EMMETT TILL UNSOLVED CIVIL RIGHTS CRIMES REAUTHORIZATION ACT PASSED BY CONGRESS

Washington, DC—During its final session of the 114th Congress, the Senate passed the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016 (S.2854/H.R.5067).  In the Senate, the bill was led by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO).  In the House, original sponsors were Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). The bill now heads to the President to be signed into law.

BACKGROUND

Before the passage of major civil rights legislation in the 1960s, hundreds of racially suspicious crimes were committed in this country, and few attempts to prosecute them were ever pursued.  Tuskegee Institute once kept a record of verified lynchings in the United States from 1877 to 1950.  The institute documented that nearly 4000 mainly unprosecuted civil rights crimes occurred during that period.  Many American families continue to pass down stories of loss and disappearance even today without knowing the truth about what actually happened to their loved ones. 

PRIMARY GOALS OF THE BILL

The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act represents a critical opportunity to right these wrongs committed, primarily against African Americans, but also against people of diverse backgrounds.  In some cases, individuals still remain who were witnesses to these crimes or who can help provide evidence regarding these incidents.  This bill reauthorizes and updates the original legislation that was signed into law in 2008.  It seeks to respond to the concerns of victims' family members and strengthen collaboration between the Justice Department, the FBI, State and local law enforcement, and advocates to pursue these cold cases.  There is a collective goal to seek the truth about this long-standing tragedies and hold the perpetrators and orchestrators of these atrocities accountable.   This reauthorization also seeks to respond to the concerns of advocates regarding the implementation of the original legislation. 

BI-PARTISAN and BI-CAMERAL STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

"As we work to address current questions about racial violence and civil rights, we should be mindful of our history and why so many in the African-American community raise the issue of whether black lives matter.  Passage of the original Emmett Till Act represented a commitment to resolving the unanswered questions from one of the darkest periods in modern American history.  This bipartisan reauthorization represents further investment in our history and will allow the Department of Justice to resolve remaining issues."  Rep. John Conyers, Jr.  - MI

"When this bill was signed into law, family members, academics, historians, lawyers, advocates began working to develop a full accounting for these long-standing, gross human and civil rights atrocities.  The reauthorization passed by Congress is a response to their appeals to make the law a better tool in their quest for justice. We also worked across the aisle and across the Dome to develop a bill that fulfills our promise to remain committed to the pursuit of truth on behalf of victims and their families.  I am very pleased that Congress has passed this legislation and I look forward to the signature of President Barack Obama."  Rep. John Lewis - GA

“I am pleased that this bill is now finally heading to the President’s desk. Investigators can now work to discover the truth and to seek justice under our legal system for the families of these victims. Every American is worthy of the protection of our laws. I want to thank the Till family, Alvin Sykes, Congressman John Lewis, and all of the civil rights activists who helped make this law a reality. Today’s victory is theirs.”  Sen. Richard Burr - NC

 “Too many families suffer from the unsolved murders of their loved ones during the civil rights era without receiving justice.  The way to best serve these families is to provide our Federal government with the tools it needs to investigate these unsolved crimes, and to hopefully, bring some sense of closure for these families.  I thank Congressman Lewis for his tireless work on behalf of the families of these victims of unsolved murders from the civil rights era and I am proud to stand with him on this effort.”   Sen. Patrick Leahy - VT

“This legislation brings justice and closure to the families and communities affected by the heinous acts of violence and hatred that are a stain on our nation’s history. The bill will help us continue the critical work of better investigating and solving these crimes, no matter how long ago they occurred, and I’m thrilled we’ve finally been able to carry it across the finish line.” Sen. Claire McCaskill - MO

“The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act sets out to investigate racially-motivated murders. Sadly, there is still more work to be done and it’s important that we reauthorize this bill so that the FBI and DOJ can continue investigating unsolved crimes.”    Sen. Roy Blunt - MO

“As an original cosponsor of the Emmett Till Reauthorization Act, I’m pleased to see my colleagues came together and supported this important bill. This bipartisan legislation will provide for a sustained, well-coordinated effort to investigate and prosecute unsolved civil rights-era crimes. There are hundreds of cold cases from the civil rights era that have never been solved and it is my hope that we are able to bring justice to the victims’ families.”  Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner - WI

MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE LEGISLATION

·         This bill requires the Department of Justice and FBI to consult with civil rights organizations, universities, and other entities that have also been gathering evidence in these cold cases;

·         Provides clearer direction and improved coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement and the activists, advocates, and academics working on these issues;

·         Strengthens the Department of Justice’s reporting requirements;

·         Expands the time span of cases to be considered by ten years, to include all cases that occurred not later than December 31, 1979;

·         Eliminates the sunset provision in the original bill;

·         Encourages the Department of Justice to review specific closed cases that warrant further investigation;

·         Maintains the previous investigation structure and funding levels; and

·         Clarifies the law’s intent.

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CONYERS: Lame duck TPP vote could be disastrous for Dems—and America

By John Conyers, Jr.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

In terms of style and substance, tenor and tone, the two parties’ conventions could not have differed more dramatically.  Whereas the Republican gathering focused on fear and division, the Democratic convention called forth hope and constructive action.   

And yet, almost paradoxically, there was a common message reverberating through the convention halls in Cleveland and Philadelphia: The system is rigged. 

While the causes and consequences of the public perception are many, there’s one hot-button issue in this campaign that exemplifies what people see as wrong with the system: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Negotiated in secret under the advisement of multinational corporations, the TPP gives handouts to the multinational corporate class at the expense of the middle class.  It pits workers here against those abroad, boosting profits of multinational corporations while our workers see downward pressure on wages. It allows fossil fuel corporations to sue governments in private tribunals to overturn policies that protect our families and our environment.  It gives the pharmaceutical industry monopoly protections while consumers endure skyrocketing prices for medicine.

Despite these concerns, it is an open secret that an overwhelming number of Republicans and a few of their Democratic counterparts are quietly seeking to push TPP through during the lame duck session of Congress. That period after the November elections is when legislators are least accountable.  With a lame duck vote, Members of Congress who lost their November elections would still able to throw their weight behind the extraordinarily unpopular deal. Newly-elected Members would not have a voice.  And reelected legislators would feel free to take a controversial vote that would please their corporate benefactors, confident that voter anger over their decision will subside in the two years before their next election.

In short, a lame duck consideration of the unpopular TPP would be undemocratic, and would wildly exacerbate frustrations about a rigged system.  

As a representative of one of America’s great manufacturing cities and a lifelong advocate for corporate accountability, I believe strongly that the TPP should never be approved.  But even those lawmakers and officials who support the deal should recognize that lame duck consideration of such a highly controversial deal would create a crisis of legitimacy in American politics and actually undermine trust in the system of global commerce they’re trying to support.  Finally, the specter of a lame duck TPP push could also be the campaign gift to Donald Trump that he and his donors couldn’t buy.

Opposing TPP is the right thing to do.  But it is also the politically smart thing to do.  Hillary Clinton is running for President in opposition to TPP—it is time for Democrats to unify and help her provide a clear choice for voters opposed to unfair trade rules.

I’ve known Hillary Clinton personally for four decades, and I appreciate her strong opposition to the TPP “before and after the election.”   The Hillary Clinton that I know has been a dedicated lifelong fighter for causes—including quality healthcare, environmental protection, and full employment—that are antithetical to the TPP.  In voting against the Central American Free Trade Agreement as a Senator, she demonstrated discretion on trade deals. She required Tim Kaine to make a strong statement of opposition to the TPP as a precondition for joining the Democratic ticket. Most importantly, she wants to go even further than stopping new corporate trade deals, promising the United Auto Workers that she would seek to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement as well.

Trump has managed to exploit the trade issue for political gain, as former Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell has warned, and hopes to convince voters that Hillary’s TPP opposition is insincere.  This is despite his utter unwillingness to address the hypocrisy on his side of the aisle and in his own life.  He picked one of the foremost corporate ideologues and TPP cheerleaders as his own vice presidential candidate. He’s entirely failed to address the fact that corporate trade deals rely on the overwhelming support of Congressional Republicans—who, by and large, remain wedding to their Wall Street and Big Oil contributors more than to the public interest. Trump himself, of course, personally outsourced countless jobs overseas with his own companies (and first-hand accounts indicate that he never expressed any concern about denying jobs to American workers). If Donald Trump will not sacrifice a couple dollars to make his ties in America, what makes us think he’ll make sacrifices to block Congressional Republicans on TPP?

