PathWays PA Policy Blog

Last week, the federal government announced a proposed change to the Health Care Rights Law (part of the Affordable Care Act) that would overturn healthcare protections for transgender people. Under the rule change, gender identity would no longer be protected by federal laws preventing discrimination in health care. Requirements that insurers give notice of a patient's rights to translation services would also be eliminated. According to the ACLU , the new rule would also remove "termination of pregnancy" as a reason to make a legal claim of sex discrimination in health care. Both the specific protections for transgender people and termination of pregnancy have been the subject of lawsuits and were stopped under federal injunction. While there are other protections for transgender people in the ACA , repealing this part of the law could lead to further rollbacks later. Take Action: The Protect Trans Health Campaign has a link to submit a comment to the Dep...

If you live in Pennsylvania, please make a plan to vote in the primaries on May 21. You can see a list of upcoming elections in all states here . Please use and share our guide to make it easier to prepare for Election Day. *** If you have any issues on Election Day, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.  Issues  may include (but are not limited to): being told the wrong date/time to vote; not being allowed to cast a  provisional ballot ; being intimidated or challenged at the polls.  Be sure to bring this number with you when you vote! *** Who is running for office? In Pennsylvania, voters will choose candidates for judges, school boards, and local government positions. The candidates who win will go on to the General Election in November. You can only vote for candidates running in your party in the Pennsylvania primaries unless there is a special election. Several districts will be holding special elections on May 21 - you can find the list here . There are a...

According to the New York Times , the Department of Health and Human Services plans to create a legal definition of sex within Title IX. This definition will limit gender to male or female, depending on one's genitals at birth, and will be considered unchangeable. This action, if fulfilled, puts many people's health and well-being at risk, including those are  transgender or non-binary . Civil rights protections , especially for people living in states without their own gender nondiscrimination laws, would be rolled back. Even as the medical community is issuing new guidelines for helping people who identify as transgender , this change in definition could lead to the end of important research and possibly the denial of healthcare . Take Action (These actions are from our friends at PolicyLink ) Contact senior Administration officials. Let them know that you are opposed to any proposed rule that would strip transgender — or any — people of their civil rights and other ...

On July 11, members of the House added the Aderholt Amendment to a Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. If the bill goes into law with this amendment, it could harm children in the child welfare and foster care system and turn away qualified adoptive and foster parents. Under the Aderholt Amendment, states that refuse to give money to discriminatory providers could see their child welfare budget cut by up to 15%. This amendment would allow child welfare providers to receive taxpayer dollars even when they refuse to serve qualified potential parents based on their marital status, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. Providers who discriminate against the children themselves would also be able to receive money under this amendment, even if they: deny service to LGBT youth,  force youth to hide their gender identity,  allow youth to be subjected to medically debunked practices like conversion therapy Take Action: Senator Wyden has been circulating a letter op...

Women make up half of America’s workforce. Two-thirds of America’s caregivers are female. Does the math not add up? Wait until you see the numbers on their access to sick time. 43% of female workers in the private sector do not have any paid sick time. 54% of working women have no paid time to care for themselves or their children. 82% of women earning under $8.25 an hour do not have one minute of sick time. When mothers try to care for their children, 42% find that they are unable to because they must work. Only 27% of daughters could take care of their parents. One in five women say that either they or someone they know has been fired or disciplined for taking time off to either recover from an illness or injury or to care for a family member. The hardest hit are women of color. More often than not, colored families have a woman as their main breadwinner. Many low-income families are of color, and 3.5 days of missed pay could mean a month without groceries. Job loss is devastati...

The Half in Ten Education Fund this week launched www.talkpoverty.org a new blog and website to educate the public on poverty and solutions to dramatically reduce it. Please help spread the word! Here are some sample tweets you could share with your networks. Visit TalkPoverty.org : A must see for stories & solutions to build a stronger anti #poverty movement. #talkpoverty @talkpoverty Visit TalkPoverty.org & follow @talkpoverty for Real People, Real Stories, & Real Solutions. #talkpoverty Check out new TalkPoverty.org website & read contributions @tomcolicchio @sr_simone & @gregkaufmann contributions @TalkPoverty In addition to the blog, the site also includes:  Interactive maps with state-by-state data of the poverty indicators that we track as well  Demographic break-outs of how poverty affects different groups (i.e. AAPI, millennials, people with disabilities, LGBT population, etc... with more profiles to come.  A library of Half ...

