Last week, a bipartisan group of senators outlined a framework for comprehensive immigration reform. The plan to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws includes four pillars, including a path to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants. That provision, also known as the DREAM Act, would provide access to higher education for certain undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children. A day after the senators announced their bipartisan framework, President Obama gave a speech in Las Vegas outlining his own plan. The main difference between the two plans is that the president’s does not require a commission to affirm an undetermined level of border security before Washington can proceed with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

AAUW supports the passage of the DREAM Act because we believe that increasing access to higher education and employment opportunities is imperative for individual financial security and the nation’s economic recovery. This legislation will allow undocumented students – raised in the U.S. and graduated from American high schools – to go to college, contribute to the nation’s economy, and start on the pathway to citizenship.

AAUW Executive Director, Linda Hallman wrote in The Huffington Post, “As our nation’s leaders struggle to implement gun-violence prevention laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, we must not squander the opportunity to address the root causes of gun violence in our schools. Although most of the headlines have focused on banning certain types of gun equipment, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) wants to draw attention to and thank the president for proposed measures to create safe school environments that are free from bullying and harassment.

As reported in The Huffington Post, the accused shooter at California’s Taft Union High School may have targeted children he perceived as bullies. This tragedy provides a clear example that any serious discussion of school violence prevention must consider the climate in schools, including eradicating bullying and harassment and properly training school professionals and bystander students. We need to figure out how to get our kids to talk to us so that they can get the help they need.”

To read more of her report, click HERE.

       On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court decided the landmark case Roe v. Wade. The 7-2 decision affirmed a woman’s right to choose whether to have an abortion, making the procedure legal in all states. Four decades later, the status of this decision is precarious: Although Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land, subsequent Supreme Court decisions and several restrictive state laws have chipped away at the right to choose.

The good news is that according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 63 percent of Americans say they do not want the court’s ruling overturned, while 29 percent would like to see it tossed out.

More young people — all of whom were born at least 20 years after the decision — identify as “pro-choice” rather than “pro-life,” according to a national poll of more than 4,000 high school and college students conducted by Jennifer L. Lawless, professor and director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University and Richard L. Fox (Loyola Marymount University.  It’s interesting to note that the overwhelming majority of high school (88 percent) and college (78 percent) students, however, are not “very worried” about the outlawing of abortion rights. In fact, respondents report being far more worried about war (55%), a terrorist attack (52%), global warming (44%), gun violence (36%), and illegal immigration (28%) than they are the outlawing of abortion rights.

To see some graphics on abortion in this country click HERE.

On Wednesday, January 23, fair pay champions in the House and Senate will reintroduce the Paycheck Fairness Act, one of AAUW’s top priorities for the 113th Congress. You can be a part of the behind-the-scenes work to get this bill passed by urging your members of Congress to become original cosponsors. A large number of original cosponsors demonstrates broad support for passing a piece of legislation: The more cosponsors we have on the day the Paycheck Fairness Act is reintroduced, the better chance we have of making this bill a law.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their own wages to coworkers. We can’t make real progress in closing the wage gap until we strengthen enforcement of existing anti-discrimination laws and give women the tools they need to get the pay they deserve. Take action now: Urge your members of Congress to become original cosponsors of the Paycheck Fairness Act.