“LD 1129 is an anti-scientific, chemical industry wish list,” observed Mike Belliveau, Executive Director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center. “Industry lobbyists talk about this as a pruning of the Kid-Safe Products Act but what they’ve proposed is nothing short of a clearcut.”

Opponents identified 28 individual rollbacks in LD 1129 that would amount to a complete disabling of the law.  The most egregious of these impacts include the elimination of protection for the fetus and for teenagers, limiting action to only those products marketed specifically for young children, favoring industry-funded science over independent science, ignoring many chemicals already proven harmful to children, creating new and costly burdens for state experts, taking away the rights of Maine people to petition the government to take action, and surrendering Maine’s right to act independently from the federal government.

Opponents of LD 1129 included parents, scientists, physicians, nurses, business owners, and public health advocates.

Jim Wellehan, President of Lamey-Wellehan, stated, “As a Maine business, I can tell you that there is nothing more important than making sure our merchandise is safe for our customers.  The Kid-Safe Products Act supports us on two fronts: it helps us get good information about what’s in the products on our store shelves, and it helps drive down health care costs for all of us.  Let’s never forget that healthy families are the key to a healthy economy.  Weakening this important law doesn’t do a thing to help Maine businesses, or bring new business to Maine, but it would certainly take Maine’s economic recovery in the wrong direction.”

The Kid-Safe Products Act (KSPA) has been extremely popular among lawmakers and the public right from the beginning.  The law passed by a margin of 129-9 in the House and 35-0 in the Senate.  Of those who voted for the law in 2008, 74 are still in office (1 Independent, 32 Republicans and 41 Democrats).  In addition, a February 2011 poll showed 91% of Maine voters support the law.  Representative James Hamper, a Republican from Oxford was one of the nine who voted against KSPA in 2008 and is the sole sponsor of LD 1129.

Megan Rice, a mother of two from the town of China stated, “Friday’s vote on BPA shows that the Kid-Safe law is working exactly as you intended it.  The process was careful, methodical, and based on the best peer-reviewed science available today.  Why would you undermine Maine parents and take away the opportunities you’ve given us to protect our children from toxic chemicals?  I am appalled at LD 1129.  It simply makes no sense to put our kids at greater risk.”

Bettie Kettell, a nurse from Durham, spoke on behalf of the American Nurses Association and told the committee, “Exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to expensive chronic disease, including reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, and cancer.  Exposure in the womb, during infancy, or in childhood can set the stage for a lifetime of health problems.  University of Maine research shows that just four childhood illnesses linked to chemical exposure result in at least $380 million in health-related costs.  This is a burden shared by every family and business in Maine.”

Efforts to dismantle the Kid-Safe Products Act started earlier in the year with LD 1, the Governor’s bill to eliminate many of Maine’s environmental regulations.  Because no Maine business testified against the Kid-Safe Products Act in 2008, the attacks were seen by many as the new administration’s attempt to carry out a wish list from the out-of-state chemical industry.

Maine is one of 18 states that have passed laws to protect children’s health from toxic chemicals in consumer products. After 3 years, progress under the Kid-Safe Products Act has been modest.  Just two priority chemicals have been named under the Kid-Safe Products Act in its first three years.  Only one specific use of a chemical has been proposed for phase out in favor of safer alternatives – the use of BPA in sippy cups and other reusable containers.

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Concerned about the attacks on the chemical industry on the Kid-Safe Product Act? Join us for the Alliance and a Clean and Healthy Maine Day at the State House! Thursday April 14th, 8:30 am – 1 pm, at the Augusta State House

RSVP here

Augusta – At a meeting of the Appropriations Committee, the Maine Women’s Lobby voiced concerns that Governor LePage’s proposed budget would significantly destabilize Maine families.  The budget proposal includes irresponsible cuts to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the General Assistance Program (GA). Increased food insecurity and higher rates of homelessness are only some of the consequences of these proposed shortsighted spending decisions.

