Bill Lann Lee, President Clinton's nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice, has a distinguished record as a civil rights attorney for women and minorities. Women's groups are backing his nomination 100%, meaning the nomination has drawn fire from anti-woman forces like the so-called Institute for Justice, headed by superconservative Clint Bolick. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has gotten in on the act, distorting Lee's record in a letter to the Senate (Gingrich doesn't get a vote -- this is strictly Senate business). No one has questioned Lee's credentials -- it's his support of affirmative action, women, and minorities they don't like (Lee was one of several lawyers representing 12 female police officers suing LAPD for sexual harassment). Don't let Bolick and his cronies bowl over this nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee (yes, some of the same faces from the Anita Hill inquisition must hear from women now. Tell them to send this information to the full Senate with a positive recommendation -- and tell them to get their buddies on board for the vote.

                        Voice             Fax        E-mail
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)  202-224-5251  202-224-6331    E-mail
Arlen Specter (R-PA)   202-224-4254  202-228-1229    E-mail
Fred Thompson (R-TN)   202-224-4944  202-228-3679    E-mail
Strom Thurmond (R-SC)  202-224-5972  202-228-1300    E-mail
Mike DeWine (R-OH)     202-224-2315  202-224-6519    E-mail
Spencer Abraham (R-MI) 202-224-4822  202-224-8834    E-mail
Josh Ashcroft (R-MO)   202-224-6154  202-228-0998    E-mail

Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD), has joined the fight to get Postmaster Marvin Runyon to issue a stamp commemorating 150 years of progress for women, during next year's anniversary of the 1983 Seneca Falls convention (WFF 7/25; 8/22). The Senate Minority Leader has written Runyon a strongly worded letter that says in part "It is baffling -- not to say insulting to American women -- that recent stamps have been issued to honor football coaches, movie monsters, dolls, and Bugs Bunny, but...the Seneca Falls Convention [was not] of great enough historical significance to merit a stamp." Give your support to Daschle for his strong stand at fax 202-224-2047, E-mail (and hit on Runyon one more time at fax 202-268-5211; E-mail).

REPEAL THE MARRIAGE PENALTY...

Recent hearings on IRS abuses have reminded some lawmakers about one of the most longstanding ones -- and it affects a majority of female taxpayers. If you're an employed married woman, whether you file your tax return jointly or separately from your husband, you pay a higher income tax than your single sister making the same money. This little jewel is known as the "marriage penalty," and it's a holdover from the misty past when most wives didn't work outside the home. Reps. David McIntosh (R-IN), and Jerry Weller (R-IL) are sponsoring HR 2456, the Marriage Tax Elimination Act. The bill would allow couples to file jointly or as two single taxpayers, whichever results in a lower tax bill. This is the first volley in what is termed an all-out assault to eliminate the marriage penalty in 1998. Urge your Rep. to support HR 2456 (202-225-3121 or send e-mail). Rep. McIntosh is also seeking horror stories about the marriage penalty. If you have one, send it to him at fax 202-225-3382, or check it on the web at http://www.house.gov/mcintosh

As if divorce is not taxing enough, every year a number of women get stuck with their ex-husband's tax bill -- even if the decree says he should pay. That's because the IRS assigns liability equally to joint filers, regardless of the language in divorce papers. Some women have had liens placed on houses and cars, or had tax refunds withheld. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) is seeking co-sponsors for HR 2467, to relieve a spouse from tax liability if the other spouse has agreed to take the tax hit in the divorce year. Co-sponsors are needed -- ask your Representative to sign on NOW, before it's too late for next April (202-225-3121 or send e-mail).

October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Congress has decided to act on product liability, including silicone breast implants. What are they doing to women? The usual - and we don't mean hearts and flowers. The Product Liability Reform Act of 1997, sponsored by a gaggle of Republican men led by Slade Gorton (R-WA; 202-224-3441; fax 202-224-9393; E-mail ) would put a very low maximim on punitive damages in product liability cases. Right now the bill contains an exclusion clause for manufacturers of silicone breast implants, meaning they could still be sued for unlimited punitive damages. But even this exclusion may be wiped out before the bill comes to the floor. A back-room deal is rumored between the White House (which vetoed a similar bill last year), Democrats led by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, and the Republican sponsors. The threat of large punitive damage awards is the strongest protection women have from bad products affecting out health. If punitive damages are capped, companies will consider the resulting puny jury awards as a mere cost of doing business - and we'll see more bad products like Dalkon shields, Playtex tampons, and Dow-Corning implants. Tell Rockefeller (202-224-6472; fax 202-224-7665; E-mail) and President Clinton (202-456-1111; E-mail [email protected]) that this bill is bad for women, period. We don't need it, we don't want it - with or without exclusion for silicone breast implants.

