MA Needs to Ban Facial Surveillance

Facial surveillance

Last year, the Legislature passed a police accountability bill that created better standards for police professionalization as well as stronger limitations on the use of force. It was a step forward, but there is much more to be done. 

One such example? Banning Facial surveillance technologies. 

Facial surveillance technologies are notoriously racist, inaccurate, and harmful. Rather than banning such practices, the bill offered only narrowly tailored regulations and created a Commission to study whether to do more. 

They need to do more. 

The Commission will be hearing public comment this Friday at 11 am. 

Want to see stronger regulations of facial surveillance? You can sign up to give public testimony here — or submit written testimony here.

There Is No Such Thing as a “Trauma-Informed” Prison

Tomorrow, the Legislature will hold a hearing on a bill to impose a five-year moratorium on the construction of new prisons and jails.

This is particularly urgent because the state wants to spend 50 million dollars to build a new prison to house just over 100 women, most of whom are safe to release to their homes and families.

This bill is personal because for the last five years I have been visiting a friend in prison, and I have watched with horror what prisons are really like and what they do to a person. My friend has endured torture unlike anything you can imagine — four years in solitary confinement, starvation, and assaults. The prisons here in Massachusetts are brutal, nightmarish places. As a system and institution for rehabilitation, they simply do not work.

Please submit testimony in support of a prison construction moratorium.

The state says this new facility will be different — it will be a “trauma-informed” prison. But, in visiting Andrew over the last five years, I have learned that there is no such thing as a trauma-informed prison because when a person has no autonomy or freedom in their life and when other human beings have complete and total control over them, there can be no progress towards rehabilitation and no healing from past trauma. We have an opportunity to use this five-year moratorium to reimagine rehabilitation. It costs less to send someone to Harvard then it does to keep someone imprisoned in our state. Think of how much money we could save, how many people could be healed if we were putting that $50,000,000 into education, into therapy, into affordable housing, or even just into food to feed hungry babies. 

Please submit testimony in support of a prison construction moratorium.

Every time I visited my friend, I would look at the sign on Cedar Junction’s waiting room that said the goal of the prison was rehabilitation. Sometimes when I read that sign, I would laugh at the absurdity of it, sometimes I would cry at the false promise of it. Massachusetts has an opportunity to think outside the box. We can come up with another alternative for treating people — people who have harmed others and themselves. But inflicting cruel punishment and torture does not make anyone safer. Instead we can approach solving this problem with true compassion and real rehabilitation.  

PS: For more information, check out this helpful toolkit from Families for Justice as Healing, Building up People Not Prisons, and the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.

TAKE ACTION: MA Should Prioritize Public Health

Public health image

In 2020, Massachusetts passed a police reform bill that created a standards and accreditation commission, put limits on the use of force, and took other steps to address systemic racism in law enforcement. But left out of the police reform bill was a simple realization: the best way to reduce the incidence of police brutality is to limit the scope of policing.

Too often, armed police officers are called in to respond to situations that they are not equipped to handle, situations that are better handled by someone with an expertise in social work or mental health or someone from the community itself. Shifting such calls away from police and towards alternative response programs ensures that situations do not escalate and that people can best be connected to the services that they need.

The ACES bill — An Act to Create Alternatives for Community Emergency Services (S.1552 / H.2519), filed by Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa — would direct the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to establish and oversee the Alternatives for Community Emergency Services Grant Program (A.C.E.S.) to increase the availability of non-law-enforcement, unarmed community-based response options for calls to 911.

Can you email your state legislators in support of the ACES bill? 

Want to learn (or do) more? Check out our guide at https://progressivemass.com/aces2021.

Suppor the Community Immunity Act!

Yesterday, the Joint Committee on Public Health held a hearing on legislation to improve vaccination rates. 

Over 15+ hours, the Committee heard from literally hundreds of individuals, including licensed medical professionals at Mass General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center, who espoused toxic disinformation about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, grossly distorted and flatly misstated the content of the Community Immunity Act, and personally attacked the character of any legislators and public health professionals who care about strong immunization policy and infectious disease prevention. 

We need to make sure that the Legislature hears the voices of people who support science and public health. Here’s what you can do. 

Copy the list of members of the Joint Committee on Public Health and send them an email like the one below — Or send a pre-filled email here.

Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov 

Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov 

Becca.Rausch@masenate.gov 

Julian.Cyr@masenate.gov 

Patrick.OConnor@masenate.gov 

Susan.Moran@masenate.gov 

Harriette.Chandler@masenate.gov 

Brian.Murray@mahouse.gov 

Brian.Ashe@mahouse.gov 

Paul.Schmid@mahouse.gov 

Kay.Khan@mahouse.gov 

Jack.Lewis@mahouse.gov 

Andy.Vargas@mahouse.gov 

Vanna.Howard@mahouse.gov 

Hannah.Kane@mahouse.gov 

Shawn.Dooley@mahouse.gov 

Jon.Santiago@mahouse.gov 

Dear Chair Comerford, Chair Decker, and Distinguished Members of the Joint Committee on Public Health:  

I write to express my strong support for S.1517/H.2271, the Community Immunity Act, filed by Senator Rausch and Representatives Donato and Vargas. You heard testimony on this critical legislation on Monday, July 12.As we endeavor to emerge from a global pandemic, I urge you to expediently advance the Community Immunity Act with a favorable report.  

We need only look around to see the importance of widespread herd immunity (both localized and statewide) and the need to improve our public health infrastructure. Unfortunately, our current infectious disease prevention provisions leave gaping holes in our public health protections. Every corner of our Commonwealth faces a concerningly high rate of under- or unimmunized youth, threatening our communities’ health and safety. (Please consider these maps: https://www.beccarauschma.com/communityimmunitymap.) 

The Community Immunity Act fixes the holes by creating the statutory immunization infrastructure our Commonwealth needs, without mandating vaccines or striking the religious exemption. I support this comprehensive bill because [insert your reasons here].  

As our elected leaders, please embrace this once-in-a-generation moment to protect generations to come. I ask that you swiftly advance the Community Immunity Act out of the Public Health Committee with a favorable report. Please help to keep all of us safe and healthy, particularly people who are immunocompromised and rely on community immunity. 

Thank you for your consideration and your service to the people of the Commonwealth. 

Sincerely, 

[your full name] 

[your phone number (optional)] 

[complete address – street, city, state, zip] 

ALERT: Take Action in Support of a More Transparent & Accountable State House

Back in January (remember January?), the MA House delayed consideration of a rules package for the new legislative session, instead creating a committee to explore possible reforms.

Unsurprisingly, that committee did little of its work in public, but it finally issued its report last week. Although there are some recommended reforms worth celebrating (Floor votes will continue to be easier to access on the website, virtual participation will not become a thing of the past when COVID is over, and members will get summaries of bills before voting on them), the new rules package that resulted still leaves much to be desired.

Every system is perfectly designed to produce the results it gets. And if we want to see different outcomes, part of that requires changing the rules.

Can you email your state rep today in support of key rules reforms that will make a more democratic and transparent Legislature?

In particular, your state rep should support the following reforms, championed by the People’s House campaign:

  • Amendment #2 (Gouveia): Speaker Term Limits, ensuring that no one holds the office of Speaker of the House for more than eight years
  • Amendment #16 (Uyterhoeven): Public Committee Votes, ensuring that the full record of the yes and no votes taken in committee are made public, rather than a mere tally of the vote
  • Amendment #17 (Uyterhoeven): Adequate Time to Review, ensuring that members have at least 72 hours to read bills before they vote on them and allowing for greater public participation 
Sunlight on Beacon Hill

Also, as the Globe pointed out recently, the House and Senate have yet to agree to a set of joint rules, and your state rep should hear from you about that too.

Globe - No Rules Agreement - July 2021

But The Fight Continues On

Here in Massachusetts, with a progressive electorate, we should already be leading the country in climate action, in providing Medicare for All, and more — but policies that have majority support languish in the State House year after year.

We’ll be joining together with a coalition of progressive organizations to build a movement for change through Incorruptible Mass. Incorruptible Mass has an 18-month plan to raise awareness of the deep problems at our State House and to amplify our demands for progressive policies, building pressure in each district.

Want to get involved? You can sign up here to get involved with your Incorruptible Mass district team. You’ll play an integral part by contributing your knowledge of the people and issues right in your own backyard, engaging people on what matters most to them.  

Call Them Maybe?

Passing a progressive agenda requires engaging people across the Commonwealth to reach out to their legislators. 

So call them maybe? 

Safe Communities Act Phone Banks

The Safe Communities Act achieved major progress last year. Building on that momentum, we’re ready to fight for a victory this session.

But we need a supermajority of House and Senate votes to overcome an expected Governor’s veto. That’s two-thirds of each chamber: 107 House votes and 27 Senate votes.

Help us engage constituents in purple districts, so that swing legislators can be confident they have public support when they take that vote.

Join us for a Zoom Phone Bank tomorrow at 6 pm — or Wednesday, June 23rd — to call voters in swing districts to generate calls to their legislators! Register here—and don’t forget to invite your friends!

There will be a short training at the beginning, log-in information, and lists for phone banking. You’ll need a computer and phone to participate, and you’ll get Zoom information on how to join when you RSVP.

