Greetings from the WLF Executive Director

 

 

	This is the first monthly newsletter to be produced since the Women's Vote Center and the Women's Leadership Forum (WLF) merged. This change follows the departure of Christy Agner in February, who has moved on to new adventures after many years of exceptional service and dedication to the Democratic women's community, including successful GOTV efforts geared towards women, as well as her very informative Week In Review. We all wish her the best. This also marks my first newsletter as the Executive Director of the Women's Leadership Forum. I want to tell you about the exciting direction in which the WLF is heading and some of our recent program features. In addition to the WLF newsletter, we hope you will share your thoughts with us through the informative WLF Blog and check out our updated Women's Page at www.democrats.org/women, in order to stay informed about the issues you care about the most. Below I have highlighted some of the goals to be achieved over the next two years and hope you will join me as we move this agenda forward. Your participation is essential to the success of the program and its objectives and I look forward to our working together to achieve victory in 2008 and beyond. Thank you. Sharon Grosfeld The 2007 - 2008 WLF Agenda Similar to years past, the WLF's mission is to energize, empower and engage Democratic women in the political process so that they take an active role in the Democratic Party. Our goal is to insure that Democratic women feel connected to the Party by involving them in both organizing and fundraising activities. The WLF is committed to maintaining a strong women's program and presence within the DNC, and to helping candidates win. Women were important to helping Democrats take back the House and Senate, in addition to gaining governors and state legislators. In 2008 we will work to elect a Democratic president, as well as increasing our majority in the U.S. House and Senate. The WLF is a multifaceted entity that had previously been directed by a single board. However, beginning January 1st of this year, the WLF has a two-tiered structure, one being a financial council whose members are committed to raising substantial funds for the DNC, and the other a political council, whose members focus upon increasing the women's vote as well as the election of women to federal offices. By developing a strong network of women fundraisers, the WLF has been extremely successful in increasing the visibility of women throughout the Democratic Party, in addition to increasing the active participation by women Democrats. Through numerous and varied fundraising events, outreach activities, and the creation of women's networks throughout the country, the WLF expects to continue to make a meaningful and substantial contribution towards the 2008 elections and beyond. Outreach efforts to women are critical if we are to win back the White House and increase our representation in all elected positions. As such, an active political council is vital to the success of our Party and the role of women within it. Over these next two years, the WLF expects to develop network affiliates in as many states as possible. These WLF networks will be composed of Democratic women from all walks of life, working to mobilize other women to register to vote, go to the polls and raise funds to continue the work of the Party. To the extent it is possible, it is our hope to also hold briefings and events in various states around issues important to women that will motivate them to become more involved in the Democratic Party. We welcome the opportunity to work with the many other excellent Democratic women's groups, organizations and individuals who continue to open doors for women. We particularly want to thank the Women's Caucus of the DNC for all of the efforts it has made towards advancing the rights of all women. Legislative Update As part of the WLF monthly newsletter, information regarding federal legislation and the budget will be provided. For a complete listing of websites that provide detailed information about federal legislation, you can go to www.feminist.org/action/actres1.html Health Insurance Coverage For Children and The Budget: In President Bush's FY 2008 budget, funding for Medicaid, which serves one in six Americans, has once again been severely curtailed, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has been drastically under-funded. Both of these programs are vital for low income families in need of health care and are most often utilized by women. For instance, almost 71 percent of the Medicaid beneficiaries over the age of 19 are women. With respect to SCHIP, which is a program intended to provide health care to low income people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to afford private health insurance, the President's budget cuts parents from coverage under SCHIP, including pregnant women. As such, S.95 was introduced by Senator Kerry (MA) to provide all uninsured children with health insurance coverage. This legislation is currently in the Senate Committee on Finance. Identical legislation was introduced in the House by Representative Henry Waxman (CA-30) and was referred to the House Education and Labor Committee. The Women's Health Office Act (WHOA): H.R. 1072: This legislation introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) permanently authorizes the women's health offices and positions in HHS, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRW), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) and the NIH. Amendments to this bill would ensure that these offices could not be eliminated or under-funded, nor could they be downgraded in the future without Congressional input. WHOA was introduced in both the House and Senate in the previous Congress but was not voted upon before adjournment. Presently, the bill is in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1132): Introduced by Representative Tammy Baldwin (WI-2), this resolution, which was signed into law by President Bush on April 20th, will provide waivers relating to grants for preventative health measures relating to breast and cervical cancers. In addition, the bill sets guidelines and conditions for cervical and breast cancer detection programs. $225 million may be authorized in 2008 and a total of $1.25 billion may be provided between 2008 and 2012. This represents an increase of $23 million over the amount authorized in 2007. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1592: Pursuant to this Act, sponsored by Representative John Conyers (D-MI), the Justice Department will be empowered to prosecute violent crimes in which the assailant chose the victim as a result of the victim's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. While hate crimes are generally prosecuted on the state level, this Act gives the Justice Department the ability to assist state and local jurisdiction with the investigation and prosecution of these crimes and can lead the prosecution when the state is unwilling or incapable of doing so itself. Over 200 law enforcement, civil rights, religious and other organizations and individuals have made their support for this Act well known. This legislation is scheduled for a vote in the House on May 3rd. For more information about this legislation and what you can do please go to: www.hrc.org H. Res. 32: This Resolution, introduced by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) in January, calls for the United States to denounce gender-based persecution (such as female genital mutilation, domestic violence, "honor" killings, acid burnings and dowry deaths) throughout the world, and to ratify its support of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The bill has been referred to the House Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight. The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 541, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct); S.74, Senator Clinton (D-NY) and the Fair Pay Act Though women are breaking through all kinds of ceilings, they still encounter wage disparities, and for women of color the inequities are even more profound. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2005: 6 out of every 10 women aged 16 and over worked outside the home compared to 7 out of every 10 men of the same age group; Women's median weekly earnings for full time wage and salary workers was $585.00, whereas for men it was $722.00; Women's median hourly earnings were $10.31 for women being paid hourly rates, whereas for men it was $12.16. Though women as a whole live longer than men, with a woman retiring at age 55 likely to live another 27.5 years, never the less, far fewer women than men receive pensions or have retirement savings. Women must demand pay equity now and not have to rely solely upon filing discrimination suits in order to get the same wages and benefits that men receive for the same or equivalent jobs. To remedy the problem, the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act have been introduced and will: clarify acceptable reasons for differences in pay between men and women; grant additional training for EEOC staff in order to handle wage disputes more effectively; re-instate the Bureau of Labor Statistics as the government agency to be responsible for the collection of data on women workers; strengthen the penalties for violation of the equal pay law; ban retaliation; require employers to provide equal pay for jobs that are comparable but not identical; eliminate the "gag rule" concerning the disclosure of wages; prohibit employers from reducing wages to comply with pay equity requirements; provide individuals with the ability to sue for fair wages. For complete details on the employment status of women and men, visit the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau website, from which the above data is drawn, at: www.dol.gov/wb/. May Calendar The month of May is National Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, National Older Americans Month, National Osteoporosis Prevention Month, National Mental Health Month and Women's Health Awareness Month. May 13th: Mother's Day, begun in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as Mothers' Peace Day May 17th: In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Brown v. Board of Education declaring that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal May 21st: Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean alone in 1932 May 28th: Memorial Day May 28th: The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 May 30th to June 3rd: Annual Convention of the National Federation of Democratic Women in Charleston, West Virginia (go to: www.nfdw.com for registration information)
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