U.S. Poverty Weekly Update May 19, 2015
U.S. Poverty CampaignsWeekly Update | May 19, 2015
In This Week’s Update:
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Quick Action: Tell Congress to Protect Tax Credits for Working Families
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Got Two Minutes? Talk Taxes with Members of Congress during Next Week’s RecessNext week, both the House and Senate will on recess. Meeting face-to-face is the most effective way to influence a members of Congress on the issues. Use next week’s recess to talk with them about tax fairness and the importance of making the improvements to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) permanent now. In addition to meetings, many members of Congress participate in town halls and Memorial Day parades during this recess. Be sure to ask schedulers about any public appearances they have scheduled next week that you can attend. TAKE ACTION: To two minutes to contact your House and Senate schedulers about face-to-face meetings during next week’s recess. Either submit a request now or follow up on one you’ve already submitted. Also ask if your representative and senators are doing any town halls or public events that you can attend during the recess. Find scheduler contact information on our Elected Officials page. Once you get a meeting or town hall confirmed, please contact Meredith Dodson ([email protected]) for coaching on specific requests for your meeting. Be sure to take copies of our Tax Credit and SNAP Lobby Meeting requests with you to these events. |
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Got Ten Minutes? Tell Lawmakers that If They Care about Families, Make EITC and CTC Improvements Permanent (May Action)While many of us lament that the 2016 campaign season has already begun, the early beginning does give you the chance to make a difference on our issues. One common theme politicians and candidates like to reiterate during political campaigns is the importance of “helping children and families.” Since they like to discuss this topic so much, why not use that theme to get specific on an issue that has a huge impact children and families – tax fairness. We know for a fact that the EITC and CTC have enormous benefits for children and families: they lift more children out of poverty than any other programs; they promote work and help low-income families achieve greater financial security; children born into EITC households do better in school and earn more income as adults. We also know that if critical improvements to the EITC and CTC enacted in 2009 are allowed to expire in 2017, 16 million people, half of them children, will fall into or deeper into poverty (see state-by-state numbers here). This includes child care workers, nurses, construction workers, and military personnel. So the question to lawmakers is not whether they will make these improvements permanent but rather, why haven’t they done it already? Do they not want to help working families? Do they not believe in protecting at-risk children? This is a no-brainer – if you say you want to help American families, make the EITC and CTC improvements permanent now. TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to write letters to your House and Senate members urging them to make the 2009 improvements to the EITC and CTC permanent. Google “children and families” along with your representative’s or senators’ names to find a quote from them about that topic (or find one on their website). If you find one talking in support of children and families, incorporate that into your letters and urge them to support these families by protecting the EITC and CTC. The May Action provides you talking points and background information for your letters. You can find additional resources about the tax credits and tax fairness in the May National Meeting resources found on our National Conference Calls page. If you are pressed for time, use our online e-mail action to tell Congress to permanently extend important improvements to the EITC and CTC. |
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Got Twenty Minutes? Help Us Increase our “Domestic Presence” at this Year’s RESULTS International ConferenceOne of our goals every year for the RESULTS International Conference is to have a strong “domestic” presence at the conference. In other words, by having as many of our U.S. Poverty advocates attend as possible. You are the backbone of our work to end poverty in the U.S. All the work to influence legislation, to expand into new states and districts, to make a difference in the lives of low-income Americans starts with you, our volunteers. Each year, the conference gives us the opportunity to honor your work and re-energize your efforts. Our monthly conference calls and weekly updates are helpful but they are poor substitutes to meeting you and hearing your stories in person at the conference. RESULTS staff can attest that the best part of the conference is seeing, talking, sharing, laughing, and hugging our volunteers who attend. It’s you who make the conference what it is every single year. This year, we have a goal of at least 45 U.S. Poverty advocates attending the 2015 RESULTS International Conference. We want you to be one of them. Right now, we have 31 people registered. Ideally, we’d like to see someone from every active U.S. Poverty group at the conference (only one-third of groups are represented at this point). Won’t you join us by registering today! Conference