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SOCM's 2014 Legislative Agenda
Before the Tennessee Legislature is called to session each January, SOCM's statewide issues committees research bills that may come up during the year and would affect our work and our communities.
To see the bills that we are following or lobbying on this legislative session, click on our 2014 State Legislature page. This page will be updated regularly as more information becomes available.
There are several ways for you to become involved in SOCM's fight for a more fair and just Tennessee for all. Our Legislative page has tips on lobbying, how to find your legislators, and how to write a letter-to-the-editor for your local newspaper. We will also be sending out Action Alerts when bills are coming up for votes and legislators need to hear from you. Groups of members will be meeting with legislators and going to committee meetings to follow the progress of these bills. Contact Organizer Brad Wright at brad@socm.org if you are interested in joining in.
To find your legislators or to see where a piece of legislation is in the process, go to http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/.
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E3 Committee Brings Water Quality Testing Training to Middle Tennessee
SOCM's E3 Committee will be in Middle Tennessee on February 22nd offering a free water quality testing training to members in the area. E3 members have been trained to test water quality by the Alliance for Appalachia as part of the Appalachian Community Enforcement (ACE) project. The Alliance is a coalition of citizen groups in Appalachia, of which SOCM is a part of. Several members have already been testing the water in East Tennessee communities affected by coal mining. We are happy to bring this training to Middle Tennessee as many of our members there are fighting threats to their water from other sources such as chemical manufacturing plants, concentrated animal feeding operations, and landfills.
Water Quality Testing Training
Saturday, Feb. 22, 1-4 p.m. CT
The Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park, Murfreesboro
Free and Open to All SOCM Members!
RSVP to Organizer Brad Wright at brad@socm.org or 615-355-9356
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Join a SOCM Statewide Committee Today!
E3 (Energy, Ecology, Environmental Justice) Committee
Originating in the coalfield areas of Tennessee and called the strip-mine committee, the E3 Committee was designed to help effected citizens deal with problems associated with strip-mining and other radical mining practices. Through the years, committee issues have expanded to include a wide variety of natural resources protection issues, ranging from water protection to the threats of rock harvesting, and now the new threats to water quality and public lands posed by fracking. The committee provides a route for members to effect legislation, gather as concerned citizens, and develop strategies to protect the land of Tennessee. For more information, contact E3 Committee Chair Stephanie Langley at e3@socm.org.
Green-Collar Jobs Committee
SOCM's Green-Collar Jobs (GCJ) Committee understands the urgency in Tennessee to develop a more just and sustainable economy through green-collar jobs. Our vision is to ensure family-supporting jobs with workers' rights, which strengthen communities and provide pathways out of poverty and an equitable, sustainable clean energy economy in Tennessee. For more information, contact GCJ Committee Chair Lauren Bush at greencollarjobs@socm.org.
Social Justice Committee
SOCM has spent 41 years organizing for social justice in Tennessee by working to restore voting rights for ex-felons, pushing for expanded access to healthcare for all Tennesseans, organizing for immigrant rights, and engaging in the process of dismantling racism in society's institutions. In 2013, SOCM entered into an exciting new stage in the development of our work on the social and economic issues affecting our members. The Social Justice Committee was created to focus on social justice issues on a statewide level, and to support the social justice issue work of SOCM's chapters. For more information, contact the Social Justice Committee at socialjustice@socm.org.
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Green-Collar Jobs Chair Lauren Bush Attends the TVA Regional Energy Resource Council
On Jan. 22-23, Green-Collar Jobs Chair Lauren Bush attended the TVA Regional Energy Resource Council (RERC) meeting at the TVA Headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn. The Council observes the process of creating TVA's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which is a roadmap of where the TVA will get its power from in the future.
The Green-Collar Jobs Committee is following developments in the creation of the IRP. For more information on the IRP and a copy of the presentations that were given at the RERC meeting, click here. If you have any questions and would like to learn more about the process, you are welcome to email Lauren at greencollarjobs@socm.org.
Keep an eye out for action alerts from the GCJ Committee this spring. TVA will re-open up the public input process then and we need members to tell them to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency. SOCM and other groups are also calling for TVA to up open up sub-committee meetings concerning the IRP to the public.
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Chapters Participate in Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Activities to Build Communities
 Last month, members from all over the state participated in celebrations honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In Maury County, the chapter worked with the local MLK-CCC to sponsor a week-long series of events which included a panel discussion, a youth rally, a dinner, a celebration service, and a march. The Rutherford County and Jackson Chapters also participated in local events which celebrated the life of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, and promoted diversity and community building.
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Join SOCM!
Your community needs you. Click on the link above to pay membership dues or click below to donate to SOCM and designate your donation as membership dues.
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Film Festival on Big History
Saturday, Feb. 8
9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. CT
Pleasant Hill Community Church/UCC, Pleasant Hill
Cumberland County Chapter Meeting
Monday, Feb. 10
3 - 5 p.m. CT
Art Circle Public Library, Crossville
Maury County Chapter Meeting
Monday, Feb. 10
5:30 - 7 p.m. CT
Gourmet Soul Cafe, Columbia
Bedford/Coffee Chapter Meeting
Tuesday, Feb. 11
6:30 - 8 p.m. CT
Chamber of Commerce, Shelbyville
Jackson Chapter Meeting
Thursday, Feb. 13
6 - 8 p.m. CT
Westwood Activity Center, Jackson
Rutherford County Chapter Meeting
Tuesday, Feb. 18
6:30 - 8 p.m. CT
Unity Church, Murfreesboro
E3 Committee Conference Call
Tuesday, Feb. 18
8 - 9:30 p.m. ET
ACE Water Quality Testing
Saturday, Feb. 22
1 - 4 p.m. CT
The Wilderness Station, Barfield Crescent Park, Murfreesboro
Knoxville Chapter Meeting
Tuesday, Feb. 25
6:30 - 8 p.m. ET
The Birdhouse, Knoxville
Other Events of Interest
KFTC's "I Love Mountains" Day
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Frankfort, KY
Click here for more information.
Conservation Education Day
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Legislative Plaza, Nashville
Click here for more information.
Mountaintop Removal Mixer
Sunday, Feb. 23
Time TBD
The Birdhouse, Knoxville
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"The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
the one that heralds the most discoveries,
is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!),
but 'That's funny...'"
- Isaac Asimov
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