The E-exchange
THE MOMSRISING e-EXCHANGE“A Dialog Among Organizations Working to Build a Family-Friendly America”
November 29th, 2007
Circulation: 270
The e-Exchange distribution list includes some of the nation's strongest women's organizations, family advocacy groups, mother's organizations, child advocacy groups, unions, health care organizations, parenting groups, and faith-based organizations as well as academicians, researchers, and writers who are all working to better the lives of mothers and families.
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CONTENTS
B. Spotlight:
- Fair Pay Restoration Act
- “A Peaceful Revolution”
- CA Campaign for Health Insurance for All Children
C. Childcare Legislative Update: National Women’s Law Center
D. Afterschool Programs Legislative Update: Afterschool Alliance
G. Good Reading
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A. Toxics: Mom’s Voices Heard
Over 20,000 members signed our petition to "Get the lead out: stop toxic toys" and we continue to advocate for the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act which would give the CPSC more funding and power to enforce the elimination of toxic children’s products on store shelves.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi blogged about need for reform in the way our country works to prevent toxins entering our home and she highlighted the MomsRising petition. Her blog can be read at www.momsrising.org. Please share the petition with your constituency to demand safe, lead free products for children at: http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/signUp.jsp?key=2827.
In California, MomsRising has worked in partnership with Friends of the Earth, Make Our Milk Safe, and Dr. Arlene Blum to get toxic flame retardants out of our furniture. We hope next year to pass a bill on this; AB 706.
Toxic Issues Converge--We were able to share our member’s concern about brominated and chlorinated flame retardants in our furniture with the federal legislators who were writing the new draft guidelines for the CPSC when they proposed including a flammability standard similar to the standard in California that caused the heavy use of toxic chemicals in California furniture. We are thrilled to report that those fire retardant chemicals will not be used in furniture foam if the brand new CPSC draft furniture flammability standard in enacted. This would be a big victory for our family’s health and the environment.
We would like to invite organizations on this e-Exchange list to join us in this campaign. If you're interested, email Joan Blades at joan@momsrising.org.
Fair Pay Restoration Act: On July 31st, in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rolled back women’s ability to demand equal pay for equal work, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. MomsRising is currently working with NOW, the National Women’s Law Center and many other aligned groups to mobilize support for that Senate counterpart bill, the Fair Pay Restoration Act. This act will remedy the Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter that limited the rights of workers to bring pay discrimination claims. Thanks go to all of the aligned organizations involved thus far, and also to MomsRising members who emailed 18,099 letters to Congress urging them to vote Yes on H.R. 2831 to reverse the Ledbetter decision. We will be updating you on our ongoing efforts to pass this bill through the U.S. Senate. “A Peaceful Revolution”: “A Peaceful Revolution” is a regular blog site on the Huffington Post that features the powerful voices of leading writers and thinkers who care deeply about the issues facing families in America. The blog appears every Tuesday and the Huffington Post now has a page where all the previous posts are being compiled: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/a-peaceful-revolution. Much thanks to all the bloggers that have made the Peaceful Revolution so rich and thought provoking! California Campaign for Health Insurance for All Children: There are 763,000 children in California who are uninsured. MomsRising is working with the 100% Campaign, a collaborative effort of The Children’s Partnership, Children Now, and Children’s Defense Fund to demand that all of California’s children have health insurance. Over the past few months, our members have sent over 10,000 letters to California legislators urging them not to forget children. 