ALERT:
2005 LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
THIS
IS YOUR YEAR TO SOAR WITH THE EAGLES! HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE –
LEGISLATION
101
Eagle Forum of California encourages every
member to get involved; it is our responsibility as U.S.
citizens. The goal in affecting public-policy debate is to present your
opinion on a given issue persuasively. The most common ways to directly
influence public policy include:
·
Write letters to elected officials. Sample letters
will be posted on this website to assist you.
·
Send e-mails and faxes to elected officials. Make
phone calls. E- mail is nice, but it's too easy to hit the delete button. We strongly
recommend sending faxes because it gives them something they have to hold in their
hands and READ.
·
Make phone calls. Be sure you understand the issue
and be prepared to support your position.
·
Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper.
·
Get involved in the actual election process by
voting, volunteer to work at election polling places, volunteer for local candidates
in their campaigns, serve as a party precinct committeeman or woman, or take that
step of faith and run for elective office.
·
Attend public meetings, hearings, school board
meetings, or issue forums.
·
Join a local Eagle Forum Chapter! Our Mission is to enable conservative and pro-family men and
women to participate in the process of self-government and public policy-making
so America
will continue to be a land that values individual liberty, respect for family
integrity, public and private virtue and private enterprise. Eagle Forum is a
non-partisan, non-sectarian organization of men and women who believe in God,
Family and Country. Eagle Forum members are dedicated to preserving the political,
economic and social principles upon which our Nation was founded. Our achievements
have proven that citizen-volunteers can determine government policies in the United States,
and effectively communicate to the public and the media the principles for which
we stand. Your membership will help lend credibility to our effort to Protect
our children for survival of America.
CALIFORNIA
LEGISLATION
AB 19 Homosexual Marriage - OPPOSE AB 19 (Leno)
Dubbed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, attempts to
circumvent Proposition 22, which says marriage is defined as one man, one
woman. AB 19 instead declares that marriage "is a personal relation
arising out of a civil contract between 2 persons."
AB 21 Pharmacists. Contraceptives - OPPOSE AB 21
(Levine) This bill prohibits pharmacists from declining to dispense
prescribed contraceptives or emergency contraceptives.
AB 33 Contact with Minor - SUPPORT
AB 33 (Runner) This bill would amend current law by raising the age from 12
to 16 related to the prohibition of adults luring children away for any
purpose. Further, the bill allows for the confiscation of the offender's
computer.
AB 103 School and Contraceptives - OPPOSE AB 103
(Cohn) This bill would prohibit any school district from preventing a health
clinic to come on campus for the sole purpose of distributing contraceptives
to students. There is no provision for notifying parents or rules that say
when or how the health clinic can have access to school grounds or to
students.
AB 171 Comprehensive Pupil Learning Support System - OPPOSE
AB 171 (Yee) This bill would create a learning system that includes
"braiding" education and social services into a single system in
order for students to be better learners, "good parents, good neighbors,
good workers, and good citizens of the world." The bill requires
teachers to address a wide-range of student problems, including social,
emotional, intellectual, and behavioral development "within the context
of the classroom." It includes expanding before-, during- and
after-school programs, as well as providing transitional support in moving
students from "post school living and work." It also requires that
schools establish an emergency crisis team, enhance home involvement,
increase outreach to the community, and provide training, screening, and
maintaining volunteers to assist school staff "in enhancing pupil
motivation and capability for school learning." Data collection
procedures, accountability reviews, and effective school mechanisms to assist
families with decision making are also part of the bill's stated goals.
AB 172 Universal Preschool - OPPOSE AB 172
(Chan) This bill is a four-page outline restating the Legislature's intent to
create a statewide universal preschool system based on several bills that
were sidelined last year. The bill states that California should offer a state-funded
preschool system for all families regardless of income. This system is to
based on public school standards, pay preschool teachers at the same rate as
public school teachers, connect families to a variety of other resources
including health care, and integrate preschool with "full-time daycare
as seamlessly as possible."
