This Wednesday: Our Legislative Update & Action Evening

Can you believe that it’s May already? That means warmer weather, blooming flowers, and both upcoming deadlines at the Legislature and opportunities to take action.

Wednesday, May 4: Lobby & Learn Evening

Join us this Wednesday, 5/4, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm to learn more about some of our top legislative priorities and how to take action to support them.

The first hour will consist of info sessions on legislation. The second hour will consist of breakout groups for taking action in this critical part of the session.

Featured Speakers:

  • Chrystel Murrieta, Political Coordinator, SEIU 32BJ
  • Cabell Eames, Political Director, 350 Mass / Better Future Project
  • Sana Fadel, Deputy Director, Citizens for Juvenile Justice
  • Vanessa Snow, Director of Organizing & Policy, MassVOTE

This Thursday: The MA Senate Votes on the Work & Family Mobility Act

Our event on Wednesday is timely because the next day, the MA Senate will be voting on the Work & Family Mobility Act.

Allowing Bay Staters to apply for driver’s licenses, regardless of immigration status, is common sense public policy that improves public safety for all Massachusetts families.


Please email your state senator to urge them to VOTE YES on the Work & Family Mobility Act this week!

Saturday, May 7: Free Our Mothers Car Rally in Framingham

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, but not everyone will have the opportunity to spend quality time with their mother due to a carceral system that rips families apart.

Join Families for Justice as Healing and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls for their annual car rally in Framingham this Saturday (May 7) 1 pm to 3 pm. Come let the community know—No New Women’s Prison, No Old Women’s Prison, No More Women’s Prison.

To get more details, RSVP here.

Take Action to Address the Housing Affordability Crisis!

Massachusetts has an affordability crisis, and cities and towns lack the tools to adequately respond.

That’s why we’ve been working in coalition with groups across the state to pass Real Estate Transfer Fee Enabling Legislation (H.137S.868: An Act empowering cities and towns to impose a fee on certain real estate transactions to support affordable housing). These bills would enable cities and towns to impose a modest fee on high-end real estate transactions to create a funding source for affordable housing.

The bill faces an important deadline of May 9th (one week from today) in the Joint Committee on Housing. If no action is taken by this date, the session will be over for this bill.

Can you email House & Senate Leadership in support of this key bill?

What’s in the MA House Budget….And What Could Be.

First of all, happy Earth Day! This Earth Day, I’m thinking about how the investments from the Fair Share Amendment will help us improve our public transit systems, a vital part of our response to climate change (as well as reducing air pollution and expanding economic opportunity). The Fair Share campaign recently launched new social media accounts, so if you haven’t followed them yet, make sure to do so on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A Budget Is a Moral Document

Last week, the MA House Ways & Means Committee released its budget for the next fiscal year.

The Good: The budget avoids the regressive tax cuts for the rich proposed by Republican Governor Charlie Baker, includes the new investments in public schools required by the Student Opportunity Act, and ends the exploitative practice of charging incarcerated individuals for phone calls to loved ones.

The Bad: At the same time, the budget continues our chronic underfunding of public transit and fails to deliver on the investments in child care necessary for true affordability and accessibility.

How the Budget Could Be Better: The House will be considering various amendments next week to improve the budget and better deliver on the promise of shared prosperity and justice for all.

Can you contact your state rep in support of these amendments?

Voting Access for All

Amendment #47 (New American Voters Fund), filed by Reps. Ultrino & Donato: Would allocate $4 million to municipalities and community organizations to hire bilingual election workers, pay for professional translators and interpreters, and train elections departments.

Justice for All

Amendment #902 (ACES), filed by Rep. Sabadosa: Would ensure that every call to 911 gets the best response by providing funding to communities that want to develop alternatives to police response for calls better handled by mental and community health providers, like social workers and peer specialists.

Amendment #936 (Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant), filed by Rep. Mary Keefe: Would provide $15 Million for the Community Empowerment Reinvestment Grant Program, which funds reentry and intervention programs.

Amendment #1346 (Youth Bail Fees), filed by Rep. Fluker Oakley: Would (1) eliminate the statutorily-required $40 administrative bail fees charged to juveniles when they are arrested overnight and (2) shift the decision to release a child to their parent or to impose cash bail decisions from the police officer on call to the Bail Magistrate, a neutral 3rd party.

The House budget remains poised to earmark millions of dollars for the incarceration of men civilly committed for treatment of substance use disorder under the statute known as “Section 35” (M.G.L. c.123 s.35).

