Hello, fellow Kansans!

It's been a busy week of exercising our activist muscles e at every level. Thanks to everyone who came out last week - whether you were supporting excellence over ideology at the county level or expressing your anger about an unfair tax bill to our U.S. Senator, this is how we make change - one citizen's voice at a time.

In National News

The Senate passed the most sweeping tax rewrite in decades early last Saturday, with Republicans lining up to approve an overhaul that will touch almost every corner of the US economy, affecting families, small business owners and multinational corporations, with the biggest benefits flowing to the highest-earning Americans. The House and Senate bills must now go through Reconciliation, which means there’s still time to stop the very worst provisions from becoming law.

The House approved a bill on Wednesday that would ease legal restrictions for carry and conceal across state lines, a move pushed by the NRA just weeks after mass shootings in Texas and Nevada. Area congresspeople Yoder, Graves, and Hartzler were all cosponsors on the bill. The measure would allow a gun owner with the proper permit in any state to carry a concealed firearm to another state where it is also legal. Missouri and Kansas have some of the worst gun laws in the country, tied for second only to Mississippi, and recent changes for the worse in Missouri have led to large increases in the homicide rate. We can’t let the failure of our own states’ laws spread nationwide!

This is the last week of open enrollment for the ACA insurance marketplace! Visit www.healthcare.gov

to find out more.

Locally, after the Johnson County Board of Commissioners voted to not renew the contract of longtime county manager, Hannes Zacharias, the public came out in force to support him. Check out our story about the event!

And the Kansas City Star held a forum for the Democratic candidates for Kansas governor. In attendance were Jim Ward, Josh Svaty, Robert Klingenberg, Carl Brewer, and Arden Anderson. The Star will not be holding a similar event for the Republican candidates due to Kansas GOP rules that would permit the party to intervene in questions and format.

Here's what's coming up in the week ahead...

Wednesday, December 13

Join our day of calling to support net neutrality, the rule that internet providers cannot favor certain content over other content. On December 14th, the FCC will vote -- call now! Click here for more information and phone numbers.

Thursday, December 14

Join us as we hold Representative Kevin Yoder accountable for his recent votes. He continues to vote with the Trump/Ryan agenda 92.1% of the time, ignoring the far more moderate nature of his constituency. Click here to RSVP and for more event information.

Also Thursday, Moms Demand Action will be holding a vigil for the 5th Anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting. Click here for more information about this event, sponsored by one of our sister organizations.

Monday, December 18

Our friends with the KS/MO Dream Alliance are rallying to support the DREAMers, sending a message to our Members of Congress that we have not forgotten our neighbors. Click here for more information about their event.

Thursday, January 25

And save the date for this important event, focused on voting rights in Kansas. We'll have speakers from activist groups, state government, and the ACLU, with plenty of time for questions about what steps we can all take to reopen access to the ballot box. Click here for more information and to RSVP.

There's a lot going on, even as we start to wind down the year. As always, we are so grateful for your voices and your hard work as citizens. Never doubt that you are making a difference.

In solidarity,

The folks at Indivisible KC