Introduction

Causes - powered by Countable - provide millions of advocates an intuitive understanding of pending legislation and streamlines the communication process with lawmakers, enabling advocates to influence voting decisions effectively. Advocates can also sound off on issues of national, local, or personal importance: policy, news, campaigns, and more. 

As the only advocacy software to also run a community that consistently engages, Causes gives Countable a unique perspective. We get first-hand insights into what advocates think about and discuss, and we're passing these insights on to you. 

In this weeks policy pulse, we’ve gathered the latest bills advocates are talking about as well as highlighting comments from the advocates themselves.

BILL: Make Fentanyl a Schedule I Drug? - Halt Fentanyl Act - H.R.467

The Bill

H.R.467 - HALT Fentanyl Act

Bill Details

• Introduced by Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) on Jan. 24, 2023
• Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Judiciary | Senate - Judiciary
• House: Passed 
• Senate: Not yet passed
• President: Not yet signed

Bill Overview

• If the act becomes law, fentanyl-related substances would be classified as Schedule I drug, meaning they have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.

What's in the bill?

Reclassifies fentanyl-related substances

• Fentanyl-related substances will be classified as Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act under the bill. Schedule I controlled substances are drugs, substances, or chemicals that have a high potential for abuse and currently have no accepted medical value. 

Changes fentanyl-related penalties

• Under the bill, crimes involving fentanyl-related substances and fentanyl analogs will be subject to the same penalties (e.g., offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term). 

Alters requirements for research

• The bill will establish a new registration requirement and process for researching fentanyl-related substances to understand their overall health effects better. The changes would expedite research into these substances.

Grants law enforcement with tool kits

• It will provide police officers and other law enforcement with tools to help keep fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances off the streets.

What advocates are saying:

BILL: Should Prior Drug Offenders Get SNAP Benefits? - RESTORE Act - H.R.3479

The Bill

H.R.3479 - Re-Entry Support Through Opportunities for Resources and Essentials (RESTORE) Act

Bill Status

• Introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) on May 18, 2023
• Committees: House - Agriculture
• House and Senate: Not yet voted
• President: Not yet signed

Bill Overview

• The bipartisan Re-Entry Support Through Opportunities for Resources and Essentials Act (RESTORE Act) seeks to repeal the 1996 ban on people with drug felony convictions receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, enabling them to apply for the program before their release.
• In 1996, Congress introduced a lifetime SNAP ban as a part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act signed by President Clinton. SNAP provides food assistance to low-income individuals through an EBT card, which can be used like a debit card to purchase eligible food from authorized stores. It is the largest federal nutrition program in the U.S. 

What's in the bill?

Improves re-entry for formerly incarcerated people 

• The RESTORE Act aims to codify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) waiver, granting ex-offenders the ability to apply for SNAP benefits up to 30 days prior to their release, ensuring better access to essential resources.

Ends state denial of SNAP eligibility based on felony drug convictions

• The RESTORE Act removes the ability for states to deny SNAP eligibility due to prior drug convictions. Currently, states can opt out of enforcing the ban, and 22 states still limit SNAP eligibility.

Combat hunger, poverty, addiction, and recidivism

• The RESTORE Act recognizes that removing the drug felony ban allows returning individuals to prioritize finding employment and housing instead of worrying about feeding themselves and their families.

What advocates are saying:

BILL: Should Parents Control School Curriculum? - Parents Bill of Rights Act - H.R.5

The Bill

H.R.5 - Parents Bill of Rights Act

Bill Status

• Introduced by Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA)
• Committees: House - Education and the Workforce | Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• House: Passed House 
• Senate: Not yet voted
• President: Not yet signed

Bill Overview

• The bill, passed in a 213-208 vote, ensures the rights of parents are honored and protected in the nation's public schools.
• The bill enshrines parents' rights to know what is going on in their children's education and a right to have access to teacher-parent meetings, school budget decisions, curriculum and books, and the ability to speak before a school board. 
• The bill encapsulates other GOP priorities, such as policies on transgender students.
• While there were no Democrat votes in support of the bill, some amendments received bipartisan support. One of these includes a requirement to provide parents with notice of major cyberattacks and the GAO to submit a report evaluating the impact of the bill on protecting parents' rights.
• The bill offers a national expansion of Florida's "Parental Rights in Education" Act, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
• The bill has a slim chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate or being signed by President Biden.

What's in the bill?

Makes curriculum and library catalogs available to parents

• The bill would make library catalogs and curriculums public and available for parents to peruse and challenge.
• This could empower parents to suggest book bans and potentially create an avenue for lawsuits against school districts that don't comply with parents' wishes.
• In the 2021-22 school year, more than 1,600 book titles were banned.

Enables parents to stop "woke indoctrination" in schools

• Parent's rights activists have been worried about "woke indoctrination" in schools, with issues like critical race theory and gender identity theory being hot-button topics. The bill would enable parents to have a say in the curriculum and to challenge the school district on what is taught to their children.

Allows parents to know about transgender rights at school

• The bill includes provisions that state that parents have a right to know whether transgender students can play on girls' sports teams or use the washroom that matches their gender identity.
• The bill would require schools to gain parental consent for students who want to use different names, pronouns, and facilities that match their gender identity.
• The bill would also require parents to consent before any medical exams, including mental health or substance use disorder screenings, are conducted on their children while at school.
• If a school does not gain consent, it could lose federal funding under the bill.

Allows parents a higher degree of direct control

• Schools would be required to offer a minimum of two in-person parent-teacher meetings annually.
• School boards would be required to hear feedback from parents and make changes accordingly.

What advocates are saying: