Women In Government strives to have more women state legislators make ESO issues a top priority during this legislative session.
Cruz | Chesterfield l Bellock l Chun Oakland l Errington l Orrock l Rosen
Peña-Melnyk l Tlaib l Keeley l Vinehout l Marrero
Representative Janet Cruz (D-FL)
Women In Government Involvement:
Representative Cruz is a State Director for Women In Government. She recently attended the 19th Annual State Directors' & Tenth Biennial First Term Legislators' Conference.
Legislative Activity and Profile:
From Representative Cruz:
"As a working single mother raising two children, I knew firsthand how difficult the struggle was to work to provide for my children when they were younger. I know how difficult it can be to make decisions for your family when you do not have a lot of options available to you. My struggles to make ends meet when I was a young mother still resonate with me today. I do understand what so many Floridians and American families are going through as they make tough choices today.
Because of my own experiences, I decided to become a legislator to try to help others who need a step up. I am constantly reminded of this when I am in Tallahassee and at home in my district in Tampa. Economic development and opportunities have guided my interests and actions as a member of the Florida House of Representatives.
For the past two years I have filed legislation to give Florida businesses a tax break when they engage in business with smaller business within the state. Basically, this gives the larger business a tax break while improving a smaller business’ bottom line and allowing them to hire new employees. It is a win-win for all businesses in Florida. We hope to see this bill pass during the 2013 Legislative Session.
I am also very proud to sponsor the Helen Gordon Davis Fair Pay Protection Act, House Bill 613. Named after a pioneer female lawmaker in Florida, this bill requires equal pay for equal work for women. It also establishes the Governor's Recognition Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace; an award that would be made annually to businesses that have engaged in activities that eliminate barriers to equal pay for equal work for women.
At home in Tampa for the past three years, my office has successfully hosted a large job fair in the district. This known event brings over 100 employers and over 1,000 job seekers together to provide opportunities for employment. As one of the first members of the Florida House to host such an event, I am proud to say that many other representatives have followed my example and have hosted their own job fairs in their district.
It is an honor and a privilege to represent my constituents in Florida. My goal has been to work hard to keep my promises of making the lives of constituents in the district better. The fight will continue for a better life for all Floridians."
Senator Linda Chesterfield (D-AR)
Women In Government Involvement:
Senator Chesterfield recently attended the 13th Annual Southern Regional Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.
Legislative Activity:
Senator Linda Pondexter Chesterfield is a freshman senator for Arkansas. She is the chair of the Transportation, Technology and Legislative Affairs Committee. As the chairperson, she fought and compromised with committee members to secure the passage of legislation that will allow the state to improve the state’s highway infrastructure which is the key to economic growth in the state.
She also sponsored legislation that provided a tax exemption to single heads of households who have two or more children. Other legislation she supported aims to help children of color who attend school in the Delta (one of the poorest areas of the state). In order to prepare these children with the skills that will ensure their economic success, Senator Chesterfield sponsored legislation to support Student Success Centers at Pulaski Technical College (a two-year institution in her district). Many children at Pulaski Technical College are first generation college goers, like the Senator herself and she wants to give them every opportunity to succeed. As the Senator states “Education and economic growth are inextricably intertwined as we move forward in Arkansas to reach our full potential as a state.”
Representative Helene M. Keeley (D-DE)
Women In Government Involvement:
Representative Keeley is a State Director for Women In Government. She recently attended the Third Annual Energy Summit and the 13th Annual Eastern Regional Conference, & Outreach to Vulnerable Populations.
Legislative Activity:
Representative Keeley works hard to champion the needs of her constituents on financial issues. She sponsored House Bill (H.B.) 303 that focused on curtailing the potentially predatory lending practices associated with anticipated tax refunds. Anticipation lending involves a loan in which a taxpayer borrows money based on the estimated value of his or her annual tax return. Representative Keeley attributes the lack of legislative consumer protection safeguards as a principle reason why these loans have threatened the economic stability and well being of Delaware’s residents.
As a dedicated member of the State Poverty Task Force, Representative Keeley proposes legislation that is focused on ensuring the economic success for Delaware families. Keeley is a representative of an entirely urban area, and as such she recognizes the needs of her constituents and is enthusiastically working to ameliorate the economic effects of predatory lending in her district.
Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-WI)
Women In Government Involvement:
Representative Vinehout is a member of Women In Government and a former State Director. She has enjoyed being a member of WIG and attending WIG events.
Legislative Activity:
Senator Kathleen Vinehout, has worked to protect the financial well being of her constituents. She proposed The Student Credit Protection Bill (S.B. 525). This legislation is made to secure the future financial literacy of young adults. The Bill is intended to educate students about credit card debt and assist them in avoiding potential predatory tactics from credit card companies. The first step in achieving this goal is restricting the access credit card companies have to students. As outlined in Vinehout’s bill, the offering of any tangible item to induce a student to apply for or participate in an open−end credit plan is strictly prohibited. Additionally, companies will be prohibited from engaging in any marketing of a credit card that involves the physical presence of an individual representing the credit card issuer on campus.
The second important step is financial literacy for college students. A key component to the bill requires each institution of higher education to provide on its Website information about financial literacy. This will ensure that future generations of college graduates will not only be equipped with the academic knowledge to build a career, but the financial literacy to manage their earnings.
Senator Beverly Marrero (D-TN)
Women In Government Involvement:
Senator Beverly Marrero is a State Director for Women in Government. She regularly attends the Southern Regional, Conference and adds constructive insight to a variety of topics discussed there.
Legislative Activity:
Senator Marrero has proposed many bills associated with securing the economic success and opportunities of her Tennessee constituents. Notably she sponsored Senate Bill (S.B.) 94, which is a Consumer Protection act and as introduced, requires any gift card or prepaid card issued as payment of a rebate to contain an expiration date conspicuously printed on the card. She also sponsored S.B. 93, which protects the identity and credit of constituents by imposing civil and criminal penalties against certain persons who knowingly fail to perform credit card or debit card identification checks at the point of sale. During this fiscal recession, her legislation S.B. 1487 creates a pilot project in Shelby County for voluntary mediation prior to the foreclosure of loans entered into under such act. Along the same lines, her S.B. 1613, extends time for foreclosure notice and requires notice be given to borrower of foreclosure counseling as well as requires mortgage loans be based upon ability of borrower to repay such loans. These bills mark primary examples why we at WIG have named Senator Marrero a Family Economic Success Champion.
Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
Women In Government Involvement:
Representative Rashida Tlaib is a proud member of Women In Government. She attended the 18th Annual Midwestern Regional Conference this past year.
Legislative Activity:
Representative Tlaib was elected to represent Michigan’s 12th District in 2008. She made history by becoming the first Muslim woman elected to the Michigan Legislature. Currently, she serves on the Appropriations Committee and the subcommittees on Human Services, Judiciary, and Community Health, the latter two of which she serves as Democratic Vice Chair.
Representative Tlaib helped pass important legislation that provides a 90-day lifeline to families in danger of losing their home. Under the new law, lenders must work with you to avoid foreclosure.
During these hard financial times, Representative Tlaib created a free tax preparation program and tax foreclosure outreach plan that helps teach families to save money and prevent those at risk from losing their homes to foreclosure. The office had provided free tax preparation services to over 1,000 low-income families and seniors. Every year, she and others help hundreds obtain tax credits, including Michigan home heating credit, property tax (homestead) credit, and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
To help protect seniors, low-income tenants, and homeowners, Representative Tlaib’s tax preparation office partnered with local community organizations and the County Treasurer’s Office to help homeowners in danger of foreclosure. She obtains the list of homes at risk and then reaches out to the families with a list of options for free counseling and legal assistance.
Delegate Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (D-MD)
Women In Government Involvement:
Delegate Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk has been an ardent supporter and participant of Women In Government programs for years. She is the Eastern Regional Director on Women In Government’s (WIG) Board of Directors. She has attended such events as WIG’s 16th Annual State Directors' Conference and the 13th Annual Eastern Regional Conference just this past year.
Legislative Activity:
Member of House of Delegates since January 10, 2007, Delegate Peña-Melnyk is on the Health and Government Operations Committee, the government operations subcommittee, and the Chair of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Committee. She is also a member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, and the Women Legislators of Maryland.
