Dear friend,

Last week, some of our team headed to DC because - as hard as this is to believe - there is ALSO legislation moving at the national level. We've been so busy at the Maine State House we almost forgot.

We were focused on bills to shore up our caregiving infrastructure:

 - The Childcare for Working Families Act was reintroduced in Congress the last week of April. Here's a quick overview. We are *thrilled* that Senator King has decided to cosponsor this bill for the first time - drop him a line to thank him here.

 - The FAMILY Act, which would create paid family and medical leave, and the Healthy Families Act, which would create paid sick and safe days, will both be introduced this week.  Both are still seeking cosponsors - signs point to 'yes' for Chellie Pingree and Angus King. You can contact Susan Collins here, and Jared Golden here, to let them know that you hope they will sign on and support both of these important bills.

  - There are also two proposals to fix our elderly unpaid FMLA system - the Job Protection Act (which would allow people to take leave, but then return to their job!), and the Caring for All Families Act (which would expand the very narrow current definition of 'family'). Neither of these proposals would make leave paid, but both are important while we work for paid leave.

At the state level, much of the focus is also on caregiving, with our partners at Right From the Start leading the way to affordable quality childcare in Maine at back-to-back hearings last week (thanks to sponsors Jackson and Vitelli!), and waiting for the PFML bill to drop (tomorrow...?!?!). You can find out more about PFML at our action hours this week - see below!

In solidarity,

Destie, Dania, Catie, and Brook

PS: May 17, Black constituents, business owners, local elected officials, educators, faith leaders, advocacy organizations, and allies will be at the Maine State House for the first Maine Black Voices Advocacy Day!  

Weekly Calendar

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

May 15
10:00 - Work sessions on several bills to improve salaries for school support staff, including LD 955, An Act to Address Shortages of School Support Staff by Increasing the Minimum Hourly Wage for Those Staff  (Millett). (Like so many support roles, this woman-dominated field is essential and deeply undervalued).

1:00 - Two bills that we oppose have hearings in Judiciary: LD 678, An Act to Require Parental Approval for Public School Employees to Use a Name or Pronoun Other than a Child's Given Name or Pronoun Corresponding to the Gender on the Child's Birth Certificate (Smith), and LD 930, An Act to Allow Only Students of Female Gender to Participate in Women's and Girls' Scholastic Sports (Adams).

May 16
1:00 - Work Session on LD 776, RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Establish the Right to Bodily Autonomy (Hickman)

1:00 - Public hearing on LD 1703, An Act to Amend the Maine Equal Pay Law by Prohibiting Pay Discrimination Based on Race (Talbot Ross)

May 17
10:00 - a series of work sessions on gun safety in the Criminal Justice Committee.

1:00 - work sessions in Judiciary on several bills we actively support, including expanding access to gender affirming care.

1:00 - a series of work sessions on vaccination requirements in the Health and Human Services Committee.

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

The bill to create Paid Family and Medical Leave will drop any second, and we need to be ready for a hearing *right away*.

These Action Hours will include an overview of the bill, what to expect in the hearing, an overview of our Coalition's tools for action, and a chance to write and submit testimony! And there might be a pop-in from bill sponsors, Senator Daughtry and Representative Cloutier!

Join us on Zoom on
5/16 at noon
5/16 at 6:30pm
5/17 at 8:30am, and
5/17 at 5pm.

Sign Up Here!
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The gift of good policy

The data is clear: the lack of policies for care and caregiving is harming women, caregivers, all families, and our economy.

This BDN op-ed reminds us that we can really show how much we care for moms and families by passing good policies, starting with Paid Family & Medical Leave.

Mother's Day might be over, but every day is a good day to support policy reform that makes caregiving more sustainable for all families.

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