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<DIV>Hello Stop Family Violence Activists!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Great News!! Senate Amendment 2588 passed on a vote of
68-30</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>To see how your legislators voted <A
title=http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00308
href="http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00308">click
here</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks for your quick response!! <BR><BR>Here's the press
release from Senator Franken's office.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For Immediate Release:<BR>October 6th, 2009
<BR><BR>Contact:<BR>Jess McIntosh<BR>Jess_mcintosh@franken.senate.gov
<Jess_mcintosh@franken.senate.gov><BR>202.725.6787 <BR><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 19px"><B><BR>Franken's Proposal To Guarantee Sexual
Assault Victims Their Day In Court Passes </B></SPAN><BR>By 68 - 30,
Amendment Offered in Honor of former KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones
Passes the Senate <BR><BR><BR>WASHINGTON, DC [10/6/09] - Today, the
amendment offered by U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to stop funding
defense contractors who deny assault victims their day in court passed
the United States Senate by a vote of 68 - 30.<BR> <BR>Last
Thursday, Sen. Franken introduced an amendment (S.2588) to the FY2010
Defense Appropriations Bill that would restrict funding to defense
contractors who commit employees to mandatory binding arbitration in the
case of sexual assault. The legislation, endorsed by 61 women's, labor
and public interest groups, was inspired by the story of Jamie Leigh
Jones, who watched the vote from the Senate gallery today.
<BR> <BR>Jones was a 19-yr-old employee of defense contractor KBR
(formerly a Halliburton subsidiary) stationed in Iraq who was gang raped
by her co-workers and imprisoned in a shipping container when she tried
to report the crime. Her father and U.S. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.), worked
together to secure her safe return to the United States, but once she
was home, she learned a fine-print clause in her KBR contract banned her
from taking her case to court, instead forcing her into an "arbitration"
process that would be run by KBR itself. Just today, Halliburton filed a
petition for a rehearing en banc in the 5th Circuit Court, which means
that Jamie's fight is far from over.<BR> <BR>"I'm proud of what we
accomplished today," said Sen. Franken. "Victims of sexual assault
deserve their day in court and no corporation should be able to deny
them that right. Jamie's courage in telling her story will help women
all over this country and I'm honored to have been a part of
that."<BR><BR>"I am highly honored that Senator Franken and his wife
have created this amendment to ensure that others do not have to endure
the suffering that I have," said Jones. "This amendment makes all the
hard times that I have gone through, when going public with such a
personal tragedy, worth every tear shed from telling and retelling my
horrific experience. I know this amendment will save so many in the
future."<BR><BR>Specifically, Sen. Franken's amendment:<BR><BR>
<UL class=unIndentedList>
<LI>Does not require contractors to change or modify existing
employment contracts. It only bars funds to contractors who continue
to use these mandatory arbitration clauses in their employment
contracts. </LI></UL>
<UL class=unIndentedList>
<LI>Narrowly targets the most egregious violations and applies to
defense contracts, many of which are administered abroad, where women
are the most vulnerable and least likely to have support resources.
The amendment will apply to many contractors that have already
demonstrated their incompetence in efficiently carrying out defense
contracts, and have further demonstrated their unwillingness and their
inability to protect women from sexual assault. </LI></UL>
<UL class=unIndentedList>
<LI>Applies to claims arising out of sexual assault, like assault
& battery (including rape), intentional infliction of emotional
distress, and negligent hiring, retention, and supervision, as well as
Title VII civil rights claims, which were specifically designed to
protect vulnerable groups in the workplace. </LI></UL></DIV>
<DIV><BR>Leading Minnesota and national organizations who have endorsed
Sen. Franken's amendment include the Minnesota Women Lawyers, the
Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Sexual Violence Center,
Minnesota NOW, Advocates for Human Rights, the National Alliance
to End Sexual Violence, the National Women's Law Center, the National
Partnership for Women and Families, the American Association of
University Women, the National Council of La Raza, the Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights, and the Consumer Federation of America. A
full list of the 61 endorsing organizations is attached.<BR><BR>"Sexual
violence is about a person trying to exercise power and control over
another person through unwanted sexual contact and violence," said Pam
Zeller, Executive Director of the Sexual Violence Center. "In
arbitration the intent is to arrive at an agreement. This agreement does
not have to be equitable in order to be resolved. It is also not
intended to resolve a criminal matter. Sexual harassment and
sexual violence inherently have an imbalance of power. Submitting
a victim of sexual harassment, or sexual assault, to a process of
arbitration is a revictimization of the victim, and minimizes the
seriousness of the crime of sexual assault. The proposed amendment by
Senator Franken will protect victims of sexual harassment and sexual
violence from being revictimized through the arbitration
process."<BR> <BR>"This amendment reflects a critically important
step in safeguarding the rights of those who have experienced
discrimination in the form of sexual violence, harassment, and
stalking," said Donna Dunn, Executive Director of the Minnesota
Coalition Against Sexual Assault. "We know that justice for victims of
violence often seems elusive. It is very important that each person have
the right to assess and choose the options that they believe best fit
their needs. This amendment is a giant step in that direction."
