Secondary Asks
An ask is just what it sounds like: asking a member of Congress (MOC) to take actions that support CCL’s goals. The first document below reviews our primary ask, and then presents additional bills that are complementary to our ongoing emphasis of getting strong climate legislation. These bills can be secondary asks and could provide stepping stones to gaining support for our primary ask.
To see a one-page description of each bill, click the "download" buttons below.
This list is not exhaustive; if there is a bill your group would like to use as a secondary ask that is not on this list, please contact CCL’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Ben Pendergrass, at ben@citizensclimate.org. Use your best judgment when deciding whether you want to make one or more of these bills a secondary ask. If any of them are a source of conflict within your group, please pick a different secondary ask.
The value of secondary asks
After making the primary ask and subsequent discussion, it may make sense to make a secondary ask. Getting legislation passed is a complicated, coalition-building process in which lots of smaller steps must happen before we get a law. Many members of Congress may be willing to support other bills that fit into the broader picture of addressing the climate crisis and are complementary to a carbon price, and these could be stepping stones toward support for bringing the U.S. in line with the rest of the developed world.
You should always be clear that what you want is our primary ask. After making the primary ask and subsequent discussion, it may make sense to make a secondary ask. Getting legislation passed is a complicated, coalition-building process in which lots of smaller steps must happen before we get a law.
A record of success
Here are some updates about what happened with CCL's earlier secondary asks:
RISEE Act: In the 117th Congress, the RISEE act was reported out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. It was reintroduced in the House and the Senate on February 9th of 2023 (HR 913 / S 373) on 02/09/23.
NCARS: In the 117th Congress NCARS was reported out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. We expect the bill to be reintroduced this Congress.
GCSA: The Growing Climate Solutions Act passed into law as part of the omnibus spending bill last Congress. While most of the original bill remains intact, the version which passed into law differs slightly from the version which passed the Senate. A primer is linked here to download.
FOREST Act: It is expected that the FOREST Act will be reintroduced during this Congress.
In December 2020, the U.S. House and Senate passed a massive omnibus package. The package includes the major provisions from three of CCL’s “secondary ask” bills from December Lobby Day: the BEST Act, the USE IT Act, and the Climate-Ready Fisheries Act. In July of 2021, the Senate passed the Growing Climate Solutions Act by a vote of 92-8 in a remarkable display of bipartisan support for climate action. In September 2021, Congress agreed upon a bipartisan infrastructure package that includes provisions from two of CCL’s “supporting ask” bills used in June 2021: The Hope for Homes Act and the Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act. The inclusion of these measures in both the larger omnibus package and bipartisan infrastructure package shows that CCL’s volunteer lobbying has an impact. This is a powerful reminder of why CCL supports other bipartisan climate bills - because we can make a difference.