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The 2022 Power of Diversity: Black 100: 51-100
Huge congratulations to NPP executive director Kadida Kenner and House Democratic Leader & NPP board member Rep. Joanna McClinton on their well-deserved recognition from City & State PA! The 2022 Power of Diversity: Black 100: 51-100 is out now, see the full list [[link removed]] .
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1Hood Power Mid-term Elections Update
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On a recent 1Hood Power Hour, JJ Abbott (Commonwealth Communications), Maryn Formley (VEEEM Pittsburgh), Kadida Kenner (New PA Project), & Stephen Caruso (PA Capital-Star), discussed important updates about the current state of the mid-term elections in Pennsylvania.
Watch the full interview here on 1HoodPower's YouTube channel [[link removed]] .
NPP IN THE NEWS
Members of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission [[link removed]]
Members of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission. MATT ROURKE AP
Final Pa. legislative maps approved by redistricting panel, but legal challenges likely (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
A state panel Friday approved Pennsylvania’s new legislative district maps, which could substantially alter the balance of power in the General Assembly for the next decade but are likely to be challenged in court by Republicans unhappy with the state House plan . Read more >> [[link removed]]
The Policy Corner
The New Pennslyvania Project out registering voters! [[link removed]]
SCOTUS(Supreme Court of the United States) Vacancy
With Justice Stephen Breyer announcing his retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court, President Biden has recommitted to his campaign pledge to nominate the first-ever Black woman justice to the Court. There are many incredibly qualified women who are well-prepared to serve. Our friends at Alliance for Justice have put together their shortlist of 12 Black women [[link removed]] they believe are at the top of Biden’s list.
President Biden will nominate an individual and present that nomination to the Senate Judiciary Committee. From there, the committee holds hearings where witnesses present their views. The committee then votes on the nominee and sends their recommendation to the full Senate. The full Senate then holds debates and will eventually vote to confirm the nominee.
The role that our U.S. Senators have in confirming a SCOTUS justice is critical to the lives of all Americans for decades to come. Justices serve life terms on the highest court in our nation and will hear critical issues including: reproductive rights, climate change, anti-discrimination laws and issues around the second amendment. The U.S. Supreme court's decisions will affect all of us and it is important to understand the role you have in electing Senators who will vote for a justice to sit on the highest court in our nation.
Reminder: Request Your Mail Ballot
Once you submit your request, a ballot will be mailed to your address. Then, you can fill out your ballot at home and return it by mail or at a secure dropbox set up by your county.
Vote by mail works for Pennsylvania. 2,616,012 Pennsylvanians were able to vote safely and securely in 2020 thanks to Pennsylvania’s landmark vote-by-mail law, Act 77.
Learn more about voting by mail [[link removed]] .
Vote By Mail [[link removed]]
Voter Registration Lookup [[link removed]]
Register to Vote [[link removed]]
#TWEETOFTHEWEEK
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STATE AND LOCAL NEWS
Pennsylvania lawmakers are abusing the constitutional amendment process
A disturbing trend is emerging in some corners of Pennsylvania politics: if at first you don’t succeed, change the rules until you do. Republican state lawmakers, frustrated by the governor’s power to veto laws, are now abusing Pennsylvania’s constitutional amendment process to get what they want.
Read more in Penn Live [[link removed]]
Pennsylvania GOP leaders are stealing your right to vote
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court handed down a split decision striking down the ability of voters to vote by mail, a method used by around 2.6 million voters in 2020. Three judges on the five-judge panel narrowly interpreted the state constitution to justify striking down the law. The case will ultimately be decided by the state Supreme Court.
Read more in Go Erie [[link removed]]
Pennsylvania school funding formula does damage to student
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court is hearing a groundbreaking case on the constitutionality of the state’s system of funding schools. The plaintiffs in the suit and their attorneys hope this trial, which is expected to last another month, will lay out vividly for lawmakers, the courts and the public how the inequities of public school aid in Pennsylvania do real damage to real children.
Read more in The Mercury [[link removed]]
Recreational marijuana coming to Pennsylvania? Legislature takes first steps toward legalization
Lawmakers are set to take the first serious step toward legalizing recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania. A hearing scheduled Monday in the Senate Law & Justice Committee will be the first time a legislative committee in the General Assembly has vetted this issue, although legislation to legalize or decriminalize marijuana has been around for years.
Read more in Go Erie [[link removed]]
Endorsements in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race keep stacking up.
Pennsylvania’s 2022 U.S. Senate race is one of the most competitive elections in the country and could help determine control of the Senate following this year’s midterm elections. Voters have yet to cast their ballots in this year’s primaries, though a number of notable Pennsylvanians and organizations have already made endorsements for U.S. Senate.
Read more in City & State [[link removed]]
A complete guide and amendment tracker for proposed changes to Pennsylvania’s Constitution
The slow, multiyear process of amending the Pennsylvania Constitution has become the tool of choice for Republican lawmakers seeking to enact policy and avoid the governor’s veto.
Read more in Spotlight PA [[link removed]]
Poorer cities, growing suburbs get most out of schools plan
Gov. Tom Wolf hit the road Wednesday to begin selling his proposal for what would be the largest-ever increase in aid for Pennsylvania’s public schools, several times over, as school officials digested the news and Republicans who control the Legislature warned that it will never happen.
Read more in AP [[link removed]]
Black History Month Spotlight
Repost from McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center
[[link removed]] Gwendolyn "Gwen" Elliott, is known as a champion for women and children. For her, it was just about serving community and making it a better place.
Gwen served in the military for 15 years before joining the Pittsburgh Police Force. Gwen began her career with the Pittsburgh police along with 11 other women, the department's first female officers. In 1986 she became the department's first black female commander.
While serving on the police force Gwen was determined to find a way to improve the quality of life of the young women and girls who came to the attention of the police. Gwen retired from the police department after 26 years of service, and in the same year she founded Gwen's Girls, a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the needs of at-risk young women and girls. Gwen passed away in 2007 but Gwen's Girls is still a champion for women and girls in the region.
Learn more about Gwen's Girls here: [link removed]*F&c[0]=AT3K43bYMi2KGCTpE8--P_hmUy5gSFAP5UxbDQISHxtHDXomsYpi9BXEGAnRe2mkVk2BvhTYk0hq_7NN0KUHFL31YasNzeEHkgxcbKYdpZ4BzkJuizNCCrMATM0OuhzI84m3Bo0k3zN_sz5klSXaOHj6ffxMK8JCPLR_fTy_bJjLTuKG [[link removed]*F&c[0]=AT3K43bYMi2KGCTpE8--P_hmUy5gSFAP5UxbDQISHxtHDXomsYpi9BXEGAnRe2mkVk2BvhTYk0hq_7NN0KUHFL31YasNzeEHkgxcbKYdpZ4BzkJuizNCCrMATM0OuhzI84m3Bo0k3zN_sz5klSXaOHj6ffxMK8JCPLR_fTy_bJjLTuKG]
Help us reach our goal to register 50,000 voters in the Commonwealth
We can't do this important year-round work without you.
Will you help us defend democracy by expanding the electorate in Pennsylvania?
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The New Pennsylvania Project is a 501(c)(4), contributions are not for charitable purposes and are not tax-deductible.
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