The Tap: Thursday, June 30, 2016

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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 #23 of The Tap, which was published on July 2, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• As conservative groups such as Free the Delegates, Delegates Unbound, and Courageous Conservatives continue in their efforts to unbind the delegates to the Republican National Convention in an attempt—at least on the part of Free the Delegates and Courageous Conservatives—to prevent Donald Trump from securing the Republican nomination, new roadblocks have begun to appear. MSNBC obtained a copy of a proposed amendment written by Solomon Yue, a member of the convention Rules Committee from Oregon, that, if approved, would prohibit any rules changes made at the convention from taking effect until after the convention’s conclusion. Consequently, if the movement to unbind the delegates succeeded in passing a rules change such as a conscience amendment (which would allow delegates to vote for a candidate other than the one to whom they are bound if such a vote violated their conscience), Yue’s amendment could delay its implementation until the 2020 convention. On the other hand, Yue’s proposal would do little to hinder the efforts of some conservatives—such as the group Delegates Unbound—who believe that, under the party’s current rules, the delegates are in fact already free to vote their conscience at the convention.

• The proposed amendment from Solomon Yue is only the latest reported obstacle that the movement to unbind the delegates could face in Cleveland. Last week, Politico published a survey of 32 Rules Committee members, which found that 25 of them were opposed to any changes that could threaten Trump’s nomination. The article noted that 33 other members have made public statements supporting Trump and/or opposing potential changes to the rules. There are a total of 112 members on the committee.
  • See also: RNC Rules Committee, 2016

• U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter “announced that transgender individuals will now be able to openly serve in the U.S. armed forces.” The new policy “establishes a construct by which service members may transition gender while serving, sets standards for medical care and outlines responsibilities for military services and commanders to develop and implement guidance, training and specific policies in the near and long-term,” according to a press release. Carter said, “This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force. We’re talking about talented Americans who are serving with distinction or who want the opportunity to serve. We can’t allow barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission."

• President Barack Obama signed the following into law:
  • Key law: S 2328 - Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or PROMESA. The bill laid out a plan to help Puerto Rico address its debt crisis “by establishing an oversight board, a process for restructuring debt, and expedited procedures for approving critical infrastructure projects.”
  • Key law: S 337 - FOIA Improvement Act of 2016. The law amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by “requiring Federal agencies to make certain records available for public inspection in an electronic format; and requiring the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Attorney General, to ensure the operation of an online portal that would allow FOIA requests to be submitted to any Federal agency through a single website.”
  • HR 3209 - Recovering Missing Children Act
  • S 2133 - Fraud Reduction and Data Analytics Act of 2015
  • S 2487 - Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act

State

• Supporters submitted over 200,000 signatures for the Arizona Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act Initiative. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol need 150,000 valid signatures to place the measure, which would legalize the possession and consumption of marijuana for individuals 21 and over, on the ballot in November.

• Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signed a budget package that will fund state services for the next six months and fund public schools for a full year. After two days of backroom meetings between Gov. Rauner and legislative leaders, a stopgap budget was approved before the July 1 deadline. The main appropriations bill for the budget passed the state House by a vote of 105-4, while the state Senate approved it with a vote of 54-0. That bill includes $1 billion for the state’s higher education system and $720 million to cover operational expenses for state agencies. Additionally, about $670 million will be set aside to fund the state’s social services programs. The temporary budget gives public schools over $11 billion in state and federal dollars. School districts that serve low-income students will split $250 million, with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) receiving about $100 million. The governor also signed legislation that allows the Chicago Board of Education to raise property taxes to help fund teacher pensions. The temporary budget will also require the state to contribute $215 million a year to the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund starting next June. The state funding for teacher pensions is contingent on lawmakers passing pension reform by the end of the year.

