Announcing Our Latest Round of Endorsements….

Election Day — Tuesday, November 6th — is less than seven weeks away. We had some great wins on primary night two weeks ago, but the work continues.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been inviting candidates to fill out our comprehensive policy questionnaire — a vital tool for informing voters and for holding politicians accountable. Our Election and Endorsement Committee reviews them and then chooses whether to make a recommendation to our members, the ultimate deciders. We set a high bar for endorsements; candidates must earn at least 60% of our members’ votes.

Congrats to our latest round of endorsees!

State Senate

Cape & Islands: Julian Cyr

Julian Cyr serves in the Massachusetts Senate representing Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Born and raised in Truro, Julian got his start in with a career in public policy, health advocacy, organizing, and social justice. Julian was elected to the State Senate in 2016 as the youngest senator in the 40-member body. As State Senator, Julian is dedicated to identifying solutions for the opioid epidemic, public education, and protecting the Cape’s vulnerable environment. As a proudly gay legislator, Julian has advocated on behalf of the Commonwealth’s LGBTQ residents as State Senator and as former chair of the Massachusetts Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth.

Middlesex & Worcester: Jamie Eldridge

Jamie Eldridge has served as State Senator for the Middlesex and Worcester district since January 2009. Senator Eldridge serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, and is known for his leadership on progressive issues. Previously, Senator Eldridge served as State Representative for the 37th Middlesex district, after being elected the only Clean Elections candidate to public office in Massachusetts history in November 2002. For the 2017-18 session, Senator Eldridge, filed bills aimed at reducing the wealth gap, making health care a right, protecting the environment, combating climate change, increasing education funding, reforming the criminal justice system, and safeguarding the civil rights of immigrants and Muslims in Massachusetts.

Plymouth & Norfolk: Katie McBrine

Dr. Katie McBrine is a lifelong Democrat, a pediatrician and a mom, not the classic politician. She decided to run for office because she is disappointed by our state’s failure to make progress toward the goals in our party platform. As a doctor, she is witnessing firsthand the attacks on health care. She cannot sit by any longer while people suffer because our legislators do not know enough about how our health care system works to propose effective solutions. Dr. McBrine has long been active in the community as a health and science educator. She is a progressive who sees many issues through the lens of impact on public health. She wants to see our state lead the nation in affordable health care, in environmental protection, in civil rights, in education, in public transportation, and in gun safety. She will take her experience, her concerns, and her values to Beacon Hill and knowledgeably advocate for change.

State House

5th Barnstable: Jack Stanton

Jack Stanton is a lifelong Sandwich resident with deep ties to his community. He is a product of the public schools, graduating as president of his high school class in 2010 and receiving his BA from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in 2014. Since then Jack has been working primarily in the development sector with experience at the World Bank, and at Forcier Consulting in Mozambique. Deeply troubled by the political climate, concerned about the numerous challenges affecting Cape Cod, and seeing a need for more activist leadership at the state level, Jack decided to move home and run for office in his hometown. Since returning, Jack has been working as an offshore lobsterman while campaigning to bring attention to the many issues affecting Cape Cod – a region wrongly perceived as a wealthy enclave. Jack is running to challenge this notion and better serve his neighbors.

2nd Essex: Christina Eckert

Christina Eckert has been advocating for the children of Essex County for 11 years.  After serving as President of Boxford PTO, she then co-founded Masconomet Education Foundation, raising nearly half a million dollars for two STEM labs and other educational initiatives. She is Development Director for grassroots children’s charity Community Giving Tree, helping the organization grow from serving hundreds of children per year, to helping 10,000 annually. She also serves on Boxford’s Recreation Committee, overseeing the summer Park Program since 2008. Christina sees her run for State Rep in the 2nd Essex District as a way to have a larger impact on the greater community. She wants to prioritize public schools and their safety; move toward a clean energy future; and make health care truly universal and comprehensive.

18th Essex: Tram Nguyen

Tram Nguyen is running for state representative to be a tireless advocate for the 18th Essex District. As a legal aid attorney, Tram has represented workers, domestic violence survivors, seniors, children, and veterans in the courtroom and has worked on legislation that improves the quality of life for ALL people in the Commonwealth. As state representative, Tram will advocate for the people of this district on issues like reproductive rights, common sense gun reforms and the opioid epidemic.  Tram’s family immigrated to America as political refugees when she was 5 years old —not knowing a word of English. Tram is proud of the public education system that allowed her to be the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Tufts University and later went on to earn her juris doctor from the Northeastern University School of Law. Tram looks forward to bringing her passion, dedication, and determination to Beacon Hill.

1st Hampden: Tanya Neslusan

As the daughter, sister and wife of veterans, Tanya Neslusan believes strongly in the concept of service to country and community. She is an activist who currently serves as the President of the Sturbridge Regional Huddle, Secretary of the Sturbridge Democratic Town Committee, and a member of the Planning Committee for the Worcester Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice. Giving back to her community has always been important to her, whether she was coaching youth soccer or participating in Habitat for Humanity. Running for office is just another extension of that commitment which will enable her to help others on a larger scale. She currently resides in Sturbridge with her wife, Rebecca, her teenage son, Nick.

14th Middlesex: Tami Gouveia

Tami Gouveia is a strategic thinker and collaborator with a strong passion for social and environmental justice. For over 15 years, she has worked as a leader in public health and social work, serving as Director of Programs for the Greater Lawrence Health Center, Founder and Chair of the Lowell Roundtable on Substance Abuse Prevention, and Executive Director of Tobacco Free Mass. In 2016, Tami founded and co-organized the MA Chapter of the Women’s March, an experience that ultimately precipitated her run for office. On Beacon Hill, Tami hopes to continue the work she’s achieved in enhancing community health, addressing the roots causes of addiction, advocating for justice, and holding corporations accountable. A native Lowellian, Tami now lives in Acton with her two sons.

2nd Plymouth: Sarah Hewins

Sarah Hewins is in her fourth term as Carver Selectman, was elected twice for 10 years to the Planning Board, and served as the town’s Conservation Agent for 15 years. Thirty years ago, Sarah formed a coalition to preserve hundreds of acres of wetlands in the Mississippi delta. Over the past 20 years in southeastern Massachusetts, she has preserved 600 acres of land, established inclusive zoning for affordable housing, was a leader in getting a new elementary school, spearheaded passing the Community Preservation Act, was a co-founder and volunteer Executive Director of a non-profit to help at-risk youth, and attempted to unionize town hall management employees. She has served on many town and regional committees and boards and has run the toddler story hour at the library for 22 years. She earned a PhD in Sociology of Community from Princeton University.

