UNDER THE DOME
National Legislation


Immigration Reform (S.1348)
The United States Senate has been debating the so- called "Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007" all this week, and they will continue their debate and vote on final passage after the Memorial Day recess.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) is apprehensive about the lack of border security to protect our country from terrorists and all illegal aliens. We firmly believe that our government's priority is to develop and maintain strong border controls to protect us from foreign terrorists and the flow of illegal immigration.

This so-called comprehensive reform legislation simply does not do this, no matter how loudly proponents of this bill say otherwise. S. 1348 is nothing more than a shell game that does not protect our borders!

Proponents of this bill are touting the so- called "triggers" that must pass before granting amnesty, such as border control agents and adequate facilities to detain illegal immigrants. However, the bill only authorizes these provisions without actually providing the funds, so it is not clear if these "triggers" will actually ever be met. This is not the first time the Congress has done this. During last session the Senate passed a bill that would authorize the building of a fence to secure our border but didn't actually appropriate any money for construction. Proponents of this new bill actually used the building of the fence as a "trigger" but are only insisting that half of the fence be built before the amnesty provisions kick in. With the government's lackluster 25-year track record on this issue, can we truly believe this fence will ever be fully constructed?

Worse yet, under this new bill, before the "triggers" are met, illegal immigrants can receive "probationary visas." And it's not clear in the bill's language what happens to all these people with probationary visas if these "triggers" are never met.

S. 1348 also lacks provisions that will require cultural assimilation such as English First provisions. Requirements for new visa holders to learn English will only become mandatory after they live in the U.S. for eight years.

If we are serious about protecting and securing our borders, we must do more than simply engage in emotional rhetoric. Our legislators must consider an immigration bill that actually controls our borders and strengthens our national security!

Contact Sen. Brownback and Sen. Roberts. Ask them to oppose all efforts that do not adequately remedy the problem of illegal immigration. Following are some talking points:

"Concerned Women for America is concerned with the lack of border security to protect America from terrorists and all illegal immigration."

Our goal is that our nation develop and maintain strong border controls to protect us from foreign terrorists and the flow of illegal immigration. We welcome legal immigrants, especially those fleeing government persecution because of their religious beliefs or other basic human rights.

S. 1348 is a shell game that doesn't protect our borders.

S. 1348 lacks provisions that will require cultural assimilation such as English First provisions.

S. 1348 shows disrespect for the family and for the unique contribution of fathers. It encourages heads of households - "predominately" males - to leave their families to come to the United States and work. Many of these "fathers" never return.


Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007
H.R.2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 (ENDA), was introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts.) This legislation would apply to businesses of 15 or more employees and would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Expressing CWA's opposition to ENDA, Shari Rendall, CWA's Director of Legislation and Public Policy, said, "This bill would unfairly extend special privileges based upon an individual's changeable sexual behaviors, rather than focusing on immutable, non- behavior characteristics such as skin color or gender. Its passage would both overtly discriminate against and muzzle people of faith. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell put it well when he said, 'Skin color is a benign, non-behavioral characteristic. Sexual orientation is perhaps the most profound of human behavioral characteristics. Comparison of the two is a convenient but invalid argument.'"


Hate Crimes
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R.1592) passed the House, 237-180. Two Kansas Representatives voted "Yes": Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-2nd District) and Rep. Dennis Moore (D-3rd District); and two voted "No": Rep. Jerry Moran (R-1st District) and Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-4th District.)

This bill is now in the Senate Judiciary committee. President Bush has promised to veto this legislation, and CWA will work to secure enough votes against it so that the veto will not be overridden.


Equal Rights Amendment (H.J.Res.40 and S.J.Res.10)

Introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), the new Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a rehash of the one that failed to get the required number of states to ratify it in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then women's rights have indeed improved, and, in fact, many of those rights would be stripped away under a new ERA. The Violence Against Women Act would be considered discriminatory against men. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Women's Health, which seeks to "ensure that FDA functions, both regulatory and oversight, remain gender sensitive and responsive," could be found unconstitutional under this new amendment.

Not only would gains such as those be negated, it would pave the way for dangerous new laws, such as "same-sex" marriage, federally funded abortion on demand, the inclusion of women in the draft and co- ed prisons. Because of the progress already made, it appears that there is an agenda to re-introducing this amendment at this time: the promotion of a gender- neutral agenda through the suppression of natural differences between men and women.

