MA House Pushes Regressive Tax Cuts

Last November, voters sent a message by voting for the Fair Share Amendment: the rich should pay their fair share so that we can invest in public education and infrastructure. For years, the Legislature has used the line “We don’t have the money” to justify inaction and underinvestment; we got them the money.

But, yesterday, the House, in unveiling their tax package, said that they plan to give money right back to the rich and large corporations.

Almost half of the cost of their tax proposal comes from the three regressive tax cuts:

  • A $231 million cut to the estate tax designed to disproportionately benefit the wealthiest estates
  • A $130 million cut for day traders and speculators by cutting the short-term capital gains tax
  • A $79 million tax cut for the state’s largest corporations through what is called “single sales factor apportionment”

Think of all that we could do with $440 million if instead we invested it in our public transit systems, in education, in child care, in climate resilience, in affordable housing, or in health care. Indeed, tackling our housing crisis should be the #1 priority if legislators actually cared about the goals of “affordability” and “competitiveness.” Indeed, even the less regressive parts of the tax package could go further if invested in a robust social programs. By proposing such regressive tax cuts, the House is disrespecting the will of the voters, and they are setting Massachusetts up for brutal cuts when the next recession hits.

Disappointed too? Let your state representative know.

You can also let your state representative know (on phone or in person tomorrow) that you want them to support two amendments filed by Rep. Mike Connolly:

  • #5 (Establishing a Tiered Corporate Minimum Tax), which ensures that large corporations pay their fair share [When corporations, through accounting wizardry, secure a $0 tax liability, the minimum tax they have to pay is $456. That tax should be based on the size of the corporation.]
  • #11 (Maintaining Some Degree of Short-Term Capital Gains Equity) to blunt the cut to the short-term capital gains tax

Progressive Mass Western Norfolk County Celebrates Impressive Wins in Purple District

Progressive Massachusetts Western Norfolk County, in partnership with Young Democrats of Neponset Valley, celebrated last year’s election results on March 28, 2023.  A crowd of over 60 people attended the celebration at 7th Wave Brewery in Medfield, including State Senator Becca Rausch, State Representative Jeff Roy, and State Representative Ted Phillips.  The two 2022 candidates for State Representative, 9th Norfolk District–Kevin Kalkut and Steve Teehan–also attended.

Senator Rausch spoke about affordable health care, affordable child care, and the power of the ballot box,  while Representative Jeff Roy spoke about environmental justice and green energy.  The chapter also recognized the efforts of Justin Bates and Bonnie Taylor. Justin served as Becca Rausch’s 2022 Campaign Manager, where Becca received an impressive 55% of the vote. Bonnie was Campaign Manager for Kevin Kalkut, who came within 360 votes of flipping the 9th Norfolk District to the Democrats for the first time in over 30 years.

7th Wave Brewery is committed to brewing great craft beer with local ingredients, reducing their footprint, and giving back to their community. Their massive 500-kilowatt solar array provides 200% of the brewery’s electric needs, putting them at the forefront of sustainable breweries and supporting the local clean energy economy. 

Progressive Massachusetts Western Norfolk County was established in March of 2022 and is committed to the mission of Progressive Massachusetts.  Their 2023 priorities include:

  • Focusing on progressive legislation on Beacon Hill and lobbying members of the House and Senate for their support.
  • Providing residents of Franklin, Medfield, Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham with information that progressives need to know and a venue to learn about legislative activity on Beacon Hill.
  • Developing a strong group of political activists who will be positioned to have an impact in the 2024 election cycle and beyond.

Contact PM Western Norfolk County, here. Follow them on Facebook, here.

PM Joins Organizations in Calling for an Extension to Eviction Protections

March 17, 2023
Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Locke
Housing Court Chief Justice Timothy Sullivan
Senate President Karen Spilka
Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano
Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Michael Rodrigues
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Aaron Michlewitz
Members of the Massachusetts Legislature

Re: Take swift action to extend Chapter 257 eviction protections before they expire on March 31st

Dear Chief Justice Locke, Chief Justice Sullivan, Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Chairperson Rodrigues, Chairperson Michlewitz, and Members of the Legislature:

“Chapter 257”, a key eviction prevention tool, is set to expire on March 31st. Chapter 257 provides an avenue for a tenant who has applied for rental assistance but is in eviction proceedings to request, and requires the judge to grant, a continuance of the case or postponement of physical eviction until a decision is made on the rental assistance application. Allowing this critical tool to expire now could result in evictions where tenancies could have been resolved with rental assistance, pushing many families and individuals into homelessness. We call upon you to take immediate action to extend these protections until July 31, 2024 to allow more time for a permanent solution to be put into place.

