Back

Public Policy

Overview

Aging

Student Attends Conference

Campaign Reform

Womens Agenda Assemblies

Voters Guide

Federal Public Policy Issues

Covenant with North Carolinas Children

Calling all AAUW Advocates


OVERVIEW:

AAUW NC...In the Know, On the Move
Strong, focused advocacy on issues affecting women plays an important part of AAUW mission, whether it means serving on boards and commissions, getting out the vote, coordinating candidates' forums, contacting representatives at all levels of government to make our voices heard, participating in coalitions with other women, and much more. In this issue of Tar Heel News, more information has been received than usual, in part because of the activities of our members and due to the convenience of technology-websites, e-mail, and listservs, in addition to snail mail. Thanks especially to Nancy Shoemaker, our technology coordinator, who manages the AAUW NC listserv and website, as well as the members who regularly surf the web and post calls to action and items of interest. The information presented here serves two purposes: to continue to inform you of important issues and to give you an idea of the material distributed on the listserv. The listserv is a collection of e-mail addresses of members which are kept private, and to whom bulletins are distributed. In future issues, some listserv items will be noted briefly under the icon shown on page five, while public policy issues with significant content will be published as regular articles. To subscribe to the listserv (it is free), send a message to aauwnc@rtpnet.org and give a brief introduction (full name, AAUW affiliation or reason why you want to join the list). For more information about the listserv, go to http://rtpnet.org/aauwnc/00About/Technology/MailingLists.htm

Back to top
 


Aging

Excerpted from an article by Ann B. Johnson, NC Coalition on Aging vice-president;
submitted by Helen Martikainen, AAUW NC liaison to the coalition
By 11 a.m., the parking lot across the street from the Legislative Building was a panorama of color. Buses from all over North Carolina had started arriving about 9 a.m. with both frisky and frail passengers. The year was 1989 and the event was Senior Spirit Day at the state legislature. The event was coordinated by Ernest Messer, retired legislator who became president of the NC Senior Citizens Association.

The older adults attested to their satisfaction with the effort when 14 groups came together in 1991 to formalize a cooperative structure for influencing North Carolina's General Assembly. From 1991-1993, the group met in the Division of Aging and made major decisions: The organization would consist of a membership only of organizations; the name selected was the NC Coalition on Aging; dues were set at $25 per organization; the coalition would be an open membership, with groups other than those consisting of seniors.

The purpose of the organization continues to be "a statewide coalition of organizations committed to improve the quality of life for older adults by addressing their needs and promoting their dignity, self-determination, well-being, and contributions-both as individuals and within the context of their families and community."


By-laws were completed and the election of officers was held in 1993. Membership continues to increase and is projected to be at 40 organizations by 2003. The volunteer leadership works without benefit of professional staffing and the NC Division of Aging still provides meeting space. Voice, a publication of the NC Senior Citizens Association, serves as a newsletter. The NC Coalition on aging exists as one of four major aging advocacy groups in the state. The others were created by state statute: Governor's Advisory Council on Aging, 1973; Legislative Study Commission, 1987; Senior Tarheel Legislature, 1993. Contrary to the expectations that the existence of four groups would promote competition and duplication, this has not occurred.

Note: AAUW NC was admitted into full membership of the Coalition on December 7, 2001. Helen Martikainen was appointed AAUW NC liaison. Membership was one result of extensive research by Chapel Hill Branch on the issue of healthcare for our aging population. You can reach Helen at 919-918-3633.

From the AAUW NC Listserv:
In June, the NC Senate passed a budget bill calling for reductions in services. On June 26, the president of the NC Coalition on Aging sent a letter to the members of the NC House of Representatives urging them to consider revenue increases to balance the budget and giving a number of concrete suggestions. Helen Martikainen has asked that this letter be shared with our members and she would like to urge you to use the letter as a model to contact your representatives as well as members of the Senate Leadership and the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee. You can find information on your representatives' contact information at www.ncga.state.nc.us.

For a copy of the letter, see
http://www.rtpnet.org/aauwnc/02-03/CoalitionOnAging/Letter2Lesgislature.htm

Back to top


Student Attends Conference
From Carolyn Sattin:
I wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed the AAUW conference in Washington last week. I  attended the "pre-conference public policy institute" where we learned about current policy issues and we lobbied on the hill for the reauthorization of the welfare bill.


Approximately 250 college women and a few university administrators attended the conference. There were a number of different workshops to choose from each day, ranging from presentations by human rights lawyers to sexuality in film to self-defense. In addition, there were larger sessions with keynote speakers each day. All in all it was a very informative, interesting, and worthwhile experience.

Back to top


Campaign Reform
From Nancy Shoemaker:
Campaign costs in NC have skyrocketed in recent years. The Judicial Campaign Reform Act (S 1054), which is a first step towards real reform, was up for debate in committee on July 17. See http://www.rtpnet.org/aauwnc/02ncwu/issues/NCCampaignFinanceReform.htm for a message posted to the NC Women United list.

Back to top


Women's Agenda Assemblies
From Barbara Ann Hughes:
AAUW NC has been working in coalition with other groups to reenergize NC Women United. Among other things this group will be coordinating Women's Agenda Assemblies across the state this fall. For more information, including a "Report Card on NC Counties" which includes a ranking of the counties on many social and economic scales as well as information on the Agenda Assemblies, see http://www.rtpnet.org/aauwnc/02ncwu/2002/. This page also has links to the list of where Assemblies have been scheduled for this fall, a "Report Card for NC Counties" that ranks the counties on a number of criteria related to the NC Women United goals, and the Agenda Building Book that gives instructions for hosting an Assembly.


