Weekly Briefing: Bipartisan PROVE IT Act Hits The House

July 10, 2024

We lobbied — and Congress listened! A bipartisan group of lawmakers has just introduced the PROVE IT Act (H.R. 8957) into the U.S. House of Representatives.

Last month on Capitol Hill, CCL volunteers held 442 meetings asking Congress to advance this legislation. In recent months, we’ve also generated 10,617 calls and emails urging members of Congress to support the PROVE IT Act.

Now, the legislation has hit the House! The House bill is led by Rep. John Curtis (R-UT-03), pictured above, and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA-50). It has a robust list of 19 additional cosponsors, well balanced between Republicans and Democrats. 

And don’t forget — over in the Senate, the PROVE IT Act has already been passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee with bipartisan support. With this week’s House introduction and significant cosponsor list, the PROVE IT Act continues to advance.

Wondering if your member of Congress is a cosponsor of the bill? You can see the full list of cosponsors here. If your representative is on the bill, now is the perfect time to send them an appreciative message. We’ve whipped up an online tool with a pre-filled message you can use to thank them for stepping up.

In other news this week:

• Need a refresher on PROVE IT? If you want to review the details of the PROVE IT Act to see what all the fuss is about, visit this training on CCL Community. 

• CCL statement on Supreme Court decision: CCL issued a statement from Executive Director Rachel Kerestes on the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn a decades-old precedent. In light of the ruling, she said, “Our work is more vital than ever. We will continue to lobby Republican and Democratic lawmakers to pass durable, bipartisan climate legislation. This is the clearest and most reliable path forward to secure long lasting climate action.” 

• Share your electrification story: As we gear up for a month of outreach about home electrification, we want to hear from you about the steps you’ve taken to electrify your own home. Switched your furnace for a heat pump? Upgraded to an induction stove? Tell us all about it here.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Share social media posts about PROVE IT. CCL’s national accounts have posted about the House introduction of the PROVE IT Act on X, Facebook, or Linkedin. Like or share the posts to spread this exciting news! 

If you have more time: Attend CCL’s July monthly meeting. This Saturday at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, join CCL staff and volunteers on Zoom for our July meeting. Our featured speaker is Ben Pendergrass, CCL’s Vice President of Government Affairs, who will review the impact we made on Capitol Hill last month and help us understand what to expect from Congress in the coming months. We’ll also celebrate recent successes and review upcoming actions you can take this month.

Featured chapter: CCL New Albany

CCL’s chapter in New Albany, Indiana, led by Heather Swinney and Brittany Harris, are rocking the grassroots outreach game. 

This April, they participated in an Earth Day event alongside other local businesses and organizations, featuring native plant species to plastic pollution education and more. Chapter members held more than 200 climate change awareness and policy advocacy-based conversations with visitors. The chapter’s Earth Day event press release was even picked up by the local newspaper!  

The grassroots outreach didn't stop there. The New Albany chapter also held more than 200 climate conversations at a Pollinator Day event, which was hosted by Purdue Extension Floyd County and Sunnyside Master Gardeners on April 27.

In addition to their robust community outreach, the New Albany chapter makes their own chapter feel like a true community by hosting three major social events annually, including kayaking, brewery socials, and local restaurant luncheons. Heather attributes the chapter’s successes to the wide diversity of members, from high school and college students to retirees. Way to go, CCL New Albany!

Want to chat with the New Albany volunteers about their outreach? Join the conversation on CCL Community.

Upcoming trainings

7/11: Strategies For Attending Candidate Events - CCL wants all candidates to move climate to the top of their policy agenda. To help make that happen, we’re encouraging volunteers to attend campaign events this summer, ask effective questions, and educate candidates on CCL. Attend this training to learn how. Join us!

7/15: Electrification Month prep series - We’ll be talking a lot about electrification in the month of August, and our volunteer-led Electrification Action Team is holding a weekly workshop series ready to help you prepare! The next session on Monday, July 15 focuses on creating a personal electrification plan.

7/16: Grasstops Engagement Basics - One key way to advance climate solutions at the national level is to gain the support of local community leaders. Join CCL's National Action Director Todd Elvins to learn how to conduct outreach to grasstops leaders in your area and beyond. Join us!

To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.

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