“A strict 5-year, lifetime limit for TANF is dangerous. The mythology this proposal seeks to conquer is that families are staying on TANF for years and that without a time limit, families will simply stay on the program indefinitely,” said Laura Harper, Director of Public Policy for the Maine Women’s Lobby. “However, in reality, the severe time limit will harm women who are struggling in the low wage labor market and those who are working towards a well paying job through education.”

In the most comprehensive and rigorous study of TANF families in Maine conducted since 1995, researchers at the University of New England and the University of Maine at Orono surveyed 6000+ families resulting in representative findings from more than 1,000 families. The study seeks to better understand the impact of poverty on families in the Maine economy.

Harper continued, “The study confirmed that TANF is a program that serves and protects women and their young children. Ninety-two percent (92%) of the respondents were women, many of whom had very young children. The instability of the low-wage labor market is the number one reason families turn to TANF for help. These families are well acquainted with the Maine workplace. Nearly all have work experience (97%) and on average they have held three jobs in the past five years. However, these jobs tend to be low-wage, lack security, and offer little flexibility for single mothers raising young children. They are often just one case of strep throat, or one car break-down away from losing employment and having to come back to TANF.”

The current debate is being driven largely by stereotypes and myths. Policy decisions must be informed by facts—not anecdotes.  Maine families are the heart of our communities and the true engine of our economy. Giving families the tools they need to succeed in this challenging economy is the best step toward preventing unnecessary future costs.

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The Maine Women’s Lobby is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, membership organization working since 1978 to increase opportunities for women and girls through advocacy and legislative action.

Americans often take pride in ways their nation differs from others. But one distinction — lack of a nationwide policy of paid maternity leave — is cited in a new report as an embarrassment that could be redressed at low cost and without harm to employers.

“Despite its enthusiasm about ‘family values,’ the U.S. is decades behind other countries in ensuring the well-being of working families,” said Janet Walsh, deputy director of the women’s rights division of Human Rights Watch. “Being an outlier is nothing to be proud of in a case like this.”

Human Rights Watch, based in New York, focuses most of its investigations on abuses abroad. But on Wednesday, with release of a report by Walsh on work/family policies in the U.S., it takes the relatively unusual step of critiquing a phenomenon affecting tens of millions of Americans.

The report, “Failing its Families,” says at least 178 countries have national laws guaranteeing paid leave for new mothers, while the handful of exceptions include the U.S., Swaziland and Papua New Guinea. More than 50 nations, including most Western countries, also guarantee paid leave for new fathers.

Read the whole piece here

It matters if you or someone you know has taken time off from work to care for yourself, a family member, or a newborn under Maine’s Family Medical Leave Law. Our work made Maine the second state in the nation to pass this legislation.

It matters if you’ve ever heard of ergonomics. The Maine Women’s Lobby advanced this first-in-the-nation legislation which launched modern ergonomic protections by requiring that safety information be given to computer operators.

It matters if you believe that women and men on public assistance should have the tools (access to higher education and supports) necessary to succeed in the workforce. We helped enact the model Parents as Scholars program that makes economic opportunity a reality for struggling families.

It matters if you, like the majority of women and men in Maine, take comfort in knowing that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Law will protect Maine women’s fundamental right to reproductive autonomy.

We do social change.

And, that matters more right now – when these protections are at risk as never before. Help us keep Maine a place of equal opportunity for women and the families they support.

Please join us right now by making a year-end contribution.

Tax-deductible gifts can be made to the Maine Women’s Policy Center right here, or sent to PO Box 85, Hallowell, ME 04347.

Thank you, and Happy New Year from the entire Maine Women’s Lobby team!

To learn more, download our IRA Charitable Rollover Kit.

1.) Paid Sick Days Campaign

We kicked off the year in full force with an exciting new campaign for a critical protection: paid sick days. While, unfortunately, the bill did not make it through the legislature this year, significant advances were made by way of increasing public understanding and dialogue of the policy and demonstrating public support for this workplace standard.