AAUW NC is a member of the coalition NC Women United that is sponsoring the Assemblies this fall and will sponsor an Advocacy Day at the Legislature early next year. For more information, contact Barbara Ann Hughes, AAUW NC public policy chair for state issues and the AAUW NC representative to NC Women United, barbara-ann@bahughes.com or 919-787-2949.

North Carolina Women United is the organization which is coordinating the Women's Agenda Assembly process for this fall and recently posted a list of coordinators of assemblies from 2000 and earlier: http://www.rtpnet.org/aauwnc/02ncwu/2002/AgendaPlanning/AgendaCoordinators.htm

If you have updates for that list - new contacts in particular - please send them to Paige Johnson, NCWU Program Committee (address below). Please include mailing address, phone(s) and e-mail for all new contacts - and if you recognize that the contacts listed for your county have changed, please do forward the new information to Paige Johnson, Director of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood of Orange and Durham Counties, Inc. 1765 Dobbins Drive, PO Box 3258, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3258. (919) 929-5402 ext. 33; Fax: (919) 933-5271.

Back to top


Voter's Guide
From Karla Atkinson, Brevard Voter Education Project:
The Brevard (NC) Branch now has a Voter's Guide for the November 2202 election on its web site. See www.aauwbrevardnc.org

The guide lists all NC candidates for office in the US Senate and all candidates running for judicial vacancies in the NC Court of Appeals and the NC Supreme Court. (Additionally, the guide has information relevant to NC state house and senate races for voters in our area - Transylvania/Henderson County). Questionnaires went out to 47 candidates. The web site is updated daily to include candidate responses as they are received here. Information on all candidates will be updated on our web site until the primary on Sept. 10.
Following the primary, only information on winning candidates whose name will appear on the general election ballot in November will appear on the web site. A printed Voter Guide will be published with the cooperation (and financial support) in our local newspaper as an insert on October 3. An additional 500 copies will be distributed around town. Our survey was tailored to address issues and priorities of AAUW and include such topics as health, education, social security, child well-being, campaign finance reform and environmental issues.

To our knowledge we are the only branch in NC that has undertaken such a voter education project for the 2002 year (and what a crazy year in which to plan and set deadlines for this project!) Please alert your membership to the availability of this voter guide. Your comments would also be appreciated.

Back to top


Federal Public Policy Issues
From Mary Peterson:
Get-Out-The-Vote: This fall we are electing a new Senator from North Carolina. Our AAUW Association has made it easier for us to evaluate the candidates on family, education and equity issues. Please make the Voter Education material available to help your community members in deciding which candidate should get their vote. The Get-Out-The-Vote materials should help every branch to be a part of increasing the number of people voting in their community. The 2002 Voter Education and Get-Out-the-Vote Workshop materials are available in printable PDF format on the AAUW website at http://www.aauw.org/6000/leadership.html - Remember! One vote can make a difference!

Ways to Contact Public Officials: Best address for Senator Edwards: http://edwards.senate.gov and click the "Send and e-mail Message" link near the top of the page. E-mail and fax messages are preferred over snail mail. Also, see http://RTPnet.org/~lwvnc/ or The AAUW "2 Minute Activist" page at http://capwiz.com/aauw/index_frame.dbq?url=http://capwiz.com/aauw/home/

AAUW Statement on CEDAW: More than twenty years after the First World Conference on Women, the United States has still failed to ratify the most comprehensive human rights treaty addressing international women's rights, the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

CEDAW, also known as the Treaty for the Rights of Women, is the only international legal instrument that comprehensively addresses women's rights within political, cultural, economic, and social spheres at the local, national, and international levels.  The Treaty has been ratified by 169
nations and it has become an important tool for partnerships among nations to end human rights abuses and promote the health and well being of women and girls.  Although the United States played a defining role in drafting the convention and signed the treaty in July 1980, it has never ratified it, and is the only industrialized country to fail to do so.

To guarantee equality and individual rights for a diverse society, AAUW advocates support for U.N. programs that address human rights and women's and girls' concerns. AAUW has endorsed the ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) since 1981, and urges the Senate to take action in support of this important treaty. See http://foreign.senate.gov/menu.html and www.womenstreaty.org

Short Notes:
* Representative Walter Jones (R-NC) offered legislation that would allow church leaders to make endorsements of political candidates without risking their tax-exempt status.
* Ratification for Equal Rights Amendments nears goal-only three more states needed as of July 29, with Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, and Oklahoma possible prospects. See www.ERACampaign.net
* In its 6-5 decision, the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that comments posted on web sites and anti-abortion "wanted" posters are not constitutionally protected speech under the First Amendment, but rather constitute a "true threat," however, sent the $108 million damages award back to a lower court for reconsideration.

Back to top


Covenant with North Carolina's Children
From Barbara Ann Hughes:
There are items in contention that child advocates care about. Tell your elected officials that you respectfully urge them to keep the children of North Carolina in mind with regard to these issues. The Covenant with NC's Children consistently has called for the General Assembly to raise additional revenue, use existing resources, and close outdated tax loopholes to solve this budget crisis. Please note that more often than not, our preference for one budget over another represents the better of two negative choices. http://capwiz.com/cwncc/officials/state/?state=NC

Back to top


Calling all AAUW Advocates
The Association has implemented a *branch* public policy listserv. If you'd rather get the AAUW Public Policy info straight to your mailbox rather than wait for it to be forwarded through the AAUW NC listserv, join the new AAUW Branch Public Policy Leaders' Listserv! You don't have to be a public policy chair to subscribe. Receive public policy alerts and tips directly from the Associaton Public Policy Department. Simply send an e-mail to listserv@elists.aauw.org and type subscribe branchpolicy in the body of the message. Questions? Contact the AAUW Public Policy Department at 800/608-5286 or votered@aauw.org
.

Back to top



[an error occurred while processing this directive]