Bullock for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 31, 2019

Governor Bullock Rolls Out Women’s Equality Plan

Plan Would Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work, Restore Title IX Standards, and Codify Roe v. Wade
 
Helena, MT – Montana Governor Steve Bullock today announced a comprehensive plan to address the unique challenges women face by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, restoring Title IX standards, and codifying Roe v. Wade, among other proposals.

Systemic barriers have denied more than half of Americans a fair shot at a better life. That’s why Governor Bullock’s plan aims to reverse that legacy by enforcing equal pay for equal work, ensuring healthcare equity, supporting every family, ensuring reproductive freedom and justice, and ending domestic violence. 

“It’s time to end the Trump Administration’s attacks on equal opportunity and ensure that all Americans have a fair shot at a better life — regardless of their gender,” said Montana Governor Steve Bullock. “As President, I’ll make it a priority to empower women, strengthen our communities, and ensure everyone is afforded equal opportunity to succeed.”

Read the full plan here. 

Highlights from the proposal: 

Reproductive Freedom and Reproductive Justice

• Guarantee access to co-pay-free contraception.
• Protect birth control coverage and don’t let bosses dictate an employee’s private health decisions.
• Codify Roe v. Wade into federal law and appoint justices to the Supreme Court who will uphold our values.
• Strengthen family planning programs across the country and fully fund Title X.
• End the Global Gag Rule and overturn the Mexico City Policy.
• Repeal the Hyde Amendment which makes it harder for lower-income women to access basic reproductive healthcare and has a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

Equal Pay for Equal Work

• Ensure equal pay for equal work by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. 
• Require employers to be transparent about pay practices to more easily identify bad actors and root out persistent discrimination.
• Publish a list of employers who refuse to be transparent about their pay practices if they are publicly traded companies.
• Fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, including for tipped workers, which disproportionately impacts women who make up over half of minimum wage earners in the US.

Healthcare Equity

• Ensure women don’t pay more for healthcare because of their gender and fight Republican-led attempts to roll-back these protections.
• Build on Obamacare so that every woman has insurance coverage that meets her needs. 
• Read more about Steve’s plan to make affordable, high-quality healthcare accessible to every American here.

Support Every Family

• Fight for a national paid family leave policy that ensures every parent has the time, money, and job security to raise their children and have a shot at success.
• Ensure every family has access to universal pre-K, so workers with young children can choose what’s best for their families and careers. 
• Make child care more affordable by increasing financial support for families to cover the increasingly high costs of child care. 
• Ensure living wages for daycare workers and educators. 

Confront Domestic Violence Head On and Support Survivors

• Stand up for survivors of sexual assault and reverse Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos’ attacks on protections for women on college campuses. 
• Restore the Title IX standards that protect survivors of sexual assault and work to prevent assault in the first place.  
• Close the boyfriend loophole that allows abusers to obtain firearms. 
• Address the systemic inequities that subject women of color to disproportionate rates of assault and homicide.
• Fund well-researched efforts to teach young people about consent and healthy relationships so every woman grows up in a society that values them and their safety. 
• Hold employers accountable by suspending or debarring federal contractors with a record of failing to protect women in the workplace. 
• Direct the Department of Justice to prioritize sexual harassment cases.