Democracy Behind Bars Phone Banks

The Democracy Behind Bars Coalition is a coalition of advocacy and community organizations, direct service and religious groups, and individuals committed to ensuring that democracy does not stop at prisons and jails in Massachusetts. Specifically, the coalition is working to ensure incarcerated people who have the right to vote have access to the ballot; to ensure that over-policed communities are not stripped of political power through prison gerrymandering; and to restore the right to vote to all incarcerated Bay Staters.

The Coalition will be calling constituents of constituents of key legislators to ask them to ensure that the Jail-Based Voting Bill has an early hearing and is sent to a vote. We need your help!

You’ll get training on how to use ThruTalk, key talking points, and help throughout if you have any questions.

Sign up to Phone Bank:

  • Thursday June 10th 5pm-7:30 pm
  • Thursday June 17th 5pm-7:30pm
  • Thursday June 24th 5pm-7:30pm

Hope to see you on the phones!

NEXT WEEK: Fair Share Vote, CD-08 Hearing, SCA Phone Bank

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Legislature announced that the Fair Share Amendment will be on the agenda and up for a vote during their Wednesday, June 9th Constitutional Convention!

Before the Fair Share Amendment can be placed on the 2022 ballot, it must be brought up for a vote in a Massachusetts Constitutional Convention twice and receive YES votes from 50% +1 of the legislature.

In 2019, the Fair Share amendment passed its first Con-Con with a 75% YES vote. Next Wednesday’s Constitutional Convention vote is the LAST hurdle before the Fair Share Amendment is OFFICIALLY placed on the ballot.

Here’s what you can do:

1. EMAIL YOUR LEGISLATORS – It is incredibly urgent that every legislator hears from their constituents about how important it is that they vote YES to advance the Fair Share Amendment. Take 30 seconds to email your legislators now!

2. ATTEND A FAIR SHARE KICKOFF EVENT – Over the next few weeks, the Fair Share 2022 Campaign is hosting Fair Share Amendment kickoff events in every corner of the state. Find one near you and urge your friends, family, and social networks to attend these events as well. RSVP for one near you at https://raiseupma.us/events!

**************************************************

Phone Bank for the Safe Communities Act! 📞📞📞

The Safe Communities Act achieved major progress last year. Building on that momentum, we’re ready to fight for a victory this session.

But we need a supermajority of House and Senate votes to overcome an expected Governor’s veto. That’s two-thirds of each chamber: 107 House votes and 27 Senate votes.

Help us engage constituents in purple districts, so that swing legislators can be confident they have public support when they take that vote.

Join us for a Zoom Phone Bank next Wednesday at 6 pm to constituents in swing districts to generate calls to their legislators! Register here—and don’t forget to invite your friends!

We provide a short training at the beginning, log-in information, and lists for phone banking. You’ll need a computer and phone to participate, and we’ll send you Zoom information on how to join when you RSVP.

**************************************************

CD-08 Redistricting Hearing: Tuesday, 6/8, 12 pm to 5 pm

The Redistricting Committee will be hosting separate hearings for all nine Congressional Districts. These hearings provide an opportunity for area residents to offer their opinions on local and community interests that the Committee should consider when creating the new legislative districts.

Next Tuesday, the Committee will focus on CD-08.

CD-08 includes all or part of Abington, Avon, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, East Bridgewater, Holbrook, Hingham, Hull, Milton, Norwood, Quincy, Stoughton, Walpole, West Bridgewater, Westwood, Weymouth, Whitman, and the neighborhoods of Beacon Hill, Dorchester, Downtown, Jamaica Plain, South Boston, Roslindale, and West Roxbury in Boston.

Sign up to testify here.

Strengthening Democracy at Home

Each day, we seem to be hearing about new brazen efforts from reactionary state governments across the US to restrict the right to vote.

Strengthening our democracy requires federal action to protect voting rights, but it also requires action here at home. Indeed, while Massachusetts often leads other states across policy areas, we’ve been a laggard on voting rights.

The VOTES Act would change that The bill would make the reforms that worked for voters last fall permanent, like mail-in voting and expanded early voting. And it will do more to ensure administrative barriers to not bar Bay Staters from making their voice heard, with Same Day Registration, reforms to help eligible incarcerated people vote, and more.

The Election Modernization Coalition will be hosting a virtual lobby lunch on the VOTES Act tomorrow — Tuesday, May 11, from noon to 1:30 pm.

You can RSVP for tomorrow’s VOTES Act lobby lunch here.

Also Wanted: Democracy in the MA State House

Back in February, the MA House and MA Senate both passed sets of Joint Rules to govern how the Legislature operates.

But due to opposition to basic transparency measures from the MA House, the Conference Committee negotiating a final set of rules (behind closed doors) has yet to come to an agreement.

The transparency measures passed by the Senate are both essential and non-controversial:

  • Publishing full committee roll call votes online
  • Making testimony accessible to the public with appropriate redactions (as with any other public record)
  • Extending the notice period for hearings to one week

All of these steps will help legislators do their own jobs better and strengthen the participatory nature of our democracy.

