Category: Legislative Forum - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Civil Rights Legislative Forum - After Action Report

3/30/2025

Civil Rights Legislative Forum - After Action Report

About 70 people attended the Civil Rights Legislative Forum at the TMBC Lincoln Resource Center on Saturday morning, March 29th. The event was sponsored by the Davenport NAACP, One Human Family, the Civil Rights forum of PACG and the Quad Cities Ministers Association.

In attendance to discuss the impact of civil rights legislation in the Iowa legislature were Representatives Cindy Winckler, Ken Croken and Dan Gosa of Davenport and Senator Mike Zimmer of DeWitt. Representative Ross Wilburn of Ames, a Democrat and member of the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus, joined us and shared his insights. The local Republican members of the Iowa legislature were invited as well but did not attend.

Rep. Wilburn said that the Republicans, having "opened" the civil rights code to remove gender identity, intend to remove sexual orientation in the upcoming session. Rabbi Karp of One Human Family QCA urged us to all come together to protect vulnerable groups, even if we are not a member of that group. We need to stand together if we want to protect LGBT+ civil rights in Iowa!

If you subscribe to the Quad City Times, read their coverage here.

Alta Price

Civil Rights Legislative Forum - PACG Event

3/26/2025

Civil Rights Legislative Forum
Saturday, March 29th at 10:00 to 11:30 am

TMBC Lincoln Resource Center
318th E 7th ST
Davenport, IA (map)

Civil Rights Forum

The PACG Civil Rights forum encourages you to come ask your state of Iowa legislators questions at this event focused on civil rights. The event is hosted by the Davenport NAACP and co-sponsored by other local progressive groups, including our Civil Rights Forum.

Alta Price (she/her)

After Action Report - Scott County Legislative Forum

12/13/2019

Scott County Legislative Forum A Great Success - After Action Report

Fairmount Street Library, Davenport

PACG, Quad Cities Interfaith, NAACP Davenport Branch

We had a packed room at our Scott County Legislative Forum on Tuesday, December 3rd. We invited all Scott County State Legislators and are grateful to Rep. Monica Kurth, Sen. Jim Lykam, Rep. Phyllis Thede, and Rep. Cindy Winkler for attending and answering constituents' questions.

You can see photos on our Facebook page.

Julie Ross

What You Can Do Now - Scott County Legislative Forum - December 3rd at 5:30 pm

11/12/2019

Scott County Legislative Forum -
Tuesday, December 3rd at 5:30 pm

Davenport Public Library - Fairmount Branch
3000 N Fairmount St, Davenport 52804 (map)

PACG, Quad Cities Interfaith, NAACP Davenport Branch

Current Scott County legislators have been invited to this forum to answer questions from members of the community. We want to send our reps off to the new legislative session with our concerns fresh on their minds.

We have invited the following legislators:
Sen. Chris Cournoyer, Rep. Monica Kurth, Sen. Jim Lycam, Rep. Gary Mohr, Rep. Ross Paustian, Sen. Roby Smith, Rep. Phyllis Thede and Rep. Cindy Winkler.

The forum is co-sponsored with Quad Cities Interfaith, NAACP Davenport Branch 4019, and Progressive Action for the Common Good.

Please join us to provide your input.

Julie Ross
[email protected]

Candidate Questions - Health Care Reform

4/22/2019

Candidate Questions - Health Care Reform

Let’s get organized before the next presidential candidates come to town! It’s hard to know what questions to ask, but here is a list that we have created. If you have additional questions you think should be asked, please contact our Office Manager, Amber Bordolo and we will add to this list.

If you attend a candidate’s event, print off this list (see the download link below) and have it handy in case you have an opportunity to ask questions. Listen carefully to the answers on the topics below. Take notes if you can, and report back to us in the Blog Comments below.

These are also good questions that should be addressed to your State legislatures when they hold legislative sessions or campaign for re-election.

1. How will you protect the progress made thanks to the Affordable Care Act? (more people insured, children insured on parent’s programs until age 26, protection for pre-existing conditions, etc)

2. The Medicare program is vital to the health of millions of people. Will you protect Medicare for cuts planned by some members of Congress?

3. There are efforts underway to cut Medicaid funding and turn it into individual state grants. How will you fight to keep Medicaid strong and protect it from future cuts?

4. If you favor health care expansion, could you describe your vision? What would be the key points? (Single payer? Incremental stages of expansion?)