1092 MomsRising members in California wrote personal messages for “apple grams” -- apples bearing stickers that expressed support for healthcare for all kids. MomsRising’s Mom Ambassadors hand delivered the apple grams to the legislators. Stay tuned for updates! (A great round of appreciation to the National Women’s Law Center for providing the following information!) Child care and early education have gotten some attention at the federal level in the past month. The House and Senate, by overwhelming margins, approved a bill that reauthorizes the hallmark Head Start program. Head Start provides comprehensive early education support to nearly a million low-income children and their families. The bipartisan bill, Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, is important on several fronts. It allows programs the flexibility to provide a preschool education to more three- and four-year olds. It also recognizes the importance of the earliest years in a child’s development by setting out a course for expanding Early Head Start. This program designed for infants and toddlers only reaches a fraction of the children who could benefit. The bill also increases credentials for Head Start teachers and targets additional funds on helping teachers obtain these credentials and bolstering the quality of the program overall. (For more information, see the NWLC Info-Exchange, http://action.nwlc.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=4581.0 Interestingly enough, the House and Senate versions of the 2007 Farm Bill, which addresses both agriculture and nutrition policies, include a very important child care provision. They would eliminate the limitation on the child care deduction for families to qualify for the Food Stamp Program. The previous cap limited deductions to $200 per month in child care costs for a child under age 2 and $175 per month for a preschooler. These amounts have not been adjusted in over a decade. Care in a child care center now can average about $300 to $1,200 a month for one child, depending on where the family lives and the child’s age. (http://www.naccrra.org/news/pricereport.php) With the cap removed, more families will quality for Food Stamp benefits and, as a result, be better able to afford both food and child care. Unfortunately, funding for both child care and Head Start is being held up in the battle between the Administration and Congress over annual appropriations (or funding) bills. The appropriations bill vetoed by President Bush included a tiny $34.5 million increase in child care funding, a $154 million increase for Head Start (not enough to allow programs a cost-of-living increase, much less accomplish the goals of the Head Start reauthorization), and a $100 million increase for after-school programs. However, even those amounts were considered too much! On the state front, Wisconsin managed to turn back proposals to make extensive cuts to its child care assistance program, which helps low-income families pay for child care. The state assembly, following a recommendation by the governor, had proposed to make fewer families eligible for child care assistance, begin waiting lists for families, increase parents’ copayments, and limit the number of years that a family could receive help in paying for child care. The final budget rejected these changes and increased spending for child care. Unfortunately, it did freeze reimbursement rates for child care providers at 2006 levels. This makes it hard for child care providers— many of whom are low-income women themselves—to make ends meet for their own families. In addition, overall funding to improve child care quality was cut. (A great round of appreciation to the Afterschool Alliance for providing the following information!) Lights On Afterschool 2007 From New York’s Empire State Building to Seattle’s Space Needle, the lights were on in big cities and rural townships in October as communities across the country joined the eighth annual Lights On Afterschool, the only nationwide rally for afterschool programs. Students, parents, teachers, policy makers, and business and community leaders participated in more than 7,500 events around the nation and at U.S. military bases around the world. “More than 14 million children have nowhere to go after school, but afterschool programs make a big difference… They build communities and help train the workforce of the future. Without enough funding for afterschool programs, we all lose,” said actress and Lights On Afterschool national spokesperson Rhea Perlman. The Lights On Afterschool events were as diverse as the communities that hosted them. In Colorado Springs, students celebrated literacy with Lights On Rural Afterschool. In Atlanta, students were treated to a special performance by Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Johnta Austin and remarks by Mayor Shirley Franklin. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced new funding for afterschool through the Out-of-School-Time (OST) initiative. In Cincinnati, 800 students attended a Lights On event featuring television personality and comedian Wayne Brady. All 50 governors issued proclamations for Lights On Afterschool. Businesses – from T-Mobile USA to Feit Electric to Torani to JCPenney – sponsored and supported events. The United States Senate passed a resolution declaring October 18 “Lights On Afterschool Day” and a similar resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives. Illinois News Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan unveiled a $26 million campaign in support of afterschool programs and measures that protect schoolchildren from violence. The beginning of this year’s campaign will see expanded sports and afterschool programs, with the goal of providing safe places with constructive activities for students who