The Legislature first enacted Chapter 257 of the Acts of 2020 to ensure tenants are not physically evicted while rental assistance applications are pending. The Legislature extended the deadline in Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021, and extended it again through March 31, 2023 in Chapter 42 of the Acts of 2022. The law ensures that tenants are not needlessly displaced and maximizes rental assistance payments to landlords. It also requires landlords to upload notice to quit letters to a state tracking system, enabling agencies administering rental assistance to conduct outreach to landlords and tenants to prevent evictions. While not perfect, Chapter 257 has been an essential protection for tenants waiting for rental assistance applications to be processed.

The number of families and individuals applying for assistance through the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) homelessness prevention program remains at very high levels, reflecting the experience of tenants and advocates on the ground that Chapter 257 protections are still extremely important. Although the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has made efforts to streamline the program, the RAFT application process is complex and can require a significant amount of time for a tenant to gather their paperwork, the property owner to input their information, and the administering agency to process each application. The unfortunate reality is that many landlords are simply unwilling to wait for RAFT funds — even if the result could be receiving money they are owed and preventing families and individuals from experiencing homelessness.

Before Chapter 257 was enacted, tenants awaiting rental assistance who already were in eviction proceedings had few options. Since going into effect in January 2021, at least 9,000 case continuances have been granted under the law, and untold numbers of tenants have been able to stabilize their housing and prevent eviction simply by having the chance to complete the rental assistance process. There is broad agreement among policymakers that residents across
Massachusetts are experiencing a housing crisis. Chapter 257 is a key homelessness prevention tool that we know is working, at a time when housing instability is on the rise and the state is struggling to provide adequate shelter to families and individuals who are unhoused. Extending Chapter 257 is a simple and commonsense action that will prevent unnecessary evictions, as the state works to address the broader housing crisis.

Judges, court staff, attorneys, and rental assistance providers are familiar with how Chapter 257 operates, and it has undoubtedly saved tenancies and provided money to landlords. Legislation already has been filed that includes language to codify Chapter 257 protections.1 While we await legislative action on that bill, we call upon the Trial Courts or Legislature to act immediately to extend Chapter 257 until at least July 31, 2024, either through a standing
order, attaching language to pending legislation, or with the filing of a new targeted bill, that ensures that protections afforded in Chapter 257 continue without disruption.

We look forward to working with you in the days and weeks ahead to promote greater housing stability.

[1] See An Act relative to summary process and rental assistance, House Docket 3096 (filed by Representative Sam Montaño) and Senate Docket 1883 (filed by Senator Liz Miranda.)

Sincerely,

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Andrea M. Park
Director of Community Driven Advocacy
apark@mlri.org

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Kelly Turley
Associate Director
kelly@mahomeless.org

Endorsing Organizations (in alphabetical order):
2 Birds No Stones LLC
Amherst Affordable Housing Trust
Amherst Community Connections
Amherst Survival Center

Arise For Social Justice
Bay Cove Human Services
Behavioral Health Network, Inc.
Berkshire Community College
Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority
Berkshire Housing
Berkshire Immigrant Center
Berkshire United Way
Boston Children’s Hospital
Breaktime
Cathedral of the Beloved
Center for Human Development (CHD)/Family Outreach of Amherst
Center for Living & Working, Inc
Center for New Americans
Central Hampshire Veterans’ Services
Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance
Central West Justice Center
Chelsea Black Community
Chelsea Chamber of Commerce
Citizen STEAM
Citizens’ Housing And Planning Association
City of Chelsea Acting City Manager Edward Keefe
City of Chelsea Department of Housing and Community Development
City of Chelsea Police Department
City of Chelsea Public Schools
City of Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne
City of Somerville Office of Housing Stability
Coghlin Electrical Contractors
Commonwealth Care Alliance
Community Action Agency of Somerville, Inc.
Community Action Pioneer Valley
Community Action Programs Inter-City
Community Healthlink
Comunidades Enraizadas Community Land Trust, Inc.
Craig’s Doors
Disability Law Center
Dismas House of Massachusetts
DOVE, Inc.
Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath)
Eliot CHS Homeless Services
FamilyAid
Fenway Community Development Corporation
First Parish in Brookline
Franklin County DIAL SELF Inc.
Friendly House, Inc.
Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals
Greater Boston Legal Services
GreenRoots
Grow Food Northampton
HarborCOV
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau

