 CPA News June 2002 UPCOMING EVENTS ... 2002 Regional Conferences- Save the date! CPA will hold its series of regional conferences once again this summer. Hundreds of legislators and community activists gathered for last year's events. This year participants will examine the 2002 legislative session and will discuss such topics as voting reform and prescription drugs. Click on the event names below for more information or to register online! The schedule is as follows: Northeast Regional Conference- June 27-28, Sturbridge, MA Southwest Regional Conference- July 12-13, San Antonio, TX Southeast Regional Conference- August 2-3, Tunica, MS Midwest Regional Conference- August 16-17, Milwaukee, WI July 23-27, 2002 - NCSL Annual Meeting - Denver Convention Center If you're planning to attend NCSL's annual meeting, please come by CPA's booth in the exhibition hall. Also, progressive organizations that are members of the State Issues Forum are planning two panel sessions on Wednesday, July 24, followed by an evening reception hosted by NEA, AFT, and CPA. To learn more about the State Issues Forum and SIF-sponsored activities at NCSL's meeting, visit SIF's new website here. PROGRESS ON POLICY... Unemployment Insurance - A new Georgia law, HB 342, creates a pilot program that will expand access to unemployment benefits--particularly to low-wage workers--using the alternative base period, which allows for the inclusion of more recent wages earned in determining whether a worker meets the state's monetary eligibility requirements. Signed by the Governor on May 15, the measure also increases maximum weekly benefits from $284 to $300. This important reform follows three years of hard work led by Rep. Nan Grogan Orrock and the Women's Policy Group, with the support of the Georgia AFL-CIO and the Coalition for Georgia's Working Families. Click here to view CPA's selection of unemployment insurance model legislation and policy summaries. Access to Emergency Contraceptives - Washington state recently enacted a law, based on the CPA policy model, to make emergency contraceptives available to sexual assault survivors. Similar bills have been introduced in AZ, CA, FL, HI, MD, NJ, SD and WI this session. A new study found that half of all American women who are sexually assaulted are not provided with emergency contraception or treatments for sexually transmitted diseases as recommended by the CDC, according to Johns Hopkins University research. Drug Marketing to Physicians - Vermont became the first state in the country to require drug companies to disclose any gift or payment to doctors above $25 (not including drug samples) on June 13 when Governor Dean signed the comprehensive prescription drug bill that includes this provision. Every year, the pharmaceutical industry spends an average of $22,000 per doctor to convince physicians to prescribe their drugs, according to the American Medical Association. This provision, part of a measure sponsored by Vermont Senate President Peter Shumlin, shines a spotlight on that practice. Solicitor General Clears Path for Maine Rx - The U.S. Solicitor General has recommended that the Supreme Court refuse PhRMA's challenge of the groundbreaking Maine Rx law which allows the state to negotiate lower prices for the uninsured. Also on May 31, a federal appeals court denied PhRMA's request to stop Maine Rx's sister program, Healthy Maine, which provides a 25 percent discount to uninsured residents under 300% of the poverty level. WEBSITE OF THE MONTH... www.knowledgeplex.org Knowledgeplex.org is a new website that offers a wealth of resources on affordable housing and community development issues. Developed and hosted by the Fannie Mae Foundation, the site provides content, including policy findings, practical data, and publications on a host of topics. Visitors to the site can access personalized, comprehensive housing news from over 300 sources. Also worth bookmarking is the "virtual meeting" feature where you can exchange ideas on housing topics with industry leaders. YOU SHOULD KNOW... Choose to Lead Event: Making the Choice - May 20, Washington, DC CPA Program Initiatives Director Jen Ray was a featured speaker at a recent reception honoring the District of Columbia's future female leaders. Sponsored by Oxygen Media and Comcast, the Choose to Lead Event: Making the Choice also featured Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Former White House Deputy Counsel Cheryl Mills who presented the winners of the Choose to Lead "Why I'm Going to Be a Leader" High School Essay Contest. Choose to Leadis Oxygen's on-air, online and grassroots campaign that works to highlight the accomplishments of women leaders and to increase the number of women serving in elected leadership positions. CPA is a national partner in the campaign and Jennifer Woolley, Manager of the Women and the Economy Program, serves as the CPA liaison. Texas Joint Caucus Forum: Forging the Future - May 29, Austin, TX CPA and the Texas AFL-CIO conducted a successful Joint Caucus Forum for the Texas Mexican American Legislative Caucus and House Black Caucus on May 29th in Austin. Participants discussed network building strategies, implications of current federal and state legislative proposals, and opportunities to build coalitions for Texas electoral races. CPA's State Network Director Tracie Pough and Southwest Regional Director Jesse Romero presented an overview of CPA and provided information on coalition strategies among communities of color. 2002 Grassroots Women's Leadership Retreat - June 7-9, Lake Tahoe, California At the 5th Annual Grassroots Women's Leadership Retreat, over 50 top women's policy advocates from around the country came to Lake Tahoe to network and share strategies on policies that impact women, families and communities. The 2002 Retreat, sponsored and convened by CPA, the Nevada Women's Agenda, the Nevada Women's Lobby, and the Rockefeller Family Fund, provided an opportunity for leaders of grassroots and state-based organizations to build skills in policy, strategy, coalition building, and communications. For more information about the Retreat, contact Jennifer Woolley at 202-956-5123 or Jen Ray at 202-956-5142. Look for a full recap in the next edition of CPA's newsletter Alternatives! CPA Presents Special Policy Workshop - June 11, Washington, DC CPA Program Initiatives Director Jen Ray and Policy Director Bernie Horn recently led a training on innovative policy initiatives for the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership (IWIL). The IWIL is a leadership program that encourages and trains women to become effective leaders in Illinois government. Ray and Horn provided information to 12 members of the Institute's 2002 class, a distinguished and diverse group of emerging leaders and future political candidates. |