Caucus of Women Legislators

2005 Issue #6 CWL Newsletter August 2005

International Group of Women Meets with Caucus

Pictured above: International visitors with Erica Mattison, Caucus Executive Director (back row) and Caucus members Representative Alice Wolf, Senator Susan Fargo, Representative Anne Paulsen, and Representative (front row, left to right). 7/11/05

group of more than a dozen women from around the world, under the auspices of World- Inside this issue: A Boston, visited the State House on July 11, 2005 to learn about the role of women in the legislative process here in Massachusetts. Interested in hearing female legislators share their perspectives, the visitors asked several questions Summer Reading Recommendations Page 3 touching on areas such as media, running for office, and the role of non-governmental organizations. Several members of Event Calendar Pages 4 & 5 the Caucus attended to share their experiences with the group.

"It's always exciting to listen to women leaders from around the world,” said Caucus Co-Chair Representative Ellen Congratulations! Page 7 Story. Attendees discussed the value of having women Caucus Legislative Priorities - An Update Page 8 (Continued on page 6) Amy Gilman

Originally from Weston, Massachu- setts, I am about to enter my junior year at 2005 Members Tufts University where I am studying Interna- tional Relations and French. My interest in the political process, as well as my Massachusetts Co-Chairs upbringing, led me to an internship at the State House this summer. Senator Marian Walsh and Interning with the Caucus of Women Representative Legislators has been a great experience that has allowed me to learn about the female legis- Executive Director lators and the wide range of issues that are important to them. I am certain that my experi- Erica Mattison ences here this summer will help me as I pur- sue a career in international politics.

Members of Senate Mary Grant Harriette Chandler Did you know? Cynthia Creem Lida Harkins ~Basic information about Multiple Sclerosis~ Susan Fargo Patricia Jehlen Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disabling central nervous system illness Joan Menard Rachel Kaprielian with varied symptoms, an unpredictable course and likely progression of disabil- ity. Every hour of every day someone new is diagnosed with MS. Affecting Therese Murray women twice as often as men, the disease can erode abilities and hopes, halt a career and unravel the fabric of families. Pamela Resor Barbara L’Italien The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that there are Karen Spilka Elizabeth Malia 400,000 people with MS in the United States. 12,500 of those individuals live in Massachusetts. Susan Tucker Shirley Owens-Hicks Programs and services at the Central New England Chapter are de- Dianne Wilkerson Marie Parente signed to help people cope with the impact of the disease on quality of life, families, and independence. Ongoing educational opportunities are provided Members of House Anne Paulsen for medical professionals and people with MS through meetings, print materi- als, and on-line resources. Ruth Balser The Central New England Chapter is grateful to the Massachusetts Legislature for supporting its work advocating for accessible and affordable Deborah Blumer Karyn Polito health care, a more accessible environment, appropriate long term care sup- ports, and other critical issues. Jennifer Callahan Susan Pope The Society invests $35 million annually in the world's most promising Christine Canavan Kathi-Anne Reinstein MS research, and each year $5 million of research funds is at work in laborato- ries throughout Massachusetts. To learn more, visit the national website at Gale Candaras Cheryl Rivera www.nationmssociety.org and the chapter website at www.msnewengland.org. Geraldine Creedon Mary Rogeness Linda Dorcena Forry Joyce Spiliotis The Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators is a bi-partisan, bi- Jennifer Flanagan Harriett Stanley cameral group of female legislators whose mission is to work to enhance Gloria Fox Marie St. Fleur the status of women throughout the Commonwealth. In 2005, with 50 leg- islators, women comprise 25% of the 200-person MA Legislature. This Kathleen Teahan monthly publication produced by the Caucus of Women Legislators aims to Susan Gifford Patricia Walrath inform elected state officials and the public of the activities of the Caucus. Anne Gobi Marty Walz Shirley Gomes Alice Wolf Page 2 Caucus of Women Legislators Looking for something interesting to read this summer? Pick up one of these!

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult Recommended by Beth Baker, Aide to Senator Marian Walsh.

• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kinsolver • The Red Tent by Anita Diamant • I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb • Bel Canto: A Novel by Ann Patchett • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Recommended by Christina Hogan, Aide to Senator Marian Walsh.

