Fall 1979

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Spring 1980

You Think It's Pretty, But... Happy Birthday, LWV! Local League News League at the Legislature Call to Council D.C. Voting Rights: Update Chance to Choose Water Resources Voters Service 1980 Kudos from the Governor New Publication Taking Notice

League at the Legislature For the next few months, a considerable amount of League time and effort will focus on the State Legislature. Our top priority, as described in the fall issue of Leo liana, is ratification of the D.C. Voting Rights Amendment (for update, see accompanying article). This does not mean, however, that we will be neglecting other areas of League interest. We plan to testify, as we are able, on legislation in the following areas: Campaign Finance: We generally support bills by Senator Mary George and Common Cause, which attempt to close a loophole in the reporting of campaign contributions. Initiative: We support a bill for initiative which passed the Senate last year and is still alive in the House. Our position favors direct initiative, but this is the best we can get at this time. Lobbyists: We are examining bills proposed by Common Cause and the State Ethics Commission, aimed at streamlining the law to focus on major lobbyists. The League, as a lobbying organization, has a special concern about the effect of any lobbying law on citizen lobbying efforts. Statutory Compliance With State ERA: The League supports a package of bills introduced in both Houses which would implement recommendations of the Legislative Reference Bureau. They are primarily housekeeping and language changes. Solid Waste: We will again support deposit and return container legislation, if it comes up. In addition to lobbying on League positions, we are observing in some areas in which we do not now have positions: juvenile justice, creation of a state water agency, and changes in the collective bargaining law. The League of Women Voters is registered as a lobbying organization under the state lobbyist law, and five of our members are registered as individual lobbyists. They are: Carol Whitesell, Helen Griffin, Anna Hoover, Sarah Allday, and Marian Wilkins. We have also hired Honolulu member Suzanne Thorndike to be our eyes and ears at the legislature. She will not lobby, but will make life easier for League lobbyists and observers by picking up and distributing material from our boxes at the House and Senate print shops, tracking bills we are interested in, and alerting us to hearings.

Fall 1979

Home   Newsletters

Spring 1980