Vote! Nothing will get the attention of politicians more effectively, so MomsRising has launched a new project called MomsVote '08. Find out how you can help get busy moms to the polls and if you can vote early or through absentee ballot.

Sign up for e-mail reminders. The wheels of government can turn slooowly. While you don't have to keep weekly or even monthly tabs on Congress, you can be ready to e-mail your senators and representatives whenever a vital vote on paid-maternity-leave legislation is imminent. Once again, MomsRising makes it easy to stay in the loop with an e-mail -- alert system; sign up for it on their website. Then you'll just have to click on a prewritten e-mail and send it directly to your reps. The National Partnership for Women & Families (nationalpartnership.org) and 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women (9to5.org) have similar setups.

Paid-maternity-leave proposals have been steadily gaining bipartisan support. Some that could be in play in 2009 include a bill that would set an important precedent by guaranteeing paid leave to federal employees. Another is a comprehensive plan to offer all employees paid maternity leave, financed through a small mandatory premium deducted from paychecks, similar to the way unemployment-insurance premiums or social security contributions are deducted.

Spotlight the states. Often the most groundbreaking national laws adopted by Congress start out as pilot programs in individual states. For years California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have allowed women to get partially compensated by their states' disability funds for the period during which they're unable to work due to a pregnancy or recent birth. In 2002 California adopted a plan that lets women draw a portion of their wages while they take up to six weeks off to bond with and care for a new child. The program is financed by slightly increasing employees' contributions to California's temporary-disability fund. New Jersey and Washington are planning to have similar systems in place by 2009.

By joining some of the citizen groups mentioned earlier, you'll be informed when a campaign for paid maternity leave is gaining traction in your state. Ultimately, the more states that pass paid-maternity-leave bills of their own, the more pressure Congress and the President will feel to finally help all American moms and their families.

Important Links:
Sample Letter
State Democratic Party Websites
State Republican Party Websites

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