• The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the state's constitutional provision for the permanent disenfranchisement of convicted felons. The court voted 4-3 on the matter. Iowa is one of only two states in which convicted felons permanently lose the right to vote; the state constitution permanently disenfranchises all individuals convicted of "infamous crimes." State officials applauded the decision. Secretary of State Paul Pate said, "This ruling goes in line with 150 years of precedence and has been reaffirmed by the people of Iowa and their elected representatives on multiple occasions." Opponents pledged to pursue legislative means to re-enfranchise certain convicted felons. Rita Bettis, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said, "Today's decision serves as a call for movement by the people and our representatives for a long-overdue state constitutional amendment to right this profound wrong. Those of us who have a political voice must all act now on behalf of those whose voice has been silenced."

• The California Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare Initiative was certified for the November ballot. The measure would extend already existing personal income tax increases on incomes over $250,000 for 12 years in order to fund education and healthcare. The income tax increases were first implemented in 2012, when voters approved Proposition 30, and they were designed to expire in 2016. If voters do not approve the tax extension initiative in November, the increases will be phased out beginning in 2018. Supporters submitted more than 900,000 signatures and the secretary of state verified about 600,000 of them, more than the 585,407 required to qualify the measure for the ballot.

• The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Amendment was certified for the November ballot. The measure would increase the tax on cigarettes to two dollars per pack. The secretary of state verified 682,346 signatures of the roughly 900,000 signatures submitted by supporters, almost 100,000 more than the 585,407 required to qualify the measure for the ballot.

• The California Parole and Juvenile Trial Opportunity Modification Initiative was certified for the November ballot. The measure would increase parole opportunities for felons convicted of nonviolent crimes and give them more opportunities to earn credits for good behavior. The measure was almost prevented from qualifying for the 2016 ballot when the California District Attorneys Association filed a lawsuit against initiative proponents, arguing that they had changed the proposed initiative improperly through amendments. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, but the California Supreme Court rejected the ruling and allowed supporters to move forward with the initiative on June 6, 2016. Of the more than 1,000,000 signatures submitted by supporters, 654,827 were verified by the secretary of state, almost 70,000 more than the 585,407 required to qualify the measure for the ballot.

• The California Death Penalty Procedure Regulation Initiative was certified for the November ballot. The measure would change procedures governing state court appeals as well as petitions challenging death penalty convictions and sentences. The secretary of state verified 430,575 of the more than 500,000 signatures submitted by supporters, almost 70,000 more than the 365,880 required to qualify the measure for the ballot. The measure is one of two death penalty related initiatives that will appear on the ballot in November. The other measure would repeal the death penalty in California and replace the maximum punishment for murder with life in prison without possibility of parole.

• Filing deadline: New Mexico
  • State judiciary: One New Mexico Supreme Court justice and three New Mexico Court of Appeals judges filed to stand for retention on November 8, 2016. Justice Barbara J. Vigil and Judges Timothy Garcia, Jonathan Sutin, and M. Monica Zamora will each stand for retention to eight-year terms on the bench.

New Mexico has a hybrid system of judicial elections. When a vacancy on the supreme court or court of appeals occurs, the governor appoints a successor. That judge or justice must then run in the next partisan election to remain on the bench for the rest of his or her predecessor’s term. Once elected, judges may win new terms by standing for retention. Justice Vigil was elected as a Democrat; Democrats hold a 4-1 majority on the supreme court. The lone Republican, Justice Judith Nakamura, was recently appointed and is running in a partisan election in 2016 to remain on the bench.

Local

• The Anaheim City Council voted to ban short-term home, apartment, or room rentals for visitors using websites such as Airbnb and VRBO. Opponents of the new law argue that the ban will cost the city millions in tax revenue dollars and will eliminate potential job growth in the hospitality industry. Proponents claim that these short-term rentals deplete the housing market and crowd city parking. The ban is slated to take effect in mid-August 2016. The ban followed the implementation of new regulations on the short-term rental housing industry by city councils in Chicago, Denver, New York City, and San Francisco earlier in June 2016. Anaheim is the 10th-largest city in California and the 56th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #22 of The Tap, which was published on June 25, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

State

• The Delaware General Assembly is expected to adjourn its regular session. Delaware is one of seven states with a Democratic state government trifecta. Democrats control the Senate by three seats, the House by nine seats, and the governor’s office. There are 21 seats total in the Senate and 41 seats total in the House.