There’s so much work to do this session, and the House needs to stop delaying the passage of Joint Rules.

Can you email your state legislators in support of transparency in the Joint Rules?

Sunlight on Beacon Hill

Representation Matters! Redistricting Training for Trainers

Training Dates: Thursday, May 13, 1 pm to 3 pm & Wednesday, May 19, 6 pm to 8 pm

Join the Drawing Democracy Coalition to learn about the impact of redistricting on your community and how you can help ensure that your community has the power to elect representatives of choice for the next decade.

These workshops will prepare community groups and leaders to engage their members in the redistricting process. Topics covered will include:

  • How to communicate the importance and process of redrawing district lines with your community
  • Defining and mapping your community of interest
  • How to support the Drawing Democracy Coalition’s goal to create a state-wide unity map that empowers immigrants, people of color, and low-income voters.

Charlie Baker Wants to Deny Teachers Emergency Paid Sick Time

Last month — around the one-year anniversary of the declaration of emergency in Massachusetts due to the COVID pandemic — the MA Legislature finally passed a law to allow all workers to access five days of emergency paid sick time for COVID-related sickness, quarantine, caregiving, and vaccination.

Enter: Republican Governor Charlie Baker.

Rather than signing the bill, Baker sent it back with amendments to deny Emergency Paid Sick Time benefits to municipal employees – workers who are on the frontlines of the pandemic response and deserve the same protections as private-sector workers.

At the same time that he is requiring schools to reopen, he is trying to take away vital protections for teachers and staff. And trying to put countless other public workers at risk.

Fortunately, your state senator and state representative don’t need to listen to Baker and can reaffirm their commitment to an equitable recovery. 

Please take 2 minutes right now to email your legislator, asking them to oppose Governor Baker’s changes to the Emergency Paid Sick Time legislation.

A Stunning Degree of Disconnect

Yesterday, when Governor Charlie Baker testified before the Legislature about his administration’s vaccine rollout, there was a stunning degree of disconnect on display.

Baker refused to take any ownership for the failures to date and denied the lack of planning and equity that has been seen and documented across the commonwealth.

As Sen. Jo Comerford said, “This is where we were in two worlds. The committee was in one world. The Baker administration was in another.”

Fortunately, the Legislature can do something about it: they can pass laws.

The Vaccine Equity bill (SD.699 / HD.1283), filed by Senators Becca Rausch and Sonia Chang-Diaz and Representatives Liz Miranda and Mindy Domb, would ensure that equity is prioritized in the vaccine rollout in Massachusetts, recognizing that we can only have a successful recovery if it is an equitable one.

Can you write to your state legislators today about the urgency of passing the Vaccine Equity bill?

Playing by the Best Rules

Sunlight on Beacon Hill

If the Legislature is going to start diving into the work of the new legislative session in earnest, they need to pass a set of Joint Rules. These Joint Rules govern how committees operate and how bills can proceed.

But due to opposition to basic transparency measures from the MA House, there is no agreement yet on these basic operating procedures.

The transparency measures embraced by the Senate are both essential and non-controversial:

  • Publishing committee roll call votes online
  • Making testimony accessible to the public with appropriate redactions (as with any other public record)
  • Extending the notice period for hearings to one week

All of these steps will help legislators do their own jobs better and strengthen the participatory nature of our democracy.

A Conference Committee of three senators and three representatives is currently negotiating what that final set of Joint Rules will look like.

Can you email the Conference Committee today in support of an open and transparent process?

(If the auto-fill email above doesn’t appear, you can use the template here.)

A Quick Action for You to Take Today

Today, the MA House will be voting on a bill (H.89) that will provide workers with access to emergency paid sick leave and offer targeted tax relief to unemployed individuals. Both of these are vital parts of an equitable economic recovery and pandemic response and should be celebrated. And the achievement of emergency paid sick time is only possible because of the work of activists like you across the commonwealth.

Unfortunately, the bill also contains a misguided “Double Dip” tax break for profitable businesses.

Under current law, businesses that receive Paycheck Protection Program funds won’t pay taxes on that money. Under proposed language, they would be able to deduct expenses paid for with those funds. In other words, profitable corporations would be able to write off expenses they paid for with money they didn’t have. Even former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (!) recognized the problem here, once referring to the issue as “Tax 101”: “you don’t get to deduct expenses that someone else paid for.” 

The cost of this tax break could be upwards of $330 million — money that we could be investing in our public schools, our public transit, and our public health infrastructure instead.

Fortunately, Representatives Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville) and Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge) filed two amendments to address this:

  • Amendment #5 would limit this tax break.
  • Amendment #8 would fully eliminate it.

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

Don’t have their phone number on hand? You can find it at http://www.progressivemass.com/legislator-lookup.