A highlight from the campaign was when we partnered with the Maine People’s Alliance and MomsRising.org to deliver a heap of fortune cookies with personalized messages in support of paid sick days to the legislature. Why? Because healthy workplaces are worth a fortune!

What’s next? We’re not giving up! Right now, more than 200,000 Maine workers lack even a single paid sick day from work. Thousands of others risk discipline or termination simply for using time they’ve already earned. Maine Women’s Lobby will continue to work with the Maine Working Family Coalition to advance legislation to support working Mainers, including paid sick days.

Read all about it here – for all of our blog posts from the campaign.

2.) Lilly Ledbetter in Maine

Right now, the wage gap is at 77 cents to the dollar – which is to say that for every full dollar a male earns, a woman earns, on average, 77 cents. The plaintiff in the employment discrimination case Lilly Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and namesake for the 2008 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Paid Act, Lilly is one of the nation’s foremost advocates for closing the wage gap. We were incredibly fortunate to have Lilly come to Maine and deliver an inspiring speech on her long-fought battle for equal pay. In the midst of our campaign for paid sick days, her passion and story were particularly inspirational for our work.

Check out some great photos from the event here.

3.) Safe Cosmetics

Toxic chemicals in my shampoo? Oh my! This year, the Maine Women’s Lobby’s sister organization, the Maine Women’s Policy Center, vamped up organizing with young women and worked to support the formation of a student-run group, Women Against Toxic Cosmetics Harm (WATCH). This group of 20 passionate young women worked together to advocate for needed political reform of our broken chemical safety system. In their first six months of operation, they successfully launched three creative and successful press events, conducted campus and community-wide public education, initiated online actions, organized in-district visits, and placed a number of opinion pieces in both campus and local newspapers.

In 2011, we will continue this work by engaging with student leaders and working with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England to create a statewide network of young women advocating for chemical safety reform.

For press clips, and videos from this work, click here.

4.) Elena Kagan

On August 5, with a 63-37 vote, the United States Senate confirmed Elena Kagan as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. And this fall, three women took their seats together on the bench for the first time in United States history. The Maine Women’s Lobby was there all along working to engage Mainers in the process and to advocate for Kagan’s confirmation. We convened a coalition in support of the effort, organized watch parties across the state, and met with our Senators’ staffers. We want to sincerely thank Senators Snowe and Collins and all of our activists out there for making sure that Elena Kagan was confirmed as the fourth woman to join the bench in the Court’s 221-year history.

Read more about the confirmation process here.

5.) She Decides

This fall, the Maine Women’s Lobby launched a new campaign to make sure that women’s economic concerns were front and center this election year. SheDecides is a nonpartisan campaign to demonstrate the importance of women – particularly unmarried women – in the elections. SheDecides is our pocketbook agenda, and it’s a roadmap for candidates who want to speak to the economic reality of women’s lives.

We asked candidates to share where they stand on the minimum wage, paid sick days, family friendly workplaces, paycheck fairness, and access to jobs and education. And, we took those messages to the campaign trail. After holding a kick-off event on Women’s Equality Day, women in bright green SheDecides t-shirts were visible at forums across the state and earned coverage on WMTW and in the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Phoenix. We matched these on-the-ground efforts with online action—our activists generated 500 e-mails to ask candidates where they stood on our pocketbook agenda. Then, the SheDecides team knocked on doors and shared these answers with women voters by sending a voter education mailing to more than 14,000 women statewide. Check out www.SheDecides.org to learn more.

And, that ain’t all! As we gear up for the start of the new legislative session next week, look out for the SheDecides team! We’ll be brushing off those green t-shirts and heading to the legislature to advocate for Maine women!

It’s tough to predict what we’ll see during this session. But, if the debate – and promises – we heard during this past campaign cycle are any indication, there will be some major struggles ahead.

