Program Planning Update
The 2024 LWVUS Convention is coming up at the end of June. With that in mind, all local Leagues were asked to submit recommendations to program planning additions for the LWVUS agenda. Learn more about this process.
At our LWV Chicago Program Planning Meeting (held February 29), we identified some priority topics for further studies and research, including:
Protecting and expanding reproductive rights
Judicial/Supreme Court ethics reform
Funding and financing for highways and transportation
Filibuster reform
Making the Attorney General independent from the Cabinet
Expanding the House of Representatives
Amending the Constitution to alter apportionment of senators
Artificial intelligence (AI)
We also decided to put forth Climate Change for addition as a pillar of the RECOMMENDED PROGRAM for THE CAMPAIGN FOR MAKING DEMOCRACY WORK®. Thank you to Claudia Jackson and Julia Utset, our Environmental Action Chairs, and the entire EAC Committee for their hard work putting this recommendation together. It is incredibly important work, and it is wonderful that our League understands how important climate change and justice is to making democracy work.
Here’s why we want to see this added to the LWVUS Recommended Program:
Climate change is a serious threat to human health, the health of the planet, and the health of our democracy. Climate change threatens:
Human health due to dispersion of pollutants into soil, air and water, especially in historically marginalized communities
Immigration, both domestic and international, due to climate-related weather disasters and agricultural loss
Basic human needs of food, water, clean air, and shelter due to extreme weather-related damage to natural resources
National security due to reliance on fossil fuels extracted and shipped from overseas
Economic security for industries such as agriculture, fishing, energy, and hospitality and tourism
As climate change threatens to destabilize all of these systems, the stability of our democracy is at risk.
To protect human life and democracy, we must protect the planet. The League must advocate for:
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, plastic production, and fossil fuel subsidies
Reuse and waste reduction policies that will enable a more circular economy
Stronger environmental protections and legislation that will limit further degradation of our environment
Remediation and restoration of damaged natural resources
Signing on to letters to public officials and agencies to support strong climate actions
Transparency, accountability, and oversight for:
Government agencies responsible for safeguarding natural resources to ensure clean air, water and soil
Public and municipal utilities such as energy providers
Tax credits issued for climate-related technology and infrastructure projects
Additionally, LWVUS should support climate internally through:
Regular and frequent communications with all state Leagues about climate issues
Placing climate prominently on the homepage of LWVUS
Create a separate US committee to report to the Board on climate-related legislation and advocacy initiatives
Adding program pillars takes resources. The addition of Climate Crisis will attract new and younger members to the League who will in turn bring their time, talent, networks, and monetary resources.
