Activistas

Kid Safe Chemical Act: A Real Solution

Awhile back we bemoaned our nation's ancient and seriously inadequate toxics law and dreamed of overhauling the clunker.  More recently I ranted about bisphenol-A.  Well, mamas, rather than tossing  more dangerous products and calling for the good folks in DC to think about change, three U.S. Representatives recently introduced a delightfully progressive, comprehensive bill could really and truly help.  And all we have to do is help pass the thing. 

Nothing to it!  'Cause all you need to do for now is know about this excellent bill.  Read about this excellent bill.  Talk about this excellent bill.  And, when it moves, when a vote is on the horizon, let's be at the ready to pick up the phone, send that e-mail, make that in-person meeting to tell the Oregon delegation - loud and clear - how very much this matters to you.  To us.  To all parents everywhere. 

Read all about it.  Environmental Working Group is hard at work on this one, mamas.  Check out its 1-page fact sheet so you know how this bill differs from the ineffective 1976 law we're working from now.  And if you've no time to sit & read (imagine!), you can listen to EWG's Mixed Greens episode on Kid Safe from 6.17.08.  Here's how they describe the situation:

Paid Parental Leave for Fed Employees: Now's the Time

We talked awhile back about this parental leave bill being introduced on the Hill.  And while seeing a bill introduced is a great thing, it definitely doesn't mean it's gonna go anywhere.  But this time, mamas, there's motion.  Serious motion.  The U.S. House of Representatives votes this week  - Thursday, 6.19.08 - on a bill to allow four weeks of full paid parental leave for federal employees.  Wow.  It's about time our government set an example in this area. 

Speak Up - NOW!  E-mail your Representative with one easy click (all possible with a sleeping babe on the lap!).  Really want to make a statement???  Pick up the phone, mamas, it's worth the extra effort.  To find your Representative's phone number, just enter your zip code here.  And for those of you in the Portland metro area, you're likely represented by one of these folks:

• Earl Blumenauer, 503.231.2300
• David Wu, 503. 326-2901
• Darlene Hooley, 503.557-1324

If you're a little nervous to call, do it after hours and leave a message.  It still counts! You could simply say: "Hi, I am a constituent in Oregon and strongly urge Representative ____ to vote YES on HR 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Leave Act of 2008.  Thank you for supporting working families."

About the Bill.  The Federal Employees Paid Leave Act of 2008 - aka H.R. 5781 - would allow federal employees four weeks of fully paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child.  Moms AND dads.  Here's what Moms Rising has to say  - and we heartily agree:

Paid Family Leave Call-In Playdate Saturday 6.14.08

The local grassroots group Parents for Paid Leave is working hard to get this important issue in the hearts and on the minds of our state and federal representatives.  And they need your help!  Tomorrow!  Even if you're at the Laurelhurst Garage Sale, or a T-ball game.  Or driving to the coast.  All you need is a cell phone and the handy call-in script to participate in this "call-in."  Make it a group playdate or just call from wherever you happen to be.   I love this group!  How easy could they make it? 

Come to the play date at 10 AM Saturday 6.14.08 at Urban Grind East (NE 22nd & Oregon St - 2 blocks north of Sandy Blvd).  Bring the kids - they have a great play space full of toys.  And bring your cell phone, if you have one.  We'll be making 3 quick calls, but would love to chat a bit about the progress of paid family leave in Oregon, too, if you're into it.  Details here.

Can't join us?  No worries.  Make a call from, well, anywhere:  We'd love to see your paid leave supporting self, but if you can't make the play date, not to worry!  Because you can call from anywhere.  Just visit this site and get everything you will need to call on your own (a call script and phone numbers).  Best if you can do it sometime tomorrow, but if you can't, any other day will work too.

This is the time mamas.  With a federal bill in committee and one in the works in Oregon, we have a sneaking suspicion that this is finally going to happen! Please, make your calls, show your support, and continue to track the progress of paid leave here.

Read on for the call scripts and call numbers for Oregon Senators and Congresspersons.

Dear Gordon: Thanks!