registration is only $100 for active RESULTS volunteers (and $200 rate for non-volunteers), but only for 12 more days. The rates go up on June 1. If you want to come but need financial assistance getting there, please let us know. We have some money set aside to help with travel, hotel, and registration costs. Please fill out our RESULTS U.S. Poverty Activist Scholarship Fund form today – don’t wait until the money runs out! Finally, do you have a friend, colleague, or family member who you know would be a great advocate? Any RESULTS volunteer who recruits a NEW person to join us at the 2015 International Conference will be entered into a raffle to win two free tickets to the RESULTS 35th Anniversary Benefit Gala on July 22 (plus a free room night at the conference hotel for July 22). After four days of building our movement and taking action, you and your guest will get to hear straight from Prof. Muhammad Yunus at this great event. It’s simple: find a friend to join you at the conference and register in advance, then let Jos Linn ([email protected]) know who you are and the person you registered and we’ll make sure you’re entered into the raffle for Gala tickets. For more information about the conference, visit www.results.org/events/IC_2015. Also visit our Conference Resources page and see our new 2015 Conference Checklist to help you prepare for a great conference experience. |
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RESULTS Outreach: Group Start in Utah Tonight, Welcome Back New Orleans!RESULTS is continuing to reach into new and important areas in our work to end poverty. We are very excited that tonight, RESULTS Director of U.S. Poverty Campaigns Meredith Dodson will be in Salt Lake City, UT to start a new RESULTS group. Utah is a pivotal state for our U.S. poverty work. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is the Chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over all tax issues, as well as federal health programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. Having advocates speak to him directly about the importance of tax fairness and the EITC and CTC will be invaluable for our work. If you know anyone in the Salt Lake City area, please invite them to attend this event. The RESULTS Salt Lake City group start meeting is tonight, May 19 at 7:30 pm MT at The Broadway Center, 111 E. Broadway, Ste 800 in Salt Lake City. For more details, contact Meredith at [email protected]. We’d also like to welcome New Orleans back to RESULTS! RESULTS U.S. Poverty Organizer Kristy Martino traveled to the Bayou State last week to re-start the group there, which is a mix of new and familiar faces. They will be working hard to fight poverty from this very strategic state; they are already working on getting their first face to face meeting! On her trip, Kristy also had a chance to check in with our Baton Rouge, LA advocates and also our groups in the Pike’s Peak Region of Colorado. She provided training and support to secure their first face-to-face meeting as well. Finally, Kristy presented at the Community Action Network (CAN) conference in Denver, CO, giving a workshop on how to tell your personal story and speak powerfully on big issues to create change. We thank CAN for letting us be a part of such a great day. If you know anyone in Louisiana or Colorado who would like to get involved, please contact Kristy at [email protected]. Finally, don’t forget our ongoing outreach resource available to you each month – our RESULTS Introductory Calls. These 30-45 minute calls give new people the opportunity to learn about RESULTS and how to get involved. If you know someone who would make a great advocate for the end of poverty, invite him/her to attend the next Intro Call on Friday, May 29 at 1:00 pm ET. People can register for this or another upcoming call on the RESULTS website. |
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Upcoming EventsGo to the RESULTS Events Calendar to see a full list of RESULTS events. Next Congressional Recesses: House and Senate: May 23-31. Request face-to-face meetings. RESULTS U.S. Poverty Free Agents Call, May 19 at 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join online at: http://fuze.me/27491886; or by phone at (201) 479-4595 and enter Meeting ID: 27491886. For more information, contact Jos Linn ([email protected]). RESULTS Group Start in Salt Lake City, May 19 at 7:30 pm MT. The Broadway Center, 111 E. Broadway, Ste 800 in Salt Lake City, UT. Contact Meredith Dodson ([email protected]) for more details. RESULTS Introductory Call, May 29 at 1:00 pm ET. If you are new to RESULTS, learn more about our work by joining our next RESULTS Intro Call. Register for an upcoming call on the RESULTS website. Advocacy Training: Advocacy 101 Training and What to Expect at the International Conference, June 2 at 8:00 pm ET. Join online at: https://www.fuze.me/28699630 or by phone at (201) 479-4595, passcode 28699630. This webinar will also be repeated on June 24 at 9 pm ET and July 9 at 1 pm ET. RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Meeting, June 13 at 12:30 pm ET. Listen to previous conference calls and meetings on our National Conference Calls page. Attend the RESULTS International Conference, July 18-21. Join us for the RESULTS International Conference at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC. This is the biggest event of the year for RESULTS. Register TODAY! Find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website. |