“This is a welcome and long overdue step toward fair and equal treatment of women who volunteer for their country in the Peace Corps,” said Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, in a statement about the committee’s action to repeal the restriction. “It would finally give Peace Corps volunteers the same abortion coverage as other women who get their health insurance through the federal government. It’s about time.”
Vicki Shabo, a vice president at the National Partnership, says federal laws should be considered only a first step and are something states should improve upon, but “change has been slow,” she says. “So many states are failing their families.”
One in three U.S. states are getting a failing grade when it comes to offering laws that support new working mothers and fathers, according to a study by the National Partnership for Women & Families, an advocacy group.
Statement of Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families
National Partnership for Women & Families Annual Luncheon is Thursday, June 26
The Golden State came out on top in a new state-by-state survey of family-protection laws for new parents, earning an A-minus in the study’s letter-grade ranking. Conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families, the analysis looks at laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, called the proposal “a very welcome pro-family step that makes our country more fair and family friendly.”
In Advance of Monday’s White House Summit on Working Families, New State-by-State Analysis Reinforces Compelling Need for Congress to Act
Statement of Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families
In the third edition of the National Partnership for Women and Families report, which was first done in 2005 and then in 2012, the partnership found there has been more progress when it comes to policies that help working parents.
Statement of Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families
“We know that millions of women in virtually every occupation are paid less than men,” says Vicki Shabo, a vice president at the National Partnership for Women and Families. “The gender pay gap wage differential is a tremendous and enduring problem, not just for women being paid less but for families’ economic security. This has lasting impacts throughout the year.”
Worker rights groups and others are campaigning for an expansion of paid sick leave rights in the private sector. So far, mandates on paid sick days have primarily been taken up by local governments, with San Francisco in 2006 becoming the first U.S. city to require it, according to the Washington-based National Partnership for Women and Families.
“Patients want to share relevant health information with their provider and they want some control over their records,” said Mark Savage, director of health IT policy and programs for the National Partnership for Women and Families.
A 2013 report from the National Partnership for Women & Families found that Seattle has the largest gender wage gap among big U.S. cities.
“This additional time should be used to strengthen the Meaningful Use program and ensure that it is designed and implemented in ways that meet the needs of patients and families across the nation and improve their healthcare experience,” Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, said in prepared remarks.
Statement of Vicki Shabo, Vice President, National Partnership for Women & Families
“We recognize that the work is not simple or easy but at the same time, it is disappointing that, once again, patients and families will have to wait to realize many of the benefits of health IT,” says Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families.