would otherwise go unsupervised. In addition, these funds will add 40 more “community schools” to the 110 currently operating. Last year, the killings of 32 of Chicago’s public school students grabbed national headlines; at least two more were murdered over the summer. “These are desperately needed resources we’re bringing in,” Duncan told the Chicago Tribune. Missouri News Advocates are applauding Governor Matt Blunt for new afterschool grants announced this fall. On September 21, the Governor visited Shepard Elementary School in St. Louis to announce $1 million in grants to expand math, science, engineering, technology and health-related afterschool programs in the state. Taking effect in the ’07-’08 school year, the grants will benefit 98 schools statewide. The Governor joined St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay a few days later to recognize and commend the After School for All Partnership in St. Louis as it announced 27 new or expanded afterschool programs at public as well as private schools, recreation centers and other sites. The new programs will serve nearly 1,300 students each day. Nebraska News Thanks to a combined grant of $2 million from the City of Omaha and a donation from Susie Buffett’s Sherwood Foundation, more than 400 area public school students will benefit from four new afterschool programs. The programs at the Marrs, McMillan, Morton and Norris Schools will offer snacks, activities and a strong academic component. “This is a natural extension of the school day,” Omaha Schools Superintendent John Mackiel told the Omaha World-Herald. But much remains to be done, according to a study by the University of Nebraska at Omaha which indicated that 11,000 disadvantaged children in the region could benefit from afterschool programs. New Hampshire News A new survey, Spotlight on New Hampshire, finds that an overwhelming majority of the state’s education leaders say that afterschool programs benefit students in their communities, and that they are an absolute necessity for children and youth. But nearly all these leaders say that students in their schools or districts are unable to participate because afterschool programs are not available, and they want the state and federal governments to increase their investment in afterschool. Corporate Support The work of budding student artists in California, Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas is on display in coffeehouses and kitchens throughout the country, promoting flavorful beverages and serving a good cause. This fall, Torani Ginger Spice, Italian Eggnog, Peppermint and Pomegranate syrups sport new, limited-edition art labels designed by students in afterschool programs. Torani, the number one specialty syrup in North America, is donating five percent of the product’s sales from September through December to the Afterschool Alliance. The students’ artwork was selected from hundreds of entries submitted by afterschool students around the country, and their work was celebrated at Italian soda parties sponsored by Torani at their afterschool programs. (A great round of appreciation to the Multi-State Working Families Consortium and the National Partnership for Women & Families for providing the following information!) More than a dozen cities and states are addressing the need for paid sick days, building on the momentum from San Francisco’s successful ballot measure. Already, many city and state legislatures have introduced bills—or are planning on doing so—in 2007. Many of these bills will be reintroduced in 2008, and significant progress is expected. Details on the introduced bills follow. Bills will soon be introduced in several additional locations, including West Virginia (www.sickdayswv.org). Details on Introduced Paid Sick Days Legislation Connecticut A coalition in Connecticut, led by Connecticut ACORN, advocated in 2007 for SB 601, which would require employers with fifteen or more employees provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. The paid sick days earned could be used for an employee’s own illness, or in cases dealing with family violence, sexual assault or violence. The bill was heard and passed by the Joint Committee on Labor and Public Employees, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and was reported out of the Legislative Commissioners’ Office. The bill passed in the Senate on May 29. The bill was not taken up in the House before the end of the session. Advocates plan to re-introduce the bill next session. They are assured that levels of support remain high, and it is likely the bill will pass. For more information, visit http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=10963 . Florida A coalition in Florida, led by Florida ACORN, advocated in 2007 for HB 763/ SB 2192, which would require all employers with ten or more employees to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. Workers would be able to earn up to a maximum of 52 hours per year, capped at around 6.5 days annually. Employers with less than ten employees would provide one hour for every 80 hours worked, capped at around 3.5 days annually. The