We need your help to make sure the decisions made in Augusta reflect our shared values of equal opportunity.

It’s just that simple.

Next Wednesday, Governor-elect Paul LePage will be sworn in as Governor. He and his team will put forth two proposed budgets – one to get Maine through until the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1 and then the biennial budget which will guide spending for the next two years.

And, connected to every single piece of the budget will be people. Mainers. Our families. Our neighbors.

It’s just that simple.

These are tough times. We all agree on that. And, we need to weather this storm together – all voices at the table. That’s where the Maine Women’s Lobby comes in – to remind our leaders that behind every decision are real people. The choices we make now will either set us up for a strong recovery or cause damage to Maine people for decades to come.

Will we pursue sound economic development or massive deregulation? Will we restructure public assistance to meet the needs of Maine people in a changing economy or eliminate public programs entirely?

Will the signature services that support the health and well-being of women in Maine – health care, family planning, education, violence prevention, and others – be adequately funded?

Proposals will be made. There will be push … and, there will be pull … and, then there will be decisions. We need you to be there with us – making sure all voices are heard.

It’s just that simple.

Won’t you consider making a special gift to the Maine Women’s Lobby today?

Or, take advantage of a year-end tax deduction by giving to our sister organization, the Maine Women’s Policy Center, right now?

Thank you for your support,

Charlotte Warren
Associate Director

PS: Here’s another way to make a leadership gift to the Maine Women’s Policy Center: Did you know that individuals who are at least age 70½ are eligible to do an “IRA charitable rollover” of up to $100,000 per year? This means that you can make a gift directly from your IRA to the Maine Women’s Policy Center. The transfer to us will count toward your required minimum distribution for the year but will not be treated as a taxable distribution. The IRA charitable rollover option expires at the end of 2011.

To learn more, download our IRA Charitable Rollover Kit.

“Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) has named bisphenol-A (BPA) and nonylphenols (NPs) as Maine’s first Priority Chemicals under the 2008 Kid-Safe Products Law.  In addition, they provisionally adopted a phase out of BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups, which will be reviewed by the Maine Legislature before finalization.

Dr. Jeff Peterson, a pediatrician from Yarmouth, was pleased with the Board’s action and stated, “No parent would willingly expose their child to dangerous chemicals – chemicals that could affect their ability to grow, learn, be healthy, and bear children.  The Board’s decision reflects the reality that the scientific evidence against BPA and nonylphenols is overwhelming. These chemicals are powerful hormone disruptors with links to cancer, learning disabilities, reproductive problems, and obesity.  The health costs are staggering and the risks are greater than any parent would ever want to take.  Designating them as Priority Chemicals and collecting more information on which products they are used in is just common sense.”

Today’s ruling caps a six-month public process in which the BEP heard testimony in support of the proposals from over 400 parents, scientists, doctors, nurses, business owners, public health professionals, and environmental health advocates from across the state and the region.  Testimony included vast scientific data and detailed how the proposed ban could improve the health of Maine children, how it could reduce the health and economic costs that result from exposure to toxic chemicals, and how Maine’s many small businesses could benefit by having better information about the products they sell or use.

Steve Taylor, Coordinator of the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine, remarked, “Maine’s Kid-Safe Products Law was passed nearly unanimously by the Maine Legislature in 2008 because protecting kids’ health, reducing health costs, and giving retail businesses more information is good for everyone.  Today’s ruling is another step along the careful path our lawmakers created. Maine scientists have identified two of the worst toxic chemicals and put them on the road to being replaced with safer alternatives. Maine families and small businesses are really the winners today.”

