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Susan Davis on Families & Children Democratic Representative (CA-53)

Voted YES on four weeks of paid parental leave for federal employees.

Proponent's argument to vote Yes:

Rep. STEVE LYNCH (D, MA-9): This bill takes an important step toward improving the Federal Government's ability to recruit and retain a highly qualified workforce by providing paid parental leave to Federal and Congressional employees for the birth, adoption or placement of a child for foster care, which is a benefit that is extended to many in the private sector in other industrialized countries.

Opponent's argument to vote No:Rep. DARRELL ISSA (R, CA-49): This bill sends the wrong message at the wrong time to working American taxpayers and families that are struggling in difficult times. Our economy is in crisis, and deficits are already soaring. This bill does not have one provision to say if you make $170,000 a year, why do we have to give you this benefit, because you have to choose between feeding your children and being with your children? Certainly not. There are no protections against, in fact, those who do not need this special benefit getting it. There are no safeguards at all. As a matter of fact, this bill envisions the $1 billion over 5 years, swelling to $4 billion over 10 years or more because, in fact, they believe it should be 8 weeks of special leave. Federal employees enjoy one of the highest levels of job security, without a doubt, anywhere in the United States. I would venture to say many of them the highest. More importantly, in good times and bad, they keep their jobs.

Voted YES on establishing nationwide AMBER alert system for missing kids.

Voted YES on reducing Marriage Tax by $399B over 10 years.

Give parents tools to balance work and family.

Strengthen America’s Families
While the steady reduction in the number of two-parent families of the last 40 years has slowed, more than one-third of our children still live in one- or no-parent families. There is a high correlation between a childhood spent with inadequate parental support and an adulthood spent in poverty or in prison.

To strengthen families, we must redouble efforts to reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies, make work pay, eliminate tax policies that inadvertently penalize marriage, and require absent fathers to pay child support while offering them new opportunities to find work. Because every child needs the attention of at least one caring and competent adult, we should create an “extended family” of adult volunteer mentors.

Family breakdown is not the only challenge we face. As two-worker families have become the norm, harried parents have less time to spend on their most important job: raising their children. Moreover, parents and schools often find themselves contending with sex- and violence-saturated messages coming from an all-pervasive mass entertainment media.

We should continue public efforts to give parents tools to balance work and family and shield their children from harmful outside influences. For example, we should encourage employers to adopt family-friendly policies and practices such as parental leave, flex-time, and telecommuting. Public officials should speak out about violence in our culture and should press the entertainment media to adopt self-policing codes aimed at protecting children.

Goals for 2010
• Cut the rate of out-of-wedlock births in half.
• Recruit a million mentors for disadvantaged children without two parents.
• Provide affordable after-school programs at every public school.
• Make every workplace “family-friendly.”
• Promote policies that help parents shield their children from violence and sex in entertainment products.

Rated 7% by the Christian Coalition: an anti-Family-Value voting record.

The Christian Coalition was founded in 1989 by Dr. Pat Robertson to give Christians a voice in government. We represent millions of people of faith and enable them to have a strong, unified voice in the conversation we call democracy.

Our Five-Fold Mission:
1. Represent the pro-family point of view before local councils, school boards, state legislatures, and Congress
2. Speak out in the public arena and in the media
3. Train leaders for effective social and political action
4. Inform pro-family voters about timely issues and legislation
5. Protest anti-Christian bigotry and defend the rights of people of faith.

Permanent crime database for volunteers with kids.

