After a slower-than-usual start to the Session, bills are rolling out of the Reviser's Office and hearings are stacking up in committees. This week, watch for hearings on salary transparency (Tuesday), increased access to Civil Legal Aid (Tuesday), and a slate of bills on tax reform (Thursday. Here's the list of bills we're supporting with Mainers for Tax Fairness. Equitable budgets are an important way to create gender justice. 

Last week's State of the Tribes Address to the Legislature  was powerful. ICYMI, the recording is here. We are proud members of the Wabanaki Alliance. Feminism is the committment to self-determination and anti-oppression, and what could be more central to those ideas than tribal sovereignty? 

*TODAY* is Girls' Day at the State House! That means our whole team will be offline, and if you're at the State House from 12-1:15, stop by the Hall of Flags to have lunch with students, listen in to the Governor's address, and join (or admire) our group photo at 1:15! 

We're also lifting up Pat Schroeder, a feminist trailblazer in Congress who passed this week. Her words haven't lost their edge: "I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both.″

In solidarity,

Destie, Dania, Catie, and Brook

PS - If you 1. Identify as a woman, 2. Are between 18 and 25 years of age, and 3. Currently reside within the state of Maine, we invite you to support a high school research student to fill out a 2-minute survey on why you became politically engaged! 

Listen, Learn, and Join In Tuesday Night! 

Join PFML Commission Co-Chairs Senator Mattie Daughtry and Representative Kristen Cloutier for a Facebook live Town Hall meeting to hear about Maine's work to build a system of Paid Family and Medical Leave. 

They'll share updates about the Commission's report, what's next for the bill, and what you can do to help us make paid leave a reality for Maine. 

All you have to do is join us on Facebook at 5:15 Tuesday night! We'll be live at the Maine Paid Leave Coalition page, Maine Women's Lobby, and many other coalition partner's pages. 

Weekly Calendar

The weekly House Calendar is here. The weekly Senate Calendar is here. 

March 21

1:00 - LD 573 - PH - An Act Regarding Child Care Subsidy Payments and Eligibility - Craven

1:30 - LD 564 - PH - An Act to Improve Access to Civil Legal Services - Carney

March 23

1:00- LD 489 - PH - An Act to Provide Equal Educational Opportunity by Adopting Rules Ensuring Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Protected Class Status in Educational Institutions (Brennan)

2:00 - LD 827 - PH - An Act to Allow Employees to Request Flexible Work Schedules (Roeder)

March 27

1:00 - LD 566 - PH - An Act to Provide Funding for Sexual Assault Services - Duson

1:00 - LD 816 - PH - An Act to Provide Integrated Behavioral Health Services to Sexual Violence Survivors - Stover 

March 28

1:00 - LD 93 - PH - An Act to Ensure Access for All Caregivers to Diaper Changing Stations in Public Restrooms - Collamore

2:00 - LD 199 - PH - An Act to Improve the Health of Maine Residents by Removing Exclusions to the MaineCare Program - Talbot Ross

March 31

9:00 - LD 794 - PH - An Act to Expand the Membership of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women - Vitelli

Not sure about the difference between a PH (public hearing) and a WS (work session)? Check out our How-To here!

Creative Activism: Paint Banners with Artist Rapid Response Team! 

April 2

ARRT will be dreaming up and painting banners to support the Maine Equal Rights Amendment and other social justice causes. Email [email protected] for more info and details.

People Power Hours - April Session

April 5, 3:30p OR 6:00p / Zoom

This monthly session offers community, connection, and skills building. In April, participants will learn how to write their story and submit a letter to the editor. 

Register here. 

Citizen Advocacy Toolkit

Reading Black Feminists

March 21 / 5:30 PM  7:00 PM

We're joining with Community Organizing Alliance and Maine Family Planning for this reading circle. Find out more and register here. 

MECEP Policy Insights Conference

March 22 / 11-1:00, Zoom

This semi-annual conference brings people together to tackle the big policy issues facing Maine’s families, communities, and economy. Register here. 

Phone Bank for Paid Leave

March 23, 2023 / 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

We're going to win this thing by turning out the right folks. Join us to phone bank (from your own home!). Register here. 

2023 Justice for Women Lecture

April 26 / 7:00pm

The Justice For Women Lecture brings a distinguished speaker to Maine annually to contribute to a global conversation about justice for women and girls in the developing world. More info here.

Maine Feminist Events Calendar

Addressing the Wage Gap

This week the Women’s Bureau released two new Issue Briefs.  A brief on the causes of the gender wage gap, including new statistics and analyses of gender and racial wage gaps, and a second brief on salary history bans, legislation that prohibit employers from asking about prior salaries as a way to promote equal pay includes historic information on equal pay legislation and policymaking, salary history bans’ benefits and design and other policies for closing the gender wage gap.

MWL Bill Tracker

Find Your Legislator

Testimony Archive

Citizen Advocacy Toolkit