Passing along some exciting breastfeeding legislation news (posted with permission of Kim Easter, Rep. Warren's legislative assistant, to publish at Mothering):
Quote:
| Michigan State Representative Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) has introduced House Bill 5515 in the Michigan House of Representatives. HB 5515 would allow a woman to breastfeed anywhere she may otherwise legally be. You can see it online at www.michiganlegislature.org; just enter "5515" in the field for bill number. HB 5515 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, and testimony will be taken on Wednesday, December 2 at 10:30 AM. The House Judiciary Committee will meet in Room 521 of the House Office Building in Lansing. The House Office Building is at 124 N. Capitol, at the corner of Capitol and Ottawa in downtown Lansing. EXPRESS SUPPORT Now is the time for supporters of the legislation to contact members of the committee to express support for HB 5515! Each person should write to all the committee members and to his or her own Representative and state that they support HB 5515. The committee is chaired by Rep. Mark S. Meadows. Here is a list of all the members and their email addresses: Mark S. Meadows (D), Committee Chair, 69th District (markmeadows@house.mi.gov) Ellen Cogen Lipton (D), Majority Vice-Chair, 27th District (EllenLipton@house.mi.gov) Lisa Brown (D), 39th District (LisaBrown@house.mi.gov) Bob Constan (D), 16th District; (bobconstan@house.mi.gov) Marc R. Corriveau (D), 20th District ( marccorriveau@house.mi.gov) Andy Coulouris (D), 95th District (andycoulouris@house.mi.gov) Andrew J. Kandrevas (D), 13th District (andrewkandrevas@house.mi.gov) Bettie Cook Scott (D), 3rd District (bettiecookscott@house.mi.gov) Rebekah Warren (D), 53rd District (rebekahwarren@house.mi.gov) Tonya Schuitmaker (R), Minority Vice-Chair, 80th District (tonyaschuitmaker@house.mi.gov) Justin Amash (R), 72nd District (justinamash@house.mi.gov) Joseph Haveman (R), 90th District (JosephHaveman@house.mi.gov) Rick Jones (R), 71st District (rickjones@house.mi.gov) Eileen Kowall (R), 44th District (EileenKowall@house.mi.gov) Tory Rocca (R), 30th District (tonyrocca@house.mi.gov) Malika Abdul-Basir, Committee Clerk 517-373-7256 mabdul@house.mi.gov A Michigan resident may find out who his or her own Representative is at http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp ATTEND THE HEARING Anyone may attend Wednesday, Dec. 2 10:30 AM hearing. Anyone may testify, even without advance notice. If someone would like to testify but cannot attend, he or she may mail or email their testimony to me in advance of the hearing. Even if someone prefers not to testify, their attendance at a hearing and personal correspondence with committee members and his or her own legislators are important in influencing the decision-making process. The purpose of testimony given should be informational so that committee members can vote on the bill with as full an understanding as possible of all sides of the issue it addresses, and the consequences of its passage. I suggest a witness prepare testimony in advance and keep the testimony short and to the point. When you testify, identify who you are and, if you represent a group, give the name of the group. At the beginning of your remarks, state that you are testifying in support of the bill. Relate your group's or your own experience or views directly to the issue. If you are asked a hostile question, keep a cool head. Don't be afraid to stop and think for a minute to answer a question properly. If you don't have the answer, never guess-request permission to file a detailed response at a later date. |