17th Worcester: David LeBoeuf

David LeBoeuf is a lifelong Worcester resident and proud graduate of the Worcester Public Schools. David began his career as an interim staff assistant in the Worcester City Manager’s Office. In 2011, he was appointed as the Director of the Initiative for Engaged Citizenship (IEC), a coalition of community-based organizations focused on increasing civic participation in local elections and advocating for election modernization. Since 2015, he has been an Urban Business Initiatives Associate at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, focused on increasing opportunities for small businesses in underserved communities. He currently serves on the boards of the African Community Education program (ACE), the Latin American Health Alliance of Central MA (Hector Reyes House), and the NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center of Central MA/Oak Hill Community Development Corporation, where he is board president.





2018 Primary Elections: Whew!

Primary Night 2018 was a big night for Progressive Massachusetts and our endorsed candidates.

Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley defeated incumbent Congressman Mike Capuano by 17%, becoming the first woman of color to represent Massachusetts in Washington.

Rachael Rollins won by 16% and will become the first woman of color to be the District Attorney of Suffolk County. She ran on a strong progressive platform of implementing the recently passed criminal justice reform bill and taking bold steps beyond it to curb mass incarceration and make sure we aren’t criminalizing poverty, illness, and addiction.

And in a strong message to House Leadership, challengers Jon Santiago and Nika Elugardo defeated Assistant Majority Leader Byron Rushing and Ways & Means Chair Jeff Sanchez, respectively.

They will be joined in the House by other Progressive Mass endorsees Lindsay Sabadosa (Northampton), Maria Robinson (Framingham), and Tommy Vitolo (Brookline), all of whom had big wins last night and face no challenge in the general election. Additionally, Berkshire County will now have a progressive reformer District Attorney in Andrea Harrington.

Becca Rausch won big and will go on to face incumbent Senator Richard Ross this November, and Steve Leibowitz will go on to face incumbent Representative Tim Whelan. Christina Minicucci will face a Republican challenger this fall as well. They will all need your help.

As do our endorsees Jay Gonzalez and Quentin Palfrey, who are fighting to bring progressive policy back to the Corner Office.

Not all of our endorsed candidates won, but we admire the hard work they put in and commitment to moving Massachusetts in a more progressive direction.

Running for office isn’t easy, especially if you are challenging an incumbent. But primaries are essential in a single-party Legislature that too often quells any actual debate.

Reflecting on her victory, Nika Elugardo said, “We need a new kind of politician. And some of those are already in the State House and waiting for their own personal transformation and they will come to be that type of politician. And some are going to have to be replaced because that’s not what they want or are capable of.”

That has been our mission since Progressive Mass started. We hold elected officials accountable, combining issue advocacy and electoral organizing, in a uniquely powerful combination. And our ability to succeed at that work depends on supporters like you.

And the Winners Are….: Announcing Our Final Round of Our Primary Endorsements

Elections matter. Our ability to make progressive change in Massachusetts depends on having progressive champions in office — every office.

In particular, primaries matter, especially in an often single-party state like Massachusetts. Primaries are the time that we can debate concrete policies and large-scale visions.

Massachusetts’s state primary is Tuesday, September 4th.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been inviting candidates to fill out our comprehensive policy questionnaires — a vital tool for informing voters and for holding politicians accountable. Our Election and Endorsement Committee reviews them and then chooses whether to make a recommendation to our members, the ultimate deciders.

We’re proud to endorse the following candidates, each of whom won an overwhelming majority of the vote among our membership, for our final round of primary endorsements.

Congress

MA-01: Tahirah Amatul-Wadud

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Tahirah Amatul-Wadud runs a successful law practice in Western Massachusetts with a focus in domestic relations and civil rights law. She is a graduate of Elms College in Chicopee and Western New England University School of Law in Springfield. Tahirah was named a 2016 Top Woman of Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. As a commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, Tahirah has advocated before the state legislature to enact laws responsive to the needs of women. She is a member of the Family Advisory Council of Boston Children’s Hospital. Tahirah understands the need to prioritize healthcare for every person and is thus an avid supporter of Medicare for All. She also supports universal public education from pre-K through college and affordable high-speed Internet access for every resident to improve the economic prosperity of the district.

MA-07: Ayanna Pressley

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Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and survivor. Her election to the Boston City Council in 2009 marked the first time a woman of color was elected to the Council in its 100-year history. This laid the foundation for Ayanna’s groundbreaking work, with which she has consistently strived to improve the lives of people that have too often been left behind and to reduce inequality in all forms. Raised in Chicago as the only child of an activist mother who instilled in her the value of civic participation, Ayanna understands the role that government should play in helping to lift up communities that are in need of the most help. After her election to the Council in 2009, she successfully pursued the establishment of the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities. The Committee addresses causes that Ayanna has always been most devoted to: stabilizing families and communities, reducing and preventing violence and trauma, combating poverty, and addressing issues that disproportionately impact women and girls. Ayanna lives in the Ashmont/Adams neighborhood of Dorchester with her husband Conan Harris, nine-year-old stepdaughter Cora, and cat Sojourner Truth.

District Attorney

Berkshire County: Andrea Harrington

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Andrea Harrington comes from a working class family in Berkshire County and was among the first generation in her family to attend college and then law school. Her criminal law professor’s scholarship focused on the role of prosecutorial discretion in mass incarceration and the particularly devastating effect of bias in the criminal justice system on communities of color. This inspired her work representing convicted death row inmates in their post-conviction appeals in Florida. When Andrea returned home to Massachusetts, her work representing indigent criminal defendants in appellate and trial matters made the urgent need for statewide criminal justice reform very apparent. Over the past fifteen years of legal practice, she has seen the struggles of working families in Berkshire County through her work in family court and in representing employees in discrimination claims. Andrea also serves on the Richmond School Committee and is a co-founder of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus- Berkshire Committee.

Middlesex County: Donna Patalano

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Donna Patalano is a nationally recognized leader in legal ethics who has worked as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. As Chief of Professional Integrity & Ethics in the Suffolk DA’s Office, Donna created the state’s first Conviction Integrity Program. From her time as a prosecutor reviewing cases to be sure that justice had been done, to her work as a defense attorney protecting the rights of people who couldn’t afford an attorney, Donna has developed a unique perspective. As District Attorney, Donna will bring transformative, transparent change to our justice system. She will implement evidence-based reforms that improve safety while restoring integrity and accountability to our courts. She will work to end mass incarceration and eliminate the racial disparities entrenched in our system. And, she will collect and release data to make sure that the programs we invest in are working.

State Senate

Hampden: Amaad Rivera

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Amaad Rivera is a former Policy Advisor to Senator Ed Markey, a role through which he brought the voices and values of Western MA to bear on issues like health care, climate change, and proper funding for important regional transportation projects. When he served as a Springfield City Councilor, he stopped unfair foreclosures and creeping blight that was affecting our community, by leading the effort that gave the city the tools to stand up to greedy lenders. As a person raised by a single mother, he knows firsthand  how community support and government investments can change people’s lives and is running to help make that difference for people across the district and combat the growing wealth and income inequality of the region.

