Rep. Lois Capps on Wednesday was recognized for her outstanding public record by the American Association of University Women, one of the nation’s leading organizations devoted to education and equity for women and girls. Capps had a 100 percent voting record on the issues cited by AAUW.
“I am honored by AAUW’s recognition of my record, but mostly honored to work with them to ensure that all of America’s daughters have the opportunity to thrive in this great country,” said Capps, a mother, grandmother and co-chairwoman of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. “We’ve come a long way in the last few decades to ensure equal opportunities for all women, but we still have work to do.”
Some of the legislation and issues cited by AAUW in this year’s study include:
» The College Cost Reduction Act (House Resolution 2669), which cuts student interest rates in half, increases Pell grants and makes student loans more manageable.
» The College Affordability Act (House Resolution 4137), which allows student to qualify for year-round Pell grants, increases funding for on-campus child care and establishes a grant program to women and minorities planning on becoming professors.
» Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (House Resolution 2831), legislation to ensure women are paid the same as men for doing the same jobs. The legislation is critical to equal pay efforts since a recent Supreme Court decision that overturned 40 years of precedence on equal pay issues.
» Family Planning Services. The House defeated efforts by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana, to prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds for family planning projects. The prohibition would have prevented many uninsured and underinsured women from access to even the most basic women’s health care services.
Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation’s leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls. It has a nationwide network of 100,000 members, 1,300 branches and 500 college/university institutional partners.
Click here to view the entire AAUW Congressional Voting Record for the 110th Congress.
Randolph Harrison is chief of staff for Rep. Lois Capps.