VIRTUAL Women’s Day On the Hill March 8, 2021

This year will be different, but in a good way. This year’s WDH will be virtual which will allow many more of our members to participate.  Please REGISTER TODAY.  We need as many smiling faces on our zoom as possible!

We have 5 virtual meeting set up and I’m working on more.  Some of our meeting will occur during the Panel discussion.

Mostly, I would like to see as many folks as possible to attend the session from 11:15-Noon where each organization will present on their current bills.  This is such a great learning opportunity for everyone.

Please reach out to Lee Anne Carmack if you have any questions about the event.

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Bill Priority List

Active Lobbying efforts

• HB0725 Eliminating the Salary History – As introduced, prohibits an employer from relying on, seeking, or requiring the wage or salary history of an applicant or current employee when making certain decisions related to hiring.
• HB 0797 Raise the Minimum Wage – As introduced, increases, from $7.25 to $12, the minimum hourly wage for employees within the state.
• HB 1404 Paid Family Medical Leave – As introduced, creates a program for paid family medical leave for state employees.
• SB 1357 Reinstate the Tennessee Economic Council on Women

• HB0805 Distributing absentee ballots – As introduced, deletes a provision making it a Class A misdemeanor for a person who is not an employee of an election commission to give an unsolicited request for an application for an absentee ballot to any person. (with TN LWV)
• Jim Coley Rape Survivors Protection Act – Gives rape victims the right to their rape kit information.
• SB0003 Fair Maps Act Redistricting – As introduced, enacts the “Fair Maps Act,” which establishes requirements for the process of redistricting congressional and general assembly districts. (with TN LWV)
• HB0033 Ida B. Wells-Barnett Plaza – As introduced, redesignates the Legislative Plaza as the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Plaza.

• HB0786 – Permitless Carry (in conjunction with Moms Demand Action)
• HB0011  – The Kyle Rittenhouse Bill – would allow the use of deadly force to protect property, even if not your own.
• SB0204 – The fetal heart beat bill (in conjunction with Planned Parenthood)
• SB0024- Adding feminine hygiene products to the tax-free weekend list

• Tennessee League of Women Voters https://www.lwv.org/local-leagues/lwv-tennessee LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.
• Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-tennessee-and-north-mississippi Our mission is to provide high-quality, non-judgmental sexual health care, honest and accurate sexuality education, and reproductive health and rights advocacy.
• A Better Balance https://www.abetterbalance.org/tag/tennessee/ A Better Balance, a national nonprofit advocacy organization, uses the power of the law to advance justice for workers, so they can care for themselves and their loved ones without jeopardizing their economic security. Through legislative advocacy, direct legal services and strategic litigation, and public education, our expert legal team combats discrimination against pregnant workers and caregivers and advances supportive policies like paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, fair scheduling, and accessible, quality childcare and eldercare.
• Mom’s Demand Action – https://momsdemandaction.org/  Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. (Note: AAUW National Biennial Action Priorities include: Freedom from violence and fear of violence)

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AAUW-TN Public Policy Report

AAUW National Priorities

AAUW’s Public Policy Priorities, adopted every two years by every-member vote, establish the federal action issues on which AAUW members across the country focus their advocacy efforts and guide the work of the national staff.

Basic to all of AAUW’s public policy efforts is the understanding that true equity requires a balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of the community. AAUW opposes all forms of discrimination and supports constitutional protection for the civil rights of all individuals.

Top National Priority – Pass The PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT

The Paycheck Fairness Act would take meaningful steps to update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to help close the gender pay gap, including:

• closing loopholes that have weakened the law over time to allow employers to justify paying workers unfairly,
• creating more robust remedies for those who have suffered discrimination,
• preventing employers from retaliating against workers who discuss or disclose their wages,
• prohibiting employers from relying on salary history to set wages, and
• providing much needed training and technical assistance, as well as data collection and research.

Please ask your members to take action here to support full passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. For more information on AAUW National’s 2021 Public Policy

AAUW-TN Public Policy Priorities

Welcome to the 112th legislative session. The session convened on January 12 and is tentatively scheduled to close on April 30-May 6. There has already been a special session on education that swiftly (that means with little debate and no teacher input) passed some pretty sweeping education legislation.

The administration and super majority’s pro-business, pro-life, pro-propaganda agenda is clear and without a miracle or constituent outrage their lawsuit laden agenda continues to move forward.

Rep. Jason Potts will file our signature bill on eliminating the salary history (ESH) question from job applications. HB 0725 Please read our bill. Nothing has changed from last session despite my personal request that the # of employees threshold be removed and that the punishment be made more significant.

The ESH bill will be heard by the Banking and Consumer Affairs sub committee chaired by Dennis Powers (Jacksboro,TN). The committee now has 9 members rather than the previous 5 and is comprised of representatives certain to kill any anti-discrimination legislation on the first pass.  Please click on the Banking and Consumer Affairs link and see if any of the Representatives are in your district or your members districts. It is always helpful if we have a constituent member when we make our calls to this committee.