Bill Richardson

it is a pleasur to be in new hampshir to announc our nation platform for women __PUNCT__

women in new hampshir have alwai led the wai polit __PUNCT__

women like carol shea porter __PUNCT__ terri norelli __PUNCT__ linda foster __PUNCT__ repres tara reardon and amanda gradi __PUNCT__ polici director for the new hampshir coalit against domest and sexual violenc __PUNCT__

i proud to sai that repres reardon and director gradi ar both member of the women for richardson steer committe __PUNCT__

but our platform is not just for the women of new hampshir __PUNCT__ it is for women nationwid __PUNCT__

women like my educ secretari dr __PUNCT__ veronica garcia __PUNCT__ and my women_health advisor giovanna rossi __PUNCT__ also member of my steer committe __PUNCT__

let me also take a moment to acknowledg the co __PUNCT__ chair of my women for richardson steer committe __PUNCT__

lt __PUNCT__ governor dian denish __PUNCT__ who couldn't be here todai becaus i left her in charg of new mexico __PUNCT__ and dr __PUNCT__ martha burk __PUNCT__

thank you veri much for all you have done for my campaign __PUNCT__

let me begin by sai that women ar not a __PUNCT__ special_interest __PUNCT__ as thei ar so often call by the media __PUNCT__

women ar the major __PUNCT__

and we ar here to address the concern of that major __PUNCT__

i am veri proud of the thing i have done as governor of new mexico to address the concern and promot the interest of women __PUNCT__

in my administr we have dramat_increas penalti for domest_violenc and nearli tripl fund for shelter so women and children get the protect thei need __PUNCT__

i am the first new mexico governor to appoint a women_health advisor __PUNCT__ giovanna rossi who as i mention is here todai __PUNCT__ and i creat the first ever governor women health advisori council __PUNCT__ whose mission it is to creat an environ in which everi woman and girl will experi optim health and well __PUNCT__ be __PUNCT__

in new mexico under my administr we have rais our teacher __PUNCT__ salari __PUNCT__ expand the number of children enrol in our pre __PUNCT__ kindergarten program for four __PUNCT__ year __PUNCT__ old from __NUM__ to __NUM__ and fund after __PUNCT__ school enrich program __PUNCT__

i have alwai appoint women to critic posit __PUNCT__ not out of a sens of duti or to fill a quota __PUNCT__ but becaus thei were the most qualifi __PUNCT__

as secretari of the depart of energi __PUNCT__ my appoint were two third femal and minor __PUNCT__

i present have __NUM__ outstand and extrem qualifi femal cabinet_secretari __PUNCT__ and i am proud to have run now work_close with for five year lt __PUNCT__ governor dian denish __PUNCT__ the first femal lt __PUNCT__ governor in new mexico histori __PUNCT__

as presid __PUNCT__ i will not onli continu the commit i have made to women concern in new mexico __PUNCT__ i will go farther than ani other candid to support women and their famili __PUNCT__

end the war first __PUNCT__ we know that the number on concern of women go into the last elect wa end the war __PUNCT__ and women in new hampshir and all across the countri tell me everi dai that it is still a top concern __PUNCT__

i am the onli candid that ha promis to bring_home all of our troop now __PUNCT__

pai equiti i also know that pai equiti is someth women worri about everi dai __PUNCT__

women like lilli ledbett __PUNCT__ who for __NUM___year work alongsid men be paid more than her __PUNCT__ and wa told by the suprem_court last month that she had no case __PUNCT__

i support the ledbett fair pai act now befor congress __PUNCT__ and i also support the paycheck fair act which would beef up enforc of our exist_law __PUNCT__

but these measur do not go far enough __PUNCT__

you know __PUNCT__ employ have the right to know everyth about you __PUNCT__ your famili situat __PUNCT__ your medic histori __PUNCT__ even whether you ever had a park ticket __PUNCT__

yet women cannot learn even the most basic inform about the employ pai practic __PUNCT__

