SPAC Receives 1st LA Perinatal Task Force Partnership Award

This weekend the California Junior Leagues' SPAC delegates representing 16 communities gathered together in Pasadena for our annual Winter conference to discuss various legislation that impacting our communities.

On Friday evening we held a cocktail reception with several members of the L.A. County Perinatal Task Force including founder, Kimberly Wong to celebrate the work accomplished with ACR 105, the Perinatal Depression Awareness resolution. Much to our surprise, Kimberly presented SPAC with the organization's first annual Perinatal Mental Health Champion Award for advancing this important cause.

It was a tremendous honor to receive this recognition.

In addition to discussing ACR 105 at the conference, the SPAC delegates reviewed nearly 100 bills and ultimately voted to support roughly 35 bills.

Additionally the delegation discussed potential legislation which we would like to sponsor this year and/or next. Sponsoring legislation involves working hand in hand with the legislator who "carries" the bill, pushing the legislation through each step of the advocacy process, including sending letters of support to policy committee chairs, and securing speakers to testify at committee hearings. The delegation requested that the SPAC Legislative Liaison research three potential options:

1. Improving Nutritional Value of School Lunches

2. Requiring Foster Parents receive Additional Training prior to Taking in Youth with Disabilities

3. Teen Dating Violence Prevention Courses in Junior/High Schools

Research is currently underway and a decision will be made as to which sponsored legislation will be selected, by the end of April.

After an eventful couple of days, Cathy Barakin SPAC's Legislative Consultant with Sacramento Advocacy had this to say about our work:

"No other advocacy organization in California comes close to representing the vast needs and interests of the State's underserved women and children. You are respected because you are real people doing this work on your own time and you are considered experts on the needs of the communities you serve. Even in these tough fiscal times, you must continue to be their voice."

ACR 105 Amended, SPAC "Convenes" in Pasadena

ACR 105 was amended on March 10, to recognize not just May 2009, but to recognize the month of May every year as Perinatal Depression Awareness Month in CA. Several additional legislators were added as co-authors as well.

Following is a link to the current version of ACR 105.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0101-0150/acr_105_bill_20100309_amended_asm_v98.html

The Assembly Health Committee hearing is scheduled for March 23rd. Because all but one of the committee members have signed-on as co-authors, approval is set to occur via consent, meaning there is no need to testify. From the health committee, the bill will move to the Assembly Floor for a vote. The Junior Leagues State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) delegates are hard-at-work outreaching legislators to request support and encourage more to sign-on as co-authors. Additionally, due to the efforts of the Los Angeles County Perinatal Taskforce, today the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support ACR 105.

The CA Women's Caucus hearing is still tentatively set for May 4 in Sacramento. We encourage supporters of ACR 105 to attend. Julie Elginer, SPAC Co-Chair continues to work with interested parties on securing people to testify. The first 30 minutes will be dedicated to the impact of Perinatal Depression on the mother (sponsored by Junior Leagues of California SPAC) and the second 30 minutes will explore the impact of Perinatal Depression on infants, children and families (sponsored by the March of Dimes).

On Monday the following articles appeared in the Los Angeles Times about resources for those suffering from perinatal depression and the affects depression can have on families.

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-depression-resources-20100315,0,2388201.story

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-depression-20100315,0,4880790.story

The CA SPAC delegates will convene in Pasadena this weekend for our annual Winter conference. Among other things, our delegates will be deciding which bills introduced by the CA Assembly and Senate to take support positions on, as well as to identify 1-2 additional pieces of legislation that SPAC will sponsor this year and/or next year. All of the bills that SPAC supports or sponsors must fall into one of our four focus areas: Violence Prevention, Health, Education or Family Support.