Homeless Prevention Council
Homes for All Massachusetts
HomeStart, Inc.
Housing Families Inc.
Housing Greenfield
HousingMatch.org
Humanity First Landlords
Independence House
Institute for Community Health
Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
Justice Resource Institute, Inc.
La Colaborativa, Inc.
Lawrence CommunityWorks
Lynn United for Change
Manaa
Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants
Mass General Brigham
Mass Senior Action Council
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Massachusetts Public Health Association
McCarter Law Office
Metro Housing|Boston
MetroWest Legal Services
MLPB (formerly Medical Legal Partnership | Boston)
Neighbor to Neighbor MA
NeighborWorks Housing Solutions
New England Learning Center for Women in Transition, Inc
New England United 4 Justice
New Lynn Coalition
Northampton Survival Center
Northeast Justice Center
Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, Western Massachusetts Chapter
One Family
OUR Resurge
Pax Christi Beverly
Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts
Progressive Massachusetts
Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts
RCAP Solutions
Reclaim Roxbury
Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts
Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston
Southeast Center for Independent Living
Springfield No One Leaves
St. Luke’s-San Lucas Episcopal Church
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
The Midas Collaborative

The Neighborhood Developers Inc.
United Way of Central Massachusetts
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
Vasquez Mary Kay
Way Finders
Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness
Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj
Worcester Common Ground, Inc.
Worcester Community Action Council
Worcester Interfaith
Worcester Together
YWCA Central Massachusetts

cc: Trial Court Administrator Tom Ambrosino
DHCD Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox

Citizens for Juvenile Justice Debunks Myths about Metal Detectors and School Safety

Metal Detectors

By Stav Keshet

We all want students to feel safe at school. How can a student thrive if they don’t feel secure? In a recently released report titled Metal Detectors: “Security theater,” Not Safer Schools, Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CFJJ) answer an important question: do metal detectors in schools increase school safety? The answer: no. Research has shown that there is ‘insufficient evidence’ that metal detectors decrease crimes or violence in schools. So why do we use them? There are many reasons that factor in, including the fact that security systems got a boost from federal grant programs following the terrorist attacks of September 11.  For many, the “perception of safety” is a major motivator, but that perception is not anchored in reality or universally shared. Such claims around safety lack solid evidence, and make many students, especially students of color, feel less–not more–safe. These issues are not distinct to metal detectors, but demonstrate a larger pattern. Studies have shown that in addition to metal detectors, security cameras and the number of visible physical security measures tend to negatively affect perceptions of safety.

It is important to remember the effects of enhanced security on students’ mental health. As highlighted by the report, enhanced security measures have been documented to cause students to suffer from mental health impacts ranging from anxiety to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other forms of psychological distress.”  At a time when our nation is struggling with an ongoing mental health  crisis, it is more important than ever to notice how oversurveillance makes it harder for students to find a sense of trust and of belonging, necessities for any healthy learning environment. School should be an enjoyable experience—not a scary one.

The report also looks at the intersection of mental health and racial discrimination. A key takeaway from the report was that even when controlling for multiple other variables, the concentration of students of color [Black, Latine, and Native] at the school was a predictor of whether or not schools decided to rely on more intense security measures And while all students’ mental health is negatively impacted by surveillance measures, Black, Latine, and Native students are often uniquely impacted. The report highlighted a study which found that “the use of surveillance methods, especially when applied disproportionately to students of color, …. skews minorities’ perceptions of their standing in our society, and sends harmful messages to members of all races that students attending majority-white schools enjoy greater privileges and have superior privacy rights.”

