#hb999

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jesus Ron Desantis signed HB999 yesterday on the New College of Florida campus. I was part of the protests. effortpost to follow.

The legislation is part of a broader Republican effort across the country to target D.E.I. programs.

[fighthb999]

What's the HB999 bill?

Here is a general consensus to what the HB999 bill is about. Please contact your representatives about this and tell them not to support this bill!

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My state's government is trying to pass a bill that, long story short:

would gut the social work degree programs at my university (aka my degree program)

eliminate entire courses, majors, departments, university events, etc. that have anything to do with diversity (The bill would even get rid of my university's office that handles accommodations for students with disabilities)

Put the hiring and tenure decisions in the hands of people who would not care about having a diverse faculty and staff

and destroy academic freedom and free speech by not allowing professors and students to talk about any matters involving diversity, oppression, social justice, equality, etc. (which is essentially what all of my social work classes are about)

I decided to contact my representatives in my state's government, and of course they're both republicans so they won't give a shit about the people this bill would actually harm. So that's where my bachelor's degree in English (that included persuasive writing) comes in.

This was my message to my representatives:

"Hello,

I am contacting you to ask you to vote "No" on House of Representatives bill HB999. I am a social work student at [blank]. This bill extremely affects my studies. For example, it would eliminate [my university's disability accommodations office], which is the department for determining accommodations for disabled students as well as the agency I will be working at for my required internship [a slight fib since I'm still determining where I'll be interning]. The passing of this bill would hinder my ability to learn how to become a fully educated social worker who can help others to my greatest potential. My line of work helps people from the mentally ill with no insurance, to the homeless woman on the street, to even people in as high up positions as yourself when they are in need of support.

Social workers who assist non-profit organizations often do work in place of the government, which means harming the social work field could cost the government a large sum of money, affecting US debt and American tax dollars. The services that social workers provide also lower crime rates, allowing police officers to have more time and funds to focus on what's important. Many social workers provide faith-based therapy, which would mean religious freedom may be negatively affected by this bill. Taking away necessary graduate courses from social work students will lead to less efficient and less knowledgeable work in professions that revolve around helping local communities, which will hit rural areas the hardest where many citizens cannot afford vital services without the aid of organizations dedicated to providing for Americans in need.

I trust that you value the young man taking his first steps into the American dream. Those beginning steps cannot be taken without support from local community resources, and those resources would dwindle if this bill is passed. Please vote against HB999 for the sake of citizens in rural areas, police officers, lower taxes, religious freedom, and the American dream.

Thank you for your time."

Do I actually care about any of these "values" like helping police or the fake "American dream"? No. But all that matters is persuading this guy to vote against the bill.

I have no clue if this message will actually get him to vote "No," and it probably won't because they don't usually care about the needs and views of their constituents. But it's possible this could affect his vote.

If anyone else is in Florida and wants to contact their representatives about this bill, you can use my message as a template if you'd like. Just make sure you adjust it for your circumstance, like changing the parts in brackets. And again, I can't guarantee if my script will work.