Despite what the chemical industry would have us believe, only 5% of breast cancer is inherited. Breast cancer is increasing right along with the world's toxic pollutants - which are looking more and more like the culprit. In the U.S. alone, 68,000 manmade (we use the term advisedly) chemicals are in use. The facts come from the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), which has a Global Action Campaign) to address these preventable links to breast cancer and other diseases. Learn more about WEDO's press for change at 212-973-0325; fax 212-973-0335; e-mail [email protected]; website www.wedo.org

In a move described as more political than medical, the House of Representatives Wednesday approved, and sent to the President, legislation that would criminalize the so-called "partial birth" abortion. President Clinton has promised to veto the bill because it does not allow exceptions to protect the mother's health. As we said last May (WFF, 5/23/97), this is another salvo in a continuing war of attrition aimed at rolling back abortion rights to the bloody back-alley days preceding Roe v. Wade. Give the President support for a veto at 202-456-1111, E-mail [email protected]. (Update: President Clinton vetoed the legislation (10/10/97) - send him a thank you!) And go to work on your senators now to uphold a veto (202-225-3121 or send e-mail); the vote in the House was large enough to override a veto, but the Senate right now looks about three votes short. Let's keep it that way!

Last weekend nearly a million men (Patriarchy Seekers - oops-Promise Keepers) descended on Washington to declare themselves head of the family with dominion over women. October 18 is the date for another march on Washington -- this one affecting women's lives. The National March to End the Silence will feature life-sized red wooden figures with biographies of 160 women who died at the hands of an intimate partner in 1994. A conference on Oct. 19th follows. To register, contact Kellie Austin at 202-232-0492; E-mail: [email protected] or www.feminist.com/silent.htm

The Women's Educational Equity Act program is the only federal education program established solely to ensure sex equity in the public schools. Materials developed through WEEA research help to overcome gender bias and encourage girls to enter science and math programs -- where their numbers still lag way behind boys. WEEA was killed altogether two years ago, but thanks to activists it was restored last year. Now the House wants to further weaken this already tiny program by cutting its already pitiful budget. The Senate has voted $4 million for the coming year, but the House approved a measly $2 million. That's a nickle per year for each U.S. girl -- compare it to the $3072 per person pay raise Congress just voted for itself, and the $646,000,000 per day the House voted for the military. (We did the math -- the military spends $2 million -- the amount the House is shorting girls -- every 4 minutes. Tell conferees in the Senate to stick up for girls and not compromise the money downward, and encourage House conferees to support women and girls by agreeing to the entire $4 million (10 cents per girl) the Senate wants. If you only make one call this week - make it this one. A few calls or faxes could literally be worth a million dollars to U.S. girls. Subcommittee Chair John Porter (D-IL) won't make his fax public, and doesn't have e-mail. Flood him with phone calls at 202-225-3508. Others who must hear from activists are :

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA); 202-224-7230; fax 202-224-1360 E-mail
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) 202-224-3471; fax 202-228-0542; E-mail
Rep. Robt. Livingston (R-LA); 202-225-3015; fax 202-225-0739; (no e-mail)

...Seems to hit women at twice the rate it hits men. The good news is that treatment is effective almost 90% of the time. If you think you may be one of the 20% of women who experience clinical depression, consider getting a free screening on National Depression Screening Day, October 9. Call 800-573-4433 to find a screening site near you.

The Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban has survived its first year. Thanks to Senator Frank Lautenberg (202-224-4744; fax 202-224-9707; E-mail), groups like the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, and feminists activists, repeated attempts by the NRA and some police departments to repeal the ban have failed. The first conviction was obtained in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this summer.