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The Tap: Monday, August 29, 2016
From Ballotpedia
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
Review of the day
The excerpts below were compiled from issue #32 of The Tap, which was published on September 3, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.
Federal
- Hillary Clinton announced a mental health plan on her campaign website. A statement from Clinton’s campaign reads, “Recognizing that nearly a fifth of all adults in the United States — more than 40 million people — are coping with a mental health problem, Hillary’s plan will integrate our mental and physical health care systems. Her goal is that within her time in office, Americans will no longer separate mental health from physical health when it comes to access to care or quality of treatment. Hillary has been talking about mental health policy throughout her campaign, since hearing directly from American parents, students, veterans, nurses, and police officers about how these challenges keep them up at night.”
- Gary Johnson published an op-ed about immigration reform on CNN’s website. He said, “[Americans] know that the only realistic and … humane policy is to find a fair and safe way to allow non-criminal, undocumented immigrants to get right with the law and go about their lives, paying taxes, having a valid Social Security number, and earning a legal status. No cutting the line. No ‘special’ path to citizenship. Just a common sense way for undocumented immigrants with jobs, families, and a clean record to come forward and live by the same rules as the rest of us.” Johnson also criticized Donald Trump’s immigration proposals, saying “Rounding up more than 11 million people -- a population larger than all but the 7 largest states in the union -- is a ludicrous notion to begin with. Everyone knows it, including Donald Trump. It was a lie cloaked in a promise.”
- The Chicago Tribune editorial board argued that Gary Johnson should be included in the first presidential debate in September. Pointing out voter dissatisfaction with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the board said, “If the Republicans were willing to hear from 10 candidates at the first primary debate last summer (with seven more appearing at a prior forum), then let's respect the wishes of a dissatisfied electorate and open up the first general election debate to Johnson. Once on that stage, it will be on him to make his mark.”
- Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said in a press release that he directed the Homeland Security Advisory Council “to evaluate whether the immigration detention operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement should” end its use of private prisons. The formation of a subcommittee to review the department’s policy on the use of private immigration detention centers followed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) August 18 announcement that DOJ officials were instructed to stop renewing or significantly reduce contracts with private prison operators.
- While speaking in Bangladesh, Secretary of State John Kerry suggested that the media should cover terrorism less as a way of preventing future attacks. He said, "If you decide one day you’re going to be a terrorist and you’re willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise. Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn’t cover it quite as much. People wouldn’t know what’s going on.”
- National Security Advisor Susan Rice announced the administration achieved President Barack Obama's goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States. The goal was set in response to millions of Syrians fleeing violence in the region. Rice added, “We will admit at least 85,000 refugees in total this year, including vulnerable individuals and families from Burma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Iraq, Somalia, Ukraine, and many other countries.”
- For more information on how the 2016 candidates have responded to these efforts, please see: 2016 presidential candidates on ISIS and Syrian refugees
- Mylan Laboratories announced it will begin selling a generic version of its EpiPen in the next several weeks. The generic version will cost $300 for two EpiPens—half the price of its branded version, which is listed at $608 for two. The announcement is the drugmaker’s second move in the past week to make EpiPens more affordable for consumers in the wake of public criticism over its price increases for the product over 500 percent since 2007. Last week, Mylan began offering coupons that take $300 off the copayment for patients. It has not yet lowered the list price of the EpiPen, drawing criticism from the American Medical Association, Hillary Clinton, and members of Congress.
State
- Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt sent revised ballot language for State Question 788, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, to the state supreme court. Petitioners have objected to the new ballot language and could sue, a process that would extend beyond the deadline for putting measures on the November ballot. Initiative proponents said that Pruitt did not write a ballot title that represented the entirety of the proposal but only selected “items in the title which would cause fear or uncertainty.” According to the attorney general, signatures were not submitted early enough to allow for the full ballot title process to unfold and for the election board to print and deliver ballots. Although the measure is unlikely to qualify for the November 2016 ballot, it would still be eligible to appear on the November 2018 ballot or in a special election called by the governor since enough signatures were verified to qualify it for the ballot.
- The Oklahoma secretary of state recommends that petitioners submit signatures for initiatives eight months prior to the election. The official deadline, however, is the latest in the country at 60 days before the election (early September).
- Read more about the laws governing initiatives in Oklahoma »
Local
- In New York City, Republicans had their petition approved to create a “Stop de Blasio” party for the general election on November 8, 2016. The party will endorse two Republican candidates for New York State Assembly, Rebecca Harary and Jon Kostakopoulos. New York County GOP Chairwoman Adele Malpass said that the new party would allow Democratic and independent voters unhappy with the city’s mayor an opportunity to vote for alternative candidates without feeling uncomfortable voting for a Republican. Malpass speculated that if the candidates in this party prove successful, the “Stop de Blasio” party could be used during the city’s 2017 elections. New York City is the largest city in New York and the largest city in the U.S. by population.
- FILING DEADLINE: Deadline passed to file in the general election for eight school board seats across two of Wyoming’s largest school districts by enrollment. The election will be held on November 8, 2016. These districts served 26,751 students during the 2013-2014 school year, which was 29.2 percent of all Wyoming public school students.
Preview of the day
The excerpts below were compiled from issue #31 of The Tap, which was published on August 27, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.
Local
- FILING DEADLINE: Deadline to file in the general election for eight school board seats across two of Wyoming’s largest school districts by enrollment. The election will be held on November 8, 2016. These districts served 26,751 students during the 2013-2014 school year, which was 29.2 percent of all Wyoming public school students.
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