People should be able to control their bodies, lives, and futures. Last week, SiX organized an amicus brief with nearly 900 state legislators...
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** Most Significant Showing of Legislator Support for Abortion Ever
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People should be able to control their bodies, lives, and futures. Last week, SiX organized an amicus brief with nearly 900 state legislators ([link removed]) committed to not only protecting the constitutional right to abortion but to ensuring that people have equal access to abortion no matter what state they live in. The brief, covered in this NBC exclusive ([link removed]) , asked the Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade and reject Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, a direct attack on the landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for December 1; stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved. Thank you to the almost 900 legislators who spoke out!
** Minnesota Becomes First State With A Task Force On Missing And Murdered Black Women And Girls
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The homicide rate for Black women in Minnesota is over two times higher than for all women. Minnesota State Rep. Ruth Richardson’s ([link removed]) bill to change that just became law, creating a task force to develop policy solutions. “We have to consider root causes of historical trauma, systemic racism, sexism, sexual objectification of Black women and girls, and the vulnerabilities that poverty, homelessness, child welfare disparities, domestic violence, sex trafficking and fear of law enforcement create,” said ([link removed]) Rep. Ruth Richardson. Minnesota will also soon have a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office, created out of a 2019 task force to end the high rate of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
** The Grades Are In. How Are Your State’s Care Policies?
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The pandemic shone a glaring spotlight on the devastating impact of this nation’s underinvestment in care policies. This month, the Century Foundation released a report card ([link removed]) comparing state-level care policies, including paid family and medical leave laws, paid sick days, Domestic Workers Bills of Rights, and pre-K. Advocates and state legislators have been pushing for these policies and have made significant progress, but there’s still a long way to go.
** Rally for Abortion Justice This Saturday
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This Saturday, SiX will join a large coalition of movement leaders and grassroots organizers to send the Supreme Court and lawmakers across the country a clear, unified message — the attack on our reproductive rights will not be tolerated! We are witnessing the most dire threat to abortion access in our lifetime. RSVP for the D.C. march ([link removed]) or f
([link removed]) ind a march near you! ([link removed])
** Our Elected Officials Should Reflect and Represent Us—So Why Don’t They?
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SiX’s very own Kelly Baden penned this Rewire op-ed ([link removed]) about how unrepresentative state legislatures are, and how that imbalance leads to policy outcomes that are out of touch with the majority of Americans. Can we ever truly achieve justice-oriented state policies—on abortion rights or anything—if our decision-makers are older, whiter, richer, and more male than the people they represent?
** MI Legislators Intro Women in the Workforce Package
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After a task force held listening sessions across the state to learn about barriers for women, the Michigan Progressive Women’s Caucus introduced a package of bills to address what they heard. The bills would: ([link removed]) raise the minimum wage for tipped employees, ensure break times for employees, provide paid medical leave to employees who experience a miscarriage, restore the right of Michigan worker’s to earn and use paid sick time, provide paid leave for adoptive parents, repeal the ban on localities instituting higher wages, and address additional barriers.
** Addressing the Consolidation Crisis in our Food System
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Nebraska ([link removed]) is experiencing a microcosm of the nation’s food industry consolidation crisis. Only four companies control 85% of the beef supply chain, making it hard for ranchers to get a fair price, while consumers pay high prices at the grocery store. All the while, corporate meat giants are reporting record profits. The White House recently published an e ([link removed]) xecutive order ([link removed])
cracking down on illegal price-fixing, enforcing existing antitrust laws, supporting farmers on the front lines of the climate crisis, and increasing transparency in the cattle market. States can also enforce antitrust laws and support small farmers through policy and legislation. Check out this report ([link removed]) hot off the presses by SiX Agriculture & Food Systems Consultant Siena Chrisman.
** Attacks on Freedom to Vote Continue
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In a continued effort ([link removed]) to spread lies about the November election, a conservative faction in the Pennsylvania state legislature is carrying out another anti-voter scam. The lawmakers are even requesting the private and personal information of all voters in the state. In the words of PA State Rep. Schweyer ([link removed]) , “One would think state lawmakers would be busy trying to prevent identity theft instead of opening the door for scammers and thieves to steal from you.”
** Proactive Abortion Laws in the States
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While so much attention goes to the 400+ anti-abortion bills passed in state legislatures, this Nation ([link removed]) article covers the 11 proactive state laws enacted this year. For example, New Mexico repealed an archaic law that criminalized abortion, Virginia allowed abortion coverage in its state insurance exchange, and Hawaii authorized qualified advance practice registered nurses to perform first-trimester abortions. “While the House and the Senate are stalled at any movement, state legislators can move fast to either protect our rights or to remove them,” said Jennifer Driver, SiX Senior Director of Reproductive Rights.
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The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) is a national resource and strategy center that supports state legislators who seek to strengthen our democracy, fight for working families, defend civil rights and liberties, and protect the environment. We do this by providing training, emphasizing leadership development, amplifying legislators’ voices, and forging strategic alliances between our legislative network and grassroots movements.
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