John Adams by David McCullough If you don’t mind carrying a heavy book, then grab a copy of John Adams. “It reads like a novel. My favorite part of it is the love story between John and Abigail, made all the better because it's true! If you enjoy historical reading like I do, I would defi- nitely recommend it.” Recommended by Jocelyn Lippert, Legislative Aide to Representative Jay Kaufman.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd “This wonderful story depicts the painful past of a young girl, who eventually takes a journey and ends up finding peace and strength in a family unit, namely a group of sisters. Great read!” Recommended by Jillian Oberfield, Legislative Aide to Representative Eric Turkington.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory “This is a story about Anne Boleyn, her sister Mary, and her brother George. Not only highly entertaining but also very histori- cally accurate. I'd recommend it to anyone!” Recommended by Lisa Zelermyer, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.

Would you like to contribute to the next issue of the CWL Newsletter?

Photo and writing submissions are welcome. The deadline is August 15. For more information, please contact:

Erica Mattison, Executive Director Phone: 617-722-2266 E-mail: [email protected] Address: Room 460, State House Boston, MA 02133

2005, Issue 6 Page 3 ***In August the Caucus of Women Legislators will host events to raise awareness about several agencies and organizations. The goal is to provide valuable information that State House staffers may incorporate into their constituent services work. ***

A Chat with Harvard's Women and Public Policy Program Executive Director Date and time: Thursday August 4, 10am-11am Location: House Members' Lounge The Caucus of Women Legislators is pleased to welcome to the State House Victoria Budson, founding Executive Director of the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) at Harvard Univer- sity’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. WAPPP emphasizes women’s role within the public policy process as initiators of policy agenda, decision-makers throughout the drafting process, and as citizens af- fected by the outcome. WAPPP conducts research, develops curriculum, and publishes materials focused on women and public policy. Come hear more about WAPPP and its programs. Snacks will be provided. ▪Sponsored by the Caucus of Women Legislators and the Women and Public Policy Program. Open to all State House staffers and interns.

The Basics of Health Care Date and time: Monday August 8, 11am-12pm Location: House Members’ Lounge Aides, do you want to increase your understanding of health care and the affiliated terminology? Come learn the basics so you can follow the health care policy debate this fall. The Caucus wel- comes Brian Rosman, former Research Director for the House Committee on Health Care and current Policy Director at Health Care For All, as well as and Randi Wiggins, for- mer Aides and current Research Analysts for the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. ▪Sponsored by the Caucus of Women Legislators. Open to all State House staffers and interns.

A Chat with MAPC Date and time: Tuesday August 9, 11am-12pm Location: Room 437 Come learn about the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), a regional planning agency representing 101 cities and towns in the metropolitan Boston area. MAPC staffers Holly St. Clair, Data Center Manager; Joel Barrera, Project Director; and Benjamin Meshoulam, Assistant Project Director will be on hand to provide information about current initiatives that might be impacting your district. ▪Sponsored by the Caucus of Women Legislators. Open to all State House staffers and interns.

A Chat with the Massachusetts Cultural Council Executive Director Date and time: Thursday August 18, 1pm-2pm Location: Room 437 From Boston to the Berkshires, MCC promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences, in order to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of Massachusetts communities. The Caucus is pleased to host Mary Kelley at the State House where she will provide an overview of MCC and its impact on women. ▪Sponsored by the Caucus of Women Legislators. Open to all State House staffers and interns.

Page 4 Caucus of Women Legislators Financial Literacy Brown Bag Lunch Series Date and time: Friday August 26, 12pm-1pm Location: House Members’ Lounge, Third Floor, State House Come hear Certified Financial Planner and Author Dee Lee share her wisdom on financial planning, focusing on why it is important for women to pay attention to finances! ▪Sponsored by State Treasurer Tim Cahill and the Caucus of Women Legislators Mentoring Program Commit tee. Open to all State House staffers, interns, members of the public.