Hillary Clinton, by contrast, has shown her strong capability to lead on trade throughout the campaign.  She's gone well beyond words, working with the foremost critics of TPP, including Sen. Sherrod Brown, labor leaders, environmental groups, and other key stakeholders fighting for fairer trade.  Trump has done the exact opposite, and will cede authority to Congressional Republicans who prioritize the pro-corporate trade agenda above all else.

It’s now up to President Obama and the very small number of pro-TPP Democrats in Congress to follow Hillary’s lead.  Allowing the possibility of a lame duck TPP vote to remain on the table wouldn’t just undermine trust in government and validate perceptions of rigged system—it could play into Donald Trump’s small and unsteady hands, with potentially disastrous consequences for the country.

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CONYERS, COHEN & JOHNSON: GOP’S So-Called “Better Way” Is The Wrong Way For Americans

HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DEMOCRATS RESPOND TO SPEAKER RYAN’S “TASK FORCE ON RESTORING CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY” REPORT

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Democrats want to address the real problems facing our Nation today by: 

• Preventing Gun Violence: Congress can longer stand idly by while our communities are ravaged by gun violence. Americans should feel safe whether attending school, their place of worship, in their movie theaters or out in their communities.

• Combating Hate Crimes: No American should live in fear of being a target of violence because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or sex.  

• Strengthening Voting Rights: States across the Nation have implemented laws that disenfranchise voters and impede their ability to have their voices heard. Every American deserves equal access to the ballot box.

• Relieving Crushing Student Loan Debt: The class of 2015 graduated with the most student loan debt in U.S. history. Overwhelming student loan debt is preventing young Americans from purchasing homes, starting families, and contributing to our economy.

• Helping American Consumers: Companies should not be able to force Americans to forego their rights to seek legal redress in the courts.

However, House Judiciary Republicans have not held a single hearing on these issues this Congress. Instead, they would rather focus on protecting corporate interests and their own political agenda. Today, Speaker Ryan’s Task Force on Restoring Constitutional Authority issued a report as part of the so-called “Better Way” agenda.  House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Ranking Member Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA) released the following statements in response to the report:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“For the second time in two days, House Republicans have issued a report consisting mostly of recycled and long-discredited proposals clearly intended to undermine Federal agencies’ ability to protect public health and safety and to open the door to ideologically-motivated lawsuits against the Executive Branch, among other things,” said Congressman Conyers. “Congress delegated broad authority to agencies because they have the expertise to develop highly technical regulations that sometimes require years of study which Congress lacks the time and resources to do on its own.  This is why the Supreme Court has long recognized that the Constitution allows Congress to obtain the assistance of the other branches of government, including the Executive Branch, in implementing the laws that Congress passes.”

Congressman Conyers continued, “While there are areas where Congress has failed to assert itself sufficiently -- such as the President’s exercise of war powers -- this report does little to address those concerns.  Rather, this report simply recycles the same old pro-corporate, anti-consumer proposals that House Republicans have been pushing for decades, masked as constitutional issues.”

“Today’s report on the so-called “A Better Way: The Constitution” is mostly a re-hash of meritless proposals that, among other things, invite frivolous lawsuits by Congress against the President over routine policy debates and hamstring the ability of agencies to do the critical job of ensuring the health, safety, and rights of the American people that Congress tasked them with doing,” said Congressman Cohen.  “In hearing after hearing before the Judiciary Committee, House Republicans have sought to constitutionalize what are essentially policy and political disputes.  Really, this reflects the fact that they do not have the votes to achieve their policy ends through the political process.  And that is because most Americans like the kind of protections for the environment, civil rights, consumer products, and workplace safety that House Republicans have repeatedly tried to undermine.”

“Because dismantling our government’s ability to provide for the public interest is apparently not enough, Republicans now embark on a dangerous path to rig the courts and regulatory system against the public by abolishing longstanding Supreme Court precedent that is fundamental to our legal tradition and upholding the very rights established by both the Constitution and Congress,” Congressman Johnson stated. “These so-called “solutions” appear to come straight from the Koch brothers’ wish list. Yet another example of the corporate-welfare policies that Republicans so eagerly pursue, there is little doubt that the result of this crony-capitalist agenda would be a deep betrayal of our constitutional and statutory protections, practically guaranteeing a rigged system by which corporate misconduct could seldom be held accountable.”