<BR><BR>"No survivor of sexual assault should be denied the ability to
seek justice," said Terri Poore, Policy Chair of the National Alliance
to End Sexual Violence. "Asking a victim to enter into arbitration with
someone who raped her or a company that wouldn't protect her is
outrageous and sends a clear message that such violence is simply not
taken seriously." <BR><BR>Minnesota Organizations Endorsing the Franken
Amendment (SA 2588)<BR><BR><BR>Advocates for Human Rights<BR>Breaking
Free<BR>Casa de Esperanza<BR>Mid Minnesota Legal Assistance<BR>Minnesota
Coalition against Sexual Assault<BR>Minnesota Indian Women's Resource
Center<BR>Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition<BR>Minnesota
National Organization for Women<BR>Minnesota Women Lawyers<BR>Sexual
Violence Center<BR>National Organizations Endorsing the Franken
Amendment (SA 2588)<BR>AFL-CIO<BR>Alliance for Justice<BR>American
Association for Justice<BR>American Association of University
Women<BR>American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)<BR>American Federation of
Government Employees, AFL-CIO<BR>Americans for Democratic
Action<BR>Break the Cycle<BR>Campaign for Contract Agriculture
Reform<BR>Consumer Action<BR>Consumer Federation of America<BR>Consumers
for Auto Reliability and Safety<BR>Consumers Union<BR>Equal Justice
Society<BR>Family Violence Prevention Fund<BR>Feminist
Majority<BR>Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings<BR>HomeOwners for
Better Building<BR>Human Rights Campaign<BR>International Brotherhood of
Teamsters<BR>Jamie Leigh Foundation<BR>Lawyers Committee for Civil
Rights Under Law<BR>Leadership Conference on Civil Rights<BR>Legal
Momentum<BR>National Alliance to End Sexual Assault<BR>National Alliance
to End Sexual Violence<BR>National Asian Pacific American Women's
Forum<BR>National Association of Consumer Advocates<BR>National Center
for Transgender Equality<BR>National Center for Victims of
Crime<BR>National Coalition Against Domestic Violence<BR>National
Council of La Raza<BR>National Council of Women's
Organizations<BR>National Employment Law Project<BR>National Employment
Lawyers Association<BR>National Health Law Program<BR>National Network
to End Domestic Violence<BR>National Organization for Women<BR>National
Partnership for Women and Families<BR>National Research Center for Women
& Families <BR>National Senior Citizens Law Center<BR>National
Women's Law Center<BR>NCCNHR: The National Consumer Voice for Quality
Long-Term Care<BR>Public Citizen<BR>Rural Advancement Foundation
International-USA<BR>Service Employees International Union
(SEIU)<BR>Stop Family Violence<BR>Take Back Your Rights PAC<BR>U.S.
PIRG<BR>Wider Opportunities for Women<BR>Women's Research and Education
Institute</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">###</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #6633cc">
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000">Together, we can
www.stopfamilyviolence.org</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000">Irene
Weiser<BR></SPAN></DIV></SPAN><B><SPAN
style="COLOR: #6633cc"></SPAN></B></DIV></DIV>
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