A bill to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to establish a permanent background check system. Congress finds the following:

1. In 2006, a total of 16,500,000 adults volunteered their service to education or youth programs.
2. An estimated 6.6% of individuals in the United States will serve time in prison for a crime during their lifetime. The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System of the FBI maintains fingerprints and criminal histories on more than 47,000,000 individuals, many of whom have been arrested or convicted multiple times.
3. Of individuals released from prison, an estimated 67.5% were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within 3 years.
4. Given the large number of individuals with criminal records and the vulnerability of the population they work with, human service organizations that work with children need an effective and reliable means of obtaining a complete criminal history in order to determine the suitability of a potential volunteer or employee.
5. The large majority of Americans (88%) favor granting youth-serving organizations access to conviction records for screening volunteers and 59% favored allowing youth-serving organizations to consider arrest records when screening volunteers.
6. Even when accessible, the cost of a criminal background check can be prohibitively expensive, between $21 and $99 for each volunteer or employee.
7. The Child Safety Pilot Program demonstrates that timely and affordable background checks are possible, as background checks under that program are completed within 3 to 5 business days at a cost of $18. Source: Child Protection Improvements Act (S.2756/H.R.5606) 08-S2756 on Jul 28, 2008

   Sex Ed including both abstinence and contraception.

   Davis signed H.R.1551&S.611

   Authorizes grants to states for sex education programs, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that states are encouraged, although not required, to provide matching funds to receive such grants.

   Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in delaying the initiation of sexual intercourse and other high-risk behaviors, preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, and increasing contraceptive knowledge and behavior. Requires states receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the state's program by an external, independent entity.

   Source: Responsible Education About Life Act 09-HR1551 on Mar 17, 2009

   More funding & services for victims of domestic violence.

   Davis co-sponsored Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act

   Introduction by co-sponsor Sen. Kay Hagan (D,NC):
   We have a serious responsibility to ensure that women and families are protected. The rates of violence and abuse in our country are astounding and totally unacceptable: domestic violence affects more than 12 million people each year. In my home state, 73 women and children are killed on average every year because of domestic violence.

   Since 1994, the STOP Program has provided grants for services, training, officers, and prosecutors, and has transformed our criminal justice system and victim support services. And this bill includes the bipartisan SAFER Act, which helps fund audits of untested DNA evidence and reduces this backlog of rape kits. I ask you: What other victims in America have to identify the attacker before authorities will take action? None.Introduction by Sen. Chuck Grassley(R,IA):
   I urge my Republican colleagues, as I will do, to support the motion to proceed. There has long been bipartisan support for the Violence Against Women Act. Too many women are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence. There is overwhelming bipartisan support for 98% of what is contained in S. 47. [Since our negative vote last session], controversial provisions have been removed. The key stumbling block to enacting a bill at this time is the provision concerning Indian tribal courts. Negotiations are continuing, and compromises would allow the bill to pass with overwhelming bipartisan support. Introduction by Sen. Pat Leahy (D,VT):
   Our bill will allow services to get to those in the LGBT community who have had trouble accessing services in the past. The rates of domestic and sexual violence in these communities are equal to or greater than those of the general population. We also have key improvements for immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence.

   Source: S.47/H.R.11 13-HR0011 on Jan 22, 2013

   Teach teens about both abstinence & contraception.

   Davis signed Responsible Education About Life Act
   To provide for the reduction of adolescent pregnancy, HIV rates, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Congress finds as follows:
   1. Leading public health organizations stress the need for sexuality education that includes messages about abstinence and contraception.
   2. A 2005 statement [to Congress] urged that 'Sexuality education should be non-judgmental & support parent-child communication & should not impose religious or ideological viewpoints upon students.'
   3. [A Congressionally-sponsored] 2006 position paper that 'Efforts to promote abstinence should include information about concepts of healthy sexuality, sexual orientation & tolerance, personal responsibility, risks of HIV, access to reproductive health care, and benefits & risks of condoms & other contraceptive methods.'
   4. 8 in 10 Americans believe that sex education should promote abstinence and provide information about the effectiveness & benefits of contraception.
   5. There is strong evidence that more comprehensive sex education can effectively help young people delay sexual initiation, even as it increases contraceptive use among sexually active youth.
   6. There is no evidence that federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are effective in stopping or delaying teen sex.
   7. Most young people have sex for the first time at about age 17, but do not marry until their late 20s. Hence young adults are at risk of unwanted pregnancy & STDs for nearly a decade.
   [Congress requires that] Sex Education Programs should:
   • provide information about the health benefits and side effects of all contraceptive and barrier methods used as a means to prevent pregnancy; and to reduce the risk of contracting STDs, including HIV/AIDS;
   • encourage family communication between parent and child about sexuality;
   • teach young people how alcohol and drug use can affect responsible decisionmaking; and
   • do not teach or promote religion.
   Source: S.611&HR1551 2009-S611 on Mar 17, 2009

