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Legislative Issues for 1999

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Minnesota NOW Legislative Issues for 1999

Health & Reproductive Issues

Abortion Rights:

• defeat anti-choice legislation
• support legislation that requires health care providers to inform patients of their policies against providing reproductive services

Family Planning:

• defend family planning funding
• require insurance to cover contraceptives

Maternity Benefits: 

• require insurance companies to cover maternity benefits immediately upon enrollment, rather than delaying coverage for up to two years

MinnesotaCare:

• allow families to get coverage if their employer offers only coverage that is cost prohibitive for them
• ensure continued funding

Confidentiality to Minors:

• defend minors' right to get confidential health care services (family planning, counseling, treatment for STDs and chemical dependency) without giving parents access to their records

Economic Issues

Welfare Reform:

• increase access to education
• restore/protect benefits level
• get exemptions from time limits
• defend against punitive policies

Child Care:

• expand/protect sliding fee child care funding
• support initiatives to improve child care worker wages and child care quality

Non-traditional Occupations:

• establish funding to encourage and support women & girls to enter careers in the trades and technical fields

Housing:

• support increased funding for affordable housing

Education:

• support measures that make post-secondary education more accessible to low income working mothers
• better part-time grants and work study availability
• better part-time education programs
• child care assistance

Minimum Wage:

• Support increasing the minimum wage to $ 6.50 an hour

Progressive Tax Policy:

• support increasing the Working Family Tax Credit and other tax policies that benefit women and low-income people.

Civil Rights Issues

Lesbian/Gay Rights:

• defend the civil rights statute
• oppose any anti-gay initiatives

Racial Equality:

• ensure that the new state desegregation rule has specific implementation and enforcement mechanisms

Violence Issues

Sexual Harassment:

• make "quid pro quo" sexual harassment a criminal offense

Domestic Abuse:

• create a civil cause of action in domestic abuse cases
• allow women to sue their abusers up to six years after the abuse has occurred

Funding:

• increase funding for domestic abuse & sexual assault prevention programs

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