The 2013 General Session wrapped up last night! When compared to past years — reproductive justice fared well. No new restrictions on access to abortion, or penalties for physicians and health centers that provide abortion services.  Dare we say… during this General Session the legislature was fairly reasonable, when it comes to our reproductive freedom. Many of the newly elected members of the legislature brought a fresh new voice of reason to the table.

The highlights from the last weeks’ scramble include the passage of H.B. 50 or Dating Violence Protection Act. A version of this bill has been debated for almost 10 years, and Representative Jennifer Seelig was finally able to get it passed! Be sure and thank Rep. Seelig for negotiating unilateral support of protection for people in dating relationships that turn violent.

Senator Urquhart’s Employment and Housing Antidiscrimination Amendments or S.B. 262 was circled on Monday and did not come up for a vote in the senate. The fact that the bill passed out of committee is a fantastic accomplishment and sets the stage for progress on equal rights for all in the 2014 General Session. Senator Urquhart should be commended for championing the bill from the Republican side of the aisle.

Last week Rep. Andregg introduced a last-minute substitute bill, Nullification of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, for H.B. 391 – which passed out the house early this week. Thankfully, Senator Weiler returned the favor and substituted Fifth Substitute Prohibition of Medicaid Expansion in the senate late Wednesday and removed the prohibition on Medicaid expansion. We are back on track to allow the legislature and Governor Herbert to study expansion and make a deliberate decision this summer. A big thank you to Senator Weiler, and all the senators  who made the reasonable compromise possible in the last days of the session.

For all of the bills we tracked during the 2013 General Session, and where they finished up, click here.

Planned Parenthood Action Council (PPAC), the political arm of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, will be hosting its annual Liberty Luncheon on May 3rd to raise funds to support their political and advocacy work. PPAC is very pleased to have Karen Shepherd and Sandra Fluke join the discussion on how we can each “Act. No matter what.” for reproductive justice.

Read all the PPAC of Utah

2013 General Session Weekly Updates

You can help us stay strong by getting involved and staying informed.

Sign up with Planned Parenthood Action Network today!

2013 General Session: Week Six

The 2013 General Session ends next Thursday and it’s down to the wire for the bills we would like to get passed and those that Planned Parenthood would like to stop.  We have two actions listed for you below – one to encourage your senator to vote in favor of S.B. 262 and one to encourage your representative to vote against H.B. 391.

Senator Urquhart’s Employment and Housing Antidiscrimination Amendments or S.B. 262 passed out of the Senate Economic Development and Workforce Committee yesterday afternoon. A big thank you to Senators Jones, Mayne, Knudson, and Okerlund for voting to pass S.B. 262 to the senate floor with a favorable recommendation! Now it is up to you to let your senator know where you stand. Email them today and ask that they stand for equal rights for all Utahns and vote in favor of ending workplace and housing discrimination. Click here to find your senator and contact information.

In a very abrupt move, Rep. Andregg introduced a substitute bill, Substitute Nullification of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act during a committee hearing on Wednesday, stripping the original language of H.B. 391 and replacing it with language that will prohibit Utah from expanding Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act. Passage of this bill would be very bad for Utahns and would take the decision to expand Medicaid away from Governor Herbert — who has pledged to carefully study the issue and make a decision this summer. We need your help in calling your representative today and ask them to vote against H.B. 391. Click here to identify your representative and contact information. Planned Parenthood supports Medicaid expansion because it will provide critical preventive and primary reproductive health care services to more low-income women in Utah, click here to read more.

With less than a week remaining, it appears as if Senator Dayton will hold onto her Planned Parenthood Defunding Amendments bill for another day. She has made it clear that we should be ready for more bills to restrict access to abortion and penalties for abortion providers in the future.

On a national and happier note — President Obama signed the reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act yesterday! Very good news for us all!

For a complete listing of the bills we are watching in the 2013 General Session see our tracker here.

Read all the PPAC of Utah

2013 General Session Weekly Updates

You can help us stay strong by getting involved and staying informed.

Sign up with Planned Parenthood Action Network today!

With less than two weeks left of the 2013 General Session… we are still waiting for the Planned Parenthood Defunding Amendments boxcar to be filled with text, numbered and move. Senator Dayton’s second bill that we are watching; Abortion Statistics and Reporting Amendments or SB60 remains in the House Rules Committee and may very well go straight to the house floor once the deadline to be assigned to a committee passes. We are remaining neutral on SB60 as it will not change the information currently collected or reported, however we do worry about Senator Dayton’s promise to use the data to draft legislation to further restrict access to abortion in Utah.

Senator Urquhart picked up the Employment and Housing Antidiscrimination Amendments yesterday and it is now number — SB262 – and on the move. We hope to see it move quickly to a senate committee and will keep you updated on its progress.

Senator Reid’s Parental Responsibility for Sex Education Training or SB39 is on the agenda for the House Education Committee at 4:00 pm today and seems well on its way to passing through the legislature.

