Mississippi Initial Organizing Call Agenda

Wednesday, July 18th at 3:00PM ET
Call-in Number: (530) 881-1400
Participant Access Code: 978895

• Welcome message
  • Introduction and explanation of conference call Q & A
    • Who is on the call?
      Who is not here that needs to be here? 
  • Thank you for joining us for this historic event. The inaugural Secular Coalition for Mississippi monthly conference call!
  • Despite the fact that there are tens of millions of nontheistic Americans, we remain one of the most marginalized groups in the country.
  • The Secular Coalition for America is working to make sure that we are heard on Capitol Hill. We fight in Washington DC against religious privileging on a federal level, yet some of the most egregious violations of separation of church and state are being promoted and passed at a state level.
  • The Secular Coalition for America is forming state chapters across the country. Our chapters will bring together secular Americans in each state to influence government officials, legislation, and regulations.
  • Our first step in forming these chapters is our monthly conference calls.
• Goals/Stages of Chapter Development
  • Development Stage
    • Focus on setting up the structure, identifying leadership, identifying how the legislature in Mississippi operates and the best ways to meet the needs of the Secular Coalition for Mississippi
    • On these initial calls we will be discussing the mission, purpose, and goals of the SCA chapters, the resources SCA can provide to SCA Chapters, the secular lobbying needs of your state, and the organizational structures of the chapters including leadership positions. No one is required to speak up, but there will be opportunities to do so.
  • Official recognition
    • Once your state chapter is organized, the leadership and a representative of the SCA will sign a memo of understanding officially recognizing the Secular Coalition for Mississippi and giving the group access to our resources (to be discussed in more depth later)
    • Future monthly calls will become a way to educate and inform. They will focus on identifying and tracking legislation and regulations that affect the secular nature of state or local governance, or affect nontheists; and coordinate grassroots and in person lobbying efforts
• SCA Chapter Model
  • A Secular Coalition for America state chapter is unlike any other nontheistic state organization -- it brings together interested organizations and individuals for the exclusive purpose of lobbying government officials. 
  • Challenges to past efforts to establish state chapters
    • Lack of support for state volunteers
      • Will provide resources to make it easier and more efficient
    • Past funding challenges
      • SCA will do all the fundraising and provide all resources the chapter needs
  • New chapters are under the umbrella of the national organization
    • Part of the Secular Coalition for America 
    • Under our C4 tax exemption, full C4 lobbying privileges
  • Mission and Purpose of the Chapters
    • Mission - to increase the visibility of and respect for nontheistic viewpoints in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all. 
    • Purpose - to accomplish its mission through cooperation between local groups and coordinated state lobbying activities
  • Coalition Style
    • Narrow mission and purpose
    • We are the diplomats of the secular movement
    • Not a membership organization - just a show of support for the lobbying activities of the coalition
• Executive Committee
  • No set number of members or roles
    • Flexible to availability and strengths of individuals who want to get involved
    • Examples of Helpful Skills: leadership skills, familiarity with local groups, monitor legislation, conduct lobbying visits, mobilize grassroots, IT or website knowledge, social networking familiarity, comfortable speaking with press
  • Lobbying Rules for Mississippi:
    • Registration: required for lobbyists, costs $25 annually.
• Legislation/Regulation Update
  • Governor
    • Haley Barbour, Republican elected in 2003 and 2007. Mississippi governors have a two-term lifetime limit.
  • Mississippi State Legislature
    • Full title: The Mississippi State Legislature
    • Part-time legislature, convenes on the Tuesday following the first Monday in January of each year; sessions are 90 days long
    • Session ended May 3rd. 
    • Senate has 52 members who serve 4-year terms (no term limits.) Republican controlled with 21 Democrats, 30 Republicans, and 1 vacancy.
    • The House of Representatives has 122 members who serve 4-year terms (no term limits). 59 Democrats and 63 Republicans. Republican controlled.
    • All seats up for reelection in 2012.
  • State Legislation
    • HB 101 (2012) - Allows religious exemptions from immunizations.
    • HB 343 (2012) - Prayer in schools; to authorize teachers or school administrators to open the day with a prayer or observe a moment of silence.
    • HB 348 - A bill to allow each public high school to include in its curriculum a course in Christian perspective for religious instruction as an elective.
    • HB 691/ SB 2234 (2012) - Would authorize voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools.
    • HC 35 (2012) - A resolution in support of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution relating to prayer in public schools.
    • HC 61 (2012) - A proposed constitutional "personhood" amendment that would assert a "fundamental right to life" to all "humans from conception."
    • SB 2941 (2012) - An act to provide a state income tax deduction for the parents of private or homeschool attendees, including religious those attending religious institutions or with religious curricula.
    • National issues sweeping the states
      • Reframing discrimination as “religious freedom” or “religious liberty”
      • Similar authorization of discrimination, this time by medical professionals with “Rights of Conscience” bills
    • Does anyone know any legislation or regulation in Mississippi we should be watching?
• Initial Organizing Resources
  • Conference calls
    • Agendas
    • Replays
  • Bill Tracking Software - CQ Statetrack
    • Committee hearings calendar
    • Full bill text and details
    • Customizable reports
    • Automatic web publishing
  • Free bill tracking
    • The Mississippi State Legislature offers bill searching on its website at http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/