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LEGISLATIVE POLICY STATEMENT ON WOMEN’S
ISSUES
A basic belief of American life is that individuals
can achieve full and equal participation in our society. This
tenet can only be fulfilled by providing the opportunity for all
individuals to fully participate in the economic, social, and
cultural life of the nation. Until recent years, however, women
have been denied equal opportunity by traditional practices and
social attitudes reflected in our institution and laws.
Fortunately, the traditions and laws, which prohibited or limited
opportunities to women is undergoing change to meet the real needs
of women. However, additional legislation and administrative actions
are needed to ensure that women have equal opportunity to live
their lives to their full potential without discrimination.
The Los Angeles City Commission on the Status
of Women and the City Council therefore identify the need for
and support legislation in these areas, which will advance the
status of women and girls.
I. EMPLOYMENT
Support legislation, which would eliminate sexual harassment
or discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, religion, national
origin, gender, physical handicap, medical condition, age, marital
status, or sexual orientation in employment recruitment, hiring,
retention, promotion, salary, or health and pension benefits.
Support the vigorous implementation and enforcement of existing
laws that would protect women from discrimination in employment.
Support legislation, which strengthens labor laws against the
operation of certain garment manufacturing businesses who contract
at unfair wages, hours and unsafe working conditions, for the
production of their goods. Support legislation which monitors
and/or improves the safety, wages, hours and working conditions
of women working in the garment industry: Sweatshops.
Support legislation, which would advance the concept of equal
pay for work of comparable worth and support its implementation.
Support legislation, which would encourage and promote the use
of alternative work schedules in the public and private sectors.
Such non-traditional work schedules would include but not be limited
to: flextime, permanent part-time employment, job sharing, adjusted
and reduced workweeks.
Support legislation, which would encourage and promote leave policies
in order to accommodate employees with family responsibilities.
Such leave policies would include but not be limited to: leave
for the purpose of maternity, caring for a sick child, spouse
or domestic partner, child care, elder and dependent care.
Support legislation, which would encourage and promote the development
of flexible benefits programs in the public and private sectors.
Such benefits programs would include but not be limited to: childcare
and elder care.
Support legislation, which would provide for the development
of employee assistance programs in the public and private sectors.
Such employee assistance programs would include but not be limited
to: wellness classes and drug and alcohol counseling.
Support legislation, which would eliminate the discriminatory
aspects of Social Security and public and private retirement and
pension funds.
Support legislation, which would uphold the principles of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW).
Support legislation, which would eliminate the disparity women
experience in paying for goods and services.
Support legislation, which would provide and encourage resources
and funding for summer employment and enrichment opportunities
for girls and young women, to assist in diverting them from behavior
and activities that place them at risk of becoming involved with
the juvenile justice system.
Support legislation that would support the
reentrance of older women back into the workforce through but
not limited to outreach, education, training, grant funding, technical
assistance.
II. JOB TRAINING
Support legislation, which provides job training programs that
encourages women to learn both traditional and non-traditional
job skills and to ensure the provisions of health benefits and
child care services while they are in training.
Support legislation, which would provide assistance to women,
particularly displaced homemakers, older women, and single parents
in the areas of job counseling and job search.
Support legislation, which would assist women
in transitioning from welfare to the workplace by obtaining training
and employment opportunities that provide self-sufficiency, especially
in non-traditional job settings.
III. CHILD CARE
Support legislation, which would provide affordable high quality
childcare, including programs for the care of preschool and school
age children.
Support legislation, which would provide funding or other incentives
for the development of more child care facilities.
Support legislation, which would provide funding for training
programs for childcare professionals.
Support legislation, which would provide pay equity for child
care professionals.
Support legislation, which would provide affordable insurance
for child care providers.
Support legislation, which would provide for
after-school programs for girls in middle and high school.
IV. HEALTH CARE
Support legislation, which would provide accessible, affordable,
and quality health care for all women and their children.
Support legislation, which would provide adequate funding for
effective sex education programs and dissemination of information
assisting women in making independent reproductive choices.
Support legislation, which would ensure freedom of choice for
all women including but not limited to: equal access to health
care services.
