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2013 Students Inside Albany Conference (4/22/2013)

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2013 State Convention

2013 League Silent Auction
Check out all the great baskets, artwork and food available for bidding at the State League’s Silent Auction. Everyone can bid – even if you are not attending Convention. Help raise funds for the state League and get some great deals!

Check back often as we add more items!

2013 LWVNYS State Convention
June 1-2, 2013
Hilton Albany in downtown Albany

It’s not too late to register! Information and a registration form are included in the Registration Kit. Send your registration in NOW!

Pre-Convention Kit

Proposed 2013-14 Budget, Nominating Committee Report, Bylaw Amendments and 2013-15 Program.

Registration Kit

Details and logistics for Convention including registration form

First Call to Convention

Legislative Action

	NEW! Impact on Issues, Updated 2012 Impact on Issues in NYS
	Campaign Finance Reform *NEW!* League Endorses Common Cause Report on Housekeeping Accounts in New York State (5/21/2013) *NEW!* LWVNYS Testimony before Independent Democratic Caucus on Campaign Finance Reform (5/20/2013) *NEW!* NYPIRG Report on Violations of State’s Campaign Finance Laws (5/7/2013) League Applauds IDC on Proposal for Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform (4/12/2013) Fair Elections and Good Government Advocates Call for Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform: Latest Scandal Emphasizes Urgent Need to Empower Voters, End Money in Politics Culture (3/3/2013)
	Women’s Equality Coalition NEW! LWV of Chemung Celebrates Equal Pay Day 2013 (4/18/2013) Article in Daily Courier by ST. Lawrence MAL Unit (3/4/2013) NY Women’s Equality Coalition Kick-Off (3/4/2013) League joins over 500 organizations to support the Governor’s women’s equality agenda. Coalition Website Coalition Facebook Page Coalition Twitter League Signs On to Governor’s Women’s Equality Agenda (1/29/2013)
	Environmental Issues NEW! LWVUS Provides Public Comment to EPA Leaders and Science Advisory Board on the Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources (5/7/2013) NEW! Memo in Support A1046 (4/15/2013) Relates to the uniform treatment of waste from the exploration, development, extraction, or production of crude oil or natural gas. NEW! LWVUS Joins Coalition in Opposition to TransCanada’s Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline (4/11/2013) League Urges Governor to “Pause” on Hydrofracking (2/11/2013) Letter to NYS DEC Commissioner on Regulations Governing Mining Natural Gas (1/7/2013)
	Election Law NEW! League Joins Senators in Urging Reform on Election Issues (S4269 and S4270) 5/1/2013 Bills concerning timing of ballots for election inspection workers and qualifications for use of affidavit ballots. NEW! League Comments on Governor Cuomo’s Statement on Electoral Reforms (4/30/2013) Proposal Simplifies Ballot Design; Allows Sixteen and Seventeen Year-Olds to Pre-Register to Vote; Reduces the Number of Signatures Required to Be on a Ballot Good Government Groups Praise Legislative Leaders for Advancing Early Voting (1/4/2013) Testimony before the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Election Law (12/14/2012) Testimony provided to examine possible statutory and regulatory changes to make the in-person voting process in New York more user friendly and the impact of implementing such changes in the state budget. Testimony to NYS Assembly Committee Testimony to NYC Council Results of 2012 Election Survey in NYC Results by County of 2012 Election Survey Statewide
	Healthcare NEW! Memo in Support A5389a/S2078a (4/22/2013) Amends the public health law and the state finance law, in relation to establishing New York Health. NEW! Memo in Support of A420 Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act (4/15/2013) Relates to dispensing emergency contraception under certain conditions.
	Other Legislative Issues NEW! Memo in Support S3412 (4/15/2013) Amends the legislative law, in relation to prohibiting voting on legislation during certain times of the day. STAR Inefficient Way to Provide Tax Relief (3/23/2013) Letter to the Editor concerning STAR program. Testimony Before Joint Legislative Committees on 2013-2014 Executive Budget on Elementary and Secondary Education (1/29/2013) Testimony Before NYS Office of Attorney General Regarding Proposed Regulations Related to Disclosure Requirements for Nonprofits (1/29/2013) Memo in Support of S2107 Regarding Constitutional Amendment on Redistricting (1/23/2013) Good Government Groups Question Use of Message of Necessity (1/15/2013) LWVNYS Response to Governor Cuomo’s State of the State (1/9/2013)
	Advocacy Information NEW! 2013 Legislative Packet (3/2013) The 2013 Legislative Packet has been distributed to all local Leagues. We ask all local Leagues to schedule a visit with the NYS Senator and Assemblymember to discuss our positions. Talking points on campaign finance reform, election law reform and the women’s equality agenda are included. Lobby Day 2013 (2/5/2013) Handouts from annual Lobby Day, with 40 members listening to updates from 8 of our Issue Specialists on everything from financing education, women’s issues, transportation, healthcare, election reform and campaign finance reform. 2013 Legislative Agenda (1/15/2013) See the issues the League will be working on during this year’s legislative session. Capitol Beat Blog (1/16/2013) Follow the happenings in the Capitol during the legislative session with LWVNYS Legislative Director Barbara Bartoletti. Posts will be made at least weekly and more often if legislative action gets exciting! Click on the Capitol Beat Blog (in red at the top right of this homepage).

