Email from Vote Smart Time is Running Out! Help Us Gather Vital Reviews for Our Cause.   As we prepare for next year’s midterms, we know Vote Smart is more critical than ever. Your reviews on GreatNonprofits help us remain a Top-Rated Nonprofit, showing new people why our mission matters. These stories highlight the scope and impact of our work — and with your voice, we can do even more. Please take a moment to share your experience and help strengthen our reach going into this pivotal election year. (We only need 10 more reviews!) Congress Returns from Summer Break Several key deadlines and priorities faced members of Congress as they returned to Washington, D.C. this week after a six-week summer recess in their districts. Among them is the deadline to fund the government by October 1st. If Congress cannot come to a spending agreement, they will risk shutting the federal government down, which will impact dozens of government agencies across the country. Additionally, the House Oversight Committee released the first tranche of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, with more to come after they subpoenaed Epstein’s estate this week. Source 1: ABC News, Source 2: PBS.org   CDC Leadership Shakeup Last Wednesday Susan Monarez, the newly-confirmed Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was fired by President Trump, following the resignations of four other top agency officials. According to the White House, she was terminated due to a lack of alignment with the administration’s priorities. Specifically, she was at odds with the vaccine policy outlined by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. In her place, President Trump has named Jim O’Neill to fill the post in an interim capacity. O’Neill concurrently serves as Deputy Secretary to Kennedy. Source 1: NPR.org, Source 2: BBC News    Governor of Missouri Calls Special Session for Redistricting Last Friday, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced a special session to revisit the state’s congressional district map. This session, which began on September 3rd, will address passage of a new congressional map and initiative reform. As it stands, out of the 8 seats Missouri sends to Congress, 6 are held by Republicans and 2 by Democrats. An updated map, proposed by the Governor, would likely add a new Republican to their delegation. If the updated map passes, Missouri would join Texas and (possibly) California in updating their congressional maps ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Additionally, Governor Kehoe is calling on the legislature to amend the state’s initiative process, primarily changing the threshold for voters to pass a measure.  Source 1: Office of Governor Mike Kehoe, Source 2: AP News     We’re excited to introduce a new feature in your weekly digest — interactive visualizations of key votes. These tools let you explore live breakdowns of important votes by state, region, and issue area, giving you a clearer picture of how lawmakers are deciding on the issues that matter most. Northeast Midwest South West For full details on each bill, visit our Vote Smart Issue Summary page. Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes: The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue. The vote should be clear for any person to understand. The vote has received media attention. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin.   Congress State California (CA) – Assembly Passed AB 604 - Amends State Congressional Districts California (CA) – Senate Passed SB 280 - Establishes Timelines, Procedures, and Appropriates Funding for Redistricting California (CA) – Assembly Passed ACA 8 - Authorizes a Constitutional Amendment on Congressional Redistricting State Texas (TX) – Senate Passed SB 4 - Amends State Congressional Districts Texas (TX) – Senate Passed SB 14 - Prohibits the Release of Police Personnel Records Texas (TX) – House Passed HB 1 - Requires Youth Camps to Submit Disaster Emergency Preparedness Plans       Democrat LaVon Bracy Davis won a special election Tuesday to represent Florida’s 15th State Senate district. This district, which covers the western neighborhoods of Orlando, was declared vacant in May following the death of Geraldine Thompson. Davis, a former state representative since 2022, vacated her seat in order to run for the senate. She will hold the seat until the next regularly scheduled election, which is in November 2026. Republican James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, was responsible for releasing over 33,000 pages of files relating to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Most of the files released this week are already publicly available, but Comer and the Republicans on the committee, in concert with the Justice Department, plan to release more. The committee has already subpoenaed the Epstein estate as well as former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who in 2008 was then the U.S. Attorney in charge of approving a plea deal for Epstein. Next week, there is a special election for a congressional seat in Virginia. Click on the link below to view the candidates running: Virginia Special Congressional General Election, District 11     Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email Vote Smart | 1153 24TH ST | DES MOINES, IA 50311-4308 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice