PathWays PA Policy Blog

While the Senate chose to skip its usual August recess this year, the House is at home with its constituents - you. Why not take the time to meet with your legislators and tell them what you are thinking about? If you're not sure how to go about setting up a meeting (or what to do once you're there), check out our information below. Decide what you want to meet about: There's so many issues to discuss right now - healthcare ,  DACA , domestic violence and the Violence Against Women Act, paid family leave and the FAMILY Act , payday lending .... Think about what matters to you, and do a little research to learn more until you feel comfortable talking about it. Set up the meeting: Prosperity Now put together a great tool for setting up recess meetings, including a sample email and information on how to contact the scheduler in your legislator's office.  If you're uncomfortable with this format, you can make it simple - find your member of Congress here , a...

Our friends at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence report that Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas has just introduced a new bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This bill, among other changes: • Increases authorization for the Rape Prevention and Education Program to $150 million to address skyrocketing need and demand for community prevention programs. • Strengthens public housing protections for survivors including those seeking housing transfers based on safety concerns. • Acknowledges the trauma of incarceration on women and their family members, especially their children, and improves health care services and trauma informed responses to better prepare incarcerated women to return to their communities. • Improves enforcement of current federal domestic violence-related firearms laws and closes loopholes to reduce firearm-involved abuse and intimate partner homicide. • Expands VAWA's ability to respond to sexual harassment. Ta...

Last week, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act ! This bill closely mirrors the bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Leahy and Crapo last Congress and would improve VAWA programs and strengthen protections for all victims of violence. Call your Senator at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to support S. 47. Look up your Senator .

Weekly Newsletter Week of January 28, 2013 Join Us Online! We're Providing FREE Prep Again This Year! Tell Your Friends! PathWays PA's Self Sufficiency team wants to remind you to take advantage of our free tax preparation service.  Our basic tax preparation service provides free tax filing for households whose income does not exceed $51,000.  We also want to reach tax filers who are disabled or who do not speak English as their first language.  Our goal is help tax filers access their Earned Income and other tax credits.   We are offering a number of  service locations , including SEPTA's Suburban Station where you can drop off you tax forms to be done while you are at work, or you can  make an appointment . This Week's Issues to Watch ::  IT'S THE LAST WEEK TO VOTE FOR OUR VIDEO ON PHILLY DOGOODER ::  ASK YOUR SENATOR TO SUPPORT VAWA REAUTHORIZATION ::  JOIN ONE BILLION RISING ON VALENTIN...

On Wednesday, November 14th, leaders and advocates across the country will lobby Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). * National leaders are calling Congressional leaders * State and local leaders, including WIT's E.D. Roberta Hacker, will be calling U.S. Senators * We need YOU, along with advocates across the country, to call on your U.S. Representative Your elected official in the U.S. House of Representatives In Philadelphia:  1st District: Robert (Bob) Brady (D) 202-225-4731 2nd District: Chaka Fattah (D) 202-225-4001 8th District: Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R) 202-225-4276 13th District: Allyson Y. Schwartz (D) 202-225-6111 Please relay this simple, unified message: "Work out the differences, pass VAWA before this Congress ends and you go home for the holidays. Do not let VAWA die and miss this chance to help victims find shelter, help and justice. There is precious little time left and victim's lives and futures are in the balan...

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 AAUW   Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has set the stage for a vote as early as today on the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S. 1925)! Senators are beginning to discuss the bill on the floor. This vital bill would update and streamline the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and help ensure VAWA-supported programs receive funding for the next several years. Call TODAY: Ask your senators to vote for S. 1925! AAUW knows that VAWA programs often provide the only or best support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Now, VAWA reauthorization is ready to go -- the Senate just needs to act. The vital programs supported by VAWA are in desperate need of updating, and we can't allow our leaders to dawdle on such an important issue. Help lead the charge for women and girls nationwide: Ask your senators to vote for the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S. 1925)! To call your senators and ask them to vote for ...

State OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON VOTING RIGHTS TODAY The Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations is planning to vote on MONDAY 3/5 on HB 934 which would deprive voters of the right to cast a ballot if they do not show a valid state-issued photo ID card, with limited exceptions. This will particularly affect non-drivers (senior citizens who no longer drive, persons with disabilities, and residents of urban communities who travel by public transit), and the challenge of securing a non-driver photo ID card from PennDOT will be costly, difficult, and, for some, impossible. Supporters of the bill have been unable to show any evidence of voter identity fraud in Pennsylvania because safeguards against fraudulent voting are already in place in our state. The legislation may cost Pennsylvania taxpayers millions to implement. Long lines at polling places are likely to form, leading other voters to simply give up and go home. More information on the legislation can be found at http://vote...