Fifth Middlesex: Sam Hammar

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Sam Hammar is an experienced public servant, activist, and family woman, whose passion and life experiences have covered the gamut–from teaching and tech to advocating for women and families. Born in New England and raised along the East Coast, Sam has watched her single mom juggle three jobs to provide for her family and her dad struggle as a business owner while managing a chronic illness. Sam spent most of her career in public service—whether in the Boston Public Schools, Boston City Hall, or state government. She recently served on the Women’s Commission, where she fought for affordable and accessible childcare. She also served as the Chair of the Melrose Democratic City Committee. She and her husband have twin daughters who attend kindergarten in public school. Sam believes we need new voices on Beacon Hill to get us the progress we deserve.

State House of Representatives

6th Middlesex: Maria Robinson

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Maria Robinson is running for State Representative in the 6th Middlesex District of Massachusetts. A former Town Meeting member, Maria is a clean energy policy expert and advocate, who has spent the last decade helping state policymakers and public officials throughout the country to address climate change through renewable energy and energy efficiency policies. Maria is an MIT graduate and the child of public servants and union members, who taught her the value of hard work and giving back to her community. Maria serves on the board of the Framingham Public Library Foundation, the Friends of the Framingham Library, and is a member of the Framingham Democratic Committee. Maria lives in Framingham with her husband, their two foster (soon-to-be-adopted!) children ages 10 and 12, her parents, and their lively dog Guinness. 

23rd Middlesex: Sean Garballey

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Sean Garballey is the representative of the 23rd Middlesex District, which includes parts of Arlington and Medford. He has served in the House since 2008, when he was one of the youngest to ever be elected to the body. Prior to his election, he served on the Arlington School Committee (2005 to 2008) and in the Arlington Town Meeting (2003-2008). At the State House, he has been a strong advocate for a single payer health care system, transitioning Massachusetts to 100% renewable energy, and increasing our investments in public transportation and public education.

9th Suffolk: Jon Santiago

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Jon Santiago has spent his life in service to others. After college, Jon joined the Peace Corps, organizing sugarcane workers and immigrants in the Dominican Republic. A graduate of Yale School of Medicine, Jon now works and cares for underserved communities as an emergency medicine doctor at Boston Medical Center, the city’s safety net hospital. He is an active participant in neighborhood meetings, has knocked on thousands of doors for progressive causes, and sits on the boards of the South End Community Health Center, Friends of the South End Library, and the Puerto Rican Veterans Park. He is running for state representative to fight for a community where people can afford to live at any stage of their lives, where kids can go to quality schools and play outside on safe streets, where people can rely on efficient public transportation, and where bold action can be taken to address challenges from the opioid crisis to climate change.

15th Suffolk: Nika Elugardo

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Nika Elugardo has over 20 years of experience in community and economic development with public, private, and nonprofit leaders in communities of color, including serving as Jamaica Plain Liaison and Senior Policy Advisor to Massachusetts Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz. Nika’s professional career helping nonprofit and business leaders work together to break injustice and open doors to opportunity began at the National Consumer Law Center in Boston. She later became founding Director of MassSaves, an economic justice collaborative jointly sponsored by community organizations and financial institutions. Nika earned her B.S. from MIT in Urban Planning, an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with concentrations in political advocacy, leadership, and peace and security, and a J.D. from Boston University Law School with externships in tax law, human rights, and corporate social responsibility. Nika’s work experience, training as a lawyer and policy leader, progressive values, and passion for our District position her to be a bold, effective leader on Beacon Hill.

And the Winners Are….: Announcing Round Two of Our Legislative Primary Endorsements

Elections matter. Our ability to make progressive change in Massachusetts depends on having progressive champions in office — every office.

In particular, primaries matter. Whether you’re ousting a conservative or passive incumbent (of either party) or electing a real champion in an open seat (replacing a retiring one or getting a real progressive upgrade), primaries can send a powerful message.

Massachusetts’s state primary is Tuesday, September 4th.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been inviting candidates to fill out our comprehensive policy questionnaire — a vital tool for informing voters and for holding politicians accountable. Our Election and Endorsement Committee reviews them and then chooses whether to make a recommendation to our members, the ultimate deciders.

We’re proud to endorse the following candidates, each of whom won an overwhelming majority of the vote among our membership, for our second round of primary endorsements.

State Senate

2nd Essex & Middlesex: Mike Armano

Mike Armano is a proud member of the Lawrence Firefighters Local 146. Mike is a fourth-generation civil servant, with experience working with some of our most vulnerable populations as a coach, counselor, and substitute teacher. After attending Mass School of Law and starting his own law practice, he followed in his father’s footsteps eight years later and was hired as a firefighter. He graduated from the Mass Fire Academy while earning his EMT license and pursuing his master’s degree in Public Administration. Today, Mike supports legislative initiatives as a delegate to the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, and works with city officials and community leaders as the Lieutenant of Fire Prevention in Lawrence, Massachusetts. As a state senator, he will fight the expansion of charter schools and is committed to fully funding public education in Massachusetts.

State House of Representatives

1st Barnstable: Steve Leibowitz

Steve Leibowitz has been active in his community since being elected a town meeting member in Amherst as a Freshman to his work the past 23 years on Cape Cod. He’s served on the Brewster School Committee, Brewster Affordable Housing Partnership, and the board of Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer. Steve chaired the Brewster Democratic Town Committee for 6 years, was elected twice to the Democratic National Convention as an Obama and Sanders delegate and currently is a member of the Democratic State Committee. He’s running to replace Republican Tim Whelan and would be a strong voice for economic fairness and open, engaged government.

14th Essex: Christina Minicucci

Christina Minicucci is a community activist in North Andover who understands that democracy is not a spectator sport. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the North Andover School Building Committee, member of the Master Plan Advisory Committee, and the Expo Coordinator for the Feaster Five Road Race. Christina is also an active member of the North Andover Parent Advisory Council (NAPAC), her local Boy Scout Troop, and the Merrimack Valley Striders running club, as well as a former member of the YWCA Board of Directors and a sexual assault hotline advocate. She looks forward to being a strong advocate for investing in our public schools, addressing the affordable housing crisis, and promoting equitable economic development for the region.

2nd Hampshire: Marie McCourt

Marie McCourt is a dedicated community activist in Granby. Having grown up in a struggling family, she has made a point in her career to create opportunities for others. She currently works as an assistant program director for a grant-funded afterschool program, and it is through this work that she got involved in politics. She currently serves on the executive board and works as a volunteer for Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Inc., a client-choice pantry that serves South Hadley and Granby residents dealing with food insecurity. She will be an enthusiastic champion of increasing our investment in public education, increasing access to medical care, and improving our elder and disability services so that everyone can thrive.  

