| Fall 1999
Love Your Body Day: Panel explores gender issues Making a major shift: A letter from MN NOW lobbyist Susal Stebbins New cosmetic surgery technique makes emulating false standards of beauty dangerously easy Legislative committee update Conventioneers discuss proposed Feminist Communications Network National NOW conference a "head-spinning" experience Headwaters Walk for Justice draws 700 participants
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Legislative Committee Update
Your input and action on legislative issues is imperative for the 2000 legislative session By Rachel Callanan Going into the next legislative session MN NOW faces some big challenges, not only in the political arena, but also on an organizational level. As you have read in this issue of the MN NOW Times, our wonderful lobbyist of 10 years, the incredible Susal Stebbins, has moved on to address women's issues in other forums. Although Susal will be working in an advisory capacity on MN NOW legislative issues, the responsibilities for preparing for the legislative session now fall squarely on the Legislative Committee. (It is not clear yet whether MN NOW's proposed Executive Director will be lobbying this year or whether MN NOW will hire a lobbyist just for the legislative session beginning in February). I was appointed Legislative Committee Chair last year when the Legislative Coordinator resigned due to health concerns and I was reappointed this spring. I worked with Susal last year preparing for the 1999 legislative session. During the session, I had the tremendous opportunity to actively address a wide range of women's issues by attending committee meetings, distributing action alerts, assisting in developing the legislative page on our Web site, making calls to MN NOW members to ask them to call their legislators, and a variety of other tasks. Susal was a great mentor. Being relatively new to the legislative process last year, I was less able to develop the Legislative Committee as I would have liked. However, that is my objective this year! This Committee has not been extremely active in the last few years, probably in large part because Susal has done such an excellent job. But with Susal's departure it has become imperative to build this committee from the grassroots so that MN NOW can remain an influential force in the state legislature. It is an opportunity for grassroots women's activists like yourself to get involved again, or for the first time, in legislative issues. MN NOW has played a unique role in covering the whole gamut of women's issues, from welfare to abortion rights, from racial equality to lesbian/gay rights. This voice of reason in the legislature is essential. What YOU can do to make this a successful year for women in the legislature: 1. Become an active member of the MN NOW Legislative Committee. There are many ways you can participate. Attend MN NOW Legislative Committee meetings and contribute your input about women's issues in this state. Strategize with MN NOW Legislative Committee Members to achieve our legislative goals. Track bills in an area that interests you: violence against women, reproductive rights, etc. Make phone calls to NOW members in key districts to ask them to contact their legislators about important votes coming up. The next MN NOW Legislative Committee Meeting will be Sat. Nov. 6th, from 12-2 at the Minnesota Women's Building 550 Rice Street, St. Paul. 2. Shape MN NOW's legislative agenda in two ways: attend the State Board Meeting Nov. 13th, 1999 from 12-3 where the state Board will identify our legislative priorities for the year (located at the Minnesota Women's Building); or if you can't make it to the meeting, call or write to me, Rachel Callanan, Legislative Committee Chair. (My phone number is 612-381-0792; and you may write to me at the MN NOW office 550 Rice Street, #106A, St. Paul, MN 55103; or e-mail to callanan@tc.umn.edu). 3. Inform yourself about the legislative process and developments in the legislature. Visit MN NOW'sWeb page (www.mtn. org/mnnow) where there are updates on legislative actions we are taking, action alerts, and information on how to lobby. Attend "Women and Girls Come to the Capitol 2000" Feb. 24th, an annual event held by the Minnesota Women's Consortium that familiarizes women with the legislative process. Monitor the bills being discussed in the legislature by subscribing to Session Weekly and Senate Briefly, the weekly publications of the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively; subscribe to the House and Senate Listservs, which provide daily and weekly schedules of committee meetings to your e-mail address (see information box on page 5 for steps to subscribe); and frequently visit the Web sites of the House, Senate, and Governor to stay in touch with legislation as it is developing (see MN NOW's Web page for links to those sites). If you see something that affects women's rights, contact MN NOW by phone or e-mail to see if there is any action planned. 4. Respond to Action Alerts. Action Alerts will be sent out via the legislative newsletter, our Web site, and sometimes in the form of a phone call from a member of the MN NOW Legislative Committee. It is important for our grassroots membership to take action when these Alerts are issued, particularly if you are the constituent of a legislator who is involved in a key vote on an issue. This level of action will be extremely important this session since we may not have a constant presence at the legislature. The upcoming legislative session will be challenging for MN NOW even if we have new staff on board at the beginning of the session. But with enough thoughtful women keeping tabs on legislators and taking action, our voices will be heard! Use the Net to stay informed To receive the Senate schedules: To receive the House schedules: |