From Republicans for Environmental Protection:

Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP), a national grassroots organization with a membership that includes many elected officials, is pleased to endorse Christopher J. Christie for governor of New Jersey.

“Chris Christie is a true environmental champion who is dedicated to fighting pollution and safeguarding New Jersey’s natural treasures,” REP President Rob Sisson said.

“As U.S. attorney for New Jersey, he vigorously prosecuted ocean polluters. As governor, he plans to make New Jersey a magnet for renewable energy manufacturing, bringing jobs and clean energy to the Garden State,” Sisson said.

“REP only endorses strong pro-environment Republicans, and we are very impressed with Chris Christie’s proven commitment to environmental quality and responsible stewardship,” said David Jenkins, REP’s vice president for government and political affairs.

REP also is convinced that a vote for independent candidate Chris Daggett would help the re-election bid of Jon Corzine, who has been woeful in safeguarding the environment. The only way that New Jersey voters can be certain that the environment will have a friend in Trenton is to vote for Chris Christie for governor.

“From Tom Kean Sr. to Christine Todd Whitman to the many GOP environmental champions whom Garden State voters have sent to Congress, New Jersey Republicans have set a high environmental standard. As governor, Chris Christie will follow that great tradition,” Jenkins added.

“New Jersey has been a national leader in protecting open space and outdoor recreational opportunities – the Highlands in the north, the Pinelands in south Jersey, the exceptional wildlife refuges up and down the state, and the incomparable Jersey Shore. As governor, Chris Christie will advance policies and programs that safeguard all these great environmental and economic assets,” Jim DiPeso, REP’s vice president for policy and communications, said.

Republicans for Environmental Protection is dedicated to resurrecting the Republican Party’s great conservation tradition and strengthening its commitment to the responsible stewardship of our environment and natural resources, protecting the achievements of great conservation-minded Republicans such as President Theodore Roosevelt.

“Republicans were responsible for most of this nation’s landmark environmental laws and protecting America’s natural heritage. We are fortunate that we have leaders like Chris Christie to carry on the conservative tradition of conservation today,” Sisson said.

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From Republicans for Environmental Protection:

Senator Lindsey Graham’s leadership on climate change is a bold example of true conservatism that his fellow Republicans in Congress should follow, Republicans for Environmental Protection, a national grassroots organization, said today.

“We are very pleased with the New York Times op-ed that Senator Graham co-authored with Senator Kerry. The most important thing that Congress must do to address climate change is to put a price on carbon emissions. That can only happen if there is conservative Republican input and buy-in. Thanks to Senator Graham’s leadership, the odds for passing an effective, balanced bill have improved greatly,” David Jenkins, REP vice president for government and political affairs, said.

“Senator Graham is showing what true conservatism means,” Jenkins said. “True conservatives take risks to our country seriously, and they take responsibility by supporting prudent measures to reduce those risks. That’s what Ronald Reagan did two decades ago when he pushed through the Montreal Protocol to reduce emissions of ozone-depleting gases, and that’s what Senator Graham is doing today,” Jenkins said.

“Like his friend and ally, Senator John McCain, Senator Graham is willing to expend political capital to solve a problem that threatens our country’s security, economy, and quality of life. We applaud his courage. We strongly urge Republicans and Democrats to follow his example by working together in good faith to frame balanced climate legislation that a broad majority of Americans can support,” Jim DiPeso, REP vice president for policy and communications, said.

“Climate change is too important an issue to abandon to partisan politics as usual. Responsible Republicans and Democrats must put country above party, and work together to find solutions that work. Senator Graham has taken a bold step forward towards that end,” DiPeso said.

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The following is a press release from the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC.

Today, the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC announced its support for Republican state legislator Dede Scozzafava in her campaign to replace John McHugh (R) as the Representative for New York’s 23rd Congressional District. “Now more than ever, as Democrats have racked up record deficits and are now pursuing a trillion dollar government takeover of healthcare, we must elect thoughtful Republican candidates like Dede Scozzafava to rein in out of control spending and return the government back to the people,” said Representative Fred Upton (R-MI), head of the Main Street PAC.

Dierdre “Dede” Scozzafava is a lifelong North Country resident. Prior to being elected to the New York State Assembly in 1998, Dede dedicated much of her life to public service. She served for four years as a Village of Gouverneur Trustee and was Mayor of the Village of Gouverneur from 1993 through 1998.

As a Member of the Assembly, Dede was appointed to the position of Minority Leader Pro Tempore for the Assembly Republican Conference. She is the first woman to ever hold such a prestigious leadership position.

“Dede Scozzafava is a Republican who has the experience necessary to encourage small business growth and help bring jobs to upstate New York. Dede will add a thoughtful, commonsense voice to Congress, and every working family, veteran and senior in North Country will be better off with Dede Scozzafava as their representative. The Main Street PAC is proud to support Republican Dede Scozzafava for Congress,” concluded Upton.