28th Middlesex: Gerly Adrien

Gerly Adrien ran for State Representative for the 28th Middlesex District as a first-time candidate in 2016 with no name recognition and fell just 600 votes short of winning. She is running again to continue the fight to improve education, economic development, and quality of life for the people of Everett. The oldest child of parents born in Haiti, Gerly moved to Everett in 1993 when she was 4 years old. Her parents instilled in her and her two brothers the importance of serving others, and she has carried that value with her wherever she has gone in life, whether working to advance teen empowerment, affordable housing, arts education, and public health.

15th Norfolk: Tommy Vitolo

Tommy Vitolo is an environmental professional and a long-time progressive leader in his local legislature, the Brookline Town Meeting. A PhD engineer, Tommy works as an expert witness on behalf of government agencies and environmental organizations. He has served on a dozen town boards and committees, and is an elected member of the Brookline Democratic Town Committee and an elected Brookline Constable. He’s authored and shepherded to passage progressive local legislation related to public schools, public health, diversity and inclusion, the environment, and public art in Brookline and looks forward to being a champion of these and other issues at the State House.

Elections Matter: That’s Why We’re Endorsing These Progressive Champions

Elections matter. Our ability to make progressive change in Massachusetts depends on having progressive champions in office — every office.

In particular, primaries matter. Whether you’re ousting a conservative or passive incumbent (of either party) or electing a real champion in an open seat (replacing a retiring one or getting a real progressive upgrade), primaries can send a powerful message.

Massachusetts’s state primary is Tuesday, September 4th.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been inviting candidates to fill out our comprehensive policy questionnaire — a vital tool for informing voters and for holding politicians accountable. Our Election and Endorsement Committee reviews them and then chooses whether to make a recommendation to our members, the ultimate deciders.

We’re proud to endorse the following candidates, each of whom won an overwhelming majority of the vote among our membership, for our first round of District Attorney and State Legislative primary endorsements.District Attorney

As countless stories from right here in Massachusetts and around the country have shown, a District Attorney has a lot of power. Too often, DAs have used that power in favor of mass incarceration and the attendant racial and economic disparities. From overcharging to lobbying against criminal justice reform, DAs have proven themselves to be an obstacle.

But DAs get away with much of what they do because no one is paying attention. Recent elections and public education campaigns have elevated DA races in the public mind and showed the possibilities of what a progressive DA can do. And with a landmark criminal justice reform bill now on the books in Massachusetts, it’s important to have DAs who support implementing the law — and pushing for bolder reforms as well.

Progressive Mass has been working with a coalition of progressive allies around the Commonwealth called Justice for Massachusetts to elect progressive DAs and hold them accountable to their promises.

Suffolk County: Rachael Rollins

Rachael Rollins has been a lawyer for over 20 years. She is a former state and federal prosecutor and clerk on the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Rachael was the general counsel of both the MBTA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Chief Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Port Authority. Rachael currently sits on Attorney General Maura Healey’s Advisory Council on Racial Justice and Equity. She was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to the Judicial Nominating Commission, served as past president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and served a three-year term on the Boston Bar Association Council. She brings her lived experience as someone whose family has been directly affected by the criminal justice system and is committed to implementing the recently passed Criminal Justice Reform bill, rebuilding the relationship between the DA’s office and the community, and ensuring that the lawyers in the DA’s office reflect the communities they serve. As the first female general counsel for the MBTA and the first person of color to serve as general counsel of MassDOT, Rachael brings the management experience needed to manage the reform process that will be critical in the Suffolk County DA’s Office.

State Senate

First Middlesex: John Drinkwater

John Drinkwater has spent his entire career promoting social and economic justice through the Labor Movement. He joined the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, an umbrella organization for over 700 local unions, in 2006 and served the organization in a variety of roles before being named Legislative Director in 2014. In addition to representing the interests of working people at the State House, he also plays a key role in the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s political field program which helps to elect pro-worker candidates to office. John has been a part of legislative coalitions that have successfully passed into law: a $15 minimum wage, Paid Family and Medical Leave, workplace protections for temp agency workers, the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, expanded health and safety standards for public sector workers, and gender-neutral parental leave rights.

Hampshire, Franklin & Worcester: Chelsea Kline

Chelsea Kline is a higher education leader and social justice advocate running for State Senate to be a strong progressive voice for Western Massachusetts’ working families, local businesses, and underrepresented communities. When she became a low-income single mom at 19, Chelsea juggled multiple jobs and relied on food stamps to make sure her daughter wouldn’t go hungry. She was able to succeed not only because she worked hard, but because of public investments in the social safety net and community college. Now, as the social safety net continues to fray, Chelsea is channeling her leadership experience and her 25 years as an activist and organizer into her run for State Senate. She is running on progressive issues, such as Medicare for All, 100% renewable energy, and full funding for public education from Pre-K through higher education, and strongly believes we need bold leadership in the legislature to achieve this vision.

Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex: Becca Rausch

The granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor and the daughter of an activist, Becca Rausch has a life-long commitment to progressive values and social justice. Becca is an elected Needham Town Meeting Member, attorney who has practiced in both the public and private sectors, dedicated community leader, union steward, spouse, and parent of two young kids. Becca has the skills and experience at both the state and local levels of government to be an effective voice in the MA State Senate starting on her first day in office. She believes communities are stronger when progressive social policies are implemented by a transparent and accountable government. She plans to fight for universal health care, innovative and evidenced-based methods of addressing the opioid epidemic, transportation equity, strong public education with healthy learning environments and well-rounded curricula, meaningful voting rights and access, and policies that make government work for working families.

State House of Representatives

2nd Bristol: Jim Hawkins

Since his upset victory in April’s special election, Jim Hawkins has hit the ground running on Beacon Hill. He came to the State House with a history of community engagement and advocacy. In 1999, he was recognized by the National Society of Fundraising Professionals as a partner in philanthropy for his successful fundraising efforts and years of delivering food to the homeless. For twelve years, Jim taught math at Attleboro High School (AHS) and recruited tutors for homeless and disadvantaged students. During his time as a teacher at AHS, Jim founded the Rome Boulevard Road Race, which delivers much-needed funds to student programs at the school. More recently, he was a District Coordinator for the Massachusetts Teacher Association, fighting for the quality public education on which our Commonwealth depends.