5. How will you provide healthcare to low-income people in states that did not expand Medicaid?

6. How will you push pharmaceutical companies to reduce Hight prescription drug prices?

a. Do you support letting Medicare negotiate with prescription drug companies? If so, why?

b. Would you support a bill to allow lower priced generic drugs to access the market more quickly?

c. What efforts will you take to require drug companies to explain large price increases?

d. Would you require drug companies to give a two-month notice when they plan to significantly increase prices?

e. Should Americans be allowed to buy lower priced drugs from other countries or should the U.S. government regulate drug prices?

questions_for_candidates_-_health_care_reform.docx
File Size:	13 kb
File Type:	docx

Candidate Questions - Environmental Issues

4/22/2019

Candidate Questions - Environmental Issues

Let’s get organized before the next presidential candidates come to town! It’s hard to know what questions to ask, but here is a list that we have created. If you have additional questions you think should be asked, please contact our Office Manager, Amber Bordolo and we will add to this list.

If you attend a candidate’s event, print off this list (see the download link below) and have it handy in case you have an opportunity to ask questions. Listen carefully to the answers on the topics below. Take notes if you can, and report back to us in the Blog Comments below.

These are also good questions that should be addressed to your State legislatures when they hold legislative sessions or campaign for re-election.

1. Will you support the only current proposal that addresses the climate crisis, the Green New Deal?

2. Are you aware that the EPA had the lowest number of environmental fines in 2018 in decades? What will you do about the EPA’s substandard implementation of their own regulations?

3. Do you support protecting National Parks from drilling and exploration/extractive industries?

4. What is your plan to address this administration’s rollbacks on environmental protections on clean air and water, pollution and the use of clean energy?

5. What is your plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing our use of renewable energy?

6. What is your position on our country’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accord, and would you continue our planned withdrawal from that commitment?

7. Currently, corporate interests are prioritized over public health risks. What specifically will you do to change that?

8. What is your plan to invest in renewable energy and what is your timeline for doing so?

9. Are you in favor of carbon and other user taxes to address business’s negative environmental impacts?

10. Are you in favor of enforcing stricter federal regulations on companies who are out of compliance with environmental (EPA) regulations, regardless of their containment area?

11. Would you extend the current rebates on solar which are set to gradually fade starting in 2020?

Our Environmental Forum suggests the following questions for our Illinois and Iowa State legislators:

1. What are your specific plans to reduce our state’s carbon footprint, and what are your target dates and measurement tools?

2. Would you support implementing the current laws and standards of the EPA for each industry/company operating in the State?

3. Is there a state target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and, if so, what are the timelines?

4. Currently, corporate interests are prioritized over public health risks. What specifically will you do to change that?

5. What is your plan to invest in renewable energy, and what is your timeline?

6. Are you in favor of carbon and other user taxes to address business’s negative environmental impacts?

7. Are you in favor of enforcing stricter federal regulations for companies who are out of compliance with environmental (EPA) regulations, regardless of their containment area?

questions_for_candidates_-_environmental.docx
File Size:	17 kb
File Type:	docx

Call Your Reps - Voter Suppression Bill in Iowa - What You Can Do Now

3/24/2019

Contact Your Iowa State Legislators Regarding Voter Suppression Bill

Iowa Senator Roby Smith has introduced Senate File 575 that impacts Iowans' ability to vote. Read more about it at:

Senate File 575

PACG members kept the focus of the March Scott County Legislative Forum on the voter suppression bill. Read this excellent article in the Quad-City Times for coverage of the reactions of the audience and legislators when questioned about the bill. The article also provides in-depth information about the threat to voting rights included in this legislation.

Call your Iowa State legislators to express your views on NOT restricting the voting rights of Iowans.

Senate Switchboard: 515-281-3371
House Switchboard: 515-281-3221

To find your representative's email information click here.

Breakfast Before Legislative Forum - March, 2019

3/18/2019

Breakfast and Legislative Forum -
Saturday, March 23rd at 9:00 am

Fresh Deli - 421 W. River Drive, Davenport, IA (map)

Out and About

Join PACG Out and About for breakfast before the Legislative Forum on Saturday, 3/23. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at Fresh Deli in Davenport to socialize and to discuss strategies for effective questioning during the forum.

If you cannot make breakfast, be sure and show up to the Legislative Forum at Davenport Central High School - 1120 N. Main Street in Davenport (map). Social at 10:00, forum starts at 10:30.

Check our newest Facebook group - PACG Out & About! It's a way that we can appreciate and create culture TOGETHER. See our Blog Post here for more information.

Allison Ambrose