The Women’s Legislative Caucus announced Thursday its package for the 2012 state legislative session, focusing on women and veterans in the armed forces.
"They (women in the armed forces) are role models, and we admire their courage and perseverance," state Rep. Linda Ichiyama (D, Moanalua Valley-Salt Lake) said during a news conference at the Capitol to unveil the package. "They brave some of the worst conditions imaginable, from the constant stress of combat to the threat of combat and sexual assault."
Ichiyama said women are the fastest-growing group in Hawaii’s veteran population, making up some 11,000 of the 117,000 veterans in the state.
The package deals with other issues about the welfare of all women.
It includes:
» House Bill 2227/Senate Bill 2577, which would allow amended birth certificates for people who have undergone a gender transition.
» HB 2228/SB 2573, which would require employers with at least 20 employees to provide a clean, safe location for women to breast-feed their children.
» HB 2232/SB 2578, which would prohibit a physician, surgeon or medical student from performing a pelvic examination on an anesthetized or unconscious female without informed consent.
The caucus’ resolutions include:
» House Resolution 11, which requests congressional support for the repeal of military rules that bar women from combat.
» HR 15, which requests that Congress approve funding of abortions for servicewomen in cases of rape or incest and to lift the ban on private funding of abortions at military bases, especially those overseas.
"Remember, this is bipartisan," state Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R, Kailua-Kaneohe) said at the news conference. "It’s a wonderful model for how government can and should work."