  • Amendment #332 (Section 35), filed by Rep. Balser: Would eliminate the Governor’s proposed funding for correctional section 35 facilities.  
  • Amendment #333 (Access to Addiction Services), filed by Rep. Balser: Would ensure sufficient bed space in DPH or DMH facilities for men committed under section 35.

Economic Security for All

Amendment #181 (Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty FY23), filed by Rep. Decker: Would raise cash assistance grants for very low-income families with children, elders, and persons with disabilities by 20% for FY 23.

Amendment #640 (Excluding Temporary COVID Relief Income from FY23 Means Testing), filed by Rep. Elugardo: Would ensure that economic assistance from the CARES Act does not count against anyone’s eligibility for means-tested public assistance programs.

Amendment #802 (Including underemployed and unstably housed youth in “at-risk”), filed by Rep. Elugardo: Would add a focus of creating economic opportunity for youth experiencing homelessness to the YouthWorks Youth Jobs program.

Amendment #881 (Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program), filed by Rep. Madaro: Would cap tenant rent share to 30% income instead of 40% and expand mobile vouchers to cover tenant-paid utilities, among other measures.

Amendments #1068 (RTA Funding) & #1070 (RTA Funding Distribution), filed by Representative Sarah Peake: Would make $101 million in base funding available to the RTAs (an increase from $94 million).

Amendment #1268 (Housing Protections), filed by Rep. Moran: Would extend Chapter 257 eviction protections to cases where landlords seek to recover arrears for non-payment of rent – effectively closing the non-payment loophole – and require landlords to participate in the rental assistance process in good faith before being permitted to file an eviction case in court.

Amendment #1371 (Rental Assistance for Families in Transition), filed by Rep. Decker: Would expand eligibility for RAFT to households with incomes from 50% of the area median income (AMI) up to 60% AMI.

Safe & Welcoming Schools for All

Amendment #1133 (Targeted Intervention to Enhance the Learning of Students in Early Grades), filed by Rep. Uyterhoeven: Would provide funding for student specific supports and interventions that enhance learning during preschool through the third grade and that support the elimination of disciplinary sanctions for this population of students

Amendment #1138 (Student Wellness School Support), filed by Rep. Uyterhoeven: Would provide funding to reduce school exclusion for students in prekindergarten through the third grade by utilizing best practices, increased parent engagement and community-based services to support teachers and school staff to employ alternatives to suspensions and expulsions to address student misbehavior in the early grades

Amendment #1321 (Holistic School Health and Safety Practices Grant Program), filed by Rep. Khan: Would create a grant program, administered by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, to support public schools and school districts in transitioning to safety models that do not rely on stationing police in schools.

Can you contact your state rep in support of these amendments?

Take Action: Spring is the Time for Liberation and New Life

Springtime

Spring holidays are a time to reflect on the themes of liberation and of new life. Themes that are especially relevant when it comes to our transition away from fossil fuels toward a renewable energy future, and away from a punitive, costly, and ineffective carceral system toward a system rooted in humanity and second chances.

MA Senate Climate Bill: Free Our Energy System from Fossil Fuels

Last week, the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made clear that it’s “now or never” to act on climate change. Every country (and every state, and every city) needs to enlarge its ambitions, as we build a world free from fossil fuel dependency. A world with cleaner air, better transit, and healthier lives. A world that with its cleaner air, healthier lives, and better transit will be better for all.

Tomorrow, the MA Senate will be voting on a new climate bill: S.2180, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward. The bill takes many positive steps forward, but it does not do enough when it comes to accelerating our transition from renewable energy, improving the energy efficiency of our buildings sector, and investing in public transit.

Urge your state senator to support amendments to make the bill as strong as possible and free our commonwealth from fossil fuels.

No Planet B

What the Judiciary Committee Can Do This Week

Prisons are fundamentally unsafe environments, designed for punishment not rehabilitation. Warehousing people in settings rife with human rights abuses, price gouging, and isolation does not make anyone safer; indeed, our system makes us all worse off.

We know what works and what doesn’t from years of study and from the organizing and advocacy of impacted communities. We need to avoid entrenching a flawed system, we need to ensure that individuals who are incarcerated can maintain a connection with loved ones outside, and we need to ensure that young people have second chances, rather than being cut off from opportunities for life.

This Friday is a key deadline for the MA Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee in making that better vision a reality.

