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HR1406 : Working Families Flexibility Act


AAUW Action Network
As a “Two-Minute Activist,” you know that we still have a lot of work to do to pass laws that will help workers balance the demands of their work and their families. But we can’t – and we won’t – let Congress fool us with the misnamed Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406).
We’ve heard the House may vote on H.R. 1406 as early as next week. This bill claims to offer flexibility to employees by allowing them to convert overtime work into paid time off (i.e. comp time) for family responsibilities. But this bill is not an improvement for working families: Under the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406), employers would still have complete discretion over whether to approve workers’ requests to convert their overtime into comp time. This means that employees will still have trouble using accumulated days for an emergency, or even to plan for things like parental leave or caregiving leave.
Nothing is currently stopping employers from offering more flexible schedules. Creating yet another system of hurdles for workers to access leave, left entirely at the discretion of their employer, is not the way to achieve flexibility. In just a few days, the House is voting on the problematic Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406): Tell your representative to vote against H.R. 1406!

Don’t forget to register for AAUW National Convention in New Orleans, June 9-12! At Convention you can connect with more than 600 AAUW members from around the country, hear from esteemed speakers such as MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry and fair pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter, and (did we mention?) enjoy the city of New Orleans! Register today so you don’t miss out!
Follow AAUW Public Policy on Twitter, and read AAUW’s blog for discussion, information, and advocacy for women and girls.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 150,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and 700 college and university partners. Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Gun Violence ~ Dan Pfeiffer, The White House


Hello –During the State of the Union, President Obama called for a reasonable debate on a set of commonsense measures to help protect our kids by reducing gun violence. That night, Congress stood up and applauded. But now that the cameras are off and they aren’t forced to look the families of Newtown in the face, some in Congress aren’t backing up that show of support with action.

When it matters most, they’re hoping that you’re not paying attention.

But I know that’s not the case. In the past week, 17,000 people have told us that they’ll commit to adding their voices to this debate through social media — together, they’ll reach more than 15 million of their friends on Facebook and Twitter.

We’re planning to have them speak out today. And we could really use your help.

Pledge to speak out about the need to reduce gun violence.

If we have a simple vote in Congress, we can get this done. And this afternoon, we’ll begin to understand whether or not that’s possible.

The Senate is considering a proposal that would go a long way toward making our country safer and protecting our kids. This afternoon, lawmakers get a chance to offer amendments — some of them aimed at making the legislation better, some aimed at sinking it. One idea, closing loopholes in the background check system, has support from 90 percent of the public. In fact, even a majority of senators support this step. But we still need you to make your voice heard.

Vice President Biden will be talking through all of this today at 2:45 p.m. ET. He’ll lead a discussion with a group of mayors from around the country on the steps we can take to reduce gun violence. You can watch that as it happens at whitehouse.gov.

And while you’re doing that, take a minute to join the debate.

Pledge to speak out, and we’ll work to make sure you’re part of the conversation about guns here in Washington:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence/action

Thanks,

Dan

Dan Pfeiffer Senior Advisor White House
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tragedy


By  ThinkProgress War Room

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of today’s bombings in Boston and their families.

We’ll be back in this space tomorrow.

For breaking news updates, you can follow us on Twitter: @ThinkProgress.

-The Progress Report team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Priorities


 

 
National Women's Law Center
 
 
BILLIONS of dollars.That’s what our country spends every single year on countless tax breaks for wealthy individuals and large corporations. And yet programs that are absolutely vital to women and their families are being cut. Our lawmakers need to get their priorities straight.Will you spread the word about these misplaced priorities by sharing this important image? It explains how ending just one tax break for corporations could go a long way in supporting vulnerable children and their families.

Infographic - Tax breaks for corporations that shift jobs & profits offshore cost more than all of these programs that serve low-income children and families.

The tax break highlighted here — known as “deferral” — allows corporations to delay paying taxes on offshore profits. This encourages multinational corporations to move jobs and profits offshore — and costs the U.S. $60.6 billion a year. That’s more than all these programs combined:

  • Head Start and Early Head Start, which help young low-income children develop and learn.
  • The Child Care and Development Fund, which helps low-income working families afford child care.
  • Child nutrition programs, which provide meals to school-age children and young children and adults in day care facilities.
  • Funding for Title I schools serving disadvantaged children, which helps improve educational opportunities.

U.S. lawmakers should get their priorities in order — instead of balancing the budget on the backs of women and families, they should ask wealthy individuals and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. For more information on fair budgets and taxes check out these videos we created in partnership with the National Priorities Project.

Thank you for all you do for women and families.

Sincerely,
 
Joan Entmacher   Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center