URGENT ACTION ALERTS

VAWA Calls Urgently Needed; Fatherhood Bill Advances

November 4, 1999

VAWA CALLS URGENTLY NEEDED

Please Take Action:

Your help in calling a key House committee is urgently needed. Congress will be in session only until November 10th. Without re-authorization of all Violence Against Women programs, funding will expire at the end of fiscal year 2000 (on Oct. 1). As of today, the House of Representatives has not acted upon H.R. 1248, the VAWA Reauthorization bill which would extend programs for five years and fully fund them

H.R. 1248 is currently in the House Judiciary Committee  -- which must finalize the bill in committee before sending it to a floor vote by the full House of Representatives. Please call the Majority staff office at (202) 225-3951 and strongly urge them to schedule a mark-up session for H.R. 1248.  Let them know that the lives of many battered women may be saved by continuing these important and successful programs.

"FATHERHOOD" BILL ADVANCES

Our recent Action Alert told you about a bill that would funnel more than $150 million to men's custody groups and right-wing religious groups. That measure (the Fathers Count Act of 1999 - formerly H.R. 3073, but slated to get a new bill number) emerged from the House Ways and Means Committee last week and, reportedly, will go to the floor early week, probably on Tuesday, Nov. 9th.  Some of the organizations who stand to receive multi-million federal grants include the National Fatherhood Institute and the so-called Childrens' Rights Council, a men's custody organization, whose work has been instrumental in the movement to take custody away from mothers.

The Fathers Count Act purports to help poor men who owe child support by funding counseling and job training services.  It would require programs to promote marriage as a solution to poverty. Yet we know that family violence is a major factor in keeping women poor; study after study has demonstrated that fact.  Promoting marriage, for many poor women, is a dangerous policy.

The Fathers Count is a superficial, political gesture that will not effectively address our profound national problem of poverty.  It will not be solved by giving money to biased, professionally unqualified "men's rights" groups and right wing religious organizations.

NOW supports provisions in the bill that would pass through more child support directly to poor families, but the remainder of the Fathers Count Act is objectionable and should not be approved by the House. A number of welfare-to-work provisions that take needed (but small) steps towards improving educational and training opportunities were stripped out of the bill and may be brought to the floor separately. We will keep you updated on that. In the meantime, please call your House member and urge him/her to vote against the Fathers Count Act. Thanks for your help.

Please call your Representative now to urge defeat of H.R. 3073; the main switchboard number is (202) 225-3121 or you can check the website for Congress at thomas.loc.gov for email and fax numbers. Please act today.

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