NEW NEWS

The Nevada Empowered Women's (NEW) Project is a grassroots, multicultural alliance whose mission is to further the rights of women and children who are living in or near poverty by addressing relevant issues such as welfare, child care, child support, housing, and health care, and by changing negative public perceptions.

Take Advantage of Credits at Tax-Time!

The EARNED INCOME CREDIT (EIC) is a special tax benefit for people who work full- or part-time and have low or moderate incomes. The EIC helps reduce the tax burden on low-income workers by paying back some or all of the federal income tax that was withheld during the year. Qualifying families can put up to an additional $3,756 in their pockets by filing the Schedule EIC with their Form 1040 or 1040A. In most cases, the EIC does not affect welfare benefits. However, if the lump sum payment is not spent by the end of the month following the month it was received, Food Stamps and Medicaid eligibility could be affected. The EIC has no impact on eligibility for TANF. For further information, contact your worker or NEW Project. The EIC Advance Payment Option allows workers to keep more of their paychecks during the year. If you think you might have been eligible for the EIC in previous years but did not apply for it, you can still file for up to the last three years. The CHILD TAX CREDIT can be helpful to families who still owe income tax even after filing for the EIC. The "Additional Child Tax Credit" allows workers with three or more children to be eligible for the Child Tax Credit even if they do not owe income tax. The CHILD AND DEPENDENT CARE CREDIT is a tax benefit that helps families pay for child care needed to work or look for work, as well as the care of a spouse or adult dependent who is unable to care for him / herself. This information is not intended to replace professional tax advice. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is an IRS-sponsored program that provides FREE tax assistance to low-income workers. VITA may even be able to file your return electronically for a faster refund. Why pay the expense of commercial tax preparation when FREE help is available? Keep more of your refund by calling (800) TAX-1040 for the VITA location nearest you.

A Matter of Choice

by Rocío A. López

On January 23, I attended the 26th Roe vs. Wade Anniversary Brunch hosted by Planned Parenthood Mar Monte of Northern Nevada. The theme for this year was "The Next Generation's Ladder to Access". Women have fought through the years to have their voices heard on numerous issues. We have fought to have a choice in what we do, how we live, and what we do with our bodies. For many years, women worked hard for the legal right to have an abortion. Abortion is now legal, and women have a "choice" in what they do with their bodies. Unfortunately, the "Anti-Choice" community is working hard to make abortion illegal again. This was the topic of discussion at the Roe vs. Wade Brunch. Pro-Choice advocates are recruiting young women to continue to fight for the right to choose.

I saw it all as a matter of "choice". Do we want our neighbors or the man living down the block to decide what each of us should do with our bodies? The answer should be "no". Even if you do not believe in abortion for yourself, others should still have the chance to make this very personal decision for themselves. We would never let our neighbors tell us how to live, what to eat, or who to marry, so why should we let other people tell us what we can and can't do with our bodies? Women must continue to fight to keep abortion legal, so that we will always have a choice.

Get Set for Grassroots Lobby Days

Mark your calendars now for Grassroots Lobby Days, March 21 - 23 in Carson City. This event, sponsored by the Nevada Women's Lobby, occurs every two years to prepare women to take action during our Legislative (law-making) Session. The first day will include a "Strength in Unity" workshop by the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) to provide a framework for legislative action. Afternoon activities will include a discussion of reproductive rights (the right to choose abortion), breakout sessions on Education, Health Care, Juvenile Justice, and Mental Health / Substance Abuse (all of which will be hot topics during the legislative session), and a presentation from Women's Action for New Directions (WAND), a national organization committed to empowering women politically.

The next two days include an orientation to the Legislature and the law-making process, as well as the opportunity to meet with your representatives during lunch and individually to discuss issues of personal concern. Legislative hearings will be occurring during this time, so you will have the chance to observe lawmakers' discussions of issues that are important to you.

If you are unfamiliar with the legislative process, this is an excellent opportunity to "learn the ropes" and see how YOU can make a difference for your family, your community, and your state. For those of you who are interested in the event but are unable to attend all three days, partial registration is available. Student discounts and scholarships are available, and NEW Project will see to it that all of those wanting to attend are able.

Please call us by February 19 if you would like to join NEW Project members for Grassroots Lobby Days. For more information, call the Nevada Women's Lobby at 787-7875 or 345-0245, or visit their website at http://members.aol.com/NVWomen.

Christmas in April?

For some residents of the Truckee Meadows, Christmas will be coming twice this year. Thanks to the Washoe County Home Consortium, Washoe County Partners in Homeownership, Wells Fargo, and other community organizations, elderly, disabled, and low-income residents of the Truckee Meadows have an opportunity to have their homes repaired at no cost . The Christmas in April program rehabilitates owner-occupied homes so residents can live in warmth, safety, and independence. Repairs may involve plumbing, kitchen appliances, painting, plastering, replacing faulty locks, and fixing windows and electrical wiring. If you would like to apply for the Christmas in April program, or if you would like to volunteer to help with repairs on April 24, please call 334-2219.

The President's Plight

by Cyndi Stearns-Estes

Bill Clinton has served as the President of the United States of America since 1992. When he was elected, feminists, moderates, environmentalists, and even some social liberals were ecstatic. They celebrated the first Democratic President in a decade and were happy that the new President and his wife were young, progressive, and had tons of energy to work with. Now, many people who celebrated his victory are calling for his removal from office.

Although he has held firm on reproductive rights, the President made a big mistake in the eyes of many women who helped elect him by signing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act in 1996, a.k.a. the welfare "repeal" law. Along with this disappointing act, he continued to make mistakes in his personal life. In 1994, Congress appointed Ken Starr as a "Special Prosecutor" to look into some questionable activities the President had been involved in before he took office. The original purpose of the Special Prosecutor has been long forgotten as the right-wing lawyers and media have encouraged Mr. Starr to keep digging. In essence, he has been given free, unregulated, and unwatched access to the President's life, both public and private.

Do you know anyone who can look you in the eye and honestly tell you they have nothing in their life, past or present, that would embarrass them? There just aren't very many people who can do that. More than likely, Mr. Starr probably even has some skeletons in HIS closet. Meanwhile, American taxpayers had to foot the bill for his "Whitewater" investigation, and the current investigation is costing us nearly $1 million a month. I'll bet many of you who are reading this article are wondering, "Couldn't all that money be better spent on other things?" Little things, like putting food in a hungry baby's mouth, or sending your six-year old to an educational camp. Little things like helping college-bound students pay for college. It seems that if this money was spent in ways that make sense, many of our welfare problems would have a better chance of working themselves out. Children wouldn't be hungry, their older siblings would be learning about the world of nature, and your 18-year-old would be filling out college applications

Message from The President

Teresa Benitez

Hello NEW Project members! I hope this month's NEW NEWS finds you all well. Thanks to Jan Gilbert and Jon Sasser for presenting Legislature 101 at our January meeting. It seems as though we bit off more than we could chew trying to cover the legislative process in a hour and a half! So, now that we understand how a bill becomes a law, our February meeting in Reno will focus on lobbying - how to influence the political process by talking with legislators (law-makers) and other key people. Please join us for Bobbie Gang's "down-and-dirty" session on lobbying on February 17th. Nevadans are in a fortunate position since we have relatively easy access to our lawmakers. Come hear how to take advantage of this unique situation!

Thanks also to all of our Southern Nevada readers who attended our Open House last month in Las Vegas. We hope to see you again (and again, and again...)!