VIsit  http://bit.ly/1pVBz0E to learn more #Tweetaboutit Tuesdays are chats happening on Twitter every Tuesday in April as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Join experts and the online community for a live discussion. Tuesday, April 8 @ 2pm EST: Healthy teen sexuality. Hosted by Sex, Etc. ( @sexetc ). Sex ed perspectives on teen relationships, communication and consent. Tuesday, April 15 @ 2pm EST: Creating change on campus. Hosted by SAFER Campus ( @safercampus ), Students Active for Ending Rape on best practices for campus reform and prevention. Tuesday, April 22 @ 2pm EST: Engaging LGBTQ Youth. Hosted by Advocates for Youth ( @advocatestweets ). Creating spaces for all youth voices and inclusive outreach to LGBTQ young people. Tuesday, April 29 @ 2pm EST: #SAAM 2014 recap and feedback. Hosted by NSVRC ( @NSVRC ) Share your #SAAM highlights, feedback and ideas. How to participate: Log in to Twitter.com each Tuesday in April at 2pm EST and search #T...

From our friends at PHAN  On Tuesday, March 4 beginning at 6:00PM, PHAN will host a call to discuss the new rights and protections gained within the LGBT community for health reform as well as what issues need further advocacy. Join the call! You can dial-into this call from anywhere as long as you RSVP first here: http://bit.ly/LGBTandACA

From our friends at the National Women's Law Center Right now, there's no federal law that explicitly protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans from being FIRED because of who they are or who they love. But now's our chance to change that. Today, the Senate is voting on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and every vote counts! Please pick up the phone right now and call your Senators using the Capitol switchboard number: 202-224-3121

When Congress left Washington, important business remained unfinished. During October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, urge them to complete their work to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Eighteen years ago, the first US federal law acknowledging domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as crimes — the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) — was passed. Reauthorizing VAWA this year is critical to maintaining the significant progress made in increased reporting and decreased deaths during the time VAWA has been in effect. But, Congress has yet to agree on a VAWA bill that protects all victims of domestic and sexual violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Raising awareness is important, but acting to address domestic violence is critical. Tell your members of Congress the 112th session should not end without passing a VAWA reauthorization bill that would strengthen current law and increase the safety of those on c...

Federal Policy Updates  CONGRESS IN AGREEMENT TO WORK ON A 6-MONTH CONTINUING RESOLUTION Last week House and Senate leaders announced that a deal has been reached to pass a 6-month continuing resolution to fund the federal government through next spring. Details of the agreement have not yet been made public, but the continuing resolution will reportedly fund federal agencies at current spending levels. With both chambers of Congress on summer recess, a vote on the agreement will likely be held in September, before the end of the fiscal year. If this agreement is enacted it will ensure that the government will not be shutdown at the end of September when the current spending plan ends. HELP MOVE THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT FORWARD The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) needs to be reauthorized to ensure the continuation of vital, life-saving programs and laws. It was the first piece of American legislation that recognized the pervasive nature of domestic violen...

Federal Policy Updates  A JOB SHOULD LIFT YOU OUT OF POVERTY, NOT TRAP YOU IN IT Women who earn minimum wage are struggling to make ends meet. The current minimum wage at $7.25 an hour can not support our families. If you support raising the minimum wage sign this petition today . What would raising the federal minimum wage do? Rebuild our economy. For every $1 added to the minimum wage, low-wage worker households spend an additional $2,800 the following year. Ensure a better future for our children. 21.5 million children have a parent who would benefit from a minimum wage increase.  Increase jobs. Increasing the minimum wage would boost consumer spending, which drives 70% of our economy.  Sign this petition today because we deserve the opportunity to work hard and earn enough to support our families! For more information on the benefits of increasing the minimum wage please check out the National Women's Law Center fact sheet . From our friends at 9t...