Educational Materials

Preserving Our Democracy: Campaign Finance Reform for New York State
(10/26/2012)
Program-ready materials for community forums to discuss the issue of campaign finance reform. Strong, well-enforced campaign finance regulations, along with a system of small donor matching grants, are a pathway to expanding voter participation, increasing more candidate diversity, and lessening the impact of special interests. Community forums presenting this League educational program analyzing the weaknesses of current campaign finance regulation and suggesting reform are being organized around the state during the next 4 months.

Power Point presentation (in pdf but available from League office in PPT)
Background paper
Handout and Glossary

Increasing Voter Participation: Opportunities in New York State (12/12/2011)
Ready-made materials for presentation at an educational community forum on opportunities to increase voter participation in New York State. Voter registration modernization, early voting systems and improved ballot design, poll worker training and voter education are all discussed in the materials. See what other states have done in these areas and how they could be implemented in NYS. Finally, recommendations for short term and long term actions are offered.

Power Point Presentation
Background Paper
The War on Voting in the Modern Era (2/16/2012)
Presentation by Tim O’Brien, LWVUS Project Manager for the Public Advocacy for Voter Protection, recently spoke about current efforts to suppress the vote in several states.

News & Upcoming Events

	Governor Cuomo Launches New Open Data Website (3/14/2013) www.data.ny.gov A new, user-friendly, one-stop access to data from New York State agencies, localities, and the federal government was unveiled this week during Sunshine Week. The website features economic development, health, recreation, and public services information.
	2012 Election Survey Report (2/6/2013) Final report of over 1,000 responses to the League’s survey on the voting machines and procedures from the fall 2012 election.
	SIA 2013 NEW! 2013 Students Inside Albany Conference was held April 14-17, 2013 in Albany. There were 55 students from 38 local Leagues who attended the four day training experience designed to immerse the students in the process by which public policy is proposed, enacted and changed in New York State. With many speakers, a tour of the Capitol and shadowing their Assemblymember and Senator, the students learned how they can influence and affect the development of public policy. 2013 Summary of Students Inside Albany Conference (4/30/2013)
	New Way to Buy Merchandise, Donate or Join LWVNYS! The League is pleased to announce new pages on the website to donate to the League or the Education Foundation, to join the League and to view and purchase merchandise from the LWVNYS. Just click on the links on the left side of the homepage – Donate LWV, Donate EF, Merchandise or Join.
	NEW! League Communication 2012-2013 LWVNYS Calendar (7/31/2012) State Board Updates - March 2013 Additional League forms can be found on the Local League Resources page of this website. State Voter - March 2013