paid sick days provided can be used for an employee’s own illness, to care for a sick family member, or to recover from incidents of domestic violence. The legislation did not pass during this legislative session, but may resurface in future sessions. HF 763 died in the Committee on Business Regulation on May 4th. SB 2192 died in the Committee on Commerce on May 4th. District of Columbia The DC Paid Sick and Safe Days Act Coalition, led by the DC Employment Justice Center, is leading the charge for B17- 0197. The bill would require employers to provide workers with 10 paid sick days annually (accrued at a rate of one hour for every 26 hours worked) to be used for a worker’s own illness, to seek routine and preventive care, to care for a family member, to attend school-related activities, for domestic violence-related court appearances, or to seek other abuse-related essential services. Employers with five or fewer employees would only have to provide a maximum of five paid sick days per year for workers. The bill was introduced in the DC City Council on May 1, 2007 with unanimous support, and co-sponsorship by all Council members. A hearing was held on July 9th, 2007, to consider the bill; the Committee chair has committed to passing a bill that covers all businesses and all workers. The Council will mark up the bill in November of 2007 and will likely vote on a final version by the end of the calendar year. For more information, contact Karen Minatelli, DC Employment Justice Center, at kminatelli@dcejc.org or visit www.dcejc.org. Maine This month the Maine Work and Family Coalition faces an important vote in committee on our paid sick day legislation, “An Act to Care for Working Families.” The Labor Committee could vote on the bill as early as November 26 and it will go before the full House of Representatives when the legislature reconvenes in January 2008 The Maine Women’s Lobby and coalition partners are putting pressure on committee members and the full legislature to support the bill which would guarantee up to 9 paid sick days accrued at 1 hour per 30 worked in establishments with 25 or more employees. For updates check out the campaign web site www.healthyfamilieshealthyworkplaces.org Contact: Sarah Standiford, Maine Women’s Lobby, exec@mainewomen.org Maryland A coalition in Maryland, led by Maryland ACORN, advocated in 2007 for HB 832/ SB 828. The bill would require that larger employers (with 10 or more employees) provide employees with one hour of paid sick leave for every 37 hours worked, not to exceed 56 hours, to use for a wide range of reasons, including to seek medical treatment, to care for a family member, or to recover from incidents of domestic violence. Smaller employers (with fewer than 10 employees) would be required to provide one hour for every 80 hours worked, not to exceed 26 hours annually. The House bill was referred to the Committee on Economic Matters and had a hearing on 2/13. It received an unfavorable committee report by Economic Matters on March 13th. After a Senate hearing, the bill received an unfavorable report from the Finance Committee. The bill died when the legislature adjourned on April 9th. A group of Maryland advocates plans to launch a new paid sick days initiative in 2008. Massachusetts The Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Coalition, led by Greater Boston Legal Services, and its allies in the state legislature introduced S 1073/ H 1803. The bill would require all businesses to offer all full-time employees seven paid sick days annually. The paid sick days can be used to care for an employee’s own illness, to care for a sick family member, for an employee’s or family member’s medical appointments or treatments, or to address the psychological, physical or legal effects of domestic violence. On November 6th, the campaign had a very successful hearing before the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development with a broad array of testimony from economists, Harvard School of Public Health, doctors (infectious disease specialists and pediatricians), labor, business, workers, and many advocacy organizations. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO unanimously passed a resolution in support of the bill at its recent constitutional convention and the Mayor of Boston wrote the committee in full support of the bill. The campaign is now working on getting a favorable report out of the committee. For more information contact Ingrid Nava, Greater Boston Legal Services, at inava@gbls.org or visit www.gbls.org. Minnesota A coalition in Minnesota, led by Minnesota ACORN, advocated in 2007 for SF 1324/ HF 1334. The bills would provide all workers with paid sick days, to be used to recover for their own illness, to care for an ill family member, to obtain diagnosis or treatment, or for absence necessary due to domestic violence. Paid sick leave would accrue at the rate of one hour per 40 hours worked, capped at 52 hours per year. Smaller businesses (businesses with less than ten employees) would only be required to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 80 hours