Eric Miller reminds us that thanking legislators when they do good things is a very important part of successful grassroots advocacy, even if you're not always feeling grateful.  He writes:

Having voted with the Bush administration 90% of the time these past 7 or 8 years, Senator Smith has not been representing my interests in Congress.   However, there have been two things that he's done that I'm pleased with.  First, he was the first republican to break with the administration on the Iraq war.  Second, and the reason for this post, is that his climate change speech on the senate floor two weeks ago was a complete about-face for a senator who has had quite a history voting for oil and gas interests. 

Never mind that he has taken some $276,000 in oil money for his campaigns.  And despite the fact that he has voted seven times to give oil companies tax breaks, I'm asking you this favor.

His speech and his vote to end the filibuster last week on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 (S.3036) deserves a huge thank you from all of us.  Let's just be clear:  he didn't vote for the bill, he only voted to continue debate on the bill.  But he has come a long way and not only admits that climate change is real but that we need to do something about it.   He realizes Merkley is knocking on his door with a sledge hammer.   

As we've discussed before, it's important to give positive reinforcement to our leaders. Please send him a big THANK YOU note to make sure he knows that "We The Mamas and Papas" agree with his support of strong climate change legislation.

Got Friends in Key States? Ask 'Em to Support = Pay

Forty five years ago today, on June 10, 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed, making it illegal to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform equal work.  And while this was a huge step forward, the sad truth is that women still earn only 77 cents to the dollar.  Point being, mamas, these wage laws badly need to be strengthened. 

Several bills have been introduced into Congress repeatedly — including the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act — but Congress still hasn't stepped up to the plate. And, as you might recall, the U.S. Senate didn't pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act this Spring, either.  But the good news is that the National Women's Law Center is hot on this one - again!  Their quick update on the Ledbetter bill's progress:

On April 23, 2008, the Senate voted on a motion to advance the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a key bill that would have a major impact on the lives of women who’ve been subject to pay discrimination. We've made it past the first vote — and we're gearing up for round two in the Senate. With 57 Senators voting in our favor, we are now just 3 votes away from moving the bill forward. And we need your help to make fair pay a reality for women.

Successful Climate Change Playdate

On Wednesday, May 28, the National Wildlife Federation organized and held a press conference to pressure Senator Gordon Smith to vote YES on the Climate Security Act (CSA).  We had a great showing of parents and kids at the event:  8 parents and 11 kids attended!  The two 2'x3' posters were delivered to our senators' offices, one thanking Senator Wyden for sponsoring the bill, the other asking Senator Smith to please support the bill, and both were filled with handprints of kids who weren't able to make it to the event.  OPB ran a news story the next morning, and the Oregonian ran an editorial about the legislation in the Sunday paper (6.1.08).

The CSA will go to the floor of the U.S. Senate this coming week! This is the strongest piece of legislation on climate change that has ever been before congress, and includes a cap & trade provision that will be the framework for regulating carbon emissions moving into the future.

Didn't make it to the event?  No worries, you can still participate!   Call Senator Smith (202.224.3753) and ask him to "please vote yes on the Climate Security Act."   Also, write a letter to the Oregonian telling them how important solving global warming is to our children's future and that the CSA is a critical and overdue first step.

Need to know more?? The Pew Center for Global Climate Change has an excellent '101' type overview on this topic.

Speak Up to Ban Phthalates in the U.S.

Just today I was thinking about phthalates.  Why?  Because I attended the county's Toxic Tuesdays talk at the Main Library over lunch, where staff from the OR Center for Environmental Health and a co-founder of Rachel's Friends discussed personal care products - mainly their (scary) ingredients and effects on human health.  Yikes is my general reaction.  Turns out phthalates aren't just limited to toys.  Of course, they're hard to avoid because they're not labeled as phthalates.  Why not?  Because that would be far too clear, mamas, and in this country, the idea of a clearly written product label is about as likely as reasonably priced gas.  But beyond the doom and gloom, I am glad to report that there's actually some good news in all this! 

