General Info

Mission and Story Passion and Progress The Maine Women's Lobby, a membership organization, was formed in 1978 when a group of Maine delegates to the National Women's Conference met to discuss activities the delegation might undertake to promote the well-being of Maine women. After the defeat of their domestic violence bill in the Maine Legislature, due in large part to the lack of representation of Maine women as an "interest group, " they formed a not-for-profit corporation to bring the perspective of women to public policy in the State of Maine. These women, who knew that the only way to ensure that women's voices were represented at the legislature was to join together to make it happen, founded the Maine Women's Lobby! With a core group of ten organizers, they accumulated enough funding from 2, 000 individuals to hire the organization's first lobbyist in time for the 1979 legislative session. Each legislative session since, the Maine Women's Lobby has had a full-time lobbyist at the State House to represent the interests of women and their families. In 2008, the Maine Women's Lobby celebrated 30 years of education and advocacy on behalf of women and girls. Our goal is to ensure that women and girls in Maine can lead healthy and productive lives free from violence and discrimination. Education, public policy development, and advocacy around the core issues of economic security, health care and reproductive rights, civil rights, and freedom from violence have positioned the Maine Women's Lobby as the leader on some of the most important issues of our time. From passing first-in-the-nation employment leave for survivors of domestic violence, to enacting Maine's Reproductive Privacy Act, to extending unemployment insurance to part-time workers, the Maine Women's Lobby has brought research, data and - most importantly - the voices of Maine women to the legislative debate. Together we will protect reproductive health care, secure adequate family leave, and increase access to higher education. The accomplishments of the Maine Women's Lobby speak for themselves. The quality of women who have participated in this organization is unmatched. Join with us - celebrate the work of the Maine Women's Lobby and contribute to a future where every woman has equal rights, equal opportunity, and the power to direct her own life.