Proposal sponsor/shepherd: David Keil

Floor manager: David Keil

Co-sponsor: Elizabeth Humphrey; Mike Heichman

Contact info for floor manager: [email protected]

Summary:

The Green-Rainbow Party must stand with teachers and with health workers for public-health measures to counter the Covid pandemic. The pandemic is real.

Background:

The Trump administration and various other misinformation sources have campaigned against public-health measures. Teachers and other workers are fighting for their health, the health of school children, and of the public. False claims that the pandemic is a hoax have entered the public space in a dangerous way.

Text of Proposal:

The GRP supports children and their families who may be subjected to unsafe environments. The GRP also supports teachers, other “front line” and essential workers who have the human right to demand safe working conditions and cautious re openings during this Covid pandemic. We support safety regulations such as mask wearing and social distancing and following the advice of nationally and globally recognized health and science experts.

We demand the government take action and provide a moratorium on evictions and on rent and mortgages until at least 6 months after a safe reopening of the country can happen.

We demand a bailout for the people for the accumulated debt from unpaid rent, mortgages and healthcare due to testing positive for Covid 19.

We demand assistance and a bailout to small and local businesses and farms. The GRP recognizes the importance of small & local businesses and farms in resisting corporate and big money control and deem them essential in community economic independence, autonomy and the hard work ahead to adapt and insulate our communicates from the worsening climate crisis that only increases the threat from the Covid 19 pandemic.

We condemn the financial blackmail from the White House against public school systems. The POTUS has threatened to defund federal monetary investment in public schools that do not reopen upon his demand.

We condemn misinformation campaigns that deny the existence and danger of this pandemic and that oppose basic science and public-health measures. We urge investigation of Big Corporate and unfettered Capitalist ties to these efforts of putting profit before people to massive increases of wealth at the expense of the health and well being of our U.S. and global citizenry.

Determination of public-health policy needs to rely on verifiable scientific evidence and expertise as embodied in our brave and indispensable health-care workers and our nationally and globally recognized scientific community.

We condemn corporate and billionaire sponsored reopening actions that included armed intimidation of state authorities (https://www.npr.org/2020/05/14/855918852/heavily-armed-protesters-gather-again-at-michigans-capitol-denouncing-home-order; https://systemicdisorder.wordpress.com/2020/06/10/corporate-origins-reopen-demonstrations/).

The harm of the pandemic falls most heavily on the most oppressed and disenfranchised communities and people of color. Our work should include public information, in at least English and Spanish, such as the following: https://www.gp.org/covid_19_afecta_de_forma_desproporcionada_el_empleo_de_latinas_y_latinos_de_ee_uu

Implementation:

Publication of public-health information and exposure of misinformation.

Publish how the Green New Deal and the 10 key values will contribute to strengthening our health and our communities that ultimately are essential to overcome the setbacks to public health and safety due to the lack of a comprehensive and responsible response from the oligarchic duopoly, bought and paid for by big money and big pharma.

Seek out movements, unions and other organizations who are already aligned and working towards the implementation of the goals and implantation in this proposal and offer our help.

Financial Implications: none

SPONSORS: Matthew Andrews, Fundraising and Finance Committee VETTING COMMITTEES: Fundraising and Finance Committee; Membership Diversity and Volunteer Recruitment Committee FLOOR MANAGER: Matthew Andrews SHEPHERD: Matthew Andrews SUMMARY: Update the 2018 Membership Dues policy to improve implementation and reach our financial goals. BACKGROUND: The Membership Dues policy for 2018 and 2019 has not been implemented beyond our core membership, most of whom already donate to the GRP. Consequently, the dues policy has failed to raise significant new money and our budget for 2020 faces a $6,000 deficit. Each member who is able to pay ought to take some responsibility for the financial health of the party. In order to expand our dues program, it must be integrated into the work and culture of our party at every level. TEXT OF PROPOSAL: As of January 2021 the dues scale shall be updated to $50/year Supporter, $35/year General, $20/year Student, $10/year Low Income. The waiver option for hardship or the legally restricted shall remain in effect. Chapters shall be responsible for making the current Annual Dues form available at all events where we are legally allowed to collect money, and asking people to pay dues as part of the enrollment of new members. Chapters should entrust their local Secretary and/or Treasurer with collecting this money, recording it, and passing it along to the GRP Treasurer. Efforts to collect dues and their results should be included in quarterly chapter reports to StateCom. The Treasurer shall include dues collection in his or her quarterly report to StateCom. The report shall include the total number of dues paying members over the past year, and other trends such as whether collection is going up or down. The Secretary and Treasurer should collaborate to ensure that dues are recorded in our membership database and that an automated renewal reminder email is sent after a year. The Fundraising and Finance Committee shall set a goal for the number of dues paying members and the amount of money to be raised by dues, along with a compelling explanation of why it is necessary, and a breakdown of where they expect the dues to be collected. This plan will be submitted to AdCom for final approval and relevant parts sent to chapters and working committees for implementation. The Membership Diversity and Volunteer Recruitment Committee will establish a protocol and message for soliciting dues at chapter meetings or other in person events. This plan will be submitted to AdCom for final approval and sent to chapters for implementation. IMPLEMENTATION: As outlined in the text of the proposal, this policy will require participation from the Secretary, Treasurer, chapters, AdCom, Fundraising and Finance Committee, and the Membership Diversity and Volunteer Recruitment Committee. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The additional expenses will be minimal. This proposal is about including a dues collection message in the work that we already do. If we can get 100 people to pay $25 on average, that will raise $2,500.

