Medicaid expansion)
- Read about HJR 70 (make passing initiative petitions functionally impossible)

5 for Democracy:
- Call Senator Luetkemeyer at (573) 751-2183 to request that he, as Chairman of the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, put SB 793 on the committee calendar (expunge past minor marijuana convictions).
- Call Senator Luetkemeyer at (573) 751-2183 to request that he, as Chairman of the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, put SB 795 on the committee calendar (use of force restrictions).

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 13: Legislative Update: 2.13.22

 

Up for hearings this week:

Monday, 5pm (Testimony due by 4pm!)
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: HB 2627 – Submit Testimony: https://house.mo.gov/WitnessForm/Default.aspx?bill=HB2627¬iceid=6611

Tuesday, 12pm (Testimony due by 11am!)
CONCEAL CARRY PERMITS: HB 1833 – Submit Testimony: https://house.mo.gov/WitnessForm/Default.aspx?bill=HB1833¬iceid=6628 

Wednesday, 12pm (Testimony due by 11am!)
VOTING/ELECTIONS: HB 2113, HB 2140, + HB 2002 (Yes, they are up again from last week!) – Submit Testimony: https://house.mo.gov/WitnessForm/Default.aspx?bill=HB2113¬iceid=6630

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 12: Legislative Update: 2.7.22

 

The Elections Committee in the MO House is holding a public hearing on 4 important bills this Wednesday (2/9/22):

HB 2113 + HB 2140 - photo ID requirements
HB 1455 - forbid groups or individuals from distributing blank absentee ballot applications
HB 2002 - require election authority to record a voter's political party

Link to submit testimony: https://house.mo.gov/WitnessForm/Default.aspx?noticeid=6565
(You'll need to watch for an email to confirm your testimony once you submit!)

Chair: Rep. Dan Shaul: 573-751-2504
Vice-Chair: Rep. Peggy McGaugh: 573-751-1468
Ranking Minority Member: Rep. Kevin Windham: 573-751-4468

Did you call in or submit testimony? Let us know at talktalkvote@lwvkc.org.

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 11: Process Breakdown: How a bill becomes a law in the Missouri Legislature

 

Happy January! This episode is late but it is here!

Rachel and Anne dive into the details to demonstrate how a bill moves through both houses of the Missouri Legislature before becoming a law. Laura talks to new citizens about the value of the vote. Anne gives us a reminder that wearing your wig backwards is a-okay.

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 10: 2021 Federal Legislative Wrap-Up

 

Anne and Rachel talk federal legislation, how to have an impact (5 for Democracy!!), and where adultery is still illegal. Instead of an interview this month, we talk to some League members with different histories about what made them decided to join the League and what activities they partake in with the League!

Congressional Calendar: https://www.nab.org/documents/advocacy/2021CongressionalCalendar.pdf

 

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 9: Policing in Kansas City

 

Anne and Rachel take a look at the history of the Kansas City Police Department and speak to Gwendolyn Grant, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, about the current state of affairs with the KCPD as well as actions that are being taken to try to increase the KCPD's accountability to the community.

Your 5-minute task this week is to call your Senators and tell them to vote to allow the Freedom to Vote Act to come to debate.


Resources:

To make a donation in support of Gwendolyn Grant's actions on behalf of Kansas City residents: make a check out to "Greater Kansas City Community Foundation" and make a note that it is for Gwendolyn Grant's CLEAR Fund. Missouri's Police Scorecard: https://policescorecard.org/mo

Talk Talk Vote! is a LWVKC production. It's produced by Rachel Thompson and Anne Calvert. Theme music provided by Hanging Chad Studio.

Episode 8: See you soon!

 

Episode 7: I'm the map I'm the map I'm the map I'm the map – Redistricting!

 

Episode 6: Critical Race Theory, let's learn about it!

 

Episode 5: Gun Laws in Missouri – what's going on here??

 

Episode 4: More Merrique!

 

Episode 3: Merrique Jenson is building a space for trans empowerment

 

Episode 2: It's fun to stay at the...!

 

Episode 1: In the Kitchen with Alice