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CONYERS: GOP BUDGET PLAN IS DESTRUCTIVE AND DISINGENUOUS

WASHINGTON – Following his vote against the House GOP’s federal budget resolution, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) issued the following statement:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Congressional Republicans’ federal budget proposal is a decisive step in the wrong direction.  The budget plan seeks to reduce investments in retirement security, education, infrastructure, and healthcare while attempting to hide irresponsible increases in Pentagon spending through accounting gimmicks.  While this measure is a guiding framework for Congressional action—and not binding law—it nonetheless paints a disturbing picture of Republican priorities for the upcoming federal funding process.  I will continue to reject Republican efforts to cut funding for key national priorities and call on President Obama to veto any efforts to put struggling seniors, students, and families at risk.  

“At a time of rising insecurity for America’s retirees, the Republican budget resolution seeks to turn Medicare into—of all things—a voucher program.  Republicans are trying, in other words, to turn Medicare’s healthcare guarantee into mere coupon clippings for seniors.  Their proposal also undercuts struggling families and young Americans, attempting to turn Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Programs into limited “block grants” to states that can be diverted to other programs and priorities.   

“At a time when America’s students are struggling with unsustainable debt, the GOP budget proposal seeks to eliminate nearly $85 billion in Pell Grants, making higher education more expensive for students in need.

“At a time when families across the country are struggling to put nutritious food on the table, the GOP budget proposal also seeks to turn essential food security programs including the SNAP program into “block grants” that can be compromised or cut by states.  Just when 16 million previously-uninsured Americans finally receive quality healthcare through Obamacare, the GOP budget seeks to repeal the Affordable Care Act without offering recourse to people who need coverage.   

“The Republican budget seeks to protect the Pentagon from budget cuts through a disingenuous accounting maneuver:  shifting up to $187 billion over the next several years into a shadowy war spending account known as Overseas Contingency Operations Fund.  In other words, the GOP budget seeks to shift the burden of deficit reduction away from weapons-makers and well-funded Pentagon programs onto struggling seniors, students, and families. 

“There’s a better way.  As a proud co-author of the Congressional Progressive Caucus budget, I believe we must strengthen our safety net and invest in 21st-century infrastructure, manufacturing, education, and environmental protection.  We need investment—not austerity.” 

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House Passes ‘Enforce the Law’ Act

“It is simply another attempt by the majority to prevent the President of the United States to implement duly enacted legislative initiatives that they [the Republicans] oppose,” Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.) said.

The administration’s unilateral changes are simply the “reality of implementing sometimes complex laws,” Conyers said, referring to Obamacare.

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Conyers Challenges Republican Attempt to Undermine Executive Authority

(WASHINGTON) – Today, the House of Representatives debated H.R. 4138 the, “Executive Needs to Faithfully Observe and Respect Congressional Enforcements of the Law (ENFORCE) Act.” This Floor debate comes on the heels of the House Judiciary Committee having held a full committee Markup on the legislation and a hearing a week prior entitled, “Enforcing the President’s Constitutional Duty to Faithfully Execute the Laws.”  This legislation is a faulty solution in search of imaginary problems, and has no hope of being considered in the Senate, let alone becoming law. As the Floor debate commenced, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

"Once again, we find ourselves debating legislation that fails to address actual public concerns while squandering limited legislative time on bills that will never become law and are likely unconstitutional. Meanwhile, this House continues to refuse to address issues ranging from securing fair pay for a fair day’s work, extending unemployment insurance, and fixing our broken immigration laws. At a certain point we have to say that enough is enough,” said Conyers.

“Undoubtedly, Congress has the responsibility and the authority to ensure that the President acts within the bounds of the Constitution. Yet, the legislation we are debating today - H.R. 4138, the ‘ENFORCE Act,’ -amounts to little more than political demagoguery. President Obama is well within his constitutional rights to employ his executive authority by extending earned deferred action to DREAMers, and prosecutorial discretion to administer complex legislation such as the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the Majority would rather repeat the debate over healthcare reform - in addition to the 50 votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act held so far - and stymie immigration reform, than tackle deep-seated problems the United States faces.