worked, capped at 26 hours per year. HF 1334 was referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor. SF 1324 was referred to the Committee on Business, Industry, and Jobs. The bill died when the legislature adjourned on May 21st. The bill will be reintroduced in the 2008 session. Missouri A coalition in Missouri, led by Missouri ACORN, worked on behalf of SB 637. The bill would require that larger employers (with 10 or more employees) provide workers with one hour of paid sick leave for every 37 hours worked, capped at 40 hours per year. Small employers would be required to provide one hour of paid leave for every 80 hours worked, capped at 26 hours per year. Employees could use this sick leave in the event of their own illness, to care for a sick family member, or to obtain medical diagnosis or treatment. The bill was referred to the Senate Small Business, Insurance, and Industrial Relations Committee. The bill died when the legislature adjourned May 30th. North Carolina HB 1711 would guarantee that all workers are provided with one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of seven days annually. The paid sick days provided could be used for an employee’s own illness, to care for a sick family member, or to recover from incidents of domestic violence. North Carolina’s paid sick days coalition is led by the North Carolina Justice Center. HB 1711 was considered by the Committee on Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship but failed to pass the legislature in 2007. The North Carolina Justice Center and its allies will continue advocating for a paid sick days initiative in the upcoming legislative session. For more information, contact Bill Rowe, North Carolina Justice Center, at bill@ncjustice.org or visit www.ncjustice.org. Ohio The Ohio Healthy Families Act would require businesses with more than 25 workers to allow full-time employees to earn up to 7 paid sick days per year. Part-time workers could earn a smaller, pro-rated number of paid sick days depending on the number of hours they work up to 3 days. In order to get the Ohio state legislature to consider the measure in its 2008 session, advocates have conducted a petition drive and as of October 2007 had successfully collected well over the 120,000 signatures necessary to bring the issue before lawmakers. The campaign will continue gathering signatures before submitting the proposal to the legislature in January 2008. If the legislature does not pass it into law, advocates will have to collect an additional 120,000 signatures to get the measure on the state's ballot in Nov. 2008. To learn more, visit www.sickdaysohio.org. Pennsylvaina PathWaysPA, a nonprofit organization serving women and children in Pennsylvania, is working to bring paid sick days legislation to the state. They propose introducing legislation under which workers earn one hour of paid sick days for every 35 hours worked (workers in small businesses would earn one hour for every 55 hours worked). PathWaysPA has made paid sick days a legislative priority in a report written for the Working Poor Families Project, as well as in several other reports. For more information, contact Marianne Bellesorte, PathWaysPA, at mbellesorte@pathwayspa.org or visit www.pathwayspa.org. Vermont H 337 requires that employers provide seven paid sick days annually for employees who work 30 or more hours per week, and a pro-rated number of days for part-time workers, to recover from their own illness, care for an ill family member, or seek preventive or routine health care. Vermont’s paid sick days coalition is led by Voices for Vermont’s Children. The House bill was referred to the General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee. The bill died when the legislature adjourned on May 12th. For more information, visit www.voicesforvermontschildren.org. Wisconsin (Milwaukee) In Wisconsin, 9to5, National Association of Working Women co-chairs the Keep Families First Coalition, a statewide group of faith-based, community and labor organizations focused on a variety of work/ family issues. The coalition is currently reaching out to decision-makers and leaders in Milwaukee to support a city-wide policy guaranteeing paid sick days for workers. The efforts could result in a City Council vote or a city-wide referendum vote in 2008. For more information, contact Amy Stear, 9to5, National Association of Working Women at amys@9to5.org, or visit www.9to5.org. For more information on work and family advocacy in the states, visit www.paidfamilyleave.org or www.nationalpartnership.org. (A great round of appreciation to the Multi-State Working Families Consortium and the National Partnership for Women & Families for providing this information!) State advocates and legislators around the nation are addressing the need for policies that make it possible for people to be productive workers and care for themselves or their family members in times of need. Thus far in 2007, a range of bills have been introduced to implement workplace standards and programs that work for working families. CALIFORNIA The Work and Family Coalition, made up of