E-NEWS                       
FromFrom Mary Kubasak, LWVIL President
Dear Members:

The 2017 Convention is fast approaching and we hope your League is able to send a full delegation. An E-News was sent last week with current information.  This issue contains reminders about deadlines  along with news from the Issues Committee, reminder from Membership about the MLD Program, and a couple of events worth noting.

In League,
 
IssuesIssues 

Issues Specialists Monthly Reports 
Click   here to read summary reports from the Issues Committee.

Members of LWV Elgin Area attended the 2016 MLD Training
MembershipMembership
LWVIL's Membership Leadership Development Program (MLD) is now taking applications from Local Leagues that wish to join it for the 2017-2018 season.  Since Illinois joined LWVUS' program to help Local Leagues increase their membership and develop future leaders, over sixty percent of Illinois's leagues have participated in this program and most of them feel that involvement in the program through regular monthly coaching has been immensely helpful. 
 
Click on this  link for the application form which needs to be returned to Erin Roeper by May 15.  If you have any questions, call or email Erin - 708-828-5391, [email protected].
 
The Membership Committee is interested in finding out when each of our Local Leagues was established.  Please send a note to Erin Roeper ( [email protected]) with your League's name and the year it became an official chartered league in Illinois.  If your League has merged with another one (or two), we'd appreciate it if you can send the years each of the LL's was established with the year the merge took effect.   It will be helpful if you can send this information by May 15.  Thank you!

ERAERA
On Tuesday, April 25, 2017, the Illinois Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments took up the issue of the Equal Rights Amendment, a constitutional amendment sponsored by Senators Heather Steans, Iris Martinez, Scott Bennett, Kimberly Lightford and Laura Murphy.
 
LWVIL Board member and Issues Co-Chair, Hilary Denk, pictured here, offered this testimony. The Amendment passed the Subcommittee and was subsequently passed by the Senate Executive Committee.
 
We will provide progress reports as the Amendment moves through the legislature. 
ColorLWVIL Co-Sponsors Symposium about Electing More Women and People of Color
This symposium is shaping up to be THE hottest political event in Chicago this spring!
Save the Date:
  • Tuesday, May 16th
  • Starting at 5:30 pm 
  • Montgomery Club, 500 W. Superior Street, Chicago.  http://bit.ly/symEB
All are invited to engage in the conversation.

Save $7 per person - buy a table of 10 for just $180 - Or get $5 off if you use the discount code LWVIL by May 5.
  • excellent networking opportunity
  • everyone from longtime political insiders to legions of brand new "woke" people will be there
  • small-group discussion breakouts for you to voice your opinion
  • inspiring speakers
  • cash bar & passed appetizers
  • connect with groups making a real impact
  • virtually every grassroots organization in the city will be represented.
Convention
SixConvention 2017 is six weeks away
Saturday and Sunday, June 10th & June 11th 2017
Hilton Garden Inn Chicago O'Hare
Des Plaines, Illinois
 
An extensive e-mail about the 2017 Convention was sent to all League members on April 26th. Please refer to it for all current details relating to the convention. Information is also on our website (lwvil.org)
 
Please heed these deadlines:
 
THE HOTEL DEADLINE FOR LODGING is May 16, 2017 : NO EXCEPTIONS Please make your reservation directly with the hotel: follow this link to make your reservation: 
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/O/ORDCHGI-LWV-20170608/index.jhtml
 
If you are unable to access the link, please call the hotel directly at 1.847.296.8900 with the code: LWV.
 
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE RESERVATION DEADLINE FOR THE $109/night rate is TUESDAY, MAY 16th. This rate is available until the cut-off date or when all rooms within the LWVIL block have been sold whichever happens first. After that date, guest rooms that are available in the hotel's general inventory will be charged at the regular hotel best available rate.
 
THE DEADLINE FOR THE FRIDAY, JUNE 9th WORKSHOPS AND CONVENTION Re gistration IS May 22, 2017 (registration on-line  here  and paper  here ).
 
LWVIL will be sending regular updates so stayed tuned for those e-mails.
PicturesPictures!
Check out the LWVIL website for pictures of the recent rallies and marches in which League members have participated during the last few months.  The turnout has been fabulous.  Thanks to all of you who got out there with family and friends.

At right: Springfield Area Leaguers pose with Illinois State Comptroller, Susanna Mendoza, at the recent Illinois Women March on Springfield event.
ButtonsLeague Buttons and Logo Merchandise
With all the wonderful gains in membership of late, we've also seen an increased market for the sale of LWV buttons.  The new LWVIL pricing for buttons shown here is $1.05 each, plus shipping and handling. Email Roberta at [email protected] for an estimate.

While LWVIL holds a small supply of buttons, other state leagues make more of a business out of it, including banners, pens and other items in their offerings.  Here are two websites we've used with great results where local leagues can order directly:

BluffLeague of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff and the Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy are co-hosting a presentation by prominent campaign lawyer Trevor Potter
Join them on Thursday, May 11, 7:30 pm at Lily Reid Holt Chapel, Lake Forest College, 555 N. Sheridan Rd. Lake Forest.  Mr. Potter will be commenting on election spending, the Citizens United decision, ethics, conflicts of interest, possibilities for reform, and where this is going.
Trevor Potter may be best-known nationwide in his capacity as Stephen Colbert's Super PAC lawyer and his numerous appearances on The Colbert Report show in 2012. Potter has been described by the American Bar Association Journal as "hands down one of the top lawyers in the country on the delicate intersection of politics, law, and money." Mr. Potter is the founding President of the Campaign Legal Center in Washington D.C., a non-profit which helped defend the McCain-Feingold law in the Supreme Court. He is a former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission. He also served as the General Counsel to the John McCain 2000 and 2008 campaigns.
The Campaign Legal Center develops solutions that enhance our democracy, demands enforcement of laws protecting our democracy, defends and advances our democracy in court.
Is your local league sponsoring an event you would like to share with LWVIL E-News recipients? Please send the notice to [email protected]
FOR MORE INFORMATION

Is there news from your local League that you would like to share? Consider submitting an item to the LWVIL monthly E-News. Send it to [email protected]
Remember to check out state and local League events on the LWVIL website calendar. 
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League of Women Voters of Illinois 
332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 634 | Chicago, Illinois 60604
p. 312.939.5935 | f. 312.939.6887 | [email protected]