Monday Monitor: March 13, 2017
By Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri | March 13, 2017, 5 p.m.
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#ProtectOurCare Rallies
On Monday, Congressional Republicans introduced a bill to attack the Affordable Care Act and “defund” Planned Parenthood. On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood supporters across Missouri got fired up and turned out to defend the ACA and stand with Planned Parenthood!
In Springfield, more than 30 Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri supporters rallied outside the office of Rep. Billy Long (R-MO 7). In Columbia, more than a dozen Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes supporters turned out to Rep. Vicky Hartzler’s (R-MO 4) office, and at Rep. Ann Wagner’s (R-MO 2) office in St. Louis, more than 20 supporters came with a message: We stand with Planned Parenthood!
RSVP for #MoLeg Lobby Days
There are more opportunities to join us in Jefferson City! Three coalition lobby days remain: Missouri Women’s Network Equity Action Day on April 4, Moral Missouri Lobby Day and Rally on April 26, and Freedom of Choice Council Lobby Day on May 4.
Our organizers will prep you with materials and information so you can confidently make your voice heard in the Capitol!
- RSVP for April 4 Missouri Women’s Network Equity Action Day
- RSVP for April 26 Moral Missouri Lobby Day & Rally at the Capitol
- RSVP for May 4 Freedom of Choice Council Lobby Day
MoLeg Weekly Wrap-Up
Attack on Medicaid: Last Tuesday, the Missouri Senate debated a bill that radically changes Medicaid, a health insurance program that protects Missouri’s children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income women of all ages by providing critical health care access — especially access to family planning services. Senate Bill 28 drastically cuts federal funding, jeopardizes Missouri’s financial stability, and cuts health care services for our most vulnerable neighbors. Fortunately, citizens spoke out and leadership suspended debate on the bill. However, they could bring SB 28 up again for a vote any time. Keep up the momentum and tell your state senator to support Medicaid and oppose SB 28!
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: Take Action to Protect Medicaid and Stop SB 28!
Reckless Budget Proposal: Politicians are attempting to take away preventive services like annual exams, birth control, cancer screenings, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment from patients insured through Medicaid. Last year, the Missouri Legislature recklessly rejected $8 million in federal family planning funds by creating an entirely new taxpayer-funded state program in order to skirt federal Medicaid laws and discriminate against Medicaid patients. This year, the Legislature has a chance to save money and protect Medicaid patients’ right to choose their own providers; however, several lawmakers want to push ahead with the wasteful and discriminatory state-only program. The initial House version of the budget (HB 11) proposes the same reckless attack on Medicaid patients’ ability to choose the provider that is best for them. The House is expected to vote on the budget after legislative spring break, which runs from March 17 through the 26th.
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: Budget Attack on Women's Health Care Providers
Preempting Local Control: Missouri politicians love to talk about the importance of local control, until a local community does something they don’t like. This is happening on a few fronts in Jefferson City: reproductive discrimination, crisis pregnancy centers and the minimum wage. The City of St. Louis recently passed Board Bill 203, which adds reproductive health decisions to the nondiscrimination ordinance, meaning that a citizen cannot be fired or evicted because they use birth control, have an abortion, adopt a child, or use in vitro fertilization. Jefferson City politicians responded by pushing legislation to undo this victory and ban cities from protecting their citizens.
On the economic justice front, the Missouri Supreme Court recently upheld the City of St. Louis’ effort to raise the minimum wage to $11 an hour. State lawmakers immediately struck back by filing legislation to undo the minimum wage increase and prohibit all local governments from ever raising the wage again.
- St. Louis Public Radio: GOP-backed House bill would strike down St. Louis' 'abortion sanctuary city' law
- Columbia Missourian: House moves to block higher St. Louis minimum wage
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: 2017 Bill Summary
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: 2017 Bill Fact Sheets
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