Also that day…

Women’s Equality Day Celebration Date and time: Friday August 26, 11:45am-1pm Location: Boston Women’s Memorial, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, (between Fairfield and Gloucester Streets) The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women invites you to celebrate the 85th anni- versary of women gaining the right to vote in America at its third annual Women’s Equality Day event. • This year’s program will highlight the professional and political achievements women have made in the past decades, as well as issue a Call to Action on areas still needing to be addressed. The program will feature prominent Massachusetts’ female professionals who excel at their professions in traditionally male dominated fields. Speakers include: entrepreneur Stacy Madison of Stacy’s Pita Chip Company Inc., nationally recognized attorney Gloria Larson, labor leader Susana Segat, and Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole. Philan- thropist Barbara Lee will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. Light refreshments will be served. • The event is co-sponsored by the Boston, Cambridge and Somerville Women’s Commissions, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, the Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change and the Women’s Union.

A Chat with Jacqueline Cooke, Regional Administrator to the U.S. Dept of Labor Women’s Bureau Date and time: Tuesday August 30, 12:30pm-1:30pm Location: Room 437 The U.S. Dept of Labor Women’s Bureau aims to promote the well being of wage-earning women, im- prove their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment. Come learn more about the office and its work. ▪Sponsored by the Caucus of Women Legislators. Open to all State House staffers and interns.

Would you like to collaborate with the Caucus? Please contact our Executive Director to discuss your ideas. [email protected]

2005, Issue 6 Page 5 Recent Events

For July’s Mentoring Pro- gram Brown Bag Lunch, Carol Hardy-Fanta, Director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at UMass Boston’s John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, spoke with Mentoring Pro- gram participants about her work. She was joined by interns from the Center. Pictured at left are event attendees, including Cau- cus Co-Chair Ellen Story.

INTERNATIONAL GROUP MEETS WITH CAUCUS

(Continued from page 1) Leadership Program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and its Office serve in elected office. “As the number of women [in the of International Visitors, which operates under the author- Legislature] increased, so did [certain] issues become ity of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of more highlighted,” explained Representative 1961 (Fulbright-Hays Act). In addition to Marie Parente. In some countries repre- Boston, the group toured Washington D.C., sented at the event, mandates require that a Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Denver, and Seat- certain percentage of Parliament seats are tle. filled by women. The focus of the program is to ele- "Meeting and conversing with other vate mutual understanding through commu- women leaders is both inspiring and educa- nication at the personal and professional tional. Their accomplishments in improving levels. Participants are foreign leaders in the lives of women in their countries are im- fields such as government, politics, media, pressive, and all the more so because they education, science, and labor relations. are working in traditional environments that They are selected by American embassies often resist change,” said Representative overseas to visit the United States to meet Anne Paulsen, who facilitated the visit. and confer with their professional counterparts, and to The group was comprised of women from coun- experience this country firsthand. tries such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, India, Iraq, the Since 1961, WorldBoston has served the Philippines, Guatemala, and Tanzania. WorldBoston ar- Greater Boston community as a link to the world at large. ranged the group’s visits while in Boston. The four week trip was under the sponsorship of the International Visitor

Page 6 Caucus of Women Legislators Representative Jennifer L. Flanagan (D- Leominster) was recently selected to re- ceive the Fitchburg State College Alumni Association 2005 Leadership Award. The Leadership Award recognizes a graduate of the last ten years whose personal achieve- ments, professional contributions, and lead- ership qualities have benefited his/her com- munity.

Rep. Alice Wolf Honored by the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus Representative Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge) was recently awarded the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus (HGLC) Ally for Justice Award. In pre- senting the award, the HGLC cited Rep. Wolf's leadership in fighting for equal rights for the gay community as a municipal official in Cam- bridge as well as a legislator.

Congratulations to Senator Dianne Wilkerson (D- Boston) who served as the keynote speaker at the Project Place Annual Meet- ing, where Executive Di- rector Suzanne Kenney bestowed upon the Sena- tor a painting to recognize her commitment to ending homelessness. 6/14/05.