unions and advocacy groups, is advocating for a package of family legislation. SB727 would expand CA’s Paid Family Leave law to cover grandparents, siblings, parents-in-law and grandchildren. AB537 would expand the state version of FMLA to cover grandparents, siblings, parents-in-law and grandchildren. SB836 would prohibit discrimination based on a workers family status, including a worker’s responsibilities to care for a family member. All three bills passed the legislature but were vetoed by the Governor. For more information, contact Netsy Firestein, Work and Family Coalition, info@working-families.org or www.working-families.org COLORADO In Colorado, 9to5 has built a work-family coalition that is engaged in grassroots organizing, media outreach, gathering stories and building ally support for public education and state policy efforts to: provide parents time off work to attend children’s school activities; and provide workers a minimum standard of paid sick days. 9to5 also works to bring Colorado voices into national efforts to protect and expand FMLA, win paid sick days, and include work-family issues in local community benefits campaigns. The organization will be hosting paid sick days briefings and messaging trainings on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 in Denver. For more information, contact Linda Meric, 9to5, National Association of Working Women, (303) 628-0925, lindam@9to5.org, www.9to5colorado.org. GEORGIA The Georgia Job/Family Collaborative, made up of more than 30 local and statewide labor, community and women’s organizations, is building public support and awareness for the Parent Protection Act. The bill will provide up to 24 hours of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for workers to attend school conferences, go to their own medical appointments, or to take a child, parent or spouse to medical appointments such as checkups or immunizations. Take action now: Visit www.gaworkingfamilies.org and sign up to endorse the Georgia Job/Family Collaborative legislative agenda and receive updates on the Parent Protection Act campaign. For more information, contact Cindia Cameron, Organizing Director, 9to5 and Co-chair, GA Job/Family Collaborative at Cindia@9to5.org or visit www.gaworkingfamilies.org. ILLINOIS During the 2007 session of the Illinois legislature, the Family Leave Insurance Program (FLIP) was introduced. The bill would allow for four weeks of paid family and medical leave, provided through shared financing by employers and employees at 75 cents per employee per week, with a payout of 67% of wages up to a maximum of $380 per week. It applies to employers of one or more. The Coalition has collected thousands of postcards supporting paid leave that they have delivered to legislators. For more information, contact Melissa Josephs, Women Employed, at mjosephs@womenemployed.org or visit www.womenemployed.org. MAINE In summer 2007 the Maine Women’s Lobby celebrated passage of a bill guaranteeing equal access to the Family and Medical Leave Act for gays and lesbians. Maine’s FMLA now includes domestic partners and their kids in the law’s definition of family. The Maine Women’s Lobby also helped secure legislation protecting workers’ right to use intermittent leave under Maine’s family medical leave law. For more information, contact Sarah Standiford, Maine Women’s Lobby, exec@mainewomen.org or visit www.mainewomen.org. NEW JERSEY New Jersey legislators are currently considering S2249/ A3812, bills which would extend the State's existing temporary disability insurance (TDI) system to provide workers with family leave benefits to care for sick family members or to bond with newborn or newly adopted children. As currently written, the Senate bill would provide 10 weeks of TDI benefits (two-thirds wage replacement up to maximum of $502 in 2007) and the Assembly bill would provide 12 weeks of benefits for a worker taking leave to care for a sick child parent, spouse, or partner, or to bond with a new born or adopted child. S2249 has been voted out of two committees and cleared for a floor vote. A 3812 will likely be considered by the Assembly Labor Committee in early December. The leadership of both chambers of the New Jersey legislature and the New Jersey Governor have all committed to passing a bill by early 2008. Take action now: Contact your State Legislators, Governor Jon Corzine, Senate President Richard Codey, and Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts and urge them to support S2249/ A3812 and ensure both its quick passage through both houses without any amendments, and its enactment into law. For more information, contact Karen White, Time to Care Coalition, at kswhite@rci.rutgers.edu or visit the New Jersey Time to Care Coalition web site at www.njtimetocare.rutgers.edu. NEW YORK In 2007 the New York State legislature considered the Working Families Time to Care Act. The legislation, introduced by Speaker Silver, Assemblywoman John and Assemblywoman Nolan (A-9245), would expand New York’s existing Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program to include paid family leave. The