Release time leaders and staff News

Dec 02, 2018

MEA – Doug Pratt, Director of Public Affairs
Good news for a change – the House Education Committee DID NOT pass the House versions of the release time legislation (HBs 6474 and 5368) in their meeting this morning.  Testimony was compelling for our side and our lobbying is making a difference.

 HOWEVER, we are not out of the woods – there are many procedural methods to get these or the Senate bills (795-796) up for consideration on the House floor.  We need to continue the pressure.  We’re doing patch through calls today to members in target districts, plus text messages that went last night and today to members asking them to call targeted lawmakers. 

To answer the question that last sentence is sure to generate, we are not sharing the target list broadly.  Were that list to get out, it would put an arm-twisting target on the backs of those legislators.  We’ve reached out to UniServ directors in those key areas to ask them to take particular steps, including getting with release time leaders in those House districts.  

 Regardless of targets (because the anecdotal pressure is helpful with both friends and foes alike), we need all of you to continue contacting your state representatives and urging your administrations to do the same. 

MEA Action Network page (which has already generated more than 500 emails in one day) is at https://www.actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-representative-protect-our-public-employees-vote-no-on-hb-6474-and-5368-2 -- please share this with members (we’ve included it in Capitol Comments and on Facebook).