Congress is currently working on the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act ('bout time!), and in it they might actually ban phthalates.  Yes, you heard correctly.  But before you do a jig in the street and prepare to shop without fear, let's focus in on the word might, mamas.  This is not at all a done deal.  But it can be.  I think we can turn might into will - don't you? 

Stand Up and Be Heard.  Thanks to Moms Rising, you can act fast and easily.  Simply e-mail a letter directly to your Congressperson asking her to support this ban.  It'll protect your children and anyone who uses soap, lotion and hair conditioner.  Go ahead, send it now, mamas: From Pdx to DC, with love.

Why Now?  Because the clock's a tickin'.  Congress has until June 10th to add this ban to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act.  They need to act fast to make the amendment, and they're far more likely to do it if their constituents make very clear how tired we are of fearing our grocery and toy store aisles.  It's simple, mamas: our products have been unsafe long enough, don't you think? 

Reminder! Playdate for Climate Change Wednesday 5.28.08

Got some free time @ 10 AM Wednesday????  Great - then grab the kids and join Eric Miller for a playdate for climate change.  They'll be downtown on Wednesday, 5.28 @ 10 AM sharp  - at the World Trade Center 2 on the Mezzanine Level, to be exact (not coincidentally, Senator Gordon Smith's office is there).  Eric and his kids (1 and 3) are participating in a media event to raise awareness about the Climate Security Act, a bill that congress is scheduled to vote on next week.

Eric tells us this is the most powerful global warming legislation to come to vote in Washington, and we need all of our leaders behind it. Let's send a strong message to our Washington representatives that we parents really do care about this.  Our children's future is at great risk from global warming, and this is an opportunity to pressure our leaders to move forward on this issue.  E-mail Eric with questions or to meet up.  He's got a waterfront picnic in mind after the event. 

Playdate for Climate Change ~ 5.28.08

Eric, our resident environmentalist, is doing something about global warming  - with his kids - and invites you to join up.  He writes:

There is a bumper sticker on a car in my neighborhood that I really love: One People, One Planet, One Future.  It highlights the fact that all people are more similar than dissimilar, and that we have limited and dwindling resources moving into the future.  It is ironic that this bumper sticker is on a V8 Land Rover SUV (surprise!).  You know, one of those tanks on the road that gets maybe 12 MPG rolling downhill - with a tailwind - and 10 MPG idling in the driveway?  I point out this irony not to point fingers or guilt trip anyone who owns an SUV, but to show how difficult it is for us humanoids to change our oil-thirsty ways. 

I'm guilty--I live in one of those old bungalows with no insulation and a 120-year-old furnace and I pay what feels like $1,000 a month in heating.  I would bet that every single one of us have more than a few things we could do to Act Locally in order to match our Think Globally mindset.  Well, here is one simple local act we all can do that will have a powerful effect nationally, as well as globally. 

Join Eric, Liam (3) and Kai (1)!  They'll be downtown on Wednesday, 5.28 @ 10 AM sharp  - at the World Trade Center 2 on the Mezzanine Level , to be exact (not coincidentally, Senator Gordon Smith's office is there).  Eric and his kids are participating in a media event to raise awareness about the Climate Security Act, a bill that congress will vote on the following week.

Postpartum Depression: Legislation in the Works

Postpartum depression is something that touches most of us parents in one way or another - through personal experience or as a partner, friend, or family member.  And while this is an important issue, you might wonder why we're talking about it here on Activistas.  Action, mamas, action.  There's legislation that needs our support.  The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression and Care Act would support research into this widespread and often devastating illness.  It was introduced shortly after a new mama committed suicide in 2001 and it still. hasn't. passed. 

Support More Research: If you think this legislation is a good idea, be sure to let your representatives in Congress know.  That's how they know if an issue is important to their constituents.  If you don't tell 'em, they don't know.  If you tell them often and in a LOUD VOICE, they're less likely to forget.  Just like when my husband tells me he can't read my mind.  Neither can the Oregon delegation, apparently! So speak up, mamas, for yourself, your friends, and all the mamas-to-be among us who might suffer less because of this bill, which has stalled and needs a lift.