Subject: Re: End of year Update
From: <[email-masked]>
To: Molly McUsic <[email-masked]>, Hansjoerg Wyss <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "John Podesta ([email-masked])" <[email-masked]>, "Stevenson, Howard" <[email-masked]>, Howard Stevenson <[email-masked]>
Cc: Chris Killingsworth <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2015 22:48:42 +0000 (UTC)

Great work in hard times. We are very fortunate to have Hansjoerg  and you and all staff leading us onward!
Happy holidays  to all....Bruce

      From: Molly McUsic <[email-masked]>
 To: Hansjoerg Wyss <[email-masked]>; "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>; "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>; "John Podesta ([email-masked])" <[email-masked]>; "Stevenson, Howard" <[email-masked]>; Howard Stevenson <[email-masked]> 
Cc: Chris Killingsworth <[email-masked]>
 Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 1:35 PM
 Subject: End of year Update
  
 #yiv6061241765 #yiv6061241765 -- filtered {panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}#yiv6061241765 filtered {font-family:Calibri;panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}#yiv6061241765 p.yiv6061241765MsoNormal, #yiv6061241765 li.yiv6061241765MsoNormal, #yiv6061241765 div.yiv6061241765MsoNormal {margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:11.0pt;}#yiv6061241765 a:link, #yiv6061241765 span.yiv6061241765MsoHyperlink {color:#0563C1;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv6061241765 a:visited, #yiv6061241765 span.yiv6061241765MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:#954F72;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv6061241765 p {margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12.0pt;}#yiv6061241765 span.yiv6061241765EmailStyle17 {color:windowtext;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none none;}#yiv6061241765 p.yiv6061241765story-body-text, #yiv6061241765 li.yiv6061241765story-body-text, #yiv6061241765 div.yiv6061241765story-body-text {margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12.0pt;}#yiv6061241765 .yiv6061241765MsoChpDefault {}#yiv6061241765 filtered {margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}#yiv6061241765 div.yiv6061241765WordSection1 {}#yiv6061241765 Dear Wyss Foundation Board, As we approach the end of the year, I want to share a few highlights of our work in 2015 and updates since the Board meeting in October.    2015 Year in Review In 2015, the Foundation had a major impact on economic opportunity and women’s equality.  Our grantees secured minimum wage increases for nearly1 million workers, paid sick days for 500,000 people, overtime and wage protections for2 million domestic workers (90% of whom are women) and increased access to healthcare through expansion of the Medicaid program for nearly500,000 people.  And, as part of the recent omnibus budget deal, our grantees secured a permanent expansion of low income tax credits that lift16 million people out of poverty—single mothers are the largest group of recipients of this tax credit.  These are victories that significantly impact the lives of Americans, particularly women who are more likely to be in low income jobs and in poverty.  Despite vitriolic attacks on reproductive rights in the U.S. which reached new levels with a high profile smear of Planned Parenthood and a violent attack on a clinic killing 3 people, our grantees in the reproductive rights arena have continued to fend off threats to women’s health and related rights. In 2015, grantees secured victories in 21 cases, beat back six bad laws at the state level, and are headed into 2016 anticipating a major decision in the US Supreme Court. In Latin America, our grantees have made progress towards legal access to abortion in Peru, Colombia, Chile and El Salvador. In 2015 we also saw how investments in the judiciary contribute to progressive victories.  The Department of Labor ruling securing overtime and wage protections for domestic workers was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in an opinion written by Judge Sri Srinivasan, who was confirmed by the Senate in May 2013. His appointment, along with several other Obama nominees to the same court created a progressive majority. Progressive judges also played pivotal roles in decisions in reproductive rights cases in 2015, including a  5th Circuit decision keeping Mississippi’s only abortion clinic open in which the deciding vote was cast by an Obama appointee, and a 10th Circuit decision rejecting challenges to the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage requirement in which another Obama appointee cast a critical vote. The new campaign and communications center— approved by the Board earlier this year and tentatively called “the Hub”—is now up and running and will play a major role in accelerating our victories in 2016 and beyond.  Arkadi Gerney became the Hub’s Director earlier this month and has already hired a staff of three and met with many of our grantees.  He is currently developing campaign and communications plans on payday loans and voting issues in early 2016. Below is a more detailed summary of accomplishments since we were together in October. I hope that each of you has a happy holiday season!  As always, we are grateful for your support and guidance. Warm Regards, Molly      Updates since the Board meeting in October: Economic Opportunity Expansions to the Earned Income Tax Credit are made permanent. A Foundation-supported campaign to make temporary expansions to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) permanent has won an important victory as part of the end-of-the-year tax and budget deal. 16 million people—half of whom are children—are lifted out of poverty by the provisions. Over the last year and half, Foundation grantees—led by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities— carried out an impressive campaign to ensure that any large-scale budget deal included the refundable tax credits.  Ultimately, the White House, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), and other congressional leaders made clear that no business tax breaks would move without the low-income credits. Congress originally made these critical expansions to the program in the 2009 stimulus bill, and some of the Foundation’s earliest Social Justice grants supported previous victories to extend the program. However, these provisions were set to expire at the end of 2017. The permanent expansion of the program gives millions of families much needed and immediate economic security. The National Council of La Raza and United Way Worldwide provided advocacy muscle for the effort, securing media coverage and sponsoring outreach events in the states. The campaign was supported by analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. ACLU files suit to end modern day debtors’ prisons in Washington State. