Public Policy for WA Online Branch
AAUW of Washington - Public Policy Program
Adopted at the WA State Convention - April 2008
The public policy program underscores AAUW’s mission of advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research, speaking to women’s needs, aspirations and concerns across the life span. The work of AAUW-WA builds upon over a century of responsible public participation at the local, state, national, and international levels. The following principles provide a basis for AAUW-WA members’ actions primarily at the local and state levels. Implicit in each is support for government agencies administering programs, including adequate appropriations, effective and accountable administration, and provision for citizen participation. We work to increase the number of underrepresented populations, including women, in policy-making and other decision-making positions, and we are committed to working in partnership with diverse allies.
AAUW of Washington Public Policy Principles for Action
Basic to all of AAUW-WA’s public policy efforts is the understanding that true equity requires a balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of the community. We firmly believe in the separation of church and state. We support a fair, balanced, and independent judiciary. We oppose all forms of discrimination, and we support affirmative action to improve racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. We affirm our commitment to passage and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
AAUW-WA supports constitutional protection for the civil rights of all individuals, including the right to privacy, and we believe in choice in the determination of one’s reproductive life.
AAUW-WA believes that quality public education is the foundation of a democratic society. We advocate equity, academic freedom, protection from censorship, bias-free education, and responsible, ample, and stable state funding for all levels of education. We advocate high quality, accessible, comprehensive public education at all levels, early childhood through post-secondary, including programs that support lifelong learning and meet the needs of women re-entering the workforce. We advocate the right of citizens to be informed and involved in the goals, policies and operations of all public education institutions with school boards, trustees and regents being fully accountable to the public. We advocate for well-educated, fairly compensated and highly competent teaching professionals and high quality, innovative professional training programs.
AAUW-WA promotes the economic, social, and physical well-being of all persons. Essential to that well-being are an economy that provides equitable employment opportunities; a livable wage; reduction of poverty; quality affordable dependent care; paid family and medical leave; decent and affordable housing; and accessible affordable quality health care. Critical to the well-being of all persons are freedom from violence and a clean and healthful environment. We support public budgets that balance individual rights and responsibility to community, and a tax system that will provide a stable source of public funds and produce over-all equity in the distribution of tax burdens. We support meaningful campaign finance reform that will promote equitable participation and representation and public disclosure of finances of elected and appointed officials and candidates.
AAUW-WA values and is committed to the arts and humanities, which develop and enhance our pluralistic cultural heritage.