Studies have shown that enhanced security measures have negative impacts on teachers and staff, too. The report details several research and anecdotal evidence of school administrators who were concerned about the negative social consequences of metal detectors, in addition to the high financial cost to the school.A senior analyst for the campus safety group Safe Havens International said that: “metal detectors… can also create a prison-like feeling among students, have been linked to diminished academic performance, and, worst of all, don’t work well in school settings.” At the best, ineffective devices are wasting valuable funds in many schools across the United States. At the worst, many students are unable to fulfill their academic potential because instead of school- they attend a quasi- prison. 

What’s Progressive and What’s Not in Gov. Healey’s Tax Proposal

In her campaign last year, Governor Maura Healey touted a promise to cut taxes and address the high cost of living in Massachusetts. In her recently released budget, she offered her version of tax reform.

Before diving into it, any discussion of taxes must begin with a few acknowledgements:

(1) The “Taxachusetts” myth is just that: indeed, we are middle-of-the-pack when it comes to taxation levels compared to other states.

(2) We have long had a regressive tax code, with a flat income tax such — meaning that someone making $30,000 would pay the same income tax rate as someone making $3 million. Voters, fortunately, chose to take a step forward toward progressivity by passing the Fair Share Amendment last fall, creating a surtax on income over $1 million.

(3) If we want to invest in our collective well-being and our public infrastructure, we need revenue. If we want to maintain public goods and services, we need to invest in them.

Back to Healey’s proposal…

How much? The total tax package would cost $986 million each year. Notably, that is almost the same as the amount of money she plans to designate for Fair Share revenue and appropriations ($1 billion). Healey’s proposed use of Fair Share funds cover many important programs and initiatives, but if we raise $1 billion only to also spend $1 billion in tax cuts, we risk creating a situation where money is just being moved around. Fair Share funds should be truly additive to deliver on the intent of the voters. Moreover, spending so much on long-term tax cuts is also risky as increased federal funding for Mass Health, rental assistance, and SNAP is ending — and could be cut even further if Republicans in Congress get their way.

What’s Most Progressive? According to an analysis from MassBudget, the most progressive parts of Healey’s proposal are the doubling of the the Senior Circuit Breaker tax credit (which helps offset property taxes faced by seniors with modest incomes) and an increase in the Renters Deduction (which, in impact, ends up only $50 for renters who don’t already get a refund). An extra $50 in the pocket of renters ultimately won’t go very far, given escalating rents and costs in general. Combined, these proposals amount to $100 million.

MassBudget: https://massbudget.org/2023/03/16/gov-tax-plan/

What’s Somewhat Progressive? The largest part of the tax package is the child and family tax credit, which would amount to $600 per child under 13 or dependent adult and cost $458 million. It is unclear why parents of teenagers should not get the same benefit: any parent of a teenager will tell you how much it costs to feed a teenager. Families with low and middle incomes will certainly benefit from extra money in their pocket, but $600 will not last long given that two weeks of child care cost more than that. The credit thus does little to address the real drivers of the cost of living in Massachusetts, even if it can help around the edges.

What’s Regressive? Unfortunately, almost $400 million in tax cuts from the package are outright regressive in impact. That includes $117 million in a cut to the tax rate for short-term capital gains: the highest-income 1 percent of households would receive an estimated 77 percent of this – an average of over $7,000 apiece. Even more jarring is the cut to the estate tax, which would amount to $275 million. Healey’s proposal would create a $182,000 tax credit for large estates, wiping away estate tax for estates under $3 million and amounting to a $182,000 giveaway to estates over $3 million.

What Should Change? Any tax reform package should be progressive overall and should also be at least revenue-neutral (meaning that it raises back anything that it spends). Legislators should reject outright the proposed cut to the capital gains tax, as they did last year when Governor Baker proposed it. If legislators are committed to changing the estate tax, they can eliminate the cliff effect that currently exists at $1 million without giving away money to the largest estates. And if legislators want to pass the more progressive parts of Healey’s proposal, they should fund them by embracing progressive tax proposals like increasing the corporate tax rate, increasing the tax rate on offshored income, or creating a tiered corporate minimum tax (so that large corporations can’t get by with only paying $456).