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National Board Chairman Terry W. Hamilton announced the support of the Log Cabin Republicans for the ‘No on One: Protect Maine Equality’ campaign, opposing a referendum to overturn the bipartisan marriage equality bill signed into law in May. Read more »

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A News Release from Log Cabin Republicans:

July 21, 2009, (Washington, DC) – The Log Cabin Republicans issued the following statement today following the passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Matthew Shepard Act) by the U.S. Senate:Â

“Passage of this important legislation providing local and state law enforcement with the essential resources for prosecuting bias-motivated hate crimes would not have been possible without the support of fair-minded Republicans. We applaud the 5 Republican Senators — Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe from Maine, Richard Lugar from Indiana, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, and George Voinovich from Ohio — who provided the margin of victory which allowed this legislation to move to a vote by the full Senate,” said Log Cabin National Chairman Terry W. Hamilton. Â

“Passage of this legislation is a truly remarkable achievement and a great step forward for the civil rights movement. This legislation not only ensures proper prosecutions of such violent crimes, but also ensures protection for the 1st Amendment freedom of speech and of religion,” added Log Cabin Republicans Spokesman Charles T. Moran.Â

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act provides federal funding and assistance from the Department of Justice for local and state law enforcement agencies, or where local authorities are unwilling or unable to act, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated, violent crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury. The legislation also makes grants available to state and local communities to combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers or assist in state and local investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated crimes.

A 2007 Hart Research poll shows large majorities of every major subgroup of the American electorate – including such traditionally conservative groups as Republican men and evangelical Christians – expressing support for strengthening hate crimes laws.

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Log Cabin Republicans promotes legislation to provide basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans and works to build a more inclusive GOP. The 30-year old organization has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees.

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Today brings yet another misleading attack on family planning and access to contraception from social extremists. Senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina has offered an amendment that would strip the language from the supplemental spending package that would restore affordable birth control to college campus health clinics and safety-net providers.

We have all been fighting for the last two years to fix a technical error that inadvertently cut off these providers to be able to supply their patients with affordable birth control. Price have risen as much as 900% in some cases. We are so close to the finish line-the prevision passed the House without any controversy. As there has always been for this measure, there is strong bipartisan support in both chambers and from the public.

[Originally Distributed by the Republican Majority for Choice]
Senator DeMint is trying to mislead what the intent of the fix by calling it a spending earmark. Let’s be clear: the affordable birth control fix is at no cost to taxpayers. It is a common sense fix that will make it possible for more low-income and fixed-income woman to afford birth control.

Your Senator absolutely needs to hear from you and the rest of the pro-choice majority of the Republican Party. These attacks are hurting millions of responsible women and families, and it’s hurting our Party by making the GOP look extreme on common sense issues like birth control.

Contact your Senator and tell them this problem has gone unfixed for far too long and to vote no on the DeMint Amendment-649.

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Today President Obama released his proposed 2010 Budget. Here are some of the notable spending areas:

• The budget has $4 trillion in spending for the 2010 fiscal year.
• There is a possible $750 billion dollars available in additional bank bailout funds this year.
• There is a proposal for a $634 billion fund to reform healthcare, which is part of a 10 year spending plan to cover the cost of universal health care coverage – the total is projected at $1 trillion.
• There is a line item for $75 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September.
• The Office of Management and Budget projects the government’s deficit for this year will soar to $1.75 trillion.

It appears much of the funding for this spending plan will come from new tax increases:

• He plans to increase the taxes for people making over $250,000. It is estimated the increase will generate $318 billion.
  • It will limit the tax rate for itemized deductions to 28% percent for tax filers over $250,000.
• The plan also calls for letting the Bush tax cuts expire.

Although he is marketing his plan as tax increases for the rich, unfortunately many small businesses may be adversely affected. Many experts are skeptical that the tax increases will actually produce the kind of funds the proposal has projected. Obama is also pledging to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term.

We are working through the entire budget and will have an in-depth look at the spending that affects family planning, sex education, reproductive healthcare and anything else notable in the next issue of Voice for Choice. Look for that tomorrow in your inbox.

In a completely separate story in budget legislation, the US House passed the omnibus spending bill for 2009. The fix to restore affordable birth control to university health clinics and safety-net providers was included. This non-controversial, common sense fix will correct a technical error that cut of these providers from being able to offer birth control at an affordable rate. We are pleased to say that this measure has always had wide bipartisan support.

We will continue to update you as both pieces of spending legislation make their way through Capitol Hill and onto the President’s desk.

[Originally Distributed by the Republican Majority for Choice]

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Alarmingly, the North Dakota Assembly has just passed a bill that would give fertilized eggs the same protection under the North Dakota State Constitution as a person. The purpose of this act is to ban abortion. Legal experts think the law would go well beyond abortion and include banning the most effective type of birth control and in-vitro fertilization. The bill’s sponsor says their intention is for the legislation to be a direct challenge to the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which gave Americans the right to privacy.

This is not a new tactic. Last year we help to defeat a similar measure that gained traction in Colorado. We convened press conferences, authored opinion editorials and ran advertisements to mobilize moderate Republicans who joined in a bipartisan coalition of voters to defeat this amendment, 73% to 27%. These are the results we can achieve with the proper resources and the support of dedicated members.

The battle to protect personal choices has been increasing at the state level. Anti-choice extremists have been pushing “personhood” legislation and initiatives all over the country. We will likely see a rise in this sort of extreme legislation that bans reproductive choices on every level. Access to reproductive choices, and the legal and medical maneuvering required, varies greatly state to state. North Dakota has what seems to be every possible piece of anti-choice law on the books. Many measures are so extreme that they are unenforceable because they are not constitutional. Access to an abortion is so restricted that 98% of the counties in North Dakota do not have a single abortion provider.

The personhood legislation is now on its way to the state Senate. We will be activating our members in North Dakota to lobby their senators to vote against. But we want all of our members to be aware of the real threats all over the country. You might be fortunate to live in a state that respects personal freedom, but there are far too many families who do not. It is important we challenge each threat no matter where the come from. Please donate to the Republican Majority for Choice as we continue to fight for individual rights all across the country.

[Distributed by the Republican Majority for Choice]

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