1st Hampshire: Lindsay Sabadosa

Lindsay Sabadosa is an activist with a proven track record of advocating for concrete legislation at the State House. She is currently running for State Representative for the 1st Hampshire District, which represents Northampton, Hatfield, Southampton, Westhampton and Montgomery. She’s a mother, legal and financial translator, runner, and lifelong community organizer. She is the Director of the Pioneer Valley Women’s March, serves on the board of Emerge Massachusetts and the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts, and sits on statewide organizing committees for progressive legislation like Medicare for All and the Safe Communities Act. Her progressive platform includes single-payer healthcare, education funding reform, 100% green energy, East-West/North-South rail, reproductive rights, immigrants’ rights, criminal justice reform, and other progressive legislation.

15th Middlesex: Mary Ann Stewart

Mary Ann Stewart is a community activist and member of the Lexington Democratic Town Committee. Since 2006, she has been a member of Lexington Town Meeting and the League of Women Voters of Lexington. She is a working parent who came up through the school site council and PTA, was elected twice to Lexington’s School Committee, and was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. She has spent countless hours pounding the pavement for workers’ rights and fair and adequate revenue; tirelessly meeting with parents and non-profit leaders, elected officials, and experts to hear their concerns, questions, and recommendations; and educating others on the issues. She looks forward to extending her leadership on these and other issues of critical importance to our families and our future.

19th Middlesex: Erika Johnson

Erika Johnson is currently chair of the Wilmington Democratic Committee. After graduating college with a political science degree, she worked in impact investing and then moved to the energy efficiency field, working to increase energy efficiency in residential applications and helping electrical distributors upgrade their customers to energy efficient lighting through rebates and incentives. She is running for office to fight for safe, well-funded quality public education; living wages for all; more affordable health care and higher education; and twenty-first-century infrastructure.

30th Middlesex: Darryn Remillard

Darryn Remillard is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a veterinarian running on a strong progressive platform. He grew up poor and spent a significant period of his early childhood in the Washington, DC, foster care system. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served for 8 years. The military provided him with many of the opportunities that he finds himself fighting for now: guaranteed healthcare for all, accessible and highly subsidized childcare, job security with consistent pay raises, and fully subsidized education. After leaving the Marines amidst disillusionment with the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, he went back to veterinary school. Now a father, he worries that a foster child today wouldn’t have the same opportunities he was able to have and intends to fight to change that.

36th Middlesex: Sabrina Heisey

Sabrina Heisey has lived in Dracut for 11 years with her husband (and now six children) and manages grants and budgets for scientific research at Children’s Hospital. She is the founder of the Greater Lowell League of Women Voters, a director of the Dracut Mom’s Group, a Girl Scout leader, and an elected member of the Dracut School Committee. Sabrina is running for State Rep in the 36th Middlesex District in MA and envisions a future for Massachusetts where schools are fairly and adequately funded, where our tax dollars are spent on the public good instead of corporate welfare, where LGBTQA+ people are afforded equal rights, where women and families have control over their reproductive health, and where Massachusetts strengthens its strict gun laws.

7th Plymouth: Kevin Higgins

Growing up in a family faced with the challenges of addiction and financial hardship, Kevin Higgins was motivated early in life to dedicate his career to improving social and economic opportunities for working families. After watching his family lose their home as a result of predatory sub-prime mortgage lending, Kevin put himself through college, becoming a social worker in elder and disability services and later working as a union organizer. Since the start of his professional life, Kevin has been a strong advocate for the community’s most vulnerable residents and has focused on expanding opportunity for individuals with disabilities, senior citizens, and working families.

We Have a Busy Month, But There’s Always Time to Celebrate

Summer is a season of action and a season of joy. So as the summer approaches, we need to double down on the work of passing our bold policy agenda, as well as celebrate the successes we’ve had.

Raise Up Signature Collection: Ramping Up & Wrapping Up

As a key part of the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition, we’ve been collecting signatures around the state to get a $15 minimum wage and paid family and medical leave on the ballot this November.

Over the past month, we’ve collected more than 5,000. Give yourself a hand!

The last day for signature collection is Saturday, June 16th. Find an event near you here, and if you haven’t already turned your signatures in, email Joe at jdimauro@progressivemass.com to find out how best to do so!

The Summer Warmth Is Nice. A Warmed Planet Isn’t.

This week, the MA Senate is moving to take up S.2545, An Act to Promote a Clean Energy Future. Although this is a bold piece of climate policy, several critical policies are missing: solar access for all, reforms to push back against pipeline expansion, community empowerment, and a comprehensive plan to combat climate change.

Action: Please call your Senator and Chairwoman Karen Spilka, Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov, 617-722-1640 in support of the following amendments:

  • Amendments 41 (Eldridge), 42 (Eldridge),and 43 (Chang-Diaz), which would ensure all communities can access solar energy
  • Amendment 22 (Cyr), which would empower communities and give new tools to promote renewable energy
  • Amendment 44 (Pacheco), which would set binding climate targets for 2030 and 2040
  • Amendments 6 (Jehlen) and 60 (Hinds), which would push back on pipeline expansion

Safe Communities: The Clock Is Ticking

Right now, the Massachusetts legislature is negotiating the state budget for the next year, and key protections for immigrants hang in the balance. Approved by the Senate, these protections (detailed below) now have to make it through the budget Conference Committee.

If you are worried about the Trump administration’s draconian immigration policies, 3 phone calls this week are almost certainly the most impactful thing you can do this week to blunt the effects of these policies in our state:

  • For your own your own Representative (find them here)
    • Ask: “Please urge Speaker DeLeo and the budget Conference Committee to include protections for immigrant families in the final FY2019 state budget.”
  • Committee Chairman Jeffrey Sanchez, 15th Suffolk (617-722-2990)
    • Ask: “Please use your leadership to fight for protections of immigrant families in the FY19 state budget.”
  • Governor Baker (617-725-4005)

Proposed protections would:

  • Bar police from asking about people’s immigration status unless required by law
  • End 287(g) contracts that deputize state and local law enforcement as ICE agents
  • Require that immigrants be notified of their due-process rights
  • Ensure that Massachusetts does not contribute to any registry based on religion, ethnicity, citizenship or other protected categories

Wednesday, 6/20: Summer is a Time for Celebration

Join Progressive Mass members and allies in Newton on Wednesday night, June 20th, for drinks and light appetizers, and to toast our three award winners.

  • Representative Mary Keefe of Worcester: Lead House sponsor of the comprehensive Criminal Justice Reform bill, signed into law this year
  • Jonathan Cohn of Boston: Our resident policy and political expert, leading the Issues Committee and the Elections and Endorsements Committee
  • Rev. Jim Mitulski of Needham: A Progressive Needham leader and tireless advocate for human rights and dignity

Thanks to a group of generous donors, all Summer Soiree contributions up to $7,000 to Progressive Mass will be matched. Your generosity helps us provide staff, office space, organizing software and services, and drive progressive initiatives in multiple coalitions.

