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Potsdam woman, at signing today of state women’s equality laws, expects ‘positive effect’ on lives of women

Posted 10/21/15

A Potsdam woman believes legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo today will have a “a positive effect” on the lives of women in the economy and under the law throughout the state. The new laws …

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Potsdam woman, at signing today of state women’s equality laws, expects ‘positive effect’ on lives of women

Posted

A Potsdam woman believes legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo today will have a “a positive effect” on the lives of women in the economy and under the law throughout the state.

The new laws approved by Cuomo are designed to protect and further women’s equality in the state. They are aimed at achieving pay equity, strengthening human trafficking laws and protections for domestic violence victims, and ending pregnancy discrimination in all workplaces, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

“These new laws will have a positive effect on the economic and legal lives of the 10 million women of New York when they take effect in 90 days,” said Donna Seymour of Potsdam, public policy vice president of the American Association of University Women – New York State, who was at the signing ceremony at Hunter College in New York City.

The college was founded in 1870 to provide educational opportunities for women and minorities, and which has since evolved into a more diverse institution.

The bills signed today include measures intended to strengthen New York State law to prohibit employers from paying women less than men for performing the same work; protect all employees from sexual harassment in the workplace regardless of the number of employees at a firm; allow successful plaintiffs to recover attorneys’ fees in employment or credit discrimination cases based on sex; prohibit employment discrimination based on family status; and protect victims of domestic violence by prohibiting landlords from discriminating against them.

Another bill signed by the governor creates a pilot program to allow domestic violence victims to seek temporary orders of protection through electronic means rather than having to appear in person. Another strengthens existing law in New York State to combat human trafficking.

State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, who represents the St. Lawrence County towns of Parishville, Lawrence, Clare, Colton, Hopkinton and Piercefield, said: “I am very pleased to see the signing of these bills which will help break down barriers and ensure a brighter future for women all across New York State. In a couple of years, we will be celebrating the centennial anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York State. It will be a time to remember and honor the incredible, dedicated women who would not take ‘no’ for an answer and prevailed in 1917. Their legacy is honored with the continued progress seen in today's bill signing. I thank Governor Cuomo and all of my colleagues for making it possible.”

“The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has been working to educate and empower women for more than 130 years,” Seymour said. “While the issues of the day may have changed over the decades, our mission has not. AAUW of New York State will continue to prioritize economic equality, equity in education, paid family leave, ending workplace discrimination, and ending sexual violence and harassment in the coming year for women and their families, among other important issues.

“We hope our elected officials will keep good on their promises to prioritize these issues and more in 2016,” Seymour said. “When women succeed, New York families succeed,” she added.

Membership in the St. Lawrence County Branch, founded in 1927, is open to anyone who supports the mission of AAUW: Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.

More info on the St. Lawrence County branch is at http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/index.html.