WASHINGTON – AAUW today announces the release of a comprehensive analysis of President Barack Obama's first year in office and the AAUW Action Fund scorecard of congressional votes. These materials demonstrate that real progress is being made on the issues that matter most to women and their families.
The Obama Administration's First Year: A Progress Report on AAUW Priority Issues, available at www.aauw.org, and the Congressional Voting Record for the first session of the 111th Congress, available at www.aauwaction.org, outline the AAUW priority issues that became law in 2009.
Last year, AAUW was instrumental in the passage of several pieces of legislation, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provides funding for job training, a $500 Pell grant increase, and an unemployment insurance increase.
"Overall, AAUW is pleased to report that Washington has heard the concerns of American women and taken the right steps toward addressing some of our nation's most serious problems with respect to economic security, work-life balance, education, and civil rights," said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. "However, much work remains to be done as we push for sustainable change and equity for women and girls."
"Our assessments of both the administration and Congress will serve as valuable tools to help inform the political debate and will assist voters as they participate in 2010 primary elections," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations. "As a nonpartisan organization with members in every Congressional district, our main goals with these publications are to highlight significant achievements of the past year and to hold our elected and appointed officials accountable."
The Congressional Voting Record and The Obama Administration's First Year: A Progress Report on AAUW Priority Issues include the following highlights:
- The Congressional Voting Record provides AAUW members and the public with critical information on how their members of Congress voted on issues affecting women and girls in 2009. New this year, AAUW also scores legislators on their co-sponsorship of key legislation. When a member co-sponsors a bill, it demonstrates initiative on and commitment to the issue and gives the bill momentum. Our 2009 successes include House passage of the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act, Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, and more than 100 House co-sponsors of the Healthy Families Act, which would provide employees seven paid sick-leave days per year. Disappointments include the House Stupak vote, Senate efforts to advance school vouchers, and Senate failure to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
- The Obama Administration's First Year: A Progress Report on AAUW Priority Issues delves into issues of pay equity, job security, reproductive rights, education, and work-life balance. It offers a close look at the administration's progress and identifies areas in which more work can be done. The administration's first-year successes include the launch of Educate to Innovate, a campaign to improve math and science education; the confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina and third woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court; and the creation of the White House Council on Women and Girls, which keeps issues related to gender equity at the forefront of the executive branch. AAUW was disappointed with the Obama administration's lack of public support for the Paycheck Fairness Act and silence over the Stupak amendment to the health care reform bill, as well as their support for continued federal funding for private school vouchers. AAUW is further concerned with the administration's surprisingly slow pace on judicial and executive branch nominations; the Senate's advice and consent role notwithstanding, the administration must take a stronger stand with respect to filling these vital positions.
