Continuing: Threats to civil rights; fallout from the government shutdown; and gender-based wage disparity: Civic action to-do list for 1-28-19

3. Civil Rights at Stake!

Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education are proposing to weaken Title IX’s protections by narrowing the definition of sexual harassment, limiting when schools must respond to allegations, and making it more difficult for students to come forward when they experience sexual harassment or assault. This will roll back civil rights protections for all students!  Learn more about the proposed rule and use this template to submit a comment by Wednesday, January 30th .

2. Crisis Averted - For Now

The government shutdown ended Friday evening, but it had a devastating impact on millions of Americans. Since the administration’s demands on border security have not changed, it is critical for our elected officials to understand that any deal to avert yet another government shutdown on February 15th cannot be at the expense of immigrants and asylum seekers. There is no crisis on our border and using 800,000 government employees as leverage to build a wall is unacceptable. Call your Members of Congress today and tell them to protect people who are seeking safety in our country. 

1. Demand Equal Pay for Equal Work

Women continue to be paid less than men for similar work – on average a woman earns 80.5 cents for every dollar a man earns and women’s median earnings are $10,086 less than men’s. This week Congress will introduce The Paycheck Fairness Act , a bill that enhances already existing legislation my providing new tools to battle the pervasive pay gaps and challenge discrimination. Call your Senators and Representative and tell them to support equal pay by co-sponsoring and swiftly passing the Paycheck Fairness Act!