much of the inequ would be elimin if employ report pai statist by job classif __PUNCT__ gender __PUNCT__ and race __PUNCT__

not anybodi salari on a bulletin board __PUNCT__ but simpl anonym statist __PUNCT__

that wai employe would know if thei were be treat fairli __PUNCT__ and employ could see if thei had a problem that need correct __PUNCT__

i am the onli candid to call for thi kind of basic __PUNCT__ sensibl and fair inform __PUNCT__

paid famili_leav let me also sai that work women and men should not have to choos between their job and their famili in time of need __PUNCT__

when i wa in congress i vote for the famili and medic leav act __PUNCT__ it wa a great step_forward __PUNCT__

but we need to do more __PUNCT__

we should expand thi law by includ paid famili_leav for birth and adopt __PUNCT__ or caregiv for elderli parent __PUNCT__

there a bipartisan bill __PUNCT__ sponsor by senat dodd and steven __PUNCT__ that would creat an insur fund allow worker and their employ to share the cost and benefit of paid famili leav __PUNCT__

the bill is good for busi becaus it will save enorm_amount of monei in turnov and replac cost __PUNCT__ and it help work_famili by grant a much need benefit at a small share cost __PUNCT__

thi is the kind of innov polici we been work on in new mexico __PUNCT__ good for busi __PUNCT__ good for the economi and good for famili __PUNCT__

social_secur work women ar not my onli concern __PUNCT__

the largest group of elderli american_live in poverti ar retir women on social securit __PUNCT__

mani of those women have low benefit becaus thei took time out of the work_forc to care for children or elderli parent __PUNCT__

and for everi year thei perform that vital function for societi __PUNCT__ thei got a zero in their social_secur account __PUNCT__

that is wrong and as presid __PUNCT__ i will work to chang that __PUNCT__

caregiv deserv more than lip_servic for the work thei do __PUNCT__

our retir system should recogn thi valuabl work by award social_secur credit at least as high as the minimum_wage __PUNCT__

i am the onli candid to call for a caregiv credit in social_secur __PUNCT__

right to choos and i want to protect the right and health of our younger women too __PUNCT__

the right to control their own reproduct choic __PUNCT__ and the right to medic privaci __PUNCT__

i am the onli candid to explicitli commit to protect roe v __PUNCT__ wade through appoint onli suprem_court_justic who recogn it as settl law __PUNCT__

some peopl_call thi a __PUNCT__ litmu_test __PUNCT__

i call it respect preced and put women live abov polit __PUNCT__

the unit_state should end the global gag rule on famili_plan and restor fund for women_health research here in the unit_state __PUNCT__

educ we must also make sure our young_girl ar get all the educ chanc thei deserv __PUNCT__

we must protect titl ix and our girl __PUNCT__ educ opportun __PUNCT__

i would also creat___NUM__ math and scienc academi across the countri __PUNCT__ and i will make sure our young_girl know thei welcom there __PUNCT__

i also do what we work on in new mexico __PUNCT__ and establish a feder pre __PUNCT__ k program that help everi state offer voluntari pre __PUNCT__ kindergarten for everi __NUM__ __PUNCT__ year __PUNCT__ old child __PUNCT__

conclus __PUNCT__ equal right amend and final __PUNCT__ there is on veri big_thing that our previou presid have talk about __PUNCT__ but have not done anyth about __PUNCT__

and that is the equal right amend __PUNCT__

we have an equal right amend in new mexico __PUNCT__ and i am veri proud of that __PUNCT__

mani of the problem i have talk about todai would go awai if women had simpl equal in our constitut __PUNCT__

it fair __PUNCT__ it sensibl __PUNCT__ it american __PUNCT__

i pledg as presid to work for that equal __PUNCT__ to make it a prioriti __PUNCT__ so that women __PUNCT__ the major __PUNCT__ will have equal statu in our societi onc and for all __PUNCT__