2005, Issue 6 Page 7 Caucus Legislative Priorities — An Update ~Each session, members of the Caucus of Women Legislators determine legislative priorities by way of a consensus. The bills below won the most support from members of the Caucus participating in the discussion.~

EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A SELF-SUFFICIENCY STANDARD IN An Act to Provide Timely Access to Emergency Contraception (S. 2073) THE COMMONWEALTH The Massachusetts Legislature has quickly acted on a bill this session that seeks to improve access to emergency contraception (EC). House, No. 3664 / Senate, No. 1133 After a hearing and favorable recommendation from the Public Health Committee, the bill passed quickly through both chambers. Recognizing During a May 18, 2005 public hearing in front of the early the potential this bill has to help protect women, especially those Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, advo- who have been victimized by the violence of rape, the Caucus of Women cates for the Self-Sufficiency Standard stressed the need to Legislators selected this bill as a 2005-2006 legislative priority. provide a realistic benchmarking tool to measure the success of policy on behalf of all working families in Massachusetts. Emergency Contraception, also known as the morning-after pill, The Standard addresses, in concrete terms, the specific costs is a safe and effective form of contraception that can help prevent unin- of living in thirty-nine regions of the state. Cost components tended pregnancy if taken within five days of contraceptive failure, unpro- tected sex, or sexual assault. EC works much like a regular birth control include: housing, child care, health care, food, transportation, pill and will not harm an existing pregnancy. It is not the abortion pill (RU- taxes, and miscellaneous living expenses such as clothing, 486). diapers, and telephone service. These are not estimates or projections; these are real costs. Because EC is most effective if taken within 24 hours, timely access is critical. By enabling specially trained pharmacists to dispense Many women in the Commonwealth continue to face EC without a prescription, this bill will allow more women to access it in a challenges while trying to advance to an economic level of self- timely fashion without first needing a doctor's visit. The bill will also re- sufficiency without subsidies or other support. The bill strongly quire all emergency rooms to make EC available to rape victims. Cur- encourages state agencies and entities such as Workforce In- rently, one in six Massachusetts emergency rooms fails to do so. vestment Boards to provide individuals with hard and soft skill Although the bill was engrossed by both branches, by veto- training necessary for jobs that pay at or above self-sufficiency proof margins, the House version included an amendment that would wages. With a strong emphasis on jobs with career ladder op- allow some hospitals to opt out on moral grounds. Subsequently, a joint portunities, women’s chances of achieving economic self- House and Senate Conference Committee was appointed. Members sufficiency are great. appointed to the committee include: Senators Pamela Resor (D-Acton), When the Self-Sufficiency Standard was initially filed Susan Fargo (D-Lincoln) and Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield), Representa- in December 2000, it received approval by both the House and tives Peter Koutoujian (D- Newton), Lida Harkins (D-Needham) and Senate and was included in the state budget that was submit- Shirley Gomes (R-Harwich). ted to Governor Swift. Although it was vetoed, the initiative The Conference Committee reported a bill that eliminated the received strong bi-partisan support in both Chambers. On a contested amendment. The report was unanimously adopted by the Sen- national level, there has been widespread support for the Self- ate and after some debate the House voted to accept the Conference Sufficiency Standard. To date, thirty-six states have developed Committee report. and use the Standard, while three states, Connecticut, Hawaii During his campaign in 2002, Governor Romney made a written and West Virginia, have filed and adopted the Standard through commitment on a Massachusetts NARAL Pro-Choice questionnaire to legislation. support improved access to emergency contraception. Moments after the While different benchmarks exist, such as the Federal bill landed on Romney’s desk he made the decision to veto the bill. His Poverty Guideline which does not illustrate the challenges that reason for vetoing the bill was his belief that EC sometimes causes abor- Massachusetts’ working families face in making ends meet, a tions. realistic cost assessment is what is needed most. The Standard The veto is expected to be taken up by the Legislature this fall provides the crucial link between real costs and real people when formal sessions resume. living, working and thriving in Massachusetts.

HEALTH CARE This session Caucus members Guest speaker Helen Flaherty, of the Caucus and their aides. have made it a priority for the Caucus to Chief of Staff to Senator Moore, provided The Caucus will be holding similar play an active role in the shaping of health information on S.738/H.2777 Health Ac- informational meetings this fall to ensure care policy. In order to inform Caucus mem- cess and Affordability Act (sponsored by that members are up to speed with pending bers of pending legislation, the Health Care Senator Moore and Representative Blumer) health care legislation. The talks will all Steering Committee of the Caucus of and S.2042 An Act Providing for Health Ac- address the impact the legislation would Women Legislators held a Health Care Pres- cess, Affordability, and Accountability have on women of the Commonwealth. entation and Discussion on July 27, 2005. (sponsored by Senate President Travaglini). The presentation was attended by members

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