“Regrettably, the Congressional agenda in the House of Representatives is increasingly dominated by synthetic scandals and dead-end legislation. The Floor debate this afternoon is little more than political theater. The people’s business has languished for long enough. At some point we need to lay down the legislative armor and do something simply because it’s the right thing to do.”

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Conyers & Top Democrats Call for End to House GOP’s Abuse of Power, Demand Vote to Condemn Issa’s Actions

(WASHINGTON) – Today, House Democrats stood in solidarity on the House Floor and filed a privileged resolution that condemns the actions of Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa for violating House Rules during yesterday’s hearing on the IRS when he tried to silence Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings by deliberately cutting off his microphone.

The resolution, offered by Rep. Marcia Fudge, states: “The House of Representatives strongly condemns the offensive and disrespectful manner in which Chairman Darrell E. Issa conducted the hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on March 5, 2014, during which he turned off the microphones of the Ranking Member while he was speaking and adjourned the hearing without a recorded vote or a unanimous consent agreement.”

Today, for the first time, the top Democrats on several Committees came together to call on House Republicans to stop wasting taxpayer money and resources obstructing the legislative process and shutting out Democrats for political gain, and instead, focus on the priorities of Americans. Participants included the top Democrats on five House Committees, Reps. Cummings (D-MD), John Conyers (D-MI), Sandy Levin (D-MI), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), the Ranking Members of the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, Judiciary, Ways and Means, Rules, and the Budget respectively.

Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member on House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: “I understand that House Republicans have already called it quits in terms of legislating any more this year, but the result is that all they have left are these reckless and abusive investigations.  This is a huge waste of taxpayer resources, and it does absolutely nothing for the American people.  We need to do the work that the American people elected us to do.”

Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Ranking Member on House Committee on the Judiciary: “In recent months, the Majority’s agenda has been disheartening and their leadership wanting. The public business of the Judiciary Committee has been bogged down by partisan messaging bills - with no chance of passage - simply to pander to their conservative base. The situation is shameful. Yet, it does not have to be like this; I remember a time - not too long ago - where meaningful, bipartisan reform was considered, thoughtful legislation was debated, and the Committee process worked. At some point we need to lay down the legislative armor and do something simply because it’s the right thing to do.”

Congressman Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), Ranking Member on House Committee on Ways and Means:“House Republicans are desperate to keep their baseless allegations alive, even if it means silencing the truth by turning off microphones. The endless Republican drive to appeal to the Tea Party and taint the White House has pushed them to new extremes.”

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member on House Committee on Rules: “We have reached the boiling point. What has happened in this place week after week in the House of Representatives is nothing short of legislative malpractice. Think about the money that is being wasted here week after week to make a political statement—it’s  costing us not just in terms of infrastructure, education, and healthcare, but think about how it’s costing us our self-respect and the way we look to the rest of the world.”

Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ranking Member on House Committee on the Budget: “Last fall, by changing the rules to keep the government shutdown, Republicans suspended democracy in the full House of Representatives. What we saw yesterday was democracy being suspended in House committees,” said Congressman Chris Van Hollen. “As a result of the abuse of power we saw from Chairman Issa, we’re not able to focus on the things that are important to the American people – creating more jobs and expanding opportunity to more people.” 

Yesterday, every Democratic Member of Oversight Committee sent a letter to Chairman Issa calling on him to apologize immediately for denying Ranking Member Cummings his right under House Rules to speak at the IRS hearing.

Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. alongside his colleagues - Representatives Cummings, Slaughter, and Van Hollen - at a press conference discussing House Republican offenses.

Issa Letter on IRS Hearing Shutdown March 5, 2014

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Conyers Condemns House Republican’s 50th Attempt to Repeal the Affordable Care Act

 (WASHINGTON) – Following today’s 50th vote by House Republicans to repeal a key piece of the Affordable Care Act- the individual mandate- Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Comyers, Jr.

“Today I voted for the 50^th time, against a partisan attempt by Republicans to delay a significant aspect of Obamacare in an attempt to undermine it in its entirety,” said Conyers.

