Monthly Archives: June 2017
Boone County’s Mental Health Crisis
Boone County’s Mental Health Crisis and Community Solutions
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
7:00 p.m. (refreshments at 6:30 p.m.)
Columbia Public Library
Cosponsored by the Boone County Commission, League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County and the Columbia Public Library, this event will feature local experts who will provide information about the various local initiatives addressing the issues related to criminal justice, the homeless and the mentally ill.
Participants will include:
Rusty Antel – Judicial & Law Enforcement Task Force; Dr. John Cummins – MU Hospital, Chief Resident in Psychiatry; Tim Harlan – Mental Health First Aid & NAMI; Steve Hollis – Columbia/Boone County Health Department; Kelly Wallis – Boone County Community Services Department; Katie Burnham Wilkins – Harry S. Truman Veterans’ Hospital; Rockie Alden & Karla Williams- Faith Community; Phil Steinhaus – Housing Issues; Mary Epping – Court Responses; Kelli Canada – MU School of Social Work; Cavanaugh Noce; Keith Hoskins & Tom Fuhrman – Jail Responses and Dan Hanneken – Re-entry programming.
David Lile of KFRU will be the facilitator of the discussion. KFRU will broadcast this program live.
This program is free and open to the public.
Action Alert – Health Care
From the League of Women Voters US
Action Alert: Senate Shapes Healthcare
Please call our Senators:
Senator Claire McCaskill – (202) 224-6154
Senator Roy Blunt – (202) 224-5721
- Guarantee that pre-existing conditions can’t be used to deny coverage or raise rates.
- Ensure health insurance rates and access do not discriminate against women
- Provide coverage of preventive care, limit out of pocket costs and prohibit life-time insurance caps
- Ensure that Medicaid recipients can continue to receive full health care services.
ACTION ALERT – HEALTH CARE
ACTION ALERT – HEALTH CARE
June 13, 2017
Legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – called “The American Health Care Act” – is about to be up for a vote in the Senate.
“The American Health Care Act” was developed in secret and is being rushed to passage. It will rip apart our healthcare and revoke coverage for millions of Americans while raising costs for millions more.
The “American Health Care Act” is un-American. It will increase costs for seniors and those with pre-existing conditions, while slashing assistance for lower-income households in obtaining coverage. It will also threaten the essential care that women need. In fact, the only real winners under this new legislation are the big interests and the wealthiest Americans. Hundreds of billions in tax breaks are included for the wealthy and the pharmaceutical and insurance industries.
Tell our Senators that means that there will be fewer people covered, weaker protections and higher costs for Americans.
Call today!
Senator Claire McCaskill – (202) 224-6154
Senator Roy Blunt – (202) 224-5721
The League remains committed to ensuring that Americans have the coverage and access to care that they need to take care of themselves and their families. We will not stand by while members of Congress dismantle protections for the health and well-being of the American public.
Stand with the League today and tell Congress that their plan to “replace” the Affordable Care Act is unacceptable.
Challenge to Photo Voter ID Law
LWVMO Among Groups to Challenge Missouri Photo ID Law in Court
Jefferson City, Mo. — June 8, 2017 – Advancement Project’s National Office and The American Civil Liberties Union today sued Missouri over the state’s new photo ID law.
The case was filed on behalf of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP and the League of Women Voters of Missouri. The groups are seeking a temporary restraining order to block the law from being in effect during a local special election on July 11. In-person absentee voting for this election begins this Monday, June 12. An additional 52 Missouri counties go to the polls on August 8.
The request was made in part because Missouri’s chief elections official, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, has admitted the state would be unable to implement the requirements of restrictive photo ID law in time for this election and the state has yet to allocate funds to the Secretary to implement the law.
“Missouri’s restrictive photo ID law was designed to make it harder for people to vote,” said Denise Lieberman, Co-Director of Power and Democracy at Advancement Project’s national office, and coordinator of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition. “It is a gimmick that – as we’ve seen in other states – inevitably leads to blocking people from the ballot, especially people of color, young voters, seniors, women, and people with disabilities. This suppressive effect is magnified once the state fails to hold its end of the bargain. It is beyond unacceptable that the state of Missouri has launched a photo ID requirement while not sufficiently preparing, educating voters, or funding it. As a result, the burden is now falling on the backs of voters.”
“Voters were promised that this law was not about disenfranchising the most vulnerable in our state,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri. “The state’s lack of funding and implementation of this law tells another story.”
“States are not allowed to make an end run around voting rights by forcing burdensome changes to election law and then failing to provide the required funding for proper implementation,” said Sophia Lakin, an attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.
Texas, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania are among the states that have already been reprimanded by the courts for disastrous implementation of their voter ID laws and inadequate, confusing voter education.
The case, Missouri NAACP v. Missouri, was filed in Cole County Circuit Court.
League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County 