April was an incredibly eventful month for Lift – and for reproductive justice in Louisiana. As a policy intern at Lift, I used the CQ state database to track legislation in our state that would impact the health and wellness of women, children, people of color, and other marginalized communities in Louisiana. Tracking these bills was super interesting because I was able to get a firsthand look at what was going on in terms of policymaking in our state.
Bills of note (some good, some excruciatingly terrible): SB 181, Milkovich (gross), HB 338, Hoffman (gross), HB 264, Smith (good! she’s an idol of mine), SB 374, Barrow (GOOD!), HB 499, Smith (good)
After going through CQ state every week, I got super attached to some of the bills I saw and read. So it’s easy to imagine how upset I was when some of them (SB 181) were successful.
On a lighter note, Justice for Louisiana Women Advocacy Day was an amazing success! I was incredibly proud of our team and everyone who put in countless hours to ensure that the day ran smoothly. I also met SO MANY inspiring, powerful people that are doing amazing work around justice in Louisiana. I made a bunch of graphics for the advocacy day and it was so exciting to see other organizations and individuals share them on social media!
This week as a wrap up, I’m writing a blog post about incarcerated women, so look out for it on Lift’s website! I am so happy that I was able to serve as an intern in this program and work with Claire and Michelle, and I will forever be grateful.