Senator Al Franken (D. MN) is pushing to get his anti-bullying bill passed:
http://hometownsource.com/...
U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) reintroduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act, which protects students who are—or are perceived to be—lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) from harassment, discrimination, and violence at school.
Sen. Franken’s bill extends to LGBT students the same rights to protection from discrimination as other kids have based on their gender, religion, disability, race, or national origin.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act has 30 original cosponsors and has also been added to the Strengthening All Schools Act to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind, which was also introduced today.
“No child should dread going to school because they don’t feel safe,” said Sen. Franken. “Our nation’s civil rights laws protect our children from bullying due to race, sex, religion, disability, and national origin. My proposal extends these protections to our gay and lesbian students who shouldn’t ever feel afraid of going to school. I’m also pleased my provision is now a part of the education bill that will soon be debated in the Senate Education Committee.”
Surveys indicate that nearly eight in 10 LGBT students have been bullied. The harassment LGBT youth experience in school deprives them of equal educational opportunities by increasing their likelihood of skipping school, underperforming academically, and eventually dropping out. It can also have a detrimental effect on their physical and mental health. Left unchecked, this harassment can lead to life-threatening violence and suicide. - Hometown Source, 6/4/13
Senator Tom Harkin (D. IA), who is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee has also introduced legislation that includes the same language being proposed in Franken's bill:
http://www.washingtonblade.com/...
For the first time, Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced the LGBT-inclusive legislation to reauthorize the Elementary & Secondary Education Act with language along the lines of the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe School Schools Improvement Act.
In a statement to the Washington Blade, Harkin touted the inclusion of the LGBT bills in his 1,150-page long bill known as the Strengthening America’s Schools Act of 2013
“Because every child deserves a safe and healthy place to learn, we have included the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act in this year’s reauthorization of ESEA,” Harkin said. “These provisions will help to ensure that all students, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, are treated fairly and afforded equal opportunities to succeed in the classroom.”
Modeled after Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the SNDA-like provision in the bill establishes LGBT students as a protected class and prohibits schools from discriminating against any student based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. The discrimination includes allowing bullying against them.
The bill also contains provisions similar to SSIA that advocates for a positive school climate and requires reporting on incidents of bullying, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
On the same day that Harkin introduced the education reform bill, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced the standalone version of the Student Non-Discrimination Act.
Franken’s legislation has 30 co-sponsors, including lesbian Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), although the co-sponsors are Democrats.
In the House, SNDA has already been introduced. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), a gay lawmaker who’s sponsoring the bill, commended Harkin for including the LGBT measure as part of his education reform bill.
“SNDA’s inclusion in this important bill is reflective of how important protecting all students is and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Education & Workforce Committee to move forward on our bipartisan bill in the House,” Polis said.
SSIA has also already been introduced in the House and Senate. In the House, the bill is sponsored by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) while in the Senate, the chief sponsor is Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). - Washington Blade, 6/4/13
The Student Non-Discrimination Act has been co-sponsored by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Tom Udall (D-N.Mex.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mo Cowan (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.Mex.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Franken first introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act in 2010:
http://www.franken.senate.gov/...
Every day, students who are (or are perceived to be) lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) are subjected to pervasive discrimination, including harassment, bullying, and violence. Surveys indicate that nearly nine out of ten LGBT students have been bullied, which contributes to their high rates of absenteeism, academic underachievement, and even higher rates of suicide. Shockingly, more than one-third of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth have attempted suicide.
While federal civil rights statutes clearly address discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, and national origin, they do not explicitly include sexual orientation or gender identity. As a result, LGBT students and parents have limited legal recourse for this kind of discrimination.
Senator Franken introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act to change this by establishing a comprehensive federal prohibition against discrimination and bullying in public schools based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Specifically, the bill would forbid schools from discriminating against LGBT students or ignoring harassing behavior. Fifty years of civil rights history shows that similar laws are effective in preventing discrimination from happening in the first place. Like other civil rights laws, SNDA would prompt schools to avoid liability by taking proactive steps to prevent the discrimination and bullying of students protected by the bill.
SNDA is one of four important bills that could help stop anti-gay bullying and LGBT youth homelessness:
http://www.americanprogress.org/...
Pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act
The Safe Schools Improvement Act, or SSIA, would require schools receiving federal funding to implement policies to ban bullying, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It would also require states to report bullying and harassment data to the U.S. Department of Education. Sens. Robert Casey (D-PA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the bill in the Senate and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) introduced the bill in the House earlier this year.
Whereas SNDA establishes the legal rights of victims of bullying and the federal government’s response to schools condoning LGBT discrimination, SSIA requires primary and secondary schools to take a proactive role in preventing harassment and discrimination by adopting and enforcing antibullying policies, which include LGBT youth.
Importantly, the Safe Schools Improvement Act also explicitly states that schools cannot allow the threat of bullying and harassment to deter students from participating in school programs and extracurricular activities. In-school and afterschool programs have the potential to prevent homelessness for LGBT youth by providing a positive environment and deterring youth from turning to substance abuse and engaging in other risky behaviors to cope with peer rejection. Discouraging youth from engaging in these behaviors alone reduces the risk that these youth will become homeless at some point in their lives.
Research also shows that abstaining from risky behaviors and performing well at school can reduce family conflict at home, which is the primary reason that LGBT youth experience homelessness. Among LGBT students, 30 percent report missing at least one day of school in the past month because of safety concerns, and students who are bullied frequently report lower grade-point averages. Researchers have also found that LGBT youth are more likely than other youth to use tobacco products than their heterosexual peers, largely to cope with rejection from their families and peers. By adopting and enforcing antibullying policies, schools can help alleviate behaviors associated with family conflict and rejection such as substance abuse and poor academic performance, thereby decreasing the odds of a child becoming homeless.