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) , enacted in 1994, was the first piece of American legislation that recognized the pervasive nature of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. VAWA programs give law enforcement, prosecutors and judges the tools they need to hold offenders accountable and keep communities safe, while supporting survivors and recognizing their role in the fight to end gender-based violence. VAWA needs to be reauthorized to ensure the continuation of these vital, life-saving programs and laws. In addition, this is also an opportunity to expand VAWA by improving services available to LGBTQ survivors of violence, breaking down barriers to services for undocumented survivors, and continuing prevention efforts to counter the high levels of violence against Native American and Native Alaskan women. If you support VAWA please sign this letter that was put together by the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) . If y...

Federal Policy Updates  HELP MAKE EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK A REALITY On April 17th, we honored Equal Pay Day – the day where a women’s salary will equal that of a man’s from the previous year. Now, one month later, we need your help to take action in support of equal pay.   In the next few weeks, we expect the Senate to vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act. The vote could come at any moment, so we need you to contact your Senators today. Ask your Senators to show their support for equal pay by co-sponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act. While women make up more than half of the workforce and more than 2/3 of them are their families’ principal breadwinners, women still earn on average only 77% of what their male counterparts do. Women need fair wages that will allow them and their families to be economically secure and the legal recourse to ensure they can. The Paycheck Fairness Act will strengthen the 1963 Equal Pay Act because it will: Deter wage discrimination by ...

Earlier this week we asked you to take action to urge your Representative not to weaken the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). While the bill that passed the Senate extended protections, the House bill that did pass yesterday rolls back protections as it discourages undocumented immigrant women from reporting abuse without the threat of being deported . It also makes it harder for Native American women to seek justice against their abusers, and it leaves out protections for the LGBT community. The House bill marks the first time that the VAWA’s protections have been reduced ! Even though the House and Senate have both passed bills, our voices can still be heard! The Senate and House will likely have to reconcile the difference in the bills passed through a Conference Committee. Please urge your Congresspeople to restore provisions that enable survivors to access critical services and resources required to be safe and recover from an experience of violence, leave an abusive sit...

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on its version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act this week, as early as tomorrow. The House version (H.R. 4970) will weaken many vital improvements contained in the recently passed Senate VAWA bill (S. 1925) and in turn will have distinct negative impacts on the ability of many survivors to be safe and economically secure. The Violence Against Women Act must be responsive to the needs of all survivors, especially regarding the economic issues that are critical to ensuring a survivor’s physical safety and independence. After spending years consulting with advocates and experts in the field, S. 1925 was designed to responsibly consolidate duplicative programs while increasing the safety of previously underserved and more vulnerable populations: Native women, immigrants and the LGBT community. These populations, targeted for exclusion from the House bill, face distinct barriers to achieving economic security ...

From our friends at WIT . Thanks to YOUR advocacy efforts, we now have 56 sponsors for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) or S. 1925. Because we are SURE that we'll get 60 votes in the weeks ahead, we now need to ask Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to schedule a Senate floor vote SOON. We know that we have the votes, and we need to move this bipartisan bill before the rancor of election year politics ties up both Houses of Congress! Call Senator Reid's DC office (202-224-3542) with this message: "We need Senator Reid to continue to be our champion for the whole country. Please sponsor the Violence Against Women Act and schedule S. 1925 for a floor vote as soon as possible." And remember to thank PA's own Sen. Casey for co-sponsoring the bill and standing up for survivors! Why this VAWA? Why now? The simple answer is that there's a LOT at stake. But, let's back up for a moment and look at the history of t...

For Immediate Release: June 16, 2011 Contact: Lauren Townsend, Philadelphia Earned Sick Day Campaign 215-939-7621 Philadelphia City Council Passes Earned Sick Day Bill All across the country, working families have been taking a beating. We say to those workers: Come to Philadelphia! We are open for business Philadelphia. Today is a great day for Philadelphia working people. Philadelphia City Council passed the earned sick day bill – sponsored by Councilman Darrell Clarke and Councilman Bill Greenlee. Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) will, after Mayor Nutter’s signature, allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year for a large business and up to 4 days per year for a small business. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days. Earned, paid, sick days are supported by a majority of Philadelphia citizens (71%). Paid sick days are also su...