For a complete listing of the bills we are watching in the 2013 General Session see our tracker here.

Planned Parenthood Action Council (PPAC) is the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah. PPAC has been working to improve their capacity in the social media arena to educate and mobilize Planned Parenthood supporters. To that end they have launched a refreshed PPAC website to make accessing up-to-date information easy. A big thank you to PPAC past board president James Roberts and the fabulous staff at Redirect Digital and Direct Marketing!!

Read all the PPAC of Utah

2013 General Session Weekly Updates

You can help us stay strong by getting involved and staying informed.

Sign up with Planned Parenthood Action Network today!

With 20 days left in the session, we are anxiously watching Senator Dayton’s bill request and wonder if part of her strategy isn’t to push the bill through at the last minute… so stay tuned! If and when Planned Parenthood Defunding Amendments moves, we will need your help in responding with a swift and resounding wave of opposition.

Planned Parenthood Action Council (PPAC) sponsored a Teen Council Lobby Day this week and brought the teens up to the State Capitol to lobby their legislator in support of Senator Reid’s SB39, Parental Responsibility for Sex Education Training. Planned Parenthood is in support of policy intended to improve communication between teens and their parents or guardians. We realize that sex education in school is critical to catch those teens who need it, but we also know that parents play a critical role in teens decision-making around sex and relationships. Making the Utah State Office of Education’s “A Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers on Teaching Human Sexuality” readily available to parents is good policy – although we agree that complying with the proposed statute may have costs associated with it!!

For a complete list of the bills Planned Parenthood is watching, see our 2013 Legislative Tracker.

2013 General Session Weekly Updates

Two bills aimed at helping parents support their teenagers in public schools are well on their way through the legislature. Senator Reid’s SB39, Parental Responsibility for Sex Education Training, moved out of the Senate Education Committee with a favorable recommendation, and on to the senate floor, after they listened to the compelling arguments in support of the bill made by the Timpview High debate team. Representative Eliason’s HB298, Parent Seminar on Youth Protection, has successfully passed through the House and was consequently voted out of the Senate Education Committee to the senate floor with a favorable recommendation yesterday afternoon.

However, three bill requests have remained “in process” this week, including Senator Dayton’s Planned Parenthood Defunding Amendments, Senator Bramble’s Housing and Employment Amendments, and Representative Chavez-Houck’s Medicaid Amendments.

Clearly any bill to “defund” Planned Parenthood is high on our list, but also we support Medicaid expansion in Utah. Planned Parenthood supports policies that allow more Utahns access to essential health care and family planning services.
To find out who your legislators are and their contact information, click here.

The highlights for this week included the movement of Abortion Statistics and Reporting Requirements or S.B. 60. Senator Dayton released the text of the bill which moved quickly to the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee and was passed on to the Senate with a favorable recommendation. The amendment to the current statute will not affect our work or our patients, for the full text of the bill click here.

Senator Bramble filed a bill request for Housing and Employment Amendments on Thursday. The bill has not been filled with text, but we anticipate that it will be a version of the bill then-Senator McAdams ran last year. Stakeholders have been working for many years to set a statewide standard of non-discrimination and we hope that 2013 is the year that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is outlawed!

Last, but clearly not least… Senator Dayton filed a last-minute bill request entitled Planned Parenthood Defunding Amendments. There is no text yet – but we need you to be on stand-by this week ready to receive an Action Alert to:

• Call your senator
• Email your senator
• Join us at the Capitol to let your legislators know that you Stand with Planned Parenthood!

Not sure who your senator is and how to contact them? Click here to find your legislators and contact information.

On a national note: Planned Parenthood staff and supporters will join one billion women, and those who love them, in rising up and demanding an end to violence against women. Please join us on the State Capitol steps at noon on Valentine’s Day for a 1 Billion Rising event. For more information visit PPAC’s Facebook page.

With a slow first week, we have only identified two bills to watch. As the session progresses we will add to the list and to our 2013 Legislation Tracker.

S.B. 39 Parental Responsibility for Sex Education Training: Senator Reid’s bill requires the State Office of Education to offer training to parents on teaching their children about human sexuality. Planned Parenthood understands that the people children listen to the most are their parents and we support any policy that better equips parents to talk with their children about healthy sex.

Unnumbered Abortion Statistics & Reporting Requirements: There is no text associated with this bill request. We will let you know as soon as Senator Dayton’s bill is numbered and text added.

We are also watching for bills that address Utah’s response to the Affordable Care Act and look forward to supporting an anti-discrimination bill! We will continue to update you on Friday of each week of the 45-day session, in addition to sending out Action Alerts with any time-sensitive action requests.

Wondering how to engage in advocacy on the hill? We are co-hosting a Citizen Lobbyist Training next Wednesday, February 6th from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in the Multipurpose Room at the Utah State Capitol. Visit Planned Parenthood Action Council’s Facebook page for more information.

Not sure who your legislator is and how to contact them? Click here to find your legislator and contact information.