“If Republicans were to succeed in their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act millions of Americans would be irreparably harmed. One hundred twenty-nine million Americans with pre-existing conditions would lose the security of knowing they cannot be denied coverage; 25 million Americans will not gain insurance coverage through private insurance policies; 6.6 million young adults would lose coverage through their parents’ plans, including 3.1 million who were previously uninsured; 105 million Americans could regain lifetime limits on their health insurance. Also, deficits could grow to over $100 billion over the next ten years.

“Republicans claim this bill is a logical parallel to the Administration’s own delay in employer responsibility provision for one year, but this claim is inaccurate and disingenuous. There is no comparison between the delay in the employer responsibility and individual responsibility provisions, as nonpartisan experts put forth. If the individual mandate is delayed, premiums in health insurance marketplaces would rise sharply, impacting all Americans.

“If Republicans were serious about doing what is best for their constituents, they would come to the table ready to work with Democrats on viable improvements to the Affordable Care Act and they would encourage their home state policymakers to expand Medicaid to every eligible citizen. Republicans have made no meaningful attempt to repeal the sequestration or come to the table to discuss legislation to create quality jobs with living wages. The dysfunction shown through the repeated efforts of the Republican Party to repeal Obamacare must end, so we can turn our focus to addressing the numerous and complicated problems facing everyday Americans. That is why I have introduced legislation full employment for everyone – H.R. 1000 – as well as Medicare for All – H.R. 676. Instead of repealing the Affordable Care Act, Congress should be taking up these measures.”

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Memorandum to House Republicans on A Real Agenda for American Women

MEMORANDUM  

To:                  House Republicans

From:             Rosa DeLauro, Steering and Policy Co-chair

Jan Schakowsky, Steering and Policy Vice Chair

Donna F. Edwards, Chair of the Democratic Women’s Working Group

Eddie Bernice Johnson, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Ranking Member

Nita M. Lowey, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member

Carolyn Maloney, Ranking House Member Joint Economic Committee

Louise Slaughter, House Rules Committee Ranking Member

Maxine Waters, House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member

Date:               January 10, 2014

RE:                 A Real Agenda for American Women

We know you are receptive to memos and have expressed an interest in learning about how to better communicate with women on the issues important to them. To that end, this memo is in the spirit of moving past partisan politics and working together to ensure America’s women and their families have the economic security and opportunities they need to succeed.

Yesterday House Republicans on a Judiciary subcommittee – an all-male panel led by GOP Rep. Trent Franks – held a hearing on yet another dead-end bill to restrict access to women’s health services. At this hearing one of the Majority witnesses, Helen Alvare, admitted to House Republicans that this issue is standing in the way of a “real women’s agenda”:

Regular squabbles over federal funding for abortion across myriad pieces of legislation seem to have taken the place of an actual legislative agenda for women’s actual needs. Instead of debating policies supporting women’s care work, or work/family balance, policies addressing paid leave or social security benefits -- instead of debating ideas about enabling poor women especially to break the cycle of poverty and nonmarital childbearing --Congress continually debates abortion funding. It is time once and for all to settle the matter of federal funding for abortion, and move on to a real women’s agenda. [1/9]

As MSNBC noted, some of the measures mentioned have already been introduced by Democrats:

Alvare did mention a couple of policies she would consider more pro-woman than the right to choose and access an abortion, among them paid family leave. In fact, Democrats just introduced such legislation in both chambers. The Republican silence was deafening. [1/9]

The constant debates and squabbling the witness decried are a result of Republicans refusing to take action on real legislation to help American women. The time has come to stop wasting taxpayers’ time and dollars waging attacks on women’s constitutionally protected right to make informed health care decisions about their own bodies with their own doctors and work on an “actual legislative agenda for women’s actual needs.”

House Democrats have an economic agenda for America’s women, When Women Succeed, America Succeeds, which will enable women to achieve greater economic security, raise wages for working women and their families and allow working parents to support and care for their families. Among the policies included in this agenda:

·         Paycheck Fairness

·         Supporting Women Entrepreneurs and Women-Owned Small Businesses

·         Paid Family and Medical Leave

·         Paid Sick Leave

·         The President’s Preschool and Early Head Start & Child Care Initiative

·         Promoting Access to Affordable and High Quality Child Care

Enough of the talking – it’s time for action for American women and their families.

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