The members of the Judiciary Committee need to hear from you about these bills in particular:

  • No Cost Calls: H.1900: An Act relative to inmate telephone calls, which would prevent prisons and jails from charging individuals who are incarcerated for phone calls to loved ones.
  • Prison Moratorium: H.1905: An Act establishing a jail and prison construction moratorium, which would prevent the state from building new prisons and jails and from thereby locking in a carceral system through increased capacity.
  • Raising the Age: S.920 / H.1826: An Act to promote public safety and better outcomes for young adults, which would raise the age of criminal majority to 21, allowing offending youth to have better access to treatment and educational services and thereby reducing recidivism.
  • Juvenile Expungement: S.980 / H.1531: An Act relative to expungement of juvenile and young adult records, which would expand access to expungement to ensure young people who are on the right track can have better access to education and employment opportunities.

Are your legislators on the Committee? If so, send them an email / give them a call asking for a favorable report for these bills.

Not sure about your legislators? Look them up here.

Senate Judiciary Committee

Jamie Eldridge: James.Eldridge@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1120

Eric Lesser: Eric.Lesser@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1291

Sonia Chang-Diaz: Sonia.Chang-Diaz@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1673

Cindy Creem: Cynthia.Creem@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1639

John Velis: John.Velis@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1415

Patrick O’Connor: Patrick.OConnor@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1646  

House Judiciary Committee

Michael Day: Michael.Day@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2396  

Chynah Tyler: Chynah.Tyler@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2396  

Chris Hendricks: Chris.Hendricks@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2305  

Susannah Whipps: Susannah.Whipps@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2090  

Colleen Garry: Colleen.Garry@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2380

Jon Santiago: Jon.Santiago@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2450  

Brandy Fluker Oakley: Brand.FlukerOakley@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2400

Adam Scanlon: Adam.Scanlon@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2080

Jay Livingstone: Jay.Livingstone@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2575

Alyson Sullivan: Alyson.Sullivan@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2305

Common Start Rally on Saturday + State House Staff Union

This Saturday, parents, families, child care providers and workers, and activists across the state will be joining the Common Start Coalition for a rally on the Boston Common to highlight the need for robust child care and early education infrastructure.
Date: Saturday, April 9
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Place: Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand

RSVP at https://bit.ly/csrallyrsvp

The rally is family-friendly and free to attend. Bus transportation with snacks and beverages will be provided from key locations across Massachusetts.

Can’t make the rally? Send your state legislators an email in support of the bill!

Common Start Rally

Show Your Support for MA Senate Staff

Earlier this week, members of the MA State Senate staff announced that after years of staff organizing, they achieved the number of authorization cards necessary to form a MA Senate staff union. On Thursday, March 31, representatives of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222 (IBEW) notified Senate President Karen Spilka of the successful majority and requested voluntary recognition of the Massachusetts State House Employee Union, which will become the 2nd state legislative staff union in United States history.

Show your support for the MA State House Employee Union here.

Actions, not just words, on the last day of Women’s History Month

Today marks the end of Women’s History Month, which should remind us of how far we’ve come and how far we have to go to achieve gender equity.

Gender inequities, especially at the workplace, are a result of policy or lack thereof. And by being intentional, legislators can—through policies, rules, and culture—remove systemic barriers that women face and build a better, more equitable world for all.

Everyone Deserves a Safe Workplace…And Yes, That Includes the State House

In 2018, amid the #MeToo reckoning, the Massachusetts House of Representatives created a new position, an “independent” Equal Employment Opportunity officer to examine allegations of harassment or discrimination while protecting the confidentiality of accusers and witnesses. They filled the job in June 2019, but the officeholder left for an new job in November 2020. It has been vacant ever since.

That’s right: for 15 months, this office, which remains essential in ensuring that the MA State House is a safe and welcoming workplace for all, has remained empty.

The House cannot run out the rest of the legislative session without filling this position. Let your state rep know that this isn’t acceptable–and that such an office needs more than just nominal independence.

Contact your state rep today.

RSVP Today! Saturday, April 9: Spring into Action for Common Start

Join the Common Start Coalition to celebrate the milestones of our campaign and to hear how YOU can help us ensure a stronger future for every child! For more information about the Common Start Coalition, please go to: www.commonstartma.org
Date: Saturday, April 9
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Place: Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand

RSVP at https://bit.ly/csrallyrsvp The rally is family friendly and free to attend. Bus transportation with snacks and beverages will be provided from key locations across Massachusetts. With state Covid-19 mask requirements still in place on public and private transportation, including buses, please plan to wear a mask, except while eating snacks or drinking beverages provided to passengers.

Common Start Coalition

How to Take Action in Support of Immigrants’ Rights

Earlier today, our friends at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition held their annual Immigrants’ Day at the State House. The event celebrated victories such as the transformative Driving Families Forward campaign and House vote, a successful and inclusive Redistricting campaign, our Commonwealth’s growing number of immigrant and BIPOC officeholders and candidates, and the promise that these developments hold for creating a more welcoming, safe, and just Commonwealth for immigrants and refugees.

