LANSING, Mich. - The Violence Against Women Act has been renewed twice with bipartisan support since originally passed in 1994, but this year's reauthorization has become the object of an election year political battle. The Senate has approved a version of the bill that includes immigrants, Native Americans, and LBGT victims of domestic abuse, but the House passed a version that excluded those protections. The National Organization for Women is opposed to the House version, which it calls an "atrocious bill".

Mary Pollack, legislative vice president for Michigan NOW, says that's because the House bill excludes many domestic abuse victims who historically have fallen through the cracks.

"Especially immigrant women are especially vulnerable, because some of them are victims of domestic violence and are very afraid of calling the police or calling for help."

Leaders of more than 30 religious groups are also opposed to the House bill, because they say it rolls back current protections for "battered non-citizens." House Republican leaders say their bill protects all victims and that there is no reason for the bill to single out certain groups.

Pollock says the two Senators from Michigan, Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, did the right thing by voting for the Senate reauthorization bill.

"It's the bill that we want, and the Republicans seem to be dead set against anything that women's rights advocates want."

Proponents of the Senate bill cited studies that show the rate of domestic abuse among lesbian, gay, and transgender people to be about the same as among the general population, yet that abuse is reported less.

Pollock thinks House Republicans are afraid to face reality.

"They cannot vote on anything that recognizes that there may be more discrimination against that group than other groups. It is the civil rights topic of our time."

Pollock calls the House bill anti-gay, anti-woman and anti-immigrant. House Republicans accuse Senate Democrats of playing politics with the issue.

The Violence Against Women Act expires in September. Both sides say they support reauthorization. No official negotiations have been scheduled to work out a compromise. President Obama has threatened to veto the House version.

The Senate bill is S.1925; the House bill is H.R.4970.

A NOW statement is at tinyurl.com/7kd2qjv.





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LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Women left the workforce during the pandemic at higher rates than men, and a new report suggests full economic recovery won't be possible if employers do not find ways to bring them back.

Rebekah Smith, director of the Wyoming Women's Foundation, which produced the report, said women workers boost local economies because they invest 90% of what they earn on local goods and services.

The report projected Wyoming would lose at least $45 million in Gross Domestic Product if every Wyoming woman stayed home from work for just one day.

"And so when you look at those two factors together, you see that women not only are contributing a huge amount to the GDP in Wyoming, they are also investing the majority of the money that they earn back into their communities," Smith explained.

Smith contended closing the gender wage gap would help. In 2019, the median average wage for men in Wyoming was $50,000. Women took home just over $37,000. While some argued a majority of women take jobs that tend to pay less, for example, 90% of Wyoming workers in health-care support jobs are women, Smith countered the report suggests ways to make it feasible for women to access higher-paying jobs and leadership positions.

Paid sick and family leave programs can also help more women return to the workforce, because women are more likely to stay home with sick children or other family members.

Smith pointed out access to high-quality and affordable child care, and more flexibility in work hours, would also allow women to work and maintain family commitments.

"With the recent pandemic, that's been something that employers have been more open to, and seen that works can go on in a flexible way," Smith observed. "That's one thing that can be done to encourage women to take on higher positions."

Smith added the report offers opportunities for policymakers to maximize the ability for women to earn self-sufficient wages, enough to meet their basic needs without public or private assistance.

According to the Wyoming Women's Foundation's most recent self-sufficiency standard for Wyoming, a single adult with one preschooler would need to make at least $16.22 per hour in Uinta County, and $29.70 per hour in Teton County.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Before the pandemic, more women were in the workforce than ever before, and new research ranks New York state fifth in the country for women's economic standing.

The report, from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, reveals both progress and barriers that were present before the recession.

Elyse Shaw, study director for the Institute and co-author of the report, noted New York's ranking for 2019 is the same as 2018. She acknowledged the state has been more proactive with policies, like family medical leave, that further women's equity in the labor force. But she contended there are more areas that require work.

"In New York City, the minimum wage is $15 an hour, but outside of that area, it's $12.50," Shaw observed. "Really working to get that up and equalized across the state is something that will really help women and ensure that there's equity, no matter where you live."

Shaw noted wage rules are especially important for women of color, who are disproportionately concentrated in lower-wage jobs. The 2019 data ranked New York in the top 10 among states for median income, gender wage gap, and women in managerial and professional positions, but the state dropped to 23rd for its number of women in the workforce, which Shaw attributes to high childcare costs.

Shaw predicted there will be fewer spots available at childcare centers, since many shut down during the pandemic. The study suggested creating a national childcare system to help women and their families recover from the recession.

"Looking at how can we make childcare more affordable would help working mothers be able to afford to have childcare for their children; and then, be able to work and advance in their careers while they have young children," Shaw asserted.

Other recommendations in the report include providing income support and short- and long-term investments in safety-net programs - such as unemployment insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to help more families as they pull out of the pandemic.

RALEIGH, NC -- Barriers to accessing a federal nutrition program for moms and babies persist in North Carolina, but new research shows loosening the rules during the pandemic improved participants' experience.

Nearly 300 recipients were surveyed across eight counties, and the report says many didn't know about or take advantage of policy changes that would have expanded their benefits.

Study author, Duke University Assistant Professor Dr. Carolyn Barnes, said the pandemic's economic fallout has increased demand for assistance by 30% to 40% -- a surge that has challenged the capacity of many resource-constrained agencies.

"I had workers say that their caseloads had gone up 20 to 30%," said Barnes, "and that they were working overtime to process cases."

The report, from Duke University's Center for Child and Family Policy, found allowing remote appointments and more flexibility in the types of food people can purchase, and extending certification periods, made it easier to use the 'WIC' program. In 2019, federal data show North Carolina reached around half of WIC-eligible residents.

The survey also found only 27% of WIC participants surveyed were aware of the greater flexibility in food choices that could have simplified their grocery shopping amid pandemic-related food shortages.

According to Barnes, most women learned about the changes through social media, family and friends, rather than from state agencies. She believes increasing public awareness about these programs can boost participation.

"Your fellow churchgoer or someone you work with, or someone you know personally, your family member that's just lost a job - if you know information about how to sign up for these programs, you can point them to those programs," she advised.

The report also found many households were unaware of the COVID-19 changes to SNAP benefits. Between 20% and 25% said they knew about emergency allotments and extended recertification deadlines. Only one-third of those surveyed were aware they could use their SNAP benefits to shop for food online.