September 28 Meeting: The ACLU - 89 and Still Defending Civil Rights: Activism at Any Age

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Laurie Temple, Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Hawaii, is a 2004 Loyola Law School graduate and, prior to joining the ACLU, worked at the California Women’s Law Center and the Western Law Center for Disability Rights.

Notes

ACLU-89 and Still Defending Civil Rights: Activism at Any Age.

Laurie Temple, Staff Attorney

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in1920. Locally a staff of 5 and volunteers are working to defend the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and the bill of rights and to extend them to those that have traditionally been denied.

During the 2009 legislative session, besides monitoring hundreds of bills, ACLU testified in writing or in person on over 85 bills and resolutions. Four bills were enacted into law and 3 resolutions were adopted. The bills passed (SB777) requires any state-funded sex education program to provide medically accurate sexuality education, (SB539) ensures that the Dept. of Public Safety focuses on reentry and reintegration support and services. (SB1058) establishes a taskforce to examine current medical marijuana medical laws and make recommendations for improvement. (HB358) allows for the development of an alternative program to incarceration for persons with drug addictions.

Legislative priorities for 2010: Supporting Civil Unions, Eliminating Mandatory Minimum Sentences, Emergency Contraceptives dispensed in Emergency Rooms and Voting for Incarcerated Individuals.

For more information visit their website at www.acluhawaii.org or call 522-5906.