Contact your Senators and your Representative, and ask them to oppose this amendment.


Grassroots Lobbying
The U.S. House of Representatives passed their version of lobbying reform without the controversial amendment (H.R.2093) proposed by Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Massachusetts.) Organizations such as CWA, who inform their membership about issues before the legislature and ask them to contact their legislators on specific legislation, would have been redefined as lobbyists under H.R.2093, and as such would have to abide by strict reporting requirements and face stiff penalties for failure to do so. That would have undermined the basic premise of our system of government. The House Judiciary Committee defeated the Meehan amendment in a committee working session earlier this month. Early in the year, the Senate also stripped the grassroots provision from their version of lobbying reform. Senators and Representatives credit grassroots activism for saving grassroots activism. Thank you to all of you who took the time to make your voice heard on this important potential threat to our First Amendment rights!


Other legislation that we are tracking:

Parents Tax Relief Act
The Parents Tax Relief Act (PTRA) (S. 816 and H.R. 1421) would provide tax breaks to parents, make the Child Tax Credit permanent, eliminate the Marriage Tax Penalty, extend Social Security benefits to stay-at-home parents and encourage more family-friendly employment opportunities. CWA supports this legislation.

Military Readiness Enhancement Act
Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Massachusetts) has introduced legislation that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the U.S. military which was put in place by the Clinton administration. CWA opposes this legislation.

Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act
H.R. 1063 would prohibit taking minors across state lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions. CWA supports this legislation.

Banning Federal Funding of Mandating the HPV Vaccine
This bill would prohibit federal funds from being used to implement a mandatory vaccine program for the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease and a cause of cervical cancer.

RU-486 Suspension and Review Act of 2007
H.R. 63 asks for a complete review of the process by which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the chemical abortion pill known as RU-486. CWA supports this legislation.

Pledge Protection Act of 2007
Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri) introduced H.R. 699, which would deny jurisdiction to any federal court to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance or its validity under the Constitution. CWA supports this legislation.

CEDAW
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), but the U.S. Senate must ratify it by a two- thirds majority for it to be adopted in the United States. It has been buried in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 27 years, and CWA is concerned that pressure by feminist activists may cause Senators to bring the treaty up for a committee vote, followed by a vote on the Senate floor. CWA opposes this treaty.

Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act
CWA strongly supports the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (S. 356) which would require abortion providers to inform women past the 20th week after fertilization that their unborn children will undergo severe pain during an abortion, and that anesthesia is available upon request for the child they are about to abort.

Public Expressions of Religion Act (PERA)
The Public Expressions of Religion Act (S. 415) would prevent activist groups from using a 1970s-era civil rights law to recover attorney's fees when they sue local cities and towns in cases related to public displays of religion and faith. CWA supports this legislation.

Grassroots Lobbying (S. 1)
Passed by the Senate, and Passed by the House. See above.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding (H.R. 3)
After the House of Representatives passed this bill, it was sent to the Senate. The Senate passed its own version of federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (S.5) by a vote of 63-34, a margin that is not enough to override the President's promised veto.

"Hate Crimes" (H.R. 254)
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) introduced the David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, (H.R. 254), which is now awaiting a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee. CWA is following this legislation very closely. Expect a similar bill to be introduced in the Senate.

Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121, or toll free: 888- 534-6226 or 877-762-8762.

Sen. Sam Brownback
303 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6521
Fax: (202) 228-1265

Sen. Pat Roberts
109 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1605
Phone: (202) 224-4774
Fax: (202) 224-3514

Rep. Jerry Moran
2202 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2715
Fax: (202) 225-5124

Rep. Nancy Boyda
1711 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6601
Fax: (202) 225-7986

Rep. Dennis Moore
1727 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2865
Fax: (202) 225-2807

Rep. Todd Tiahrt
2441 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202.225.6216
Fax: 202.225.3489

CWA�s Web Site
Get up-to-date information on the national issues that CWA is following. Check CWA's web site regularly!

You can also find excellent background information and talking points on many of the issues on CWA�s Legislative Action Committee web site.

Thank You!
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Concerned Women for America of Kansas
P. O. Box 11233
Shawnee Mission, KS 66207
Phone/Fax: 913-491-1380
Email: director@kansas.cwfa.org
Web site: kansas.cwfa.org