Sara Horan and Bill Davis – NWSOFA Chapter Co-Leads
Some good news and
Some more good news!
We are celebrating some good news and more good news!
The latest effort to repeal and replace the ACA with a truly horrible bill was DOA in the Senate, again!! Thanks to Keith Moens, ACA Lead, who made sure we kept calling targeted Senators everyday! This fight is not over but it sure is nice to breath again. Sometimes our efforts seem to be futile but they are not. We have to remain vigilant.
The second victory was Gov. Rauner finally signed IL HB 40 which contains language that will ensure abortion remains legal in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is overturned. More importantly, HB 40 would also require taxpayer funding of abortion for low income women through Illinois’ Medicaid program. This is a huge win for women’s reproductive rights. Thanks to Sue and Florence, Stand with Women Leads, who made sure we were calling the Governor to pressure him to sign. Yeah!
This past weekend our Fellows Manager, Kathy Westburg, completed the Orientation Training for our 6 new Fall Fellows. What a great, diverse group who are so excited to be a part of an excellent network of OFA Fellows across the country. They have over 400 nationally participating in the 6 week training. We welcome Laura DeWitt, Hannah Kraus, Gillian Losh, Skylar Moran, Ed Spire and Abidemi Adelbamiwa to our NWSOFA Family!
We have targeted actions going on with all our teams. So hope you can join us and know it really does make a difference for so many. This week we have a great SWW Mtg. on domestic violence on Tue. at the DesPlaines Library. Sat. the Climate Change team will be joining the Solar Tour of 3 homes in Arlington Hts. be sure to sign up to get the map.
We always love getting new folks to join us.
Sara Salvato Horan
847-372-5594
.
NWSOFA Fall Fellows 2017
Join the NWSOFA Team as we protect the gains we made
over the last 8 years and move our
Progressive social issues forward in 2017 … Sara & Bill
We are joining with Sierra Club and ISEA to tour homes in Arlington Hts. that have installed solar panels. Wonder what it is like to be powered by your own residential Solar System. On October 7, plan to tour some of the many homes and small businesses in the area that have done just than. This event is free and open to the public. Complete information at ISEA website. If you cannot make the tour or want to dive deeper into the subject, Sierra Club member and Solar Ambassador Peter Gorr will be presenting “Powering Your Home with the Sun” September 17 and October 10th. Contact Peter Gorr for details. After touring 3 homes we’ll meet at Frontier Park for your thoughts on the tour and next steps in our Mayors for 100% Project.
Support Indivisible ACA Signup Project in sharing this message.
Jail and Re-entry Connection Breakfast
NWSOFA Partner Event: Willow Creek Community Church Prison, Jail & Re-entry Connection Breakfast!
Saturday October 7 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
in Arlington Heights
Join us for the Willow Creek Community Church Prison, Jail & Re-entry Connection Breakfast!
Building B, Room B100, Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Rd., South Barrington, IL 60010
For the first half of the October 7th gathering, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, we welcome attorney, Hannah Garst, who will be talking about recent legislation passed in Illinois which impacts the rules on expungement and sealing of criminal records.
On August 24th, Governor Rauner signed into law Illinois HB 2373, which expands sealing to more felony convictions. Felonies that were once ineligible to be sealed are now eligible. Consider bringing those you know who need to learn more for a brief overview of the law.
As we continue our morning, we all know, re-entry poses all kinds of challenges, from housing to jobs and everything in between. But one of the most challenging areas needing our attention is that of restoration.
The brokenness of families due to violence and continued patterns of aggression leaves a wake of pain and suffering that impacts, children, parents, siblings, and the returning citizens themselves who were the offenders in the crimes. But instead of seeing victims everywhere we look, there is a strong movement to raise up survivors with supportive acts of restoration and healing.
Join us during the second half of the morning, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, as we pack healing gift bags and hear stories from survivors of violence and read the words shared by the incarcerated expressing their hope for forgiveness.
Funding and outreach for the Affordable Care Act has been cut.
