Sunday News: September 7, 2014
Welcome to Brain, Child’s Sunday news update where we look at policy issues impacting women and children with Valerie Young, Public Policy Analyst for Mom-mentum (Formerly known as NAMC) National Association of Mothers’ Centers.
Members of Congress have just left town and started their annual five week vacation, but the week was not without relevant developments for mothers.
A Senate subcommittee held a lively and entertaining hearing on paid family leave, still not a reality for the US. You can watch the video of the hearing, read this report, or look at the live tweets from the event under #paidleave.
The Equal Rights Amendment has been re-introduced, again. It passed both houses of Congress in 1972, but came up three states short of the 38 it needed for ratification. It’s been reintroduced every congressional session since, and it’s not likely to go anywhere this year either. However, it’s still a cause some women fervently believe in, as evidenced by this piece from Politico Magazine.
Congress may be at a standstill, but paid sick days bills are still gaining ground in the states. Both Eugene, Oregon and San Diego, California celebrated the passage of paid sick days bills this week, and New York City saw its law go into effect on Wednesday.
It’s World Breastfeeding Week, all the way until August 7: Sharing Moms’ Stories for World Breastfeeding Week: Mimi #WBW2014.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or as many like to call her, Notorious RBG, gave an interview this week to Katie Couric, and threw some shade on her brothers on the bench for the Hobby Lobby decision. Watch her here, or read Nicole Flatow’s take on it in Think Progress.
Follow Valerie on Facebook at Your (Wo)Man in Washington, and on Twitter @WomanInDC, and find a weekly blog post at WomanInWashington.org.