But the work isn’t done yet. And here’s how you can play your part.

Get the Work & Family Mobility Act Over the Finish Line!

The Work & Family Mobility Act would extend eligibility for Massachusetts standard driver’s licenses to all qualified state residents, regardless of immigration status. The bill ensures that all drivers are trained, licensed, and insured, and removes unlicensed driving as a key entry point to the deportation pipeline.

After a House supermajority vote for passage on February 16, the bill is poised for passage by the Senate. Let’s make Massachusetts the 19th jurisdiction (17 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico) to issue licenses to all qualified drivers.

Contact your State Senator and ask them to support the bill!

Are they already a supporter? That’s awesome! You can still thank them for their support and ask them to urge Senate Leadership to bring the bill to the floor as soon as possible.

Pass the Safe Communities Act!

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the impact of decades of state and local involvement in deportations—undermining testing, treatment and contract tracing efforts in immigrant communities and impeding access to court and police protection for immigrant victims of exploitation and crime.

The Safe Communities Act would restore trust in local institutions by ending the use of our public safety resources for federal immigration enforcement. Given the Biden Administration’s failure to end local entanglement with ICE, this bill is as important as ever. The Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security has until May 4th to recommend the bill for passage.

Email your legislatorsand ask them to weigh in with the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security before May 4th!

MA Voters Deserve Election Day Registration for This Year’s Elections

Election Day is exactly 8 months away: November 8, 2022.

In Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont, prospective voters will be able to register or update their registration at the polls. But in Massachusetts, they won’t be able to because of our arbitrary, exclusionary, and outdated voter registration cutoff.

Late last month, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted in favor of the VOTES Act, pledging their support for making permanent critical electoral reforms like mail-in and early in-person voting. However, the House chose to leave out the heart of the VOTES Act: Election Day Registration (EDR). Now, because the House and Senate versions of the VOTES Act differ, a small group of legislators are finalizing the bill in conference committee.

EDR has been proven to make elections more equitable and efficient in 20 states. By reducing voter registration barriers, EDR boosts voter turnout for all, especially BIPOC, low-income, immigrant, and young voters. It also decreases administrative burdens of running elections by allowing election workers to update registration information on the spot.

Contact your state representative NOW and urge them to include EDR in the final version of the VOTES Act.

But Before November….

Before November will be the primaries on September 6 to determine who advances. And before that will be the party conventions in June that determine who even makes the ballot in the first place.

Over the past month, Democratic ward and town committees have been holding caucuses to elect delegates to the state party convention. If you want to take part, check out the caucus calendar here to see if your caucus has happened yet or is still to come.

And if you didn’t get elected or can’t make your caucus, you might still be able to become a delegate. You can find additional opportunities here.

Know What’s on the Ballot

Do you know what an Attorney General, an Auditor, or a Secretary of the Commonwealth does?

Do you want to know?

And do you want to find out more about what the candidates vying for these important statewide positions plan to do with these offices?

Then join us on Saturday, March 26, at 1 pm for our Spring Candidate Interviews.

All are welcome! Just RSVP here.

In solidarity,
Jonathan Cohn

Let’s Talk about Upcoming Votes

Tomorrow, the MA House is voting on a bill to generate revenue for an offshore wind investment fund and establish a slate of tax credits and incentives to promote offshore wind.

Massachusetts is well-positioned to be a leader in the renewable energy economy, but as we grow that sector, it is important that we make sure that all communities, especially the underserved, can benefit from the new opportunities provided.

Urge your state rep to support Amendment #10: Environmental Justice and Economic Opportunity, which would strengthen the diversity and inclusion provisions in the bill.

The Work & Family Mobility Act: What’s Next?

Last month, the MA House voted 120 to 36 to pass the Work & Family Mobility Act (often referred to as the “Driver’s License Bill”), which would enable all qualified state residents to apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card regardless of immigrant status.

The case for the bill is clear. Many MA residents depend on a car to get to work, to school, to the hospital, etc., and immigration status shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a license. If all drivers have passed the same test and know the same rules of the road, and are properly insured, we all benefit from the safer roads that result.

Despite this, the bill had been stalled in the Legislature session after session. But the years of hard work done by advocates, especially those from immigrant-led organizations, paid off.

But the work isn’t done.

The bill now goes to the State Senate. Email your state senator to vote YES and to urge Senate Leadership to take up the bill as soon as possible!

