2012 Legislative Session Weekly Wrap-Up
Week 4:
February 13-17
Comprehensive Sex Education
The abstinence only sex education bill is likely to come up for a house vote early next week. PPAU strongly opposes this bill and advocates for children to be given fact-based information about their bodies and maturation. Teens need to have medically accurate, age-appropriate information, including resources for preventing unintended pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infection.
Further, Utah parents favor greater choices for the way sex education is taught in schools (Dan Jones, 2010). Nationally studies also show that parents prefer that their children learn about healthy relationships, abstinence, sexually transmitted disease, and contraception at school.
Please take a moment to email your representative, if you haven’t already, and tell them to Just Say No to H.B. 363, keep sex education decisions in your local school district.
Accessible and Affordable Quality Health Care
H.B. 461, Abortion Waiting Period, has been assigned to the House Health and Human Services Committee and we anticipate seeing the bill on the agenda next week. This bill would extend the current 24-hour waiting period to 72 hours, thereby requiring women to travel to a clinic for face-to-face counseling, and then return in three days for the procedure.
Stay tuned for an Action Alert and a contact-your-representative campaign to prohibit this ill-conceived policy from being passed. We will also be encouraging Utahn’s who are willing to testify about their experience with abortion to discuss their thoughts about increasing the waiting period to 72 hours.
The Health Amendments for Legal Immigrant Children (S.B. 111) is beneficial health policy that would allow children who are Legal Permanent Residents to qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. See the Fact Sheet put together by Utah Health Policy Project for more information.
Social Justice
According to ACLU of Utah, the Voter Registration Amendment (H.B. 253) could require the county clerk to remove YOU from the voting rolls if you choose not to vote in two consecutive general elections. Targeting a voter to be removed from voting rolls simply because he or she chooses not to vote in an election violates the federal National Voting Rights Act (NVRA) and could put Utah at risk of inviting costly litigation.
Useful links
For more on how a bill becomes law, see the Utah State Legislature website.
For more on the bills we are watching, see our 2012 Legislative Session chart.
The Utah State Legislature website has useful information about the process and the current sessions.
Mark Your Calendar for United Way’s Day on the Hill, February 23, 2012, 9:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Gain the skills and tools necessary to educate your Legislators on key issues impacting our community in the areas of education, income, and health!
Week 3:
February 6-10
Comprehensive Sex Education
Last night the House Education Committee passed an amended H.B. 363 on to the House Floor for a vote. The Health Education Amendment would require schools to teach abstinence until marriage, or teach nothing at all. The “abstinence only” legislative mandate would take the control over sex education curriculum out of the hands of parents and local districts – who are in the best position to make decisions for healthy outcomes based on their unique community needs.
Planned Parenthood’s Director of Education Annabel Sheinberg spoke with KRCL’s RadioActive last night to urge community members to reach out to your area delegates and representatives to “vote no” in the House. Tell them to keep decisions on what is best for our children in the hands of parents and local districts who know best. Wondering how to contact your representative? Click here to find them.
Accessible and Affordable Quality Health Care
The Abortion Waiting Period (H.B. 461) proposed bill would extend the current 24-hour waiting period to 72 hours. This bill would require women to travel to a clinic for face-to-face counseling, and return in three days for the procedure. The implications for this bill may be most intrusive for women in rural areas and low-income women. PPAU agrees that every woman should have access to factual information and the leeway to make the right decision for her, based on her own judgment after consulting with her physician, faith leader, and family. Our experience is that women research their options and most often make their decision prior to arriving at the clinic for the initial counseling session. Adding an additional – mandatory – 48 hours to the waiting period seems punitive in nature.
A similar bill was passed in South Dakota, and Planned Parenthood promptly filed suit against the unconstitutional 72-hour mandatory waiting period and an injunction was issued. PPAU opposes H.B. 461 and plans to challenge this bill if it is placed into law.
We are following this proposed H.B. 461 very closely and will send out Action Alerts as needed.
Good news regarding the “Personhood Amendment!” Senator Osmond has announced he has abandoned the Joint Resolution on Human Life. Let Senator Osmond know he made the right decision by calling 801-897-8127 or sending an email to mailto:aosmond@le.utah.gov
The Illegal Alien Related Amendments (H.B. 300) would have a major impact on access undocumented individuals have to quality healthcare. PPAU opposes this bill because it repeals provisions related to verifications of a permit for employment purposes and contains a provision that would mandate health insurance for employees.