Recently, Delegate Peña-Melnyk proposed House Bill (H.B.) 235, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity with regard to housing and employment. This critical step establishes the right of all people to be granted an equal opportunity when applying for housing or filling out an employment application.
This legislative cycle, Delegate Peña-Melnyk also proposed H.B. 298, which establishes that any agreement between an employer and employee in which the employee is required to work for less than the minimum wage required by law is void. By safeguarding the fair wages of working citizens, this legislation focuses on enforcing fair business practices and ensures the financial security of many Americans. This legislation recently passed the House Committee on Labor and Employment and was sent to the Senate Committee for approval on March 7, 2011.
Representative Kim Rosen (R-ME)
Women In Government Involvement:
Kimberley Rosen of Bucksport is serving her fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives and has been with Women In Government for seven years. In 2011 Representative Rosen became the Chair of the Board of Directors for Women In Government.
Legislative Activity:
Recently, this 2011 legislative cycle, Representative Rosen proposed Legislative Reference (L.R.) 1965. In order to help small businesses which may be experiencing economic hardship due to unfair credit card company contracts, L.R. 1965 addresses such credit card contractual problems as: high interchange fees; the ability of merchants to choose what cards they will accept in their stores; and the setting of minimum amounts for credit card purchases. This act is concerned with protecting and supporting small businesses in Maine – businesses that help supply jobs for constituents and secure the financial well being of Maine’s families.
Representative Rosen was appointed to the Transportation Committee and the Ethics Committee and was also elected to the domestic violence board Next Step. In addition she was elected Vice Chair of the National Organization of Women Legislators.
Representative Patti Bellock (R-IL)
Women In Government Involvement:
Representative Patti Bellock is a long-time member of Women In Government. She currently serves on our Board of Directors as the Midwestern Regional Director. She was an original member of the 2003 “Assisting Low Income Families” Task Force meeting. It was at this meeting that Rep. Bellock saw an Annie E. Casey Foundation video on predatory lending that motivated her to work on FES issues.
In 2005, Rep. Bellock spearheaded the Payday Loan Reform Act which has helped citizens of Illinois save more than $20 million in loan fees and interest charges. Rep. Bellock has spoken nationally on the issue of predatory lending and serves as co-President of the Illinois Conference of Women Legislators (COWL) and Vice-Chairperson of Human Services Committee. She is frequently asked to speak on predatory lending issues including with WIG, most recently at our March 9, 2009 FES Conference Call. Rep. Bellock was also a participant in the WIG FES Task Force in June 2008.
Legislative Activity:
In 2008 Rep. Bellock focused on closing loopholes in the 2005 Payday Loan Reform Act with Senate Bill 1993. The original version of the bill removed “the term of 120 days or less” from the definition of products subject to the Payday Loan Reform Act ensuring that the Act covers all payday loans. The bill also restored the ability of the consumer to prepay their loans without penalty.
After numerous open meetings with all the major industry representatives, it was recognized that the Consumer Installment Loan Act (CILA) was the root of the Illinois loopholes. Rep. Bellock and other consumer advocates amended the legislation to also regulate CILA, however, the new version did not have enough support in the House Executive Committee to pass.
Rep. Bellock has also co-sponsored House Bill 2319 to increase the percentage of the earned income tax credit from 5% of the federal tax credit to 7.5% in 2009 and 10% in 2010 and thereafter. In March 2009 HB 2319 passed the Revenue and Finance Committee and went to the full House for debate.
In order to impact FES issues on a national level, Rep. Bellock sponsored HR 0113, a resolution that urged Congress to ensure that the funds associated with the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) be allocated to financial institutions that will use the funds for new single-family home mortgages or to refinance existing single-family home mortgages. This resolution was adopted on April 22, 2009 by the Illinois State House.
Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland (D-HI)
Legislative Activity:
Hawai`i State Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland has introduced measures to help families save and build their assets so they are able to have choice and control in their lives. According to Chun Oakland, for women, men and families, assets are essential to have financial security in difficult times, to create economic opportunities for oneself, and to leave a legacy for future generations.