Also, don’t forget: positive reinforcement is important too. So thank your state rep if they voted for the bill.

Know What’s on the Ballot

Do you know what an Attorney General, an Auditor, and a Secretary of the Commonwealth does?

Do you want to know?

And do you want to find out more about what the candidates vying for these important statewide positions plan to do with these offices?

Then join us on Saturday, March 26, at 1 pm for our Spring Candidate Interviews.

All are welcome! Just RSVP here.

“Policy is my love language.”

Policy is my love language

“Policy is my love language.” This is a quote that Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley often uses, and it rings so true. If we want to build a society where people truly love, care for, and respect each other, then we need policies that reflect that, rather than policies that dehumanize and marginalize.

Tell Your State Rep to Vote YES on the Work & Family Mobility Act!

Last Friday, the Work & Family Mobility Act was reported out of the Joint Transportation Committee.

This bill would enable all qualified state residents to apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card regardless of immigrant status.

Many MA residents depend on a car to get to work, to school, to the hospital, etc., and immigration status shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a license.

Moreover, the Work & Family Mobility Act would make us all safer. If all drivers have passed the same test and know the same rules of the road, and are properly insured, we all benefit.

The House is expected to vote on the bill soon—possibly as early as this week.

Can you write to your state rep to urge them to vote YES?

Valentine’s Day Rally to Pass the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium Bill!

Let’s show love to incarcerated women and love for our communities! Come to the State House with Families for Justice as Healing on Monday from 12-1pm to push the Legislature to pass the Moratorium Bill and free women from Framingham and invest money in what communities really need to thrive! Please wear masks to keep each other safe. Feel free to bring signs with messages like FREE HER, STOP THE NEW WOMEN’S PRISON, or PASS S2030/H1905. RSVP HERE.

Hearts Broken on Slow Solutions, Love is Strong for our Movement

Every day that passes without action breaks our hearts, knowing that Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Immigrant, and all oppressed people are harmed by the status quo. Our frontline movements have worked for years for urgent social change, with some priority bills delayed by our legislature for over a decade. It is with our broken hearts and fierce love for each other that we will gather at the statehouse, united in calling for action.

We will be joining allied organizations in gathering at 3pm on Monday in front of the State House (and on Zoom) to lift up our priorities together. Will we have another year of immigrants in MA denied access to a driver’s license? Will tens of thousands more face needless COVID-19 evictions and foreclosures?

Healthy Youth Act Lobby Day

For over 10 years, the Healthy Youth Act has been our Commonwealth’s opportunity to ensure that public schools that choose to offer sex education provide lessons that are inclusive, comprehensive, and medically accurate.

This Monday, February 14, from 12 pm to 2 pm, the Healthy Youth Act Coalition will be hosting a virtual lobby day to urge the Legislature to pass the bill. RSVP here (and you can email your state rep here if you can’t make it.)

Fighting for a Fair Share from Our Wealthiest Institutional Neighbors

Tuesday, February 15, 6pm – 7:30 pm

Across the Commonwealth, towns and cities are wrestling with the challenges and fiscal burden of expanding nonprofit property tax expansion from some of the wealthiest education and medical institutions in our country. Without a framework for institutional contributions, critical services for residents are threatened. From Western Mass to Greater Boston, from North Shore to South Shore—this issue demands state action. Join us for a discussion on necessary state legislation on payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) programs and how advocacy organizations and state and local legislators are fighting to win it.

The PILOT Action Group is hosting a discussion with Davarian L. Baldwin, college professor and author of In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower and How Universities Are Plundering Our Cities. Baldwin’s book provides an excellent analysis of the role of large nonprofit institutions in our communities, and presents a vision of a more equitable relationship between communities and these institutions. Register here.

Common Start Coalition Roundtables

The Common Start Coalition is a statewide partnership of organizations, providers, parents, early educators, and advocates working together to make high-quality early education and child care affordable and accessible to all Massachusetts families.

Over the next few weeks, the Common Start Coalition will be hosting a series of roundtable discussions about why long-term investment in child care and early education infrastructure is so critical. Sign up today!

Wednesday, Feb 16, from 6:30pm – 7:30pm: Roundtable discussion on racial justice and Common Start, hosted by Neighborhood Villages and Coalition for Social Justice

Thursday, Feb 17, from 4pm – 5pm: Common Start Roundtable discussion on wraparound services, hosted by Horizons for Homeless Children

Thursday, February 24, from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Common Start Roundtable discussion with religious leaders on affordable childcare

Tuesday, March 1, from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Common Start Roundtable discussion on Building Blocks for a Healthy Future