Preventative Reproductive Health Services
We are happy to announce that Senator Mayne’s S.B. 32 Breast Cancer Prevention Amendments passed in both the house and senate. This bill will encourage medical providers to inform patients of dense breast tissue and recommend screenings to detect cancer growth.
Social Justice
PPAU supports the Amendments to Open and Public Meetings Act (H.B. 111), which would make small meetings involving only some members of a public body more transparent. However, this proposed bill is stalled in the House Government Operations Committee.
Furthermore, Senator Knudson’s Voter Information Pamphlets (S.B. 19), which could have increased voter rights and participation, failed to get a majority vote.
Useful links:
For more on how a bill becomes law, see the Utah State Legislature website.
Speaker Lockhart has asked that we pass on the 2012 Legislative Survey Please take a moment to let her know your thoughts on the priorities of the legislature.
For more on the bills we are watching, 2012 Legislative Session chart
Mark Your Calendar for United Way’s Day on the Hill, February 23, 2012, 9:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Gain the skills and tools necessary to educate your Legislators on key issues impacting our community in the areas of education, income, and health!
Week 2:
Legislative Wrap-Up
Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU) has been following the 2012 Legislative Session on the hill for the bills that fall under our priority areas, including: Accessible and Affordable Quality Health Care, Preventative Reproductive Health Services, Comprehensive Sex Education, and Social Justice. We’ll keep you updated on all the legislative news relevant to these important issues, as well as give you resources on how to be a citizen lobbyist. THANK YOU for staying involved, informed, and motivated to advocate on behalf of our community!
Accessible and Affordable Quality Health Care
There are currently three bills (H.B. 46, H.B. 64, and H.B. 300) that could affect access to quality and comprehensive health care. PPAU actively supports increased access to health services through allowing employers to offer health insurance to more employees. We also advocate for Electronic Medical Records, which would allow for more comprehensive and cost-effective health care for employees.
We also fully support the bill on Air Quality, H.B. 70, because poor air quality leads to all sorts of health issues, including infertility and unhealthy children. We support having healthy babies and families! Learn more about the bill here: [Trib]
Utah may be facing its own “personhood” amendment this legislative session. Staff at PPAU are meeting with Sen. Osmond next week to discuss the consequences of a Joint Resolution on Human Life. We will keep you updated on this piece of possible legislation. Learn more about joint resolutions and the “personhood amendment”: [Trib] [ABC4]
Preventative Reproductive Health Services
One of PPAU’s top priorities is improving access to cancer screenings and resources for women to make informed decisions about their health, which is why we back S.B 32. Learn more about the breast-cancer-screening bill that already passed through the Senate: [Trib]
*Planned Parenthood offers Well Women Exams on a sliding fee scale to women in Utah. We offer the exam, which includes life saving breast and cervical cancer (Pap smear) screenings, at no cost to those who qualify based on income and family size. Last year (2011) we provided 8,279 breast cancer screenings to women in Utah. See the attached fact sheet for more on client services and also flip through Close to the Heart Planned Parenthood’s on-line book of client stories from across the country.
Comprehensive Sex Education
PPAU is following Rep. Wright’s requested bill “Health Education Amendment,” which is currently listed “in progress.” We will update you as we learn more.
Social Justice
Utah is facing three bills on open government H.B. 89, H.B. 111, and S.B. 45, and Planned Parenthood supports these policies and their efforts toward transparency. Learn more here: [Trib]
We will continue to watch H.B. 20 and H.B. 253 in their moves to amend voter rights and potentially affect participation. The 2012 election is going to be divisive and we want all of our citizenry to be in a position to vote for the candidates who put women’s health before political ideology. Learn more here: [Trib] [UtahPolicy]
We are also following H.B. 37, as 74% of our clients live in poverty and received health and preventative health care services at no cost. Poverty and family planning are two issues that intersect and we are very interested in the outcome of this piece of legislation.
Useful links
For more on how a bill becomes law, see the Utah State Legislature website.
For more on the bills we are watching, see our 2012 Legislative Session chart.
The Utah State Legislature website has useful information about the process and the current sessions.
Mark Your Calendar for United Way’s Day on the Hill, February 23, 2012, 9:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Gain the skills and tools necessary to educate your Legislators on key issues impacting our community in the areas of education, income, and health!
Week 1:
2012 Legislative Session:
As the Salt Lake Tribune so aptly put – And They’re Off– with the bang of a gavel, Utah’s 2012 legislative session has begun. Legislative leadership… Whole Letter from Heather Stringfellow, MPA, Vice President of Public Policy
