It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy.
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THE NEW CULTURE WAR
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent
In recent weeks, we have seen Republican lawmakers push two notable ideas in conservative state legislatures: that there need to be more restrictions on what should be taught about race and that there should be more limits, and tougher penalties to deal with protests and riots.
Teaching about racism
At least eight states have been considering bills that would limit what teachers, and often other state workers or contractors, can say about race and gender in history and society, according to Education Week ([link removed]) . Often supporters of such laws have pointed to “critical race theory,” which looks at systemic racism and sees institutions through the lens of race and power, as a problematic perspective that should be prevented from taking root. They argue that such discussions of race are divisive, even racist themselves, and inappropriately taint U.S. history.
But opponents say that is “dog-whistle” politics ([link removed]) , that the bills blocking such discussion actually are a way for white lawmakers to close minds to the reality of racism in America.
In New Hampshire, H.B. 544 ([link removed]) passed in the House after a fiery back and forth. The proposal would ban state workers, including teachers and contractors. from discussing or teaching any of the following: That the U.S. or New Hampshire are inherently racist places, that the idea of a “hard work ethic” is racist, that anyone should feel guilt or inferior because of their race and that any one race is inherently oppressive. That bill passed the state’s lower chamber and is awaiting action in the Senate, but Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has pledged to veto ([link removed]) if it makes it to his desk.
As in other places, the concept has elicited heated debate, including about the state’s own history with slavery and race ([link removed]) . Supporters have said it is misunderstood. ([link removed])
What is known is that these bills have the same DNA, and sometimes the same wording, as an executive order signed by President Trump ([link removed]) .
Protests and riots
A raft of states have advanced or enacted laws focused on protests and violence stemming from protests. These laws often redefine the term “riot,” significantly increasing penalties for those participating in the now more broadly defined act, and add new specific limitations on protest marches, including that they should not block highways.
Among the examples is H.B. 445, passed by the Alabama House of Representatives ([link removed]) last month. It would change the definition of a riot from “tumultuous and violent conduct … intentionally or recklessly causing grave risk or alarm” to a gathering of five or more people that results in “conduct creating an immediate danger of damage to property or injury to persons.” Activists are concerned this means peaceful protesters could be arrested for rioting whether they engage in violent activity or not. The bill now awaits action in the state senate.
Twenty-four states are considering their own versions of that bill, according to the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, which tracks such proposals ([link removed]) . (Pew has a map ([link removed]) .) Some allow police the ability to detain suspects for longer than usual without bond. A few would fire any state employee convicted of participating in a riot.
Those bills have often passed or been supported along partisan lines.
But a related effort, to ban protests near pipelines, has gained some bipartisan support. Kansas’ Democratic governor signed a bill ([link removed]) last week that makes trespassing near pipelines a misdemeanor. That effort has been mounting for years. Wisconsin’s Democratic governor signed ([link removed]) a similar pipeline protection bill in 2019.
FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Ian Couzens, @iancouzenz ([link removed])
Politics production assistant
Biden quietly reversed Trump’s ban on worker visas. Will it help or hurt the U.S. economy? ([link removed]) - April 14. While many pro-immigration groups had hoped Biden would abolish the ban early in his presidency, he instead waited nearly three months for it to quietly expire, avoiding possible clashes with his allies in organized labor who have long opposed the visas. Why it matters: Most research has shown that worker visas and other open door immigration policies have little or no negative effect on the economy or native-born workers; however, allowing the ban on foreign workers to stay in place could have negatively affected the economy and undercut Biden’s goal of making the U.S. more globally competitive. -- The Los Angeles Times
Florida Senate passes ‘anti-riot’ bill, sends it to DeSantis to sign into law ([link removed]) - April 15. The controversial legislation, which passed along party lines, includes provisions that: grant civil legal immunity to people who drive through protesters blocking a road, deny bail to those arrested for “rioting” until their first court appearance, and impose a six-month mandatory sentence for battery on a police officer during a riot. Why it matters: Democrats and civil rights groups argue that the bill, meant to address the sort of unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd, infringes on Americans' First Amendment right to protest. -- Orlando Sentinel
Democrats may use population estimates for redistricting, raising questions about fairness of maps ([link removed]) - April 19. In Illinois, the Democratic majority is considering using alternative data and population estimates to draw political boundaries by the June 30 deadline, as new federal census data is delayed until at least August. Why it matters: If Democrats haven’t drawn their new maps by the constitutionally set deadline, they risk giving Republicans a 50-50 chance of winning the right to draw the boundaries that will be used for the next decade. But if they draw the new map without the census data, they risk legal challenges from the left and the right. -- Chicago Tribune
Republicans talk unity in Georgia but censure Kemp, others ([link removed]) April 17. At least ten local Republican committees voted this past weekend to condemn Gov. Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, or both for not helping overturn President Trump’s defeat in the November election. Why it matters: More than five months after the presidential election, the censures show that Trump's false claims that the election was rigged still have a tight grip over many Republican voters and lawmakers. -- The Associated Press
The Blue States That Make It Hardest to Vote ([link removed]) - April 15. While Democrats have been quick to criticize red states for strict voting laws they say restrict ballot access and disproportionately affect people of color, Democratic strongholds in the northeast, including Biden’s home state of Delaware, are among the hardest places to vote. Why it matters: Democrats have been focused on expanding voter access in states where they have struggled to obtain and hold on to power, but proposed legislation could hit some blue states just as hard if not harder. -- The Atlantic
#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke ([link removed])
Politics producer
On this day in 1871, the House approved the Ku Klux Klan Act, which aimed to prevent extralegal violence and enforce the recently passed 14th Amendment. The Act came up again this year when it was cited in a federal lawsuit against those involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Our question: Which president signed the Ku Klux Klan Act?
Send your answers to
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
Last week, we asked: Which president was honored by a monument dedicated on this day in 1943?
The answer: Thomas Jefferson
On April 13, 1943, the Jefferson Monument was dedicated in Washington, D.C. When the monument was dedicated, the statue of Jefferson was actually a plaster stand-in. Due to World War II restrictions on metals, the permanent bronze statue would not be installed until 1947.
Congratulations to our winners: Karin Brown and Ed Witt!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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** Chauvin found guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd case
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