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Courage Campaign Praises “Most Progressive Legislative Session in the State’s History”
Courage Campaign Scorecard Lays the Foundation for Landmark Legislative Victories
Statement from Eddie Kurtz, executive director of the California-based Courage Campaign, on the closing of the 2016 legislative session:
“When Courage Campaign released The People’s Report Card of California in April, we set the tone for 2016’s historically progressive session of the CA Legislature. Our groundbreaking, comprehensive report card made waves in the halls of the Capitol. Every legislator was put on notice: no one could expect to place corporate interests over their constituents’ without being held accountable.
“As a result — five months later — we’ve just wrapped up one of the most progressive legislative sessions in the state’s history, winning significant victories for everyday Californians. We won legislation that gives millions of California’s working families a much overdue raise and extended basic overtime pay protections to hundreds of thousands of farm workers throughout the State. We adopted the new gold standard for reducing carbon emissions, setting ambitious goals to address climate change, and we reaffirmed California’s role as a leader on gun safety in the wake of the Pulse shooting in Orlando.
“These victories were the result of a number of factors: the unwavering leadership of Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate pro Tempore Kevin De Leon; the grit and determination of California’s robust progressive movement; and I’m especially proud of the hard work of thousands of Courage Campaign members who signed petitions, made calls, Tweeted, filmed videos, and visited offices to hold elected officials accountable to the people’s agenda.
“As we celebrate these victories together, we are mindful that much more work remains. We need our representatives in Sacramento to have the courage to go further and take on the overwhelming struggles of millions of Californians who can’t find an affordable apartment, don’t make enough to pay for both dinner and childcare, are required to buy health insurance but can’t afford rising premiums, and who once dreamed of sending their children to a UC or CSU before tuition grew uncontrollably.
“Our collective accomplishments this year give us great hope for what the future will hold for Californians and the world. We fully expect that next year our elected officials will build on their current accomplishments with bold action to take on these systemic challenges and more, and we’ll be sure to hold them accountable to the constituents who elected them.”
In April, Courage Campaign released the People’s Report Card of California, a progressive scorecard that provides California voters with comprehensive tools to examine whether or not their elected officials are prioritizing constituents over corporations or special interest groups seeking to exploit Californians. The scorecard, which gave each member of the State Assembly and Senate a specific “courage score” was the first of its kind – tracking and rating legislators across a broad range of issue areas including: economic opportunity, health care, the environment, racial justice and gun violence prevention.
View the People’s Report Card of California here: http://www.couragescore.org/
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