New Hampshire Rocks

Julian Russell/Staff photographerLast week, New Hampshire inaugurated Maggie Hassan (D) as its governor, but she’s hardly the only woman representing that state. This month, New Hampshire became the first state to send an all-female delegation to Congress, with Carol Shea-Porter (D) and Ann McLane Kuster (D) holding its two House seats and Jeanne Shaheen (D) and Kelly Ayotte (R) serving in the Senate. When Hassan took the oath of office, she was sworn in by New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Linda Dalianis, the first woman to hold the state court’s highest position.

Read more HERE.

Two Court Wins for Contraception Insurance

Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage requirement for health insurance plans went into effect on January 1, 2013. On December 26, Justice Sonia Sotomayor refused a request from Hobby Lobby, a Catholic-owned arts and crafts company, to block the requirement from going into effect.  Justice Sotomayor said Hobby Lobby did not meet the high standard to receive an emergency injunction and can continue to challenge the requirement in federal court. Additionally, on December 21, a U.S. district court temporarily halted enforcement of a Missouri law that requires health insurance companies to issue policies without coverage for contraception if such services violate an employer’s moral or religious beliefs. The judge ruled that the Missouri law conflicts with federal law, which, under the Affordable Care Act, requires all new health insurance plans beginning January 1 to cover key women’s preventive care services, including contraception, without co-pays.

AAUW supports women’s right to access safe, affordable, and comprehensive contraception and reproductive health services regardless of where they work or learn.

The California Legislative Process

              Thanks to Irwin Parent from Palm Springs

The 2013-2014 California legislative session begins December 3, 2012, with the swearing in of the new legislators. 40 new legislators are coming to Sacramento to join 80 veterans. While the session officially begins on that date, typically activity does not pick up until January. Until then there will be behind the scenes discussions about potential legislative bills. The real action begins after the bill introduction deadline in mid-February. Up to 3,000 bills will be introduced by then, the majority of which will be submitted at the last minute. Then your lobbyist and Public Policy team move into high gear to review and assess each piece of introduced legislation as to relevancy to AAUW California interests and priorities.

AAUW’s Public Policy Committee will meet on March 22nd and 23rd to discuss the slate of bills, and come to a consensus as to what position AAUW-CA should take, and suggest needed amendments. By mid-March, the legislative policy committees will be scheduling hearings of these bills, and it is critical that AAUW-CA be able to register our position, as soon as possible, to have the best opportunity to have our position and our comments make a difference. For critical bills where the Legislature needs to hear from AAUW California members, Action Alerts will be utilized.

The 2013 Legislative year will end on Friday, September 13th. The session will reconvene in 2014. The 2013 Legislative year will be watched carefully. With the new 2/3 Democratic majority legislature and their new found ability to unilaterally take action on everything from raising revenues to granting legislative rule waivers, plus changes in term limits, this is new territory.

The Invisible War

       In the December 24, 2012, issue of Time Magazine, a section entitled THE CULTURE includes year-end, top-ten-best lists. The documentary that AAUW has been recommending highly this year, The Invisible War: When Soldiers Rape Soldiers, is included on Time’s top-ten movies list! Here is how Time Magazine describes its inclusion:

“Armed forces has a second, corrosive meaning when officers force themselves sexually on the women in their command.  In Kirby Dick’s almost unbearably powerful documentary about rape in the military, the brave women who testify onscreen argue that they were really violated twice: once by their assailants and a second time by the tough-boy network of commanders protecting this man’s army.  These women needed the scourging disinfectant of Dick’s spotlight; it’s one of the few movies that have done a provable good.  On April 14, three months after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival (where it won the audience award), The Invisible War was shown to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.  ‘Two days later,  a title card informs us at the end, ‘he took the decision to prosecute away from commanders.’”