NEW: Check out NCRW's Research*for*Action Clearinghouse for Information on Judge Alito Confirmation Hearings

This URGENT ACTION edition of the Clearinghouse features the important work of our member centers and other advocacy groups on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, providing you with the tools to get involved, learn the issues, and make your voice heard!

NEW: Check out NCRW's Research*for*Action Clearinghouse for Information on Judge Alito Confirmation Hearings

NEW: Timeline shows years of delay by FDA on Plan B

NCRW has been following the FDA's delay in announcing a decision on the over-the-counter status of the emergency contraceptive Plan B. Recently, the GAO released a report on the "unusual" nature of the FDA's past decisions on the drug. Earlier this week, Mother Jones released a timeline providing a comprehensive outline of years of delay in decisions regarding emergency contraception.
TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE

UPDATE: Senate passes tax cuts; House passes cuts to vital programs

Last week the House voted to cut $50 billion from Medicaid, food stamps, student loans, and child support enforcement among other programs that provide critical support to low- and moderate-income women and their families. The same night, the Senate passed a $60 billion tax cut bill - more than half of which would go to households with incomes over $1 million.

Read more from the National Women's Law Center and Fair Taxes for All Coalition

Read more on taxes and women from the National Council for Research on Women

UPDATE: Full GAO Report on FDA's "Unusual" Plan B Decision Released

We reported last month on the intial findings of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the FDA's decision to deny the sale of Plan B over-the-counter. The full report, titled Decision Process to Deny Initial Application for Over-the-Counter Marketing of the Emergency Contraceptive Drug Plan B Was Unusual is now available on the GAO's website.

TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE (PDF)

MISSING: Women and People of Color in Government Contracts in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

Under Executive Order 11246, signed in 1965 by President Johnson, federal contractors having 50 or more employees and $50,000 in federal contracts must prepare a written affirmative action program. In the wake of a large rebuilding effort in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the Department of Labor has signed a memorandum which allows companies receiving new contracts to be exempt from compliance with the affirmative action program requirements.

TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

NEW: General Accounting Office Releases Initial Findings on 2004 FDA Plan B Decision

The Washington Post reported today on initial findings from the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the FDA's 2004 decision to reject the over-the-counter status of Plan B. The draft GAO report indicates that the decision was "highly unusual, was made with atypical involvement from top agency officials, and may well have been made months before it was formally announced." The full report will be available by the end of the month.

TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

NEW: VAWA Passed in Senate

After allowing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to expire, the Senate passed its version of VAWA 2005 earlier this week. While the Senate version includes many of the provisions excluded in the House version of the Act, it dropped a key program that would have extended unemployment insurance coverage to domestic violence survivors. As we have reported in earlier MISSING pieces, the issue of unemployment insurance is critical to those seeking to leave situations of domestic violence, and, in most states, individuals are ineligible for unemployment benefits if they leave work voluntarily without "good cause" or if they are discharged for "misconduct". Adding such a provision to VAWA 2005 would be a step towards addressing this problem.

MISSING: ATTENTION TO GENDER IN HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS

Women's eNews today featured this report on missing rape reporting procedures in New Orleans. Women's organizations, like NCRW member center Ms. Foundation, have also been working to set up relief funds targeting women, and specifically low-income women of color.

TO READ MORE CLICK HERE


UPDATE: Loretta Ross offers a feminist perspective on Katrina. To read her article, click here.

MISSING: Department of Education Support for Women and Girls in Sports

Late in the afternoon Friday, March 18, new regulations weakening Title IX were posted on the Department of Education’s website. The new regulations require a much lower standard for colleges and universities to prove that they are meeting Title IX policy guidelines than was previously required.

TO READ MORE CLICK HERE