In January 2009, Chun Oakland introduced SB 790, a bill to provide a refundable state earned income tax credit (EITC) equivalent to 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit. The bill was deferred by the Committee on Human Services. Since 2006, she has introduced a comprehensive package of bills that encourage and widen opportunities for Hawai`i families to build their assets. These measures include: expanding individual development accounts; establishing microenterprise funding; creating a self-employment assistance program; assisting with down-payment loan assistance; and increasing support for family self-sufficiency and Section 8 voucher programs.
Over the years, Chun Oakland has been instrumental in the successful passage of the following: a grant-in-aid to establish VITA sites across the state; a study conducted by the auditor’s office to analyze the regulation of the predatory and pay day lending industry; funding for Section 8 and Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) homeownership programs to help families transition off rental assistance directly into homeownership; exempting FSS escrow accounts that help families buy homes from benefit eligibility tests; the establishment of a self-sufficiency standard by the State Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; splitting of state tax refunds to assist taxpayers with saving and building their assets; the establishment of a State Asset Building Task Force; and funding federal earned income tax outreach and assistance. Senator Gary Hooser, Senator Mike Gabbard, Representative John Mizuno, Representative Maile Shmabukuro, Representative Karl Rhoads, and Representative Karen Awana were also a part of Hawai`i's Asset Building legislative team with Chun Oakland.
Presently, Chun Oakland is the co-chair of the State Asset Building Task Force that consists of more than 40 members from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors who are charged with developing policy recommendations on financial education for public and private sector employees and in K-12 grades in schools; the elimination of asset limits; and the establishment of universal children’s savings accounts.
Senator Sue Errington (D-IN)
Women in Government Involvement:
Former Senator Sue Errington was elected to the Indiana State Senate in November of 2006. She is a member of Women In Government and has attended several WIG conferences over the past couple years. In winter 2009, WIG profiled Senator Errington as a FES champion in our newsletter “The Legislative Voice.”
Legislative Activity:
Former Senator Sue Errington and fellow WIG member Representative Terri Austin (D-IN) have been leading a bipartisan, bicameral group on FES issues called “Growing Middle Class Coalition.” The Coalition received media attention in March 2009 from the IndyStar.com highlighting their work to help middle-income and lower-income families.
One of the pieces of legislation that the Indy Star article highlights is Senator Errington’s Senate Bill 260, which creates a commission on childhood poverty. The goal of this commission is to decrease Indiana childhood poverty statistics by 50% by 2020. The bill died in the House but was inserted into SB 365 during conference committee. It passed and became SEA 365.
This past session, the Growing the Middle Class Coalition worked on legislation for lifelong learning accounts (LiLAs), a small business health insurance pool, elder care, child and dependent care income tax credits, and increasing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) asset limits. The Coalition continues to be active and members will introduce bills to promote family economic success again next session.
Errington supported a financial literacy bill, HEA 1581, and was the Senate sponsor of HEA 1133, calling for a state employee pay equity study. She co-sponsored a LiLAs bill that unfortunately did not leave committee.
Senator Nan Orrock (D-GA)
Women In Government Involvement:
Senator Orrock has been a member of Women In Government since 1998 and is active in regional conferences and meetings. She is a member of WIG's Board of Directors.
Legislative Activity:
In 2008, Senator Orrock sponsored Senate Bill 531, a bill relating to foreclosure on mortgages, conveyances to secure debt, and liens, so as to require a foreclosure to be conducted by the current owner or holder of the mortgage. The Bill was signed into law on May 13, 2008.
When asked about the legislation, Senator Orrock commented “The foreclosure crisis hits at the very core of our American spirit. Foreclosures burden the families involved, disadvantage the entire community by impacting home values, and erode the tax base for the city and county, which in turn impairs services. We all have a stake in addressing the foreclosure crisis and I devoted myself to efforts that produced Senate Bill 531, a step forward, and secured a commitment to undertake a fuller study of policy remedies for next year.”
In 2009 Senator Orrock has continued to speak about the foreclosure crisis including sponsoring Senate Bill 57, the Georgia Fair Lending Act. This piece of legislation changes definitions providing limitations on home loans and high interest home loans and calls for limitations on fees for related filing matters. Sen. Orrock was quoted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on January 27, 2009 that this bill was “a good faith, bi-partisan effort” to address the foreclosure crisis. She continued by saying “It’s time to get away from blaming the homeowners.”