Incorporate LGBT youth into the Homeless and Runaway Youth Act reauthorization
Another way Congress could help LGBT homeless youth is by directing existing homeless-youth programs to specifically target LGBT youth. The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, or RHYA, awards grants to public and private organizations assisting homeless youth. The bill, which is reauthorized every five years, makes no mention of LGBT youth despite their disproportionate representation among the homeless-youth population. This year, Congress should explicitly incorporate LGBT youth into the Homeless and Runaway Youth Act.
Congress should, for example, adopt a general statement of nondiscrimination for the bill that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. This would prohibit grant recipients using RHYA funds from discriminating against gay and transgender youth, who are frequently mistreated or turned away when they seek help from these organizations simply because they identify as LGBT.
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act is up for reauthorization this year, and the House and Senate are expected to introduce their respective funding bills for fiscal year 2014 in the coming weeks.
Reintroduce and pass the Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act
In addition to battling bullying in schools and improving existing programs for homeless youth, Congress should also seek new solutions to end LGBT youth homelessness. The bulk of the Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act aims to improve training, educational opportunities, and permanency planning for older foster-care youth; and reduce homelessness of all young people, LGBT or not. But one part of the bill in particular calls on the secretary of health and human services to establish a demonstration project that develops programs that improve family relationships and reduce homelessness specifically for LGBT youth. A growing body of research from the Family Acceptance Project suggests that this family-centered approach is one of the best ways to support LGBT homeless youth, so targeted support for these programs has the potential to significantly decrease rates of homelessness.
The Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act was introduced in an earlier session of Congress by then-Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) but has not yet been reintroduced into the 113th Congress. - Center For American Progress, 6/4/13
if you would like more information on the Student Non-Discrimination Act, please contact Senator Franken's office for more details:
(202) 224-5641
In other Franken-related news, Ben Swartz, father of Reddit founder, Aaron Swartz, is thanking Franken and other Senators for pushing to get answers on Swartz's death:
Over the past five months, I have been heartened to see the memory of my son galvanizing such a powerful movement for change. I can tell you, it's what Aaron would have wanted.
It has been your efforts that have led some lawmakers to pursue an investigation of Aaron's vindictive, cruel and disproportionate prosecution. When the Justice Department appeared before the Judiciary Committee to discuss Aaron's case, Senators Patrick Leahy, John Cornyn, and Al Franken all pushed for answers. And for that they deserve thanks.
Click here to join me in thanking these Senators for their efforts and urge them to keep pushing for answers about Aaron's unjust prosecution:
http://act.demandprogress.org/...
At the request of these senators, the Department of Justice recently briefed Senate Judiciary Committee staffers on their prosecution of Aaron -- but more questions remain.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: my son was destroyed by a system and prosecutors that still don’t understand the nature of what they did.
They destroyed my son by their callousness and inflexibility.
Click here to thank those lawmakers who've aided our effort to expose the absurd and abusive nature of Aaron's prosecution:
http://act.demandprogress.org/...
The work of changing that system -- of getting answers to our unanswered questions about Aaron's prosectution -- remains before us.
For now, it's important that those lawmakers who've already joined our cause know that we are thankful, and that we will continue to stand with them as they use their power to hold the DOJ to account and seek justice for Aaron.
Click here to join me in thanking them for pursuing the investigation, and let them know that we'll stand with them as they keep pressing forward.
http://act.demandprogress.org/...
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Thank you,
Bob Swartz
You can click here to thanks Senators Franken, Cornyn and Leahy:
http://act.demandprogress.org/...
I would also like to congratulate Senator Franken and his wife Franni on becoming grandparents:
Franni and I have some amazing news.
We’re grandparents!
Meet Joseph Bryson Greenwald, all 6lbs, 11oz. of him.
Franni and I couldn't be happier or more grateful, and we wanted to share our joy with all of you right away.
Best,
Al
And Senator Elizabeth Warren (D. MA) is helping Franken fundraise for 2014:
My colleague Senator Elizabeth Warren is ridiculously smart, proudly progressive, completely fearless -- and just plain cool.
That’s why Franni and I are having her over to our place in Washington D.C. for lunch on July 10th -- and you and a friend could be there!
Click here to contribute toward our $100,000 June goal, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a trip for you and a friend to Washington to have lunch with me, Franni, and Elizabeth Warren!
https://secure.alfranken.com/...
It can be hard to get a table for lunch out in Washington, what with all the PAC fundraisers and lobbyists constantly wooing members of Congress.
That’s why we’ll be dining in. I don’t know what Franni has in mind for the menu, but I do know one thing -- this won’t be one of those lunches where favors are traded or special interest checks are slid across the table.
Instead, you (and your guest), Elizabeth, Franni, and I will talk about rebuilding our middle class, making sure Wall Street has to play by the same rules as Main Street, and, well, anything else that’s on your mind.
Call it a Progressive Power Lunch. And by clicking here and making a contribution toward our $100.000 June goal, you’ll be automatically entered to win!
https://secure.alfranken.com/...
Remember: Your travel and accommodations are on us. All you have to do is pick a friend, bring an appetite, let us know of any food allergies or other dietary restrictions, and think about what you’d like to ask Elizabeth.
Click here to contribute and be automatically entered to win the Progressive Power Lunch Sweepstakes!
https://secure.alfranken.com/...
Thanks and hope to see you at lunch.
Al
P.S.: My place might not have waiters or an exhaustive wine list, but when Elizabeth comes over, it’ll very quickly become the best table in town. Click here to make a contribution, and you’ll be automatically entered to win:
https://secure.alfranken.com/...
You can click here to donate and enter a chance to win:
https://secure.alfranken.com/...