ACA 3 Marriage. One Man, One Woman
- SUPPORT ACA 3 (Haynes) This bill would place an initiative on
the ballot amending the state Constitution to provide that only marriage
between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. It further limits the rights,
responsibilities, benefits, and obligations of marriage to a man and a woman.
SCA 1 is an exact duplicate of ACA 3, but was introduced in the Senate.
ACR 1 Stem-Cell Conflict-of-Interest - OPPOSE
ACR1 (Negrete-McLeod) This resolution would urge the newly formed stem-cell
commission willingly to develop "robust conflict-of-interest standards
for its members," that these standards be in "compliance with the
standards" of open-meeting laws, and that the commission "report to
the Legislature" regarding the implementation of the Assembly's
resolution. (A resolution has no force or effect of law; it merely states the
wishes of the Assembly.)
AJR 3 Abortion. Celebrating Roe v. Wade - OPPOSE
AJR 3 (Cohn) This is a "joint resolution" stating that both houses
of California's
Legislature urge Congress and the President to "protect and uphold the
intent and substance of" Roe v. Wade (abortion). The original version of
the resolution, which was amended January 13, also "encourage(d) all
Americans to participate in the national celebration" of the "March
for Women's Lives."
SB 18 Stem Cell. Amendments to
Initiative - SUPPORT (Ortiz) The intent of this bill should be
supported; however, do so with caution and even with a little suspicion
because of the circumstances. SB 18 seeks to amend Proposition 71 by
requiring that the newly formed stem-cell commission submit to open-meeting
laws, requiring doctors to disclose to women receiving fertility treatment
that unused eggs can be used for research and receive consent from the woman
before her discarded eggs are used, and further requires that the state
participate in any profits realized from the use of public funds. Forget for
the moment that the original initiative passed by the people, Prop. 71,
specifically prohibits any amendments or changes by the state Legislature for
a period of three years (any changes must be approved by the voters since the
initial proposition was by the people.) The bill's author actively campaigned
for Prop. 71 but failed to raise her concerns during the campaign. Yet she
now says that the initiative "falls glaringly short in providing key
protections to the public's pocketbook" and "is silent on issues of
public accountability and oversight." Senator Deborah Ortiz
recently made known her plans to run for statewide office in two years and
said she has hired a press secretary to raise her name recognition in the
state.
SB 60 Driver License. Illegal Immigrants - OPPOSE SB 60
(Cedillo) This is a repeat of two previous attempts to legalize drivers'
licenses for illegal immigrants. The bill repeals state law that now requires
a person applying for a driver's license to submit a social security card or
other identification that shows proof that the person is in the United States
legally. Instead, SB 60 requires the DMV to accept various forms of other
identification issued by foreign countries as to the identity of a person. It
also requires fingerprints for criminal background checks. However, the bill
does not include provisions for a license that is different in any manner
from that carried by legal residents. This has been a sticking point with
Gov. Schwarzenegger in the past
SCA 1 Marriage. One Man, One Woman
- SUPPORT SCA 1 (Morrow) This is a Constitutional amendment that
would place an initiative on the ballot amending the state Constitution to
provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized
in California.
It further limits the rights, responsibilities, benefits, and obligations of
marriage to a man and a woman. ACA 3 is an exact duplicate of SCA 1, but was
introduced in the Assembly.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION
Pro-life members of Congress have reintroduced legislation
requiring women be informed about the pain their unborn children will
experience if they undergo late-term abortions.
Sen. Sam Brownback, R.-Kan., and Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J., introduced on
consecutive days the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, S. 51 in the Senate and
H.R. 356 in the House of Representatives. Brownback offered his bill with 31
cosponsors Jan. 26, one day after Smith presented his measure. The House bill
has 85 cosponsors.
The bill has two provisions: 1) An abortion doctor would have to provide a
woman at least 20 weeks into pregnancy with scientific evidence about the
severe pain her unborn child would experience during the procedure and 2) if
the woman still decides to have an abortion, the doctor would be required to
offer anesthesia for her unborn baby in order to reduce his pain.
Angela M. Azevedo
Secretary/State Legislative Director
Eagle Forum of California
916/683-6183
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