The Legislature Can Take Action to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Assault. Here’s How

The #MeToo movement underscored the myriad ways that power imbalances and a toxic culture increase the likelihood of sexual harassment and assault, across industries and across states. According to the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey data for Massachusetts, nearly 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men in Massachusetts have ever experienced sexual violence victimization other than rape. Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men in MA have experienced rape, and more than 1 in 7 women have experienced rape.

The Massachusetts Legislature has the opportunity to take action this session by promoting healthy relationships and protecting the rights of those who seek to speak out. But time is short.

The Senate passed An Act Relative to Healthy Youth (S2128/H3704), last year, and the House bill is before the Committee on Health Care Financing, with a reporting deadline of May 16th. This bill calls for age-appropriate and medically accurate sexual health education in each school district or public school that currently offers sexual health information.  

Numerous poignant statements from those who have experienced sexual assault and found nowhere to turn have been highlighted in the news recently. Preventive efforts are needed to reduce this kind of suffering.  We believe that young people need comprehensive sex education in order to grow up with a healthy sense of their own sexuality as well as respect for others feelings and boundaries. Most parents are not well equipped to address this complex subject fully. Many parents are too uncomfortable with the subject to even try.  Great numbers of children look for alternative sources such as pornography since they are naturally curious and want to understand their developing sexuality. These kids are getting distorted information that can lead to making poor decisions about consent in sexual relationships.

And both the House and the Senate can take action against the culture of silence around the issue by passing An Act to Improve Contract Provisions Waiving Certain Rights (H4058/S2186). This bill is sitting  before the committee on Labor and Workforce Development and has an extended reporting deadline of May 9th (next Wednesday).

In an assault on workers and on women especially, Donald Trump has rolled back regulations protecting individuals from forced arbitration and non-disclosure contracts.  Massachusetts has the opportunity to do better for our citizens. Too many companies care most about their bottom line and have little incentive to improve working conditions when complaints and settlements are secret.  

As the National Association of Consumer Advocates explains, under forced arbitration and non-disclosure agreements, “employees cannot sue for discrimination, harassment, abuse, retaliation or wrongful termination.”  As women, we are particularly interested in pointing out how forced arbitration clauses have helped perpetuate sexual harassment and sexual assault. Arbitration strongly favors the employer, and relatively few cases ultimately support the woman accusing the company of wrongdoing. Without sanctions, we submit that sexual abusers may believe they have done nothing wrong and will continue to abuse.  And if they understand their abuse is wrong, they know they will usually come away unscathed. Where does this leave women who find the courage to stand up for their rights?

Recent events have led women to begin speaking out about their personal experiences of sexual abuse.  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission estimates that from 25 percent to 85 percent of women report having experienced sexual harassment in the workplace and that 75 percent of abuse incidents go unreported. Fears of not being believed or of being re-victimized have caused women to be mostly silent until this moment in our history.  This silence is a pervasive problem that must be addressed.

Janis Soma is a member of the Progressive Needham Women’s Issues Working Group.

And the Winners Are…!

This year, Massachusetts voters will have the opportunity to make sure that strong progressive candidates get elected up and down the ballot. And that requires important decisions.

At Progressive Massachusetts, we are committed to a vision of shared prosperity, racial and social justice, good governance and strong democracy, and sustainable infrastructure and environmental protection. And we translate that vision into a Legislative Agenda each session. We need allies in elected office who will help us fight for that vision.

Three statewide races will be voted on at the Massachusetts Democratic Party convention on Saturday, June 2nd (one month from today). Earlier this year, we asked candidates to fill out our comprehensive policy questionnaire, and our chapters around the state held forums to get to know the candidates better. Over the past two weeks, we asked our members for their recommendation in each of the three races, and we set a high threshold of 60% to make sure that we have a strong consensus before getting involved in a race.

The results are in……

Governor: Jay Gonzalez

At Saturday’s MA Republican Convention, Republican Governor Charlie Baker showed–yet again–how he isn’t that different from his Republican friends in Washington.

In his convention speech, Baker touted his support for a Trumpian mass deportation agenda, racist and misguided policies that have fueled mass incarceration, and a vision for the state that leaves behind the most underserved communities so that millionaires and billionaires have the money to buy their sixth private jet.

Republican Governor Charlie Baker has fought to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, promoted the development of new dirty fossil fuel pipelines across the state, and attacked the unions and public services that make our state strong.

We can do better. We need to do better.

We need allies in the Corner Office who believe in building upon past health care reforms to build a truly universal single payer health care system, in fighting for workers and supporting a $15 minimum wage and paid family and medical leave, in crafting a fair tax system, in transitioning our economy away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, in investing in the public education and public transit systems that are the bedrocks of our economy, in taking additional steps to reform our criminal justice system, in making Massachusetts a state where immigrants and families can live their lives without the daily fear of deportation, in making sure all Massachusetts residents are treated with dignity and respect, and in ensuring that our democracy is one in which all voices are heard and not drowned out by big money.

We are proud to endorse Jay Gonzalez for Governor.

Here’s what some of our members said about Jay:

“Jay Gonzalez has the experience, knowledge and understanding about state government to implement and enact our vision for our future.” — Caroline

“I’m so excited to support Jay Gonzalez! Too often, we face mediocre leadership in Massachusetts. I’m all in to unseat Charlie Baker this fall, and Jay is the progressive voice to beat Baker. From early education to gender equity and transportation to safe communities, he brings the leadership and vision the Commonwealth needs.” — Denise

“As the former Secretary of Administration and Finance under Deval Patrick and a successful healthcare CEO, Jay Gonzalez has the necessary experience to both do the job well and effectively critique the poor management performance of our do nothing Governor Charlie Baker. But most importantly Jay is genuine and present with people and will represent ALL the people of Massachusetts with compassion and love.” — Susan

Lieutenant Governor: Quentin Palfrey

A progressive Governor needs a progressive Lieutenant Governor to serve as an ally, someone who can be an effective liaison to the Legislature and to the cities and towns across the Commonwealth.

We are proud to endorse Quentin Palfrey for Lieutenant Governor.

Here’s what some of our members said about Quentin:

“Quentin Palfrey has a great mix of energy and experience, and would make a fantastic Lt. Gov. He is a strong organizer with the right priorities of health care and inequality.” — Andrew

“Quentin Palfrey’s laser focused on the single most important issue facing Massachusetts: tackling income inequality to make a more fair society.” — Bryan

Secretary of the Commonwealth: Josh Zakim

At the Massachusetts Democratic convention one month from today, there will be another race up for a vote: Secretary of the Commonwealth. This race can often fly under the radar, but it is an important one, with power over election administration, campaign finance, public records, and even the census.

