Background
The recommendations below were carried to North Carolina legislators by more
than 200 women at the March 4, 2003, Women's Advocacy Day. These five issues were
selected as the highest priorities by attendees at Women's Agenda Assemblies across
the state in the fall of 2002. For a copy of the Agenda flier to send to your
own legislator or to distribute to other interested groups, please contact info@ncwu.org.
These and eight other issues are more fully discussed in the Draft
Agenda.
Access to Health Care
- Obtain adequate funding for the Office of Women's Health for disseminating
health information and wellness promotion.
- Provide increased funding for Sexually Transmitted Disease and HIV /AIDS programs;
institute a special HIV /AIDS prevention program targeted at minority women; increase
funding for care and treatment.
- Provide adequate, accessible family planning services and information to underserved
women.
- Increase the State Abortion Fund and remove restrictions on it.
- Use funds obtained through the tobacco settlement to pay for smoking cessation
programs that target women and smoking prevention programs that educate young
women before they begin smoking.
Aging
- Maintaining the Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP-DA)
at its present level. This program provides home care for persons who are eligible
for nursing home residency.
- Expanding the Special Assistance program for home care instead of care in
an assisted living facility-at about half the expense.
- Providing "pass-through" funds for wages and benefits for aides
in long-term care facilities to improve hiring and retention of trained workers.
Turnover of employees in institutional facilities may be 200% yearly. If we want
the elderly to be well cared for, we must pay hardworking aides better.
Child Care
- Fully fund Smart Start for all 100 counties in North Carolina.
- Provide additional funds to alleviate the child care subsidy waiting list
and reimburse child care programs at current market rates.
- Continue the provision of funds for the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project
and the T.E.A.C.H. ® Health Insurance Project.
Domestic Violence
- Increase state funding by $2 million for domestic violence programs.
- Clarify Chapter 50B to ensure that victims are able to renew protective orders
multiple times and enhance the enforcement provisions of Chapter 50B to ensure
that consent orders are treated the same as protective orders entered pursuant
to a hearing.
- Enact state laws that mirror the federal firearms laws prohibiting the purchase
or possession of firearms by persons convicted of domestic violence crimes and
persons subject to protective orders.
- NCCADV supports this recommendation of the Child Well-Being and Domestic
Violence Task Force: Provide for a rebuttable presumption in 50B actions stating
that an award of custody to a parent who committed acts of domestic violence is
contrary to the child's best interest.
Pay Equity and Living Wage
One-third of North Carolina families are working hard but not earning a living
wage. The state should:
- Raise the minimum wage and
- Provide a state earned income tax credit to help these families achieve self-sufficiency.
To achieve pay equity in North Carolina, we must start with state Government;
the state's largest employer.
- Of the 25% of state employees in the lowest pay grades, 73% are women. We
need a comparable worth study for an objective comparison of education, skills
and responsibilities in jobs held by men and women. The study should provide recommendations
for action.
- Advocates should monitor the implementation in North Carolina of federal
laws enacted to prevent wage discrimination (1963 Equal Pay Act, 1964 Civil Rights
Act, 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act).
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