Women in the Halls Legislative Kickoff 1/8/09

I attended the Women in the Halls Legislative Kickoff party hosted by Planned Parenthood. There were several other co-sponsors including: ACLU of GA, Atlanta 9 to 5, Atlanta WAND, G-CAPP, League of Women Voters of GA, and the Sierra Club. This was a great event almost celebrating the influence of women in the GA legislature while spotlighting the advancements in public policy. Though the event was attended predominantly by women, there was a definite male presence from the public and legislators. Senators Nan Orock and Robert Brown received awards for their work on the Georgia Medical Privacy Act which was a constitutional amendment in 2008. Senator Orock also discussed the failure of the transit funding bill by 3 votes on the last evening of the last legislative session. She hopes the bill will pass this year.

Transit funding is an issue I'm passionate about and believe will improve our environment and create jobs. Moreover transit funding may align Georgia with President Obama's plans to renew America's infrastructure. Nikema Williams of Planned Parenthood offered all who attended an opportunity to become a citizen lobbyist. Every Wednesday at 9:00am at the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, room 306, Planned Parenthood and citizens of Georgia will lobby the legislature. There will be lobby training hosted by the ACLU's "By the People" program. Citizens will be briefed on pertinent legislation and how to lobby your elected officials. Then you'll be armed with talking points, facts sheets, and everything you need to articulate your views to members of the General Assembly.

Julie Edelson, the legislative consultant for PPGA discussed how the current budget shortfall may affect the populations they serve. Governor Perdue required that all state programs be cut by 6% and family planning funding was disproportionately slashed by 34%. She called the cut shortsighted, and said it will certainly result in increased rates of unintended pregnancies, teen pregnancies, abortions, high risk pregnancies and poor birth outcomes in our state. As a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Crawford Long Hospital, I see these populations every time I work. The funding is needed for this at-risk population of women. I support more funding and will fight to preserve it if elected.