bill would provide up to twelve weeks of paid leave to care for a new baby or a newly placed adopted child, or for a seriously ill family member, including a spouse, parent, in-law, sibling, child or domestic partner. The paid leave benefits paid would be the same as New York’s current TDI benefits, equal to half of weekly wages up to a maximum of $170 a week. The proposal calls for the extension of benefits to be paid for by an increase in employee contributions. The New York State Assembly passed the bill on June 22nd, 2007. The Senate did not take up the bill during their July 16th, 2007 one-day special session. The outlook for passage is good; the Senate is in agreement with the need for paid family leave but it is likely that they will wait to pass the bill in 2008, an election year. For more information, contact Donna Dolan, New York Paid Family Leave Coalition, at Donna@timetocareny.org or visit the New York Time to Care website at www.timetocareny.org. OREGON HB 2575, championed by Oregon Representative Diane Rosenbaum, would provide workers with a Family Leave Benefits Insurance program to be used to care for a new baby, to care for a family member with a serious health condition, or to recover from one’s own serious health condition. Workers would be eligible for up to six weeks of paid leave per year, at $250 per week. The program would be funded through employee contributions of one cent per hour per worker. The bill passed the House on June 25th. The Senate took up the bill on June 27th, but failed to pass it. The legislature adjourned on June 28th. It is likely that the bill will be reintroduced in the next legislative session. For more information, contact Regan Grey or Representative Diane Rosenbaum at Rosenbaum.Rep@state.or.us. WASHINGTON Washington has become the second state in the nation to assure paid family leave for all parents to care for a newborn or newly adopted child. SB 5659, passed in April, 2007, establishes a new family leave program. Beginning in October 2009, parents of newborn and newly adopted children will be able to take up to five weeks off work with a benefit of $250 per week, pro-rated for part-time workers. All employees would be eligible to collect benefits after 680 hours of work. Workers in companies with more than 25 employees who had been with their employers for at least a year and 1250 hours would also have job protection for the five weeks of benefits and a 1 week wait period. As passed, the bill establishes a taskforce of legislators and citizens, including business and labor representatives, to recommend a funding source for the program before the legislature reconvenes in January 2008. A statewide Family Leave coalition, including labor, senior, women, child, health, business and other groups, backed the legislation with an outpouring of grass roots support. For more information, contact Marilyn Watkins, Economic Opportunity Institute, at Marilyn@eoionline.org or visit www.eoionline.org. WISCONSIN (MILWAUKEE) In Wisconsin, 9to5, National Association of Working Women co-chairs the Keep Families First Coalition, a statewide group of faith-based, community and labor organizations focused on a variety of work/ family issues. In addition to its paid sick days initiative, the coalition is also working to introduce a school leave bill, which would allow parents to use up to 16 hours of Family and Medical Leave time to attend activities and conferences at their children's schools. The coalition is working with Milwaukee area schools to engage and include low-income families in its policy advocacy program. For more information, contact Amy Stear, 9to5, National Association of Working Women at amys@9to5.org, or visit www.9to5.org. For more information on work and family advocacy in the states, visit www.paidfamilyleave.org or www.nationalpartnership.org 2008 Mothers Acting Up Handbook - We love this weekly planner with inspiring portraits of advocates including Marian Wright Edelman, Harry Belafonte, Ben Cohen and Anita Roddick and our own Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. www.mothersactingup.org. _______________________________________________ About the MomsRising e-Exchange: The e-Exchange is a project of MomsRising.org which is building an online, grassroots, trans-partisan movement to improve our country's treatment of mothers and families. The purpose of the e-Exchange is to provide linkages among some of the nation's strongest women's organizations, family advocacy groups, mother's organizations, child advocacy groups, unions, health care organizations, parenting groups, and faith-based organizations as well as academicians, researchers and writers who are all working to better the lives of mothers and families. To see a list of organizations aligned with MomsRising, please visit our website. We encourage you to send us information to place in future e-Exchanges. To submit an entry, contact: Mary@momsrising.org.
B. Spotlight on:
C. Child Care Legislative Update
D. Afterschool Programs Legislative Update
E. Paid Sick Days Legislative Update
F. Paid Family Leave Legislative Update
G. GOOD READING
