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Legislative Update for November 15, 2013

By November 15, 2013Legislative Updates
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House

Keep Your Health Plan Act: On Friday, the House voted 261-157 for a bill that would allow health insurers to continue to offer current plans for an additional year even if they don’t meet the ObamaCare requirements. Thirty-nine Democrats joined Republicans to support this legislation.

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) joined over 20 conservative and free market groups to support this legislation. In addition, CWALAC provided real examples to Members of Congress about their constituents, who are losing their health care coverage because of ObamaCare.

Protecting Our First Amendment Rights: CWALAC helped Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Virginia) get 30 Members of Congress to sign on to a letter to President Obama, calling on him to protect our First Amendment rights.

Throughout his presidency, President Obama and his administration have continued to trample our religious freedoms. Since the United States v. Windsor case, federal agencies have bypassed the rulemaking process and Congressional oversight by issuing memorandums and guidance that have the effect of rules. Click here for more information.

Senate

Judicial Nominations: Tuesday, the Senate took up the nomination of Cornelia T.L. Pillard for U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and voted against moving her nomination forward.

Pillard is an extreme nominee; she even called out Concerned Women for America (CWA) in a publication titled, “Our Other Reproductive Choices: Equality in Sex Education, Contraceptive Access, and Work-Family,” in which she stated:

“CWA, a powerful abstinence-only proponent, consistently expresses support for ‘motherhood.’ CWA’s advocacy exploits a useful ambiguity in the meaning of that word, referring both to the unassailable fact that women who bear children are mothers and to the traditional, sex-based assignment of women to the social role of primary family caregiver — a role that CWA particularly champions.”

Click here for CWALAC’s press release.

Support for Israel: Talks in Geneva were brought to light this week as the Obama Administration sought to come to an agreement with Iran, whose goal is to get the U.S. economic sanctions lifted, and be able to still develop its nuclear program.

For the safety of Israel, it’s imperative that Iran does not gain nuclear capabilities.

To gain more of an understanding of Iran sanctions and the Senate’s possible role, please read the following:

Click here to view CWALAC response.

Click here to read CWALAC Senate Legislative Director’s article on possible Senate actions.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): If ratified, this United Nations treaty will erode parental consent. It would do this by making U.S. law subject to a United Nations Committee.

The CRPD has language that would, for the first time in any binding law, contain the phrase “sexual and reproductive rights.” Just this past May, the United Nations Children’s Fund interpreted the CRPD as giving children as young as 10 years of age the “right” to sexual and reproductive health services without any consent from their parents.

Action: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have its second hearing on the CRPD next week, November 21. Check the list below to see if your senator sits on the Foreign Relations Committee. If they do, please call and urge them to oppose ratification of this treaty.

Majority Seats:

  1. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) – (202) 224-4744
  2. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) – (202) 224-3553
  3. Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Maryland) – (202) 224- 4524
  4. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) – (202) 224-5042
  5. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) – (202) 224- 2152
  6. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) – (202) 224-4024
  7. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) – (202) 224-2742
  8. Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Connecticut) – (202) 224-4041
  9. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) – (202) 224-2841
  10. Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) – (202) 224-6621

Minority Seats:

  1. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) – (202) 224-2946
  2. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) – (202) 224-3041
  3. Sen. Bob Corker (R- Tennessee) – (202) 224- 3344
  4. Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) – (202) 224-2752
  5. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) – (202) 224-5323
  6. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) – (202) 224-4521
  7. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) – (202) 244-2235
  8. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) – (202) 224-4343

Click here to view the last hearing on the CRPD, November 5.