return to more recent accomplishments
Home and Community Based Healthcare – Actively worked and passed legislation creating Home and Community Based Healthcare Services.
Spousal Rape -- Drafted and lobbied through judiciary committees a bill to bring spouses under the protection of the general rape law.
Economic Coalition for Children – Put together a coalition of organizations from across the state, interested in the economic well-being of children, to alert and activate them concerning numerous pieces of legislation detrimental to children’s economic interest.
Victims’ Protection Act – Drafted and passed legislation that provides for an individual with a court order of protection regarding domestic violence to request that public utilities and government agencies keep records pertaining to their residence and location confidential.
Tennessee Economic Council on Women -- Drafted and passed legislation to establish the Tennessee Economic Council on Women. The council will address the economic concerns and needs of women, including but not limited to, employment policies and practices, educational needs and opportunities, childcare, property rights, healthcare, domestic relations, and the impact of federal and state laws.
Domestic Abuse Victims Protection Act-- Drafted and passed bill broadening the protection offered by Orders of Protection to include minors in the definition of victim, and to provide protection for adults or minors who are dating or who have dated or who have or have had a sexual relationship.
Domestic Violence Victims Health Insurance Protection Act -- Drafted and passed bill prohibiting health insurers from denying coverage or refusing to pay benefits to victims of domestic violence if the denial is based on the applicant’s status as an abuse victim.
Domestic Violence Act -- Drafted and passed bill creating Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council for the purpose of designing a domestic violence training course and curriculum for law enforcement and judicial personnel. The law requires continuing education in dealing with domestic violence cases.
Fairness in Appointments Act -- Drafted and passed bill providing for alternating appointments of women to the Tennessee Board of Education, Board of Regents, UT Board Trustees and Tennessee Higher Education Commission until membership on these board reflects the proportion of men and women in the population generally.
Reproductive Freedom -- Continued annual effort in concert with other organizations to resist further restriction on reproductive rights.
Sexual Harassment Act -- Passed bill defining sexual harassment and requiring that notice of the law be mailed to all employers in the state. The law also provides that workshops to prevent sexual harassment be made available to all state employees. Further, it creates workplace policies governing employee conduct on the issue.
Open Appointments Act -- Drafted and passed bill requiring Secretary of State to publish annually a directory of board and commissions and to publish monthly a listing of vacancies.
Homemaker Protection Act -- Drafted and passed bill to insure that during the course of divorce, homemaker’s contribution would be considered equally with contribution of wage earner in division of marital assets.
Appointments to Boards and Commissions -- Drafted and passed a resolution calling for gender and racial balance in future appointments to state boards and commissions.
Reproductive Freedom -- Joined with other organizations to support protection of reproductive rights for all women.
Dropout Prevention Act -- Drafted and passed bill in cooperation with League of Women Voters and obtained $600,000 in funding to establish school based child care centers for teen parents in the ten counties with the highest teen pregnancy rates.
Tennessee Child Care Facilities Loan Guarantee Corp -- Drafted and passed bill to establish Tennessee Child Care Facilities Loan Guarantee Corp. Obtained $1,000,000 in funding to guarantee loans for the startup and expansion of child care facilities.
Maternity Leave -- Drafted and passed bill to preserve the law by making it apply to pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing an infant, when applicable.
Homemaker Protection Marital Property Act -- Drafted and passed bill to reverse a law which created a presumption against equal division of marital property.
Marital Property -- Drafted and passed bill to insure that the marital estate includes property acquired up to the divorce hearing date and is not cut off as of the separation or filing date, and to make parties accountable for property dissipated in anticipation of filing or between filing and the hearing date.
Alimony -- Defeated a bill which would have made the rehabilitation alimony law apply retroactively to every divorce decree ever rendered.
Child Custody -- Defeated the amendment of a bill that appeared to instruct judges to order mothers and fathers to contribute equally to a child’s support regardless of disparity in earnings.
Maternity Leave -- Drafted and passed bill to give women up to four months unpaid maternity leave and allow them to return to their jobs without loss of benefits or seniority.
Child Custody -- Successfully amended unacceptable bill resulting in acceptable legislation.
Shelter Services -- Drafted and passed bill to provide shelter services to unmarried victims and their children.
Family Life Curriculum -- Helped persuade the State Board of Education to drop requirement for public hearings before implementation of the Family Life Curriculum.
Health Insurance -- Drafted and passed bill to improve availability of health insurance for divorced and widowed spouses and dependent children of group policyholders.
Protective Orders -- Drafted and passed bill to clarify court jurisdiction to issue protective orders.
Child Sexual Abuse -- Joined with others to successfully lobby passage of comprehensive child abuse legislation.
Child Support Enforcement -- Worked with sponsors to draft, amend and successfully pass vital legislation to help insure the payment of child support.
Shelter Funding -- Played large role in achieving legislation to fund shelter services for child abuse and domestic violence victims.
Standard of Need -- Helped secure increased medical and other benefits for poor women, children and families through support of AFDC Standard of Need Legislation.
Family Law Act -- Drafted and passed comprehensive family law legislation which provided for economic recognition of homemaker’s role as contribution to acquisition of assets of marriage, recognition of pension benefits as marital property, and more equitable distribution of property, alimony and child support.
Equality Legislation -- Drafted and passed bill to revise discriminatory laws to make them apply equally to both genders. |
