Women In Transition  

Greetings BPW FL Members!

This is an appeal to each of you to contact YOUR State Senator & Representative as a follow-up to our lobbying efforts last week.  Four of us - President, Venita Garvin Valdez, Public Policy Chair, Nancy Hurlbert, Membership Chair, Sue Banks and Lobbyist, Jessica Lowe, made 31 office contacts over two days in Tallahassee!  By now, all 160 Members have received our lobbying packet of six (6) bills, including the ERA.
 
You can find the six (6) bills and Talking Points on our web site - www.bpwfl.org - under the Public Policy page.  Below are co-sponsors as of 2/26/09 - for each bill.  You now need to call your Members; make an appointment to see them and/or phone them and talk them through each bill.  The message is simple...we want them to co-sponsor each of our six bills...that simple!  Legislators that we saw and indicated they were inclined to co-sponsor specific bills - and have not yet - are shown below.  If one of them is your rep., all the more reason to contact them now...
 
In addition to contacting your senator & representative, you need to make two more calls on behalf of the ERA...
(1)  Call Sen. Lee Constantine, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Comm. - 850-487-5050/407-331-9675 - Ask him to schedule/hear SCR 1008 (the ERA) in committee as soon as possible!
 
(2)  Call House Speaker Cretul (sounds like cradle) - 850-488-5050/352-955-6407 - Ask him to assign HCR 8003 (the ERA bill) to committee(s).  Right now, the ERA  has not been assigned to any committees...if it is not heard and voted out of committee(s), it will not get to the Floor for a vote!

1. Equal Rights for Men and Women (SCR1008 by Joyner/HCR8003 by Planas)
   Description: Ratifies the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to equal rights for men and women. Co-sponsors: Senate - Rich, Smith, Sobel, Detert, Bennett/House - Brandenburg, Garcia, Heller, J enne, Jones,Kiar, Kriesman, Nehr, Pafford, Randolph, Robaina, Y. Roberson, Saunders, Schwartz, Soto, Steinberg, Zapata   

Representatives who are inclined to co-sponsor specific bills - and have not yet Rep. Dwayne Taylor, Fitzgerald, Fetterman, Holder     Sen. Rich, Aronberg, Deutch
BPW/FL SUPPORTS. 
 

2. Women’s Health (S.B. 670 by Sobel/H.B. 235 by Anderson)
   Description: Requires the Department of Health (DOH) to create a pilot program in Pasco, Duval, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties to provide health screening for certain women. Prescribes services. Requires periodic assessment of participants in the program. Requires the DOH to submit a report to the Legislature. Provides for expiration of the program.  Co-sponsors: Senate - none/House - Schwartz  There is a $500,000 cost associated with this bill, so it is having difficulty getting traction.   
   BPW/FL SUPPORTS.
    
3. Reproductive Health Services and Family Planning (S.B. 310 by Rich/H.B. 129 by Gibson)
   Description: Creates the "Prevention First Act." Provides duties of licensed health care practitioners and facilities relating to the treatment of rape survivors. Requires the AHCA to provide for enforcement and impose penalties. Requires licensed pharmacies to dispense certain forms of contraception without delay. Provides for a person to file a complaint with the DOH if he or she believes that a violation of such provisions has occurred, etc. Co-sponsors: Senate - Deutch, Sobel, Bennett/House - Brandenburg, Bullard, Chestnut, Culp, Heller, Homan, Jenne, Kiar, Kriesman, Nehr, Pafford, Randolph, Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Schwartz, Skidmore, Steinberg,  Waldman.    

Representatives who are inclined to co-sponsor specific bills - and have not yet Rep. Dwayne Taylor, Fitzgerald, Saunders, Holder, Fetterman  Sen. Sobel, Joyner, Aronberg, Deutch, Detert
BPW/FL SUPPORTS.
 

4. Public Schools/Human Sexuality Education (S.B. 220 by Deutch/H.B. 265 by Fitzgerald)
   Description: Creates the "Florida Healt hy Teens Act." Requires public schools that provide certain information or programs to students concerning human sexuality to provide information that meets specified criteria. Provides a process to review compliance with such requirement. Authorizes parents and guardians to seek review of a school's compliance, etc.  For every $1 spent on family planning, you save $24 (pre-natal care, headstart etc.).  A majority of evangelicals support comprehensive sex education.  Co-sponsors: Senate - Rich, Bennett, Sobel/House - Brandenburg, Bullard, Chestnut, Heller, Jenne, Kiar, Kriesman, Nehr, Pafford, Randolph, Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Schwartz, Skidmore, Steinberg,  Waldman.

Representatives who are inclined to co-sponsor specific bills - and have not yet Rep. Dwayne Taylor, Fitzgerald, Saunders, Holder, Fetterman  Sen. Joyner, Aronberg, Deutch, Detert
BPW/FL SUPPORTS.
 

5. Residential Tenancies/Violence (S.B. 596 by Rich/H.B. 517 by T. Williams)
   Description: Prohibits landlords from discriminating against or retaliating against victims of domestic violence, dating violence, repeat violence, or sexual violence. Authorizes certain victims to terminate a rental agreement before the end of the rental period. Requires a landlord to change a lock or authorize the tenant to change a lock under certain circumstances. Provides a landlord with immunity for certain actions, etc. Co-sponsors: Senate - Altman/House - Brandenburg, Pafford   

Representatives who are inclined to co-sponsor specific bills - and have not yet Rep. Dwayne Taylor, Fitzgerald, Saunders, Holder, Fetterman Sen. Sobel, Joyner, Aronberg, Deutch, Detert
BPW/FL SUPPORTS.
 

6. Florida Statewide Task Force on Human Trafficking (S.B. 168 by Joyner/H.B. 811 by G. Thompson)
   Description: Creates within the Executive Office of the Governor the Florida Statewid e Task Force on Human Trafficking. Requires that the task force prepare a final report by a specified date. Provides duties of the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, etc.  Co-sponsors: Senate - Rich/House - Brandenburg, Pafford   

Representatives who are inclined to co-sponsor specific bills - and have not yet Rep. Dwayne Taylor, Fitz gerald, Saunders, Holder, Fetterman Sen. Sobel, Aronberg, Deutch, Detert
BPW/FL SUPPORTS.
 

The Legislative Session starts on March 3rd...Call your legislators now while they are "at home"...or call Tallahassee next week.  Either way, they need to hear from you NOW!! 

Nancy Hurlbert

BPW/FL Public Policy Chair
BPW/USA Past National President
BPW/FL Past State President