Sponsor/Shephard/Floor Manager: Brian Cady [email protected] 617-943-2853

Co-Sponsor: Elie Yarden, Mike Vaglica.

Vetting Committees: To be: Finance and Fundraising Comm. Adcom

Summary: Annual budgeting should be guided by, and fundraising informed by, an annual plan of action, which should pursue agreed-upon, stated goals:.

Goals -> Plan -> Budget & Fundraising.

Below are sketched a schedule of steps to annually build goals, a plan and a budget, and to guide fundraising.

1. Background: Proposed Process: Overview:

A. The elected Co-chairs select potential goals, and propose a plan to get there – They have been elected by the annual convention. and represent it, which gives them authority.

B. Fall Statecomm agrees to, or modifies, those goals.

C. Working committees and Chapters review the plan, in light of the goals, and suggest plan changes.

D. Then Adcom collects and assembles a revised plan, and return these to chapters and working committees.

E. Working Committees and Chapters use goals and plan to make working committee and Chapter budget proposals.

F. Then FinFundComm assembles the various budget proposals into an annual budget,

G. Adcom sequences budget-line items by priority into a prioritized proposed budget.

H. Winter Statecom addresses this proposed budget and passes a budget.

2. Text of proposal & Implementation: Protocol for Annual Goals, Plan, Fundraising and Budget – Proposed Schedule:

Early-Sept: Co-chairs proposes next year’s goals, & plan; prepare goals for Fall Statecom.

Mid-Sept: Statecom selects & approves annual goals. **Goals Done**.

Early-Oct: Adcom asks Working committees, local chapters to review, & comment on annual plan.

Late-Oct: Adcom revises, plan, returns to working committees. **Plan Done**.

Early-Nov: Working Comittees respond to revised goals & plan with Committee budgets.

Mid-Nov: Adcom receives plan and committee budgets, conveys budgets to FinFundComm.

Early Dec: FinFundcomm assembles, from Committee budgets, the next year’s budget.

Late-Dec: Adcom receives and reviews plan and budget, & sequences budget items by priority.

Early-Jan: 1st Statecom meeting of the year addresses the year’s plan and the year’s budget. **Budget Done**.

Mid-Jan: FinFundComm begins Spring Fundraising, with mailing/dialing.

Early-Feb: Donors receive Spring Fundraising Appeal mailing.

March: Donations/Pledges received. **Fundraising Done**.

Financial Implications: Vary by year, goals, plan, budget & fundraising success.