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in October against Benton County in central Washington over its unconstitutional system of collecting court-imposed debts. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 3 plaintiffs who suffered serious hardships—incarceration or forced labor— as a result of court-imposed debts made without a determination of their ability to pay.  This is the third major lawsuit under a new ACLU program – launched with new Foundation support – to protect the poor in the criminal justice system. Democracy ACLU challenges Indiana’s attempts to exclude Syrian refugees.In November, Governor Mike Pence directed Indiana social services agencies to stop resettlement of Syrian refugees. As a result, a Syrian family about to make its new home in Indiana was turned away. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in federal district court challenging the constitutionality of Pence’s actions; the first suit in the country to challenge a governor’s attempt to shut the door on Syrian refugees. Oklahoma registers thousands to vote. Foundation grantees Demos and Project Vote reached a settlement with the Oklahoma State Election Board to improve voter registration services at public assistance agencies in July 2015. One month after the settlement, Oklahoma election officials reported receiving 1,574 voter registration applications, an increase of almost 520 percent. Lawsuit filed alleging National Voter Registration Act violations. Foundation grantee Demos filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina against several North Carolina officials for failing to provide federally mandated voter registration opportunities. The legal action comes in the wake of an investigation by Demos showing that North Carolina is failing to register eligible voters when they sign up for drivers’ licenses.  Reproductive Rights in the U.S.: Litigation: Court decisions blocking laws designed to limit women’s access to abortion were secured in six cases this fall.  However, the U.S. Supreme Court also agreed to review a Texas law designed to shut down abortion clinics. The outcome of this case next summer is critical to the future of abortion care in the U.S.  The Center for Reproductive Rights is bringing the case before the Court and grantee Whole Woman’s Health is the lead plaintiff.  Oral arguments are expected to be scheduled for March 2016.  The Supreme Court also agreed to review another challenge to the birth control benefit of the Affordable Care Act. Seven of eight U.S. Courts of Appeal have already ruled that requiring health insurance to cover birth control does not violate religious rights. The National Women’s Law Center has been leading coalition efforts to organize around the case and NARAL, UltraViolet, and Planned Parenthood are actively involved. Precedent-setting legislation passed in California: A new law in California requires that information about financial assistance for reproductive health services be posted in all reproductive health clinics in the state, and that any unlicensed anti-choice crisis pregnancy centers must disclose that they are not qualified medical professionals. It is the first statewide bill of its kind and is a groundbreaking proactive, pro-choice success. The legislation comes after an undercover investigation and subsequent report last year by NARAL exposing the deceptive tactics used by Crisis Pregnancy Centers to dissuade women from getting abortions, and subsequent advocacy work and extensive coalition building and organizing done by NARAL and its allies. Advocates plan to push for similar legislation in other states.   Responses to the attacks on Planned Parenthood: At the state level, attempts to “defund” Planned Parenthood and the court cases challenging those efforts are continuing. The governors of Oklahoma and Texas are the latest to attempt defunding Planned Parenthood health centers. So far federal courts have blocked the defunding efforts in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Utah on the grounds that the decisions violate patients’ freedom of choice of providers. Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates have filed a lawsuit in federal court on the same grounds. In Alabama, the state settled its lawsuit and agreed to pay legal fees after a federal judge blocked the state from defunding the health centers.  Reproductive Rights in Latin America: Colombia: The Constitutional Court of Colombia ruled that healthcare providers are obligated to provide immediate, comprehensive, confidential and free medical services, including abortion, to victims of sexual violence. In 2014, the Colombian government enacted optional guidelines that were supposed to help victims of sexual violence get comprehensive healthcare services. The result: of the more than 48,000 women who reported sexual violence, 40% did not receive the needed medical services. Women’s Link Worldwide brought the case to the Constitutional Court and generated public support for the ruling. Peru: The Peruvian government has agreed to pay reparations as part of the first United Nations ruling on human rights violations in an abortion case. Almost a decade after the U.N. Human Rights Committee declared that Peru’s denial of access to legal abortion services is a human rights violation, the government will provide reparations to K.L. - a woman who was forced to continue with a pregnancy that put her physical and mental health at risk, even though abortion was legal in these circumstances under Peruvian law. The case was brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights and marked the first time in history that an international human rights body held a government accountable for failing to ensure access to legal abortion services. El Salvador: The Center for Reproductive Rights has brought international attention to cases of women wrongfully imprisoned for having miscarriages, most recently through an historic public hearing at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about the situation of women incarcerated under the El Savadoran ban on abortion. The hearing received some positive publicity and was followed by a meeting with eight U.S. State Department officials and a petition signed by nearly 40,000 people and 55 members of Congress urging Secretary of State John Kerry to press the matter with El Salvadoran officials. The Center also filed its second case against El Salvador at the Commission on behalf of nine women who, as a result of the country’s total abortion ban, have been imprisoned for attempting abortions.             Molly McUsic | President The Wyss Foundation 1601 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 800 |  Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-232-4418 Ext. 12 | Fax: 202-232-4419 www.wyssfoundation.org