In Attorney General Maura Healey, we have a statewide official who takes on a leadership role and sets an example for other states. We need a Secretary who will exhibit such bold, progressive leadership as well.

We are proud to endorse Josh Zakim for Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Here’s what our members are saying about Josh:

“Josh Zakim brings a fresh perspective along with a passion for modernizing our democratic institutions to expand participation and transparency.” — Ziba

“Massachusetts’ election laws & public records laws are out-of-date, lagging behind many less progressive states. While other states laws were updated to improve citizens’ access to their government—MA laws vigorously reinforce the status quo. It’s time for the fresh leadership that Josh Zakim will bring.” — Lisa

Why Does Our Democratic Legislature Largely Adopt Our Governor’s Budget?

Last Thursday, the MA House passed its FY2019 budget 150-4. The dissenting votes came from the most conservative quarters of the Republican caucus.

This degree of unanimity seems like the polar opposite of what we see at the national level. Why is that? How do we have such broad bipartisan consensus around the budget year after year?

Let’s turn to the recent analysis of the House Ways & Means budget from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. It begins, “The House Ways and Means (HWM) Committee’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget proposal largely aligns with the Governor’s proposal.”

In other words, this consensus is achieved by Democrats largely agreeing to the Republican governor’s budget. Oh.

Big Picture: Lack of Investment, Lack of Revenue

Where there are differences, they are certainly for the better.

Mimicking his Republican allies in Washington, Baker is still pushing an anti-health care agenda. His budget moved 140,000 low-income adults off MassHealth coverage, which would subject already struggling individuals to higher premiums and a loss of dental coverage and other vital benefits. Massachusetts would have the dubious honor of becoming the only state to repeal the Obama-era Medicaid expansion. The Legislature rejected this push last year, and the House rightfully chose not to include the Governor’s ask in the budget.

Mass Budget also outlines a few modest improvements the House made:

  • Early Education and Care. The HWM budget provides $20.0 million for Center-Based Child Care Rate Increases to improve early education quality by increasing the rates paid by the state to child care providers. That funding should aid in increasing salary, benefits, and professional development for early educators. The HWM Committee also proposes $8.5 million for a new initiative focused on professional development for early educators facilitated by Massachusetts community colleges.
  • K-12 Education. This budget provides $33.5 million more in Chapter 70 Aid (and related reserves) than the Governor proposed. In addition, it funds grant programs at $20.8 million more than the Governor recommended. This includes an added $9.5 million for charter school reimbursements and $8.9 million more for special education costs.
  • Housing. This budget proposal would increase funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) to $100.0 million, which is $7.3 million more than FY 2018. MRVP provides housing vouchers to help low-income families, including those living in emergency assistance shelters, secure housing.

Given the crisis in housing affordability in Massachusetts, a $7.3 million bump in funding for housing vouchers doesn’t go very far. Consider this: a minimum wage worker would have to work 80 hours per week to afford a modest one-bedroom rental home at fair market rent.

The bumps in education spending don’t look that impressive when you dig deeper there either. As you might remember from the Question 2 debate two years ago, in Massachusetts, school funding follows the students, but since so many of the costs of education are fixed (think: the school building itself), the state offers a partial reimbursement to public school districts for lost funding when students leave to go to charter schools. Massachusetts, however, has not been meeting its statutory obligation here. According to the Mass Municipal Association, the shortfall is already $75 million and would grow significantly to between $85 million and $100 million under Baker’s budget. The House budget’s addition is only 10% of what’s needed. Baker’s budget underfunded special education reimbursements by $20 million; the House’s additional $8.9 million is less than half of what’s required.

And how does the House fund these modest improvements? By robbing Peter to pay Paul. Back to Mass Budget:

“Without any significant revenue sources beyond those in the Governor’s budget, the HWM budget funds these differences largely by underfunding various accounts – such as for the removal of snow and ice from state roads – that likely need to be funded eventually. This risks leading to challenges maintaining a balanced budget during the upcoming fiscal year.”

A common refrain from us here at Progressive Massachusetts is that if we want a Commonwealth where everyone can thrive–where we have quality public schools, public schools, health care for all, a clean environment, etc.–then we need more revenue (and more investment in our collective, long-term future). However, our Democratic Legislature, like our Republican Governor, has been hostile to raising revenue. We are an affluent state: third highest in per capita income and sixth highest in median household income. In other words, we aren’t lacking in revenue sources; we’re lacking in political will.

The expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in both the Governor’s budget and the House budget suffers from this same problem: if we are not meaningfully increasing revenue, then the EITC expansion will just be funded by cuts to other programs on which working people depend.

The Amendment Process: What Happened?

A week and a half ago, we drew attention to a list of amendments that would counteract this chronic underinvestment and improve the quality of life in the state by building on the recently passed criminal legal system reform, investing in public education, protecting our environment, and building strong communities for all.

More than 1,000 amendments were filed to the FY2019 budget. And, unfortunately, the House doesn’t make it easy to follow what happened to them all (in case you’re wondering, yes, it is on purpose).

Some amendments are withdrawn before debate begins, usually under pressure from House Leadership

The following amendments we highlighted were withdrawn:

  • Amendment 781 (Khan), which would set out punishment for police officers who have sex with individuals in police custody
  • Amendment 889 (Provost), which freezes the income tax at 5.1 percent. Automatic declines in the state income tax mean billions of dollars of lost revenue each year and less money to fund vital programs across the Commonwealth
  • Amendment 925 (Walsh, Chris), which would allow local governments and regions of the state to, with local government and voter approval, levy taxes to fund transportation initiatives

Now, the House rarely votes on individual amendments. For the sake of time and opacity, House Leadership will gather together thematically similar amendments to produce a “consolidated” amendment. BUT that “consolidated” amendment often doesn’t include many of the requests from the included amendments. The “consolidated” amendments effectively dispense with the amendments in the guise of addressing them. And then they pass almost unanimously, with everything “controversial” having been removed.

Most of the amendments we supported saw just such a fate.

