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Dear ,
As a board member of the Women Legislators of Maryland, a Caucus of the Maryland General Assembly, we work in a bipartisan manner on issues facing women in our state.
Recently, we had an all-day retreat to set our priorities for 2016. One of the issues we are focusing on this year is financial literacy. Women are outliving men and taking over the finances of the family and are often not prepared to do so. The goal is to work with the groups such as the Department of Aging, AARP, women's commissions, and churches. Women are also the head of the household in the majority of single parent families.
We also discussed the fact that the number of women running for public office is decreasing and women are proportionately underrepresented in elected office, both in Maryland and throughout the nation, at all levels of government.
The Women's Caucus is working to identifying the obstacles to women running for office and supporting women candidates.
During the 2015 General Assembly Session, the Women's Caucus focused our efforts on reducing domestic violence and licensure for Nurse Midwives.
I co-sponsored
HB 9 Maryland Licensure of Direct-Entry Midwives Act, that will allow women to give birth at home legally. In the past, when certified professional midwives attended births in Maryland they were operating outside the law. This bill createed a licensing process for certified professional midwives to practice in homes. Women should have the ability to choose where they give birth and who attends that birth.
We had success on the following legislation reducing domestic violence:
Domestic Violence - Additional Relief
This bill expanded the relief available in a final protective order by authorizing a judge to order "any other relief that a judge determines is necessary to protect a person eligible for relief from abuse." This change in the law will provide greater protection and flexibility and address the individual needs and circumstances of victims and their families.
Domestic Violence - Persons Eligible for Relief
This bill expanded the "persons eligible for relief" in the protective order statute to include "an individual who has had a sexual relationship with the respondent within 1 year before filing of the petition." This provides more protection for victims/survivors of sex crimes and dating violence by moving these cases from the peace order to the protective order.
Domestic Violence - 2-Year Protective Order
Clarified that extensions of protective orders applies to consent orders.
Please see the link below which will help you understand what domestic violence is, the different types, who is the victim vs who is the abuser. The site will also offer additional information and resources.
During our next Women's Caucus meeting we will be finalizing our 2016 legislative priorities. Please let me know if you have any other additional suggestions for us to consider.
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