Founder Region Legislative Advocacy

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Overview

Founder Region Legislative Advocacy Committee's continuing objectives based on the Soroptimist organization Strategic Plan will be to promote and educate our members to continue to be aware of all issues having political implications that pertain to women and girls. We continue to campaign for the ratifying of CEDAW - The United Nations Treaty to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women both at the State and Federal level.

This year we plan on devoting much of our time to continue promoting awareness about trafficking of women and girls and helping to promote legislation at the state level to convict those perpetrators responsible.

October 2005, Human Trafficking Seminar Report

Human trafficking is the recruitment, smuggling, abducting, transporting, harboring, buying or selling of a person by means of force, fraud, threats, or coercion for the purpose of labor or sexual exploitation. Prostitution is not the oldest profession, it is the oldest form of OPPRESSION in the world. Gloria Scoggin and Dion Weaver attended a Western Regional Task Force Training Seminar.. . . more

April 2005, Legislative Advocacy Alert

Californians for Patient Care is a new nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that the voice of the patient is heard in all health care-related discussions. Women play a key decision-making role in health care for their families. CPC wants to be sure the public is educated about health care issues as to they are discussed by policy-makers and various stakeholder groups. Relying on the news media and stakeholder group rhetoric often leads to misinformation. . . . more

SOROPTIMIST LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY: A BRIEF HISTORY...

We would like to give you a brief history pertaining to Legislative Advocacy within the International Soroptimist Organization and especially Founder Region. This information will aid in the education of our new members and refresh the memories of our other members.

The Legislative Advocacy Committee's responsibilities are to keep clubs informed of Legislation relating to Soroptimist International, Federation and Region focuses. The committee coordinates the accumulation of information on legislation relating to our six programs of service:

• Economic and Social Development
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Human Rights/Status of Women
• International Goodwill and Understanding

This includes ways to influence the legislative body considering the proposed legislation. We thrive to promote club involvement through

• Awareness
  • Advocacy
    • and Action

A Policy Statement adopted by the International Board makes it very clear that a Soroptimist may and certainly should engage in legislative advocacy. Our Organization is concerned with all issues affecting the welfare of all humanity, particularly in our adopted areas of the six programs of service.

Constitutionally, Soroptimist is a service organization, not a political group, and therefore does not support particular political parties or religious groups.

However, Soroptimist International encourages all members to be aware of and involved in the issues of society which have political implications. Members should take positions of advocacy (through media, addressing public meetings, contacting officials), and to act through our adopted programs of work to influence the legislation and official policies to which our programs relate.

Legislative Advocacy is standing up for a principle, supporting a cause, and actively upholding the organization's objectives of high ethical standards, international understanding, and support of human rights.

The Legislative Advocacy Committee with Gloria Scoggin as Chair consists of Jane Bartke, Toni Pera, Carrie Domogalls, Bess sternberg, Tess Albin-Smith, and Renee Borja Salas.