WEEKLY RECAP
From Hawaii Family Forum, February 26, 2021
U.S. House of Representatives Pass Equality Act - Again!
H.R. 5 Vote in the U.S. House
The House voted Thursday to pass the Equality Act, a bill that is intended by supporters to end discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. President Biden has made this a priority and said he would like to see it passed within his first 100 days in office.
Hawaii's Representatives Case and Kahele both voted in support!
The legislation was passed by the House in 2019 but blocked in the Republican-led Senate. As it crosses over to the Senate, it will need 60 votes to break a legislative filibuster - and that may prove to be very difficult.
After a spirited and often angry debate, the House voted 224 to 206 for the measure, with all Democrats voting yes with three Republicans.
Assisted Suicide Expansion Bill NARROWLY Passes Senate Judiciary
SB 839 SD1 Relating to Health: Update
SB 839 SD1 Relating to Health is the bill to authorize advanced practice registered nurses, in addition to physicians, to practice medical aid in dying in accordance with their scope of practice and prescribing authority. Authorizes psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, in addition to psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical social workers, to provide counseling to a qualified patient. Reduces the mandatory waiting period between oral requests from twenty days to fifteen days. Waives the mandatory waiting period for those terminally ill individuals not expected to survive the mandatory waiting period. (SD1)
STATUS: On February 25, 2021, the Senate Committee on Judiciary recommended that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in JDC were as follows:
4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Keohokalole, Acasio, Lee;
3 No(es): Senator(s) Gabbard, Kim, Fevella;
The bill will now move to the entire Senate for a vote. You can send a message to your Senator by clicking this link.
We truly appreciate the no votes of Senator(s) Gabbard, Kim and Fevella. Hawaii Family Forum opposed the bill.
TAKE ACTION!
COVID Relief Should NOT INCLUDE TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION!
Take action now!
Congress will soon vote on a new COVID relief bill, called the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that addresses the needs of many vulnerable people related to the pandemic. Unfortunately, unlike previous COVID relief bills, this bill appropriates billions of taxpayer dollars that are not subject to longstanding, bi-partisan pro-life protections that are needed to prevent this funding from paying for abortions.
ACTION: Click this link to take action through our VoterVOICE system. It will only take a minute to ask your congressional leader to please do not allow taxpayer dollars to fund abortion in the COVID relief bill.
FROM AROUND THE NATION
Promise to America's Children
The nationwide effort aims to protect children's minds, bodies, and hearts
Hawaii Family Forum is proud to announce its support of the Promise to America's Children, a 10-point pledge to protect children's minds, bodies, and relationships with their parents.
Written by The Heritage Foundation, Family Policy Alliance, and Alliance Defending Freedom, the pledge has received broad support from more than 50 state and national organizations, including Hawaii Family Forum. A full list of endorsing organizations is available at the Promise website.
#EqualityActExposed Rally
Virtual Rally Gets Attention
This week the Family Policy Alliance hosted a virtual rally on the Equality Act. There were many speakers from across the nation. The rally has so far garnered more than 32,000 impressions (including over 500 shares and 1,100 comments on Facebook).
You can watch the entire virtual rally here:
EqualityActExposed Virtual Rally.
You can read the FPA post-event press release and national email, and post-vote press release and email if you want to see all the great speakers and impact of the virtual rally.
There were some technical difficulties when it was my time to speak so the Family Policy Alliance graciously allowed me to send a video clip of what I would have shared. If you want to watch that short 2 minute clip, you can click the link below.
Becerra Nomination
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on Finance held hearings on the nomination of Xavier Becerra for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Becerra has no public health experience and holds extreme pro-abortion views. In the hearing, he would not commit to preventing federal funding of abortion nor would he comment on why he voted against a ban on partial birth abortion. As California Attorney General, Becerra forcefully defended that state's law forcing faith-based, pro-life crisis pregnancy centers to post information about abortion. In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled this law unconstitutional (see National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra).
Becerra also prosecuted (along with his predecessor, now Vice-President Kamala Harris) David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress who filmed Planned Parenthood officials openly talking about selling body parts of aborted children. He also sued the Trump Administration over its reduction of Title X funding for Planned Parenthood as well as the religious and conscience exemptions that it provided from the Obama/Biden contraception and sterilization coverage mandate.
Faith in Politics Podcast
Faith in Politics: Recent Episodes
On this Episode: Equality Act, COVID 19 bill, and Becerra Nomination
In this episode Eva Andrade and Jim Hochberg speak with Greg Baynor from Alliance Defending Freedom.
We are giving away a free mug to the first person who comments on the YouTube link above. Remember, the analytics are really important so if you take the time to watch the show, please like the video and share it. Give us some good comments as well - maybe suggest some topics you would like to see covered. Let us know you are watching!