As Priority Chemicals, information on the use of BPA and NPs in everyday products, as well as possible safer alternatives, will be compiled.  For BPA, information will be collected on infant formula containers, baby food jars, toys, tableware, and child care articles.  For NPs, information will be collected on household and commercial cleaners, cosmetics and personal care items, and home maintenance products.  This information will give Maine businesses and families an opportunity to learn significantly more about the products they sell and use every day.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one of the most pervasive chemicals in modern life.  It was synthesized as an estrogen replacement therapy in the 1930’s and is now a chemical building block for polycarbonate plastic.  It has been widely used in baby bottles, food storage containers, and in the epoxy resins that coat the lining of metal food cans, including some infant formula cans.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 93% of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies. BPA exposure has been linked to a significant number of health problems, including learning disabilities, behavior problems, breast and prostate cancer, reproductive damage, diabetes, and obesity.

Safer alternatives to Priority Chemicals can be required when research shows convincing evidence of harm and the availability of safer and affordable chemicals.  Because the scientific evidence against BPA is considered by most to be overwhelming, and safer alternatives are readily available, the BEP has also decided that BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups be replaced.  The phase of out of BPA in these containers will be reviewed by the Maine Legislature before finalization.

Amy Graham, a mother of two from Farmington, was feeling optimistic about the ruling, especially about the prospect of replacing BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.  She stated, “Maine moms sounded the alarm on toxic chemicals many years ago, making today’s decision very gratifying.  It’s outrageous that these chemicals are still in the products we use every day while information for consumers and retailers has been virtually non-existent.  Now there is hope we can at least see the end of BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.  We’re counting on the Legislature to help parents protect our kids from these dangerous chemicals by confirming the phase out.”

Nonylphenols are used in detergents, personal care products, paints, and pesticides.  Because they are endocrine (hormone) disruptors, exposure to nonylphenols can result in serious health effects, including reproductive damage. Because the dangers are widely recognized and safer alternatives are readily available, many manufacturers, retailers, and cleaning professionals have voluntarily stopped making or using products that contain NP or NPE.  But because all efforts to date have been voluntary, NP and NPE can still be found in school, commercial, and industrial settings.

Despite the public outcry, the mounting scientific evidence of harm, and the actions of more and more states, the chemical industry continues to resist efforts to replace BPA with safer alternatives.  Steve Taylor added, “Of the 80,000 chemicals in use today, Maine scientists have identified over 1700 as already proven harmful to children.  Yet the chemical industry opposes doing anything about just two of the very worst.  This flies in the face of common sense and suggests they just don’t get it. Parents, consumers, and retail businesses are all demanding safe products. The chemical industry needs to wake up and spend their energy developing safer chemicals instead of defending toxic ones.

As awareness of the dangers of BPA has grown, along with the easy availability of safer alternatives, more and more states and countries are taking action against BPA.  If the Maine Legislature affirms the Board’s decision to phase out the use of BPA in baby bottle and sippy cups, Maine will become the 9^th state to do so, following the action of Massachusetts just this week.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Impressed by her introductory remarks? Check out her rebuttal here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Or here!

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s less than a week away – and, it’s your chance to catch up with old friends and make some new ones, bid on some awesome auction items, and dance the night away – all for a fantastic cause.

Time is of the essence! Buy your tickets right here, right now.

Read more here… ]]> http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2010/10/whatcha-doing-wednesday/feed/ 0 http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2010/09/dress-code-fabulous/ http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2010/09/dress-code-fabulous/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:37:44 +0000 asheldon http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/?p=2122 Are you ready to party? We are, too!

And, October will be here before you know it (sorry, but it’s true).

On October 6, our sister organization, the Maine Women’s Policy Center, is celebrating two decades of increasing opportunities for Maine women and girls with the Maine Women’s Gala and Auction.

The gala will be a festive affair with great friends, delicious food, and unique auction items. And, to top it all off, we’ll be jumping and swinging to the sounds of Three Button Deluxe – so, shine up those dancin’ shoes.

Most importantly, your participation will generate critical funds towards our work to break the glass ceiling – and raise the floor – to create real economic, social, and political opportunity for Maine women and girls.

Browse the auction items here .

Buy your tickets online right now! ]]> http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2010/09/dress-code-fabulous/feed/ 0