We’re using the power of the Indivisible Movement and its supporters and friends to help spread the word about the open enrollment period so that more people have a chance to access affordable health insurance on the federal and state exchanges for 2018.
Come get the facts about the economic recovery in Illinois and nationally and the status of ongoing appropriations challenges at the national level. Increase your understanding of how recent news about the economy and fiscal (spending and tax) policy issues affect you and others. This fall Congress will pass spending appropriations for the fiscal year that began on Sunday. (We are currently operating on a continuing resolution through December that avoided a government shutdown.) Congress will also consider various tax changes. Get educated about these issues.
We have added about 2.1 million jobs nationally in the last 12 months (through August), with 156,000 jobs added in August. In August the (U-3) unemployment rate was at 4.4%, while the U-6 rate was 8.6%. The U-6 rate is down from a high of 17.1% during the downturn and is close to the 8.4% rate in the fall of 2007 before the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009.
In addition to our usual update, we will also be discussing Republican tax cut proposals:
– President Trump’s outline
– Scoring by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
— http://www.crfb.org/blogs/big-6-tax-framework-could-cost-22-trillion- Scoring by the Tax Policy Center
— http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/24-trillion-big-six-tax-plan-modest-middle-income-tax-cuts-big-benefits-rich
— http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/six-takeaways-white-house-and-hill-gops-big-six-tax-plan
– Washington Post
— https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/09/28/fact-checking-president-trumps-tax-speech-in-indianapolis/?utm_term=.6e932a7fe71b
— https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/09/29/trump-aides-sell-tax-plan-with-pinocchio-laden-claims/?utm_term=.763c505d33e6
I anticipate a lively discussion of the Republicans’ tax cut proposals.
Bring your articles and other topics. Come join us for some exciting discussions.
Then come join us for continued discussions at Lou Malnati’s after 9:30 pm. While OFA may not be political, we can discuss the politics of what is happening now at Lou’s.
The GVP Issues team has been working for over four years keep the conversation about gun violence going forward to take action to change our laws with the goal of creating safer communities for everyone, including our law enforcement officers, in our state and nation. We hold 90 minute planning meetings typically (some exceptions) on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. If you are interested in working to reduce gun violence in America, we invite you to our next meeting. Registration is preferred as seating is sometimes limited.
to help shine a light on the dark shadow of gun violence in America
IWMF LOBBY DAY
NWSOFA
Partner Event: IWMF Lobby Day
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
State Capitol Springfield, IL
Hello “Illinois Women Moving Forward” Organizations,
A few months ago, Planned Parenthood reserved the capitol rotunda on October 25th just in case legislation important to women would be considered during Veto Session. It looks like we have three items coming up later this month:
· HB 2462 veto override (amends the Illinois Equal Pay Act and ensures that employers cannot inquire about the salary history of potential job applicants)
· SB 33 (formerly SB 32; requires timely processing of certification for immigrant victims of crime who are seeking protections through a U or T visas)
· Ratification of the Equal Right Amendment
Would your organization like to participate in an IWMF Lobby Day on Wednesday, October 25th? If so, no later than NOON on Friday, October 6th, please reply with the estimated number of participants from your organization.
Tentative IWMF Lobby Day schedule:
11:00 am – packet pick up in rotunda
11:30 am – TBD program
12:00 pm – lobby legislators
2:00 pm – End
Transportation will not be provided. However, some groups are looking into options and may be able to coordinate with each other.
Lunch will be “on your own”. We will direct people to the Stratton cafeteria.
HJoin us in our work to ratify the ERA. Come with questions, answers, solutions, coalition partners please share fliers and other activities planned to GET THIS ERA DONE in Illinois once and for all. With HB40 passed we have momentum in Illinois! Plans for many actions between now and International Women’s Day in March will be discussed. See you there. YES WOMEN ARE EQUAL!.
“Hope is not blind optimism. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.” President Barack Obama
Thank You to our NWSOFA Issue Leads in 2015
Click on the above Image to see each lead and the issues they work on .._
