PLI Bulletin

Abortion Rights, Financial Protection, Drug Offenders and More

Posted on January 7, 2016

Rape Survivor Information Act: Emergency contraception (EC) is exceptionally effective in preventing pregnancy after unprotected sex. Any woman who reports to law enforcement or college authorities that she has been sexually assaulted ought to be informed about ECs. State and local lawmakers can require it with the Rape Survivor Information Act.

California cracked down on fraudulent Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), shouldn’t you? CPCs are offices that purport to offer women comprehensive and unbiased reproductive health care information and services, but their mission is to say anything—whether truthful or not—to prevent women from obtaining abortions. There are three ways that lawmakers can address CPC fraud. Read about them on IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

Top Ten Model Bills for Abortion Rights: Wednesday, January 13 @3pm Eastern, 2pm Central, 1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific. The best way to defend against anti-abortion attacks is by going on the offensive, reframing the debate with proactive legislation, and putting the right wingers in a difficult political position. Join this webinar for ten good ideas how to do it.

States are lifting restriction on SNAP and TANF for drug offenders: A 1996 federal law lets states decide whether to include ex-drug offenders in food stamp and welfare programs. A story from Pew notes that states are realizing, if the goal is to help ex-offenders go straight, it makes no sense to impoverish and starve them.

Protections from abuses in the credit and collections industries: The National Consumer Law Center has a great new model bill, the Family Financial Protection Act. It levels the playing field between consumers and debt collectors, among other important consumer reforms.

A Playbook for Abortion Rights: With 27 model bills and 2 model resolutions, our new Playbook for Abortion Rights is a one-of-a-kind resource for state and local policymakers. Click here to read a summary of the bills and download the whole book.