TITLE: GRP will oppose mandatory and coerced vaccinations SPONSORS: David Rolde, Joshua Gerloff, Jamie McLaughlin VETTING COMMITTEES: Legislative, Membership FLOOR MONITOR & SHEPHERD: David Rolde. [email protected] SUMMARY: Green-Rainbow Party should oppose all laws that call for mandatory vaccinations, forced vaccinations, vaccinations without the patient's consent, and vaccinations of children without consent or knowledge of the parents or guardian. Green-Rainbow Party should oppose all laws that deny people a right to attend school or work at their job based on not being vaccinated. Green-Rainbow Party should support legislation to prohibit employers and schools from requiring vaccination for employees and students. Green-Rainbow Party should oppose the imposition of “immunity passports” that would require people to be vaccinated in order to be allowed to move freely or to enter venues. BACKGROUND: Many people are concerned about negative health effects of vaccines, and about laws that force people to get vaccinated or to have their children vaccinated. Dozens of vaccines are mandated for students in Massachusetts. Many children and families have been negatively impacted by vaccine injuries. There is a large movement of people opposed to mandatory vaccines. There are currently bills before the Massachusetts house of representatives (H.4784) and Massachusetts Senate (S.2763) that would make it more difficult for families to obtain and use medical and religious exemptions for mandatory vaccination requirements for children attending school. The Health Choice movement is working to stop these bills. The Steering Committee of the Maine Green Independent Party, in February 2019, adopted a resolution: "In some cases vaccines have prevented deaths or serious diseases. In other cases documentation exists of fatal or lifetime debilitating injuries to people, especially infants. Accordingly, we oppose any law mandating vaccines, which fail to take into account either sovereignty over our own bodies or important medical variations including allergic reactions." See https://mainegreens.org/news/press-releases/168-green-independent-and-libertarian-parties-release-joint-statement? It is time for GRP to take a position opposing mandatory vaccination. With the current Covid-19 crisis, many people are even more concerned that an experimental Covid-19 vaccine will be rushed into production and made mandatory, or that people will be forced to get the vaccine in order to work, travel or attend events. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has ordered that all students from pre-school through university will be required to get a flu shot by the end of the year. The flu vaccine has a high rate of causing injury. There are at least five studies that have shown that people who receive the flu vaccine are at higher risk of getting other non-influenza respiratory infections including coronavirus infections. There is a protest movement in Massachusetts against this flu vaccine mandate. It is important to note that the question of mandatory vaccinations is a separate question from other responses to covid. For example there are people who support mandatory mask-wearing and physical distancing but who oppose mandatory vaccines. TEXT OF PROPOSAL: Whereas vaccines can produce serious negative health effects and disabilities; Whereas vaccines can cause the disease they are supposed to prevent; Whereas some vaccines contain neurotoxic and disease-causing ingredients; Whereas vaccines are not tested for safety with double blind studies or to rigorous standards required for testing other pharmaceuticals; Whereas the risk of injury from some vaccines is greater than the risk of contracting and being injured by the disease that the vaccine was created to prevent; Whereas flu vaccines are sometimes ineffective for the current endemic strain, yet still can cause negative health effects; Whereas the MMR vaccine is not available as three separate vaccines that would lesson risk of injury if injected separately; Whereas many vaccines are tested on animals or contain animal ingredients or human fetal ingredients, and some people have a moral objection to this; Whereas executives from big pharma mega-corporations such as Merck which produce vaccines have "revolving door" careers as government officials in regulatory agencies such as the Center for Disease Control; Whereas U.S. federal law grants legal immunity to vaccine makers (pharmaceutical companies), and vaccine makers cannot be held legally or financially liable for injuries caused by administering the vaccines they produce; Whereas every person is unique with their own individual medical needs, so a medical intervention such as a vaccine might be right for one person and wrong for another; Whereas the Green-Rainbow Party believes that human beings have a right to bodily autonomy and to choose their own medical care: Therefore the Green-Rainbow Party declares that we are opposed to mandatory and coerced vaccinations. The Green Rainbow Party hereby shall stand in opposition to all laws and bills and referenda that call for mandatory vaccinations, forced vaccinations, vaccinations without the patient's consent, and vaccinations of children without consent or knowledge of the parents or guardian. The Green-Rainbow Party shall stand in opposition to all laws and bills and referenda that deny people a right to attend school or work at their job based on not being vaccinated, or that otherwise serve to coerce people to accept vaccinations that they don't want. The Green-Rainbow Party shall oppose all attempts to implement immunity passports which would require people to be vaccinated in order to travel freely or enter venues. The Green-Rainbow Party shall support bills and referenda that would strengthen people's rights to choose which vaccines they accept or reject to be administered on themselves and their children. In particular the Green-Rainbow Party will support bills and referenda that would prohibit employers and schools from requiring employees and students to be vaccinated. The Green-Rainbow Party will implement this proposal as described in the subsequent IMPLEMENTATION section IMPLEMENTATION: GRP Communication Committee and/or Adcom will publicize GRP's position against mandatory vaccinations as detailed in the TEXT OF PROPOSAL section. This shall be done within two weeks of adoption of this proposal by GRP State Committee. The GRP Legislative Committee will research state laws and bills and advise GRP on which state laws and bills pertinent to vaccination should be opposed or supported to be in compliance with GRP's position opposing mandatory vaccination. In the future, as GRP Legislative Committee's functionality increases, Legislative Committee will also 1. research federal laws and bills pertinent to vaccination, and 2. consider writing our own proposed legislation or referendums in opposition to mandatory and coerced vaccination. When GRP Platform Committee reconvenes and becomes active, Platform Committee will incorporate GRP's opposition to mandatory vaccination into the GRP Party Agenda and/or future GRP platform documents. GRP representatives to GPUS Committees will be instructed to advocate for GRP's political position in opposition to mandatory vaccination at the GPUS level. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Minor