I don’t often write to my congressman, Rep. Scott DesJarlais, and he has never responded to any of my previous missives. Like nearly all my other elected representation, he’s a polar opposite to me ideologically. The math really doesn’t work, but as a member of the “Freedom Caucus,” he’s (somehow) beyond polar opposite. I don’t have a quote of him saying so, but he seems to believe that his voters and funders are his only constituents. Tennessee has rock-bottom voter turnout, so in 2016 he garnered just under 165,800 votes. Like so many of the Republicans that came in with the Tea Party, he’s never held a town hall.
Of course, not much is moving in the House these days, anyway. I seem to spend most of my time worrying about what the Senate is up to and who they’re confirming for judgeships and running federal agencies. But there are a couple of bills in the works in the House that I wanted to share my opinions on, HR 4219 and 5911.
HR 4219, the Workflex in the 21st Century Act, was sponsored by Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA-45). This bill covers many things, but according to the National Women’s Law Center, it would weaken protections for workers by allowing companies to circumvent local laws.
Fair scheduling laws can allow working people to count on more dependable hours, to receive their schedules at least two weeks in advance, and to request changes in their schedules to accommodate caring for loved ones without retaliation. Paid sick days laws make it financially feasible for workers to take the time they need to recover from illness or care for loved ones. Provisions like these provide true flexibility. H.R. 4219 sets out to weaken these laws to provide sham “flexibility” instead.
Here’s the note I sent to DesJarlias via @Resistbot:
As your constituent, I ask that you to oppose HR 4219 which would override local governments’ ability to set local employment laws. Instead please focus on something actually important like national paid family and medical leave. I support protecting families from wage loss due to medical needs.
HR 5911, the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, is sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-2), and would amend Public Law 115–97 (commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) to repeal the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) oil and gas program. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), “Developing this land threatens irreversible damage to Arctic wildlife, stands to destroy the way of life for local communities, and would desecrate one of our national treasures.”
Here’s the second note I sent to DesJarlais via @Resistbot:
As your constituent, I ask you to support and co-sponsor HR 5911, the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, which would repeal the provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that required the Coastal Plain of ANWR be opened to oil and gas development. The environment is more important to me than the profits of the oil and gas industry.
Looking at DesJarlais’ voting record, I’m confident he won’t go my way on either of these bills, but it’s important I tell him my opinion and a little bit of why. Assuming his staff even count such things…
thefortyishphilosopher 