For Memorial Day, we’ve got a number of songs that shine a light on the devastation caused by war to soldiers and sailors, in all times, and from all countries. We’ve also got timely interviews with Representative Kris Schultz, who chairs the NH House Progressive Caucus, and with Olivia Zink, Executive Director of Open Democracy and Open Democracy Action.
Rep. Schultz told Maggie what she’s expecting – and hoping for – when the House convenes at the Whittemore Arena at UNH in Durham on June 11. She’s expecting a pared down agenda from where the 2020 legislative session started, with a focus on bills deemed responsive to the coronavirus pandemic. That should include her bill to raise the state’s minimum wage, in steps over several years, to $15 an hour. Other progressive priorities she mentioned include sentencing reform, paid sick leave, and no-excuse absentee voting. She also described the importance of giving more attention to the needs of workers by committees looking at procedures for re-opening businesses.
Olivia Zink’s comments focused on voting rights at a time when town and city halls are closed and when polling sites could be places where physical distancing is hard to achieve. Reforms that Open Democracy advocates include making it easier for voters to register and cast absentee ballots, a point being made at the Secretary of State’s Select Committee on 2020 Emergency Election Support and in legislation likely to come up next month. Olivia has additional, specific suggestions for how the state should use CARES Act resources to make voting more fair and more accessible. She also encourages everyone who cares about the health of democracy to listen in on the Secretary of State’s Select Committee meetings. (Find the schedule and more information here.)
Our Memorial Day music included songs from Billy Bragg, Buffy Saint Marie, John Prine, Nina Simone, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, and Little Steven.
