Tag Archives: civil rights

Dear Friend,

Yesterday was a thrilling day for working families, A Better Balance, and the entire paid leave movement in the United States! In the past few months, we have shared with you an incredible number of work-family victories, including the passage of 4 new paid sick time laws (which A Better Balance worked on) in November’s election. The momentum is clearly continuing into 2015! In his State of the Union address, President Obama featured the need for paid leave laws in the United States and pointed to the success of the issue in the November election.

A Better Balance is currently drafting and providing legal support on paid sick time bills and paid family leave bills in dozens of states across the country. The President’s call for a nationwide paid sick time law, his pledge to provide support through his budget for state paid family leave programs, and his spotlight on the need for workplace leave will provide an incredible boost to these campaigns and our organization’s work.

"Today, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. . . . So I’ll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. And since paid sick leave won where it was on the ballot last November, let’s put it to a vote right here in Washington."

A Better Balance’s Co-Presidents, Sherry Leiwant and Dina Bakst, released the following statement last night on the President’s remarks:

“A Better Balance applauds President Barack Obama for shining a national spotlight on paid family leave – and the idea that Americans cannot be financially secure unless our public policies support their ability to care for their children and families – in tonight’s State of the Union address.

Ten years ago, A Better Balance was founded as a legal advocacy organization to address the problems caused by the failure of our public policies to keep up with the changing workforce and the needs of families. The proliferation of new laws we have written in states and cities around the country guaranteeing workers paid sick time for themselves and their families, paid family leave and an end to pregnancy discrimination are proof that better policies are possible and will work.

Tonight the President makes it clear that this is a national problem that requires national solutions – so that families are not left with impossible choices between caring for their loved ones and meeting their basic financial needs. And we pledge to work harder than ever to ensure that those policies become a reality for all American families.”

On our blog, we provide more information on the President’s specific proposals. To learn more about the paid sick time wins that President Obama referenced last night, check out our webpage on the issue and our comparison chart of paid sick time laws in the United States.

As we continue to fight for paid leave laws and policies, you can help! Stories are crucial to informing public officials of the need for paid leave. If you have a story about your need for paid sick time or paid family leave, or if having paid time off to care for your family (especially if it is leave provided under one of the laws we’ve helped pass) has made a difference for you, please share your story with us! And if you work in New York State and would like to support our ongoing campaign to pass a paid family leave insurance law, please add your name to our petition.

Thanks for all you do to support our work.

The A Better Balance Team,

Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Elizabeth, Risha, Morenike, Rachel, Jake, Molly & Lynn

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Patty Murray: Working for Washington State

05/17/2015 Nativegrl77

05/12/15	Murray Statement on Updated FDA Guidance on Blood Donation for Gay Men

05/11/15	Murray Applauds HHS Announcement Clarifying Consumer Rights on Contraception Coverage, Preventive Care

05/08/15	Murray, Cantwell, Herrera Beutler Urge Federal Agencies to Immediately Address Needed Repairs to Tunnel at Spirit Lake

05/07/15	With Rural Doctor Shortage Looming, Sen. Murray Pushes for Solutions At Senate Hearing

05/06/15	EDUCATION: Sen. Murray Invites Seattle Central College Graduate to Testify in Senate Hearing

05/05/15	MURRAY: GOP Budget Would Lock in Sequestration, Leave Working Families Behind

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

In the Newsroom with Gov.Inslee ~~

05/17/2015 Nativegrl77

Bill Action

May

Governor declares statewide drought emergency

Governor Inslee announces appointment of Brian Coughenour to the Clallam County Superior Court
Statement by Gov. Jay Inslee on signing of bill to create a health care database for patients and providers

April

Inslee announces hire of Alex Alben as state’s first Chief Privacy Officer

March

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

More from 1600 Penn

05/14/2015 Nativegrl77

What You Need to Know About the New Contraception Guidance:

This week, the Obama administration took important steps to eliminate any ambiguity around the reforms that the Affordable Care Act calls for. Under the law, most insurers must now cover at least one form of birth control with no out-of-pocket expenses in each identified category.

This past Saturday, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2015 at Tuskegee University — a historically black university in Tuskegee, Alabama. Founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881, Tuskegee is the only university in America to be designated as a National Historic Site.

President welcomed emerging entrepreneurs from across the country and around the world to the White House to honor their achievements in their fields of business. He also announced new commitments in support of the Spark Global Entrepreneurship Initiative — a bold goal of generating $1 billion in new investment for emerging entrepreneurs worldwide by 2017.

READ MORE

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“I am a black man who grew up without a father, and I know the costs that I paid for that.”

— President Obama at yesterday’s discussion on poverty at Georgetown University

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Poverty and Opportunity in Your Community: What Are You Seeing?

This week, we want to hear from you about some of the pressing issues in your own community related to poverty and opportunity.

President Obama sat down with Harvard professor Robert Putnam and American Enterprise Institute president Arthur Brooks for a discussion on poverty, moderated by Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne. Now we want to hear from you on this important topic.

Share with us how these issues are playing out in your community, and how you think we can continue expanding opportunity for more Americans.