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   2012 Governor, House and Senate candidates on Families & Children:			Susan Davis on other issues:
   CA Gubernatorial: Antonio Villaraigosa Jerry Brown Jerry Sanders CA Senatorial: Elizabeth Emken Gail Lightfoot Lame-duck session 2012: KY-4: Thomas Massie(R) MI-11:Dave Curson(D) NJ-9: Donald Payne Jr.(D) WA-1: Suzan DelBene(D) Re-seated Former Reps: AZ-1: Ann Kirkpatrick(D) AZ-5: Matt Salmon(R) FL-8: Alan Grayson(D) IL-11:Bill Foster(D) NH-1: Carol Shea-Porter(D) NV-3: Dina Titus(D) NY-24:Dan Maffei(D) TX-36:Steve Stockman(R) 2013 Resignations and Replacements: IL-2:Jesse Louis Jackson(D,resigned) IL-2:Robin Kelly(D,running) MA-5:Ed Markey(D,running) MA-8:Stephen Lynch(D,running) MO-8:Jo Ann Emerson(R,resigned) SC-1:Tim Scott(R,resigned) SC-1:Mark Sanford(R,running)	Newly-elected Democrats: AZ-9: Kyrsten Sinema CA-2: Jared Huffman CA-7: Ami Bera CA-15:Eric Swalwell CA-24:Julia Brownley CA-29:Tony Cardenas CA-35:Gloria Negrete McLeod CA-36:Raul Ruiz CA-41:Mark Takano CA-47:Alan Lowenthal CA-51:Juan Vargas CA-52:Scott Peters CT-5: Elizabeth Esty FL-18:Patrick Murphy FL-22:Lois Frankel FL-26:Joe Garcia HI-2: Tulsi Gabbard IL-8: Tammy Duckworth IL-10:Brad Schneider IL-12:Bill Enyart IL-17:Cheri Bustos MD-6: John Delaney MA-4: Joe Kennedy III MI-5: Dan Kildee MN-8: Rick Nolan NV-4: Steven Horsford NH-2: Annie Kuster NM-1: Michelle Lujan-Grisham NY-5: Grace Meng NY-10:Hakeem Jeffries NY-18:Sean Maloney OH-10:Joyce Beatty PA-17:Matt Cartwright TX-16:Beto O`Rourke TX-20:Joaquin Castro TX-23:Pete Gallego TX-33:Marc Veasey TX-34:Filemon Vela WA-6: Derek Kilmer WA-10:Denny Heck WI-2: Mark Pocan	Newly-elected Republicans: AR-4: Tom Cotton CA-1: Doug LaMalfa CA-21:David Valadao CA-41:Paul Cook FL-3: Ted Yoho FL-6: Ron DeSantis FL-19:Trey Radel GA-9: Doug Collins IL-15:Rodney Davis IN-2: Jackie Walorski IN-5: Susan Brooks IN-6: Luke Messer KY-6: Andy Barr MI-11:Kerry Bentivolio MO-2: Ann Wagner MT-0: Steve Daines NY-26:Chris Collins NC-8: Richard Hudson NC-9: Robert Pittenger NC-11:Mark Meadows NC-13:George Holding ND-0: Kevin Cramer OH-2: Brad Wenstrup OH-14:Dave Joyce OK-1: Jim Bridenstine OK-2: Markwayne Mullin PA-4: Scott Perry PA-12:Keith Rothfus SC-7: Tom Rice TX-14:Randy Weber TX-25:Roger Williams UT-2: Chris Stewart	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty Main Page Profile CA politicians Contact info: Fax Number: 202-225-2948 Mailing Address: Longworth HOB 1526, Washington, DC 20515 Phone number: (202) 225-2040

   
   Page last updated: Apr 15, 2013