Subsumed and eliminated via “Consolidated Amendment A” (Education and Local Aid)

  • Amendment 156 (Higgins), which would provide much-needed funding for public colleges and universities
  • Amendment 246 (Garballey), which would revise our outdated education funding formula along the lines of the the Foundation Budget Review Commission recommendations
  • Amendment 715 (Moran, Mike), which would ensure that immigrant students receive in-state tuition
  • Amendment 924 (Higgins), which would create new consumer protections for student loan borrowers and allow state to crack down on unscrupulous lenders
  • Amendment 950 (Koczera), which would increase funding for adult education and English classes (essential for new immigrants) by $1.9 million, to $34.5 million
  • Amendment 952 (Ultrino) / 977 (Coppinger), which would increase charter school tuition reimbursements for sending public school districts from $90m to $170m so that our public schools have the funding they need
  • Amendment 1343 (Decker), which would mandate at least 20 minutes of recess for elementary school students

Subsumed and eliminated via “Consolidated Amendment B” (Energy and Environmental Affairs)

  • Amendment 640 (Ferrante), which increases funding for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program by $2m to $20m — Covertly dispensed with via Consolidated Amendment “B”
  • Amendment 864 (Walsh, Chris), which increases the funding for the Department of Environmental Protection’s hazardous waste clean-up program by $2m — Covertly dispensed with via Consolidated Amendment “B”
  • Amendment 906 (Rogers, David), which requires the state to issue a report on measures necessary–including new staffing, monitoring, permitting and other measures–to address water pollution and comply with the federal Clean Water Act — Covertly dispensed with via Consolidated Amendment “B”
  • Amendment 1005 (Muratore), which would provide initial funding and regulatory authority for the state to implement decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Covertly dispensed with via Consolidated Amendment “B”

Subsumed and eliminated via “Consolidated Amendment E” (Public Safety and Judiciary)

  • Amendment 54 (Livingstone), which would provide funding for the Resolve to Stop the Violence Program, a restorative justice program in the Department of Corrections with proven benefits for reducing recidivism
  • Amendment 219 (Livingstone), which increases funding for community-based re-entry programs from $3 million to $5 million

Subsumed and eliminated via “Consolidated Amendment F” (Housing, Mental Health and Disability Services)

  • Amendment 269 (Connolly), which would increase housing voucher rent caps to current fair market rents, get vouchers out faster, set aside a portion for extremely low-income households, and increase funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program overall — Consolidated F
  • Amendment 801 (Khan), which increases the funding for Juvenile Court Clinics, which provide mental health evaluation, consultation, and liaison services for children and families in the juvenile court system, from $3.5m to almost $10m

Subsumed and eliminated via “Consolidated Amendment G” (Public Health)

  • Amendment 867 (Garlick), which would boost funding for Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Prevention services by $3.5 million, to $37.6 million, to increase access to culturally and linguistically appropriate crisis intervention and safety planning, legal services, and advocacy — Consolidated G

One amendment did pass (👏👏👏), although the House modified it to begin in FY2020 and did not provide the necessary funding. It’s a victory, but as with most victories, the fight continues.

  • Amendment 1361 (Decker), which would lift the “cap on kids.” The “cap on kids”/”family cap”  denies welfare support to children conceived while the family receives assistance. 8,700 Massachusetts children are currently harmed by this policy that many other states have already repealed.

Funding increases for the Massachusetts Legal Services Corporation (Amendment 243-Balser) and Regional Transit Authorities (Amendment 743-Peake) did make it into the budget via other consolidated amendments, but in much reduced form. MLAC got $750,000 extra, rather than $2 million. And RTAs got $2 million in additional funding, rather than the requested $8 million. The extra money is important, but the Legislature’s refusal to offer robust funding speaks to systemic indifference.

They Don’t Pass The Good Ones. But, Thankfully, They Don’t Pass the Bad Ones Either.

Marc Lombardo’s xenophobic Amendment 113, which would have taken away money from cities that choose not to be accomplices to a mass deportation regime, was withdrawn. Geoff Brad Jones’s Amendment 508, which mirrored Baker’s unconstitutional proposal to overturn the Lunn decision, was subsumed into “Consolidated E” and eliminated. So were Amendments 515 (Jones) and 1174 (Markey), which would have expanded state wiretap powers to “listen in” on a wider range of personal communication

Jim Lyons’s Amendment 347, which sought to create even broader authority for police to detain immigrants along the lines of a bill filed by Governor Baker, failed 10 to 145 (RC 334). One Democrat–Jim Dwyer–joined 9 Republicans in voting for it. Geoff Diehl’s amendment, which was akin to Lombardo’s withdrawn amendment in its assault on cities that choose not to have local law enforcement be deputized to ICE, was sent to further study on a 136 to 19 vote (RC335). The study, of course, will never happen (which is the point). Colleen Garry and Jim Dwyer joined 17 Republicans in voting for it.

Rep. Howitt’s Amendment 979, which would have curtailed the right to free expression, namely the use of economic boycotts against foreign governments (Think: the boycott movement against apartheid South Africa), was subsumed into and eliminated by “Consolidated H” (Constitutional Officers, State Administration, and Transportation).

If you’re still with us: The Senate will be voting on its budget (and its own series of amendments) mid-May. The two bodies will then go to conference and hash out a final budget.

Stand Against Discrimination of Transgender People in MA!

As the mother of 2 transgender children, I have had many reasons to be glad that we live in Massachusetts. Our community has been very supportive since my daughters transitioned about 3 years ago, and Massachusetts is one of only 18 states in which my children can enjoy full protection under the law. As you may know, this came about in 2018 when the Legislature passed transgender anti-discrimination legislation, protecting the rights of transgender individuals in all public spaces.  What you may not know, however, is that this legislation is in jeopardy. Very soon after Governor Baker signed this law, opponents collected enough signatures to challenge it on the ballot via a so-called citizen’s veto referendum. This November, the rights of my daughters and all other transgender people in Massachusetts will be at stake.

Imagine what it could mean if the law’s opponents have their way. My oldest daughter could be forced to get off the T while going into Boston or my youngest daughter could be kicked out of a movie theatre with friends just for being who they are. My family could be asked to leave a restaurant while having a meal together just because whoever is working at that time doesn’t feel comfortable with transgender people. While these scenarios are bad, my worst nightmare is that one of my daughters could require life-saving medical treatment and could be refused if the doctor on duty doesn’t want to treat them. These situations and more could become reality for all transgender people living in Massachusetts.

Our opponents would have people believe that this is about bathrooms and public safety, but that is simply misdirection. They know that they will only be able to be successful if they employ scare tactics that will cause people to go against their own sense of fairness. At stake is what kind of state we would like to live in: I, like all members of Progressive Mass, want to live in a state where all residents are treated with dignity and respect and are fully and equally protected under the law.

While I know we have a while to go until November, I have been surprised that few people know that this important issue is on the ballot. But it’s important to get involved now: spreading the word about this question, making sure that people know that a YES is a vote against the law’s reactionary opponents and for equal rights in Massachusetts, and educating your friends and neighbors about what this ballot question is and what it is not. You can find volunteer opportunities near you at the Freedom Massachusetts website here: https://secure.freedomma.org/page/s/volunteer.

Progressive Mass was a part of the Freedom Massachusetts coalition behind the 2016 bill, and it’s important that we take action again to protect our past victories, uphold our values, and vote YES this fall.