Support legislation, which would provide funding for research
and education programs that would 1) educate women about their
special health needs, and 2) study the various conditions and
diseases women are predisposed to because of their gender: these
conditions would include but not be limited to: teen pregnancy,
alcohol and substance abuse, breast cancer, AIDS, osteoporosis,
RSD, lupus, and other autoimmune diseases that disproportionately
affect women.
Support legislation, which would increase the number of prevention
and treatment programs for substance abuse among women as the
most effective strategy for the war against alcohol and drugs.
Support legislation, which would provide for parity in research
and clinical trials for women.
Support legislation, which would assist in
providing therapeutic measures for developing sound mental health
programs for girls and young women.
V. HOMELESS
Support legislation, which would provide outreach, case management
and support services for homeless women.
Support legislation, which would provide job training and placement
for homeless women.
Support legislation, which would provide for
a housing program consisting of three phases: emergency shelter,
transitional housing and permanent housing.
VI. HOUSING
Support legislation, which would provide financial assistance
for the development and support of housing for low and moderate,
income families and individuals.
Support legislation and/or administrative
action which seeks to eliminate housing discrimination based on
race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, physical
handicap, medical condition, age, marital status, sexual orientation,
income and family composition.
VII. MARITAL LAW
Support legislation, which would provide each spouse equal ownership
in the fruits of the marriage; equal access to and control of
all marital property; and would establish a fiduciary relationship
between spouses.
Support legislation which would provide, in
the dissolution of a marriage, the distribution of property, real
and tangible, and the allocation of child and/or spousal support
in a way which recognizes the economic disadvantage many women
and children experience from divorce and which enables both partners
to maintain comparable living standards.
Support legislation, which would ensure the collection of court-ordered
child and spousal support, including voluntary payroll deduction
and automatic wage deduction programs.
VIII. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
Support legislation, which would ensure full hospital examination,
medical treatment and psychological counseling for victims of
rape and sexual assault.
Support legislation, which would provide funding and other support
for rape and battering hotlines and other services which help
women to act on their own and/or their children’s behalf.
Support legislation, which would provide funding and other support
for shelters and counseling services for victims of domestic violence,
including child abuse, spousal/partner abuse, and parental abuse.
Support legislation, which would recognize acts of violence against
women as motivated by misogyny and/or other factors such as power
and control.
Support legislation, which would provide funding for educational
programs to prevent violence against women and girls.
Support legislation, which would study the economic effects of
abuse on battered women.
Support legislation, which would prevent economic abuse to battered
women.
Support legislation, which would study the effects of violence
on girls and young women.
Support legislation that would prevent and
combat the human trafficking of women and girls within the
United States, and would provide health and human services to
protect and assist victims of human trafficking and slavery.
IX. EDUCATION
Support legislation, which would implement and enforce a comprehensive
program to provide equal access to education and protect students
against sex discrimination in elementary and secondary schools
and in higher education. Such a program would be applied but not
be limited to: recruitment (students and faculty), admissions,
courses, extracurricular activities, counseling, athletics, employment,
financial assistance, equitable teaching practices, housing, and
facilities.
Support legislation, which would encourage
the development of curriculum that recognizes the participation
and contributions of women in our society.
Support legislation, which would focus on programs that ensure
educational and vocational competency for girls and young women,
health services and intervention programs for girls and young
women within and without the juvenile justice system.
X. BUSINESS
Support legislation, which would advance the ability of women
to gain self-sufficiency through developing their own businesses.
Such assistance would include but not be limited to: technical
help, training, credit, and loans.
Support legislation, which would ensure women-owned business
enterprises an equitable percentage of contracts in the public
and private sectors.
XI. Equal Opportunity
Support legislation, which would lead to the ratification of
the proposed Equal Rights Amendment.
Support legislation, administrative action and implementation
of existing laws which would ensure women’s credit rights.
Support legislation, which would eliminate discrimination in
insurance based on sex and sexual orientation.
Support legislation, which would eliminate discrimination in
private clubs.
Support legislation, which would provide prevention, intervention,
treatment programs and parity for girls, specifically those that
address gender biased issues.
Support legislation, which is part of an ongoing process under
the Juvenile Female Offender Intervention Program, (1657 chaptered
in June 1998) to ensure that juvenile justice related legislation
and funding actively identify and address the needs of girls in
California and across the nation.
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