What Can You Do? Write to your legislators! They need to hear from you while they are crafting their own budget proposals.

We’re Tracking Co-Sponsors

By co-sponsoring bills, legislators can take a small step to show their support for the bill and help build momentum for it at the State House. That’s why we’re tracking co-sponsorship of our Legislative Agenda and other key bills on our Scorecard website: https://scorecard.progressivemass.com/.
What the Scorecard Can Help You do

Get Some More Co-Sponsors

Don’t see your legislators signing on to bills that matter to you? First of all, you should give them a call or send them an email. But even better: join us at the State House! Our 2023 Progressive Mass Lobby Day will be on Thursday, April 13, at 10 am in Room 428 at the State House.We’ll hear from inspiring speakers and meet with our legislators about important bills. More details will be coming soon, but for now, let us know you can come and mark your calendars!
PM Lobby Day 2023

And Join Upcoming Coalition Lobby Days

Prison Moratorium Campaign Relaunch: “It’s not just about stopping a prison.”

Prison phone call

By Stav Keshet

On Monday, Jan 30, 2023, Families for Justice as Healing (FJAH) and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls hosted a virtual relaunch for the Prison Moratorium campaign, with a packed crowd of over 200 attendees.

Last year, with a coalition of organizers, they were able to pass the Prison Moratorium bill, which would enact a five-year pause on prison and jail construction, through the Legislature; however, it was vetoed by former Governor Charlie Baker. But the fight isn’t over. The need to pass a prison moratorium is particularly urgent because of ongoing plans to build a new women’s prison in the Commonwealth—plans which are proceeding under the new administration of Governor Maura Healey.

The event, moderated by FJAH Executive Director Mallory Hanora, began with remarks from Andrea James, the Founder and Executive director of the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls and the Founder of Families for Justice as Healing. James powerfully argued that prisons do not allow one to take individual accountability for their actions, and instead merely continue a cycle of harm. She highlighted the concept of “community accountability”—stating that, as a society, we have a responsibility to prevent such continuous harm by investing in communities rather than pursuing criminalization. Highlighting that alternative models already exist, she asked the attendees: “It’s not just about stopping a prison– it’s about…Where is the funding? If you got 50 million plus another 25 to invest in prisons in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and we have worked for more than 12 years to develop models—that we have used our resources at FJAH and the National Council to create models of what different looks like—where is that funding?”

After James came two speakers from Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. Hema Sarang Sieminski and Nithya Badrinath, Policy Director and Policy Manager, respectively, highlighted how over 90% of incarcerated women experienced sexual abuse or domestic violence before their incarceration, arguing that “the conditions and culture of power and control in prisons, jails, and detention centers are a mirror of the violence that so many survivors experience in the interpersonal context.” Whereas many legislators will point to survivors as a reason to expand criminalization, Jane Doe Inc. believes that carceral systems will not provide the safety and healing that survivors need and do not provide any form of accountability for harm done to them; therefore, they oppose any policy that will increase criminal penalties in the name of increasing accountability or promoting survivor safety.

The next speaker was Ms. Angelia Jefferson, a community member of Families for Justice as Healing and the National Council. Known as “Ms. Angie,” she is a mother, a grandmother, and a formerly incarcerated woman who served over 31 years at MCI-Framingham. She stated that “instead of using that money to build a prison, [she] can’t say it enough–mental health and medical needs to be at the forefront of this.” She spoke of the need to invest in community resources, and especially provide more accessible mental health services and trauma support, instead of defaulting to criminalization. Next spoke the lead sponsors of the bill, Representative Chynah Tyler of  Roxbury and Senator Jo Comerford of Northampton. They both discussed their commitment to passing the prison moratorium bill and to pushing a broader narrative that prioritizes investment in community well-being rather than punitive measures.

Some might ask, what does different look like? Sashi James, the Director of Reimagining Communities for Families for Justice as Healing and the National Council, has an answer. While organizers are working to stop the building of a new women’s prison, James is building the future of a non-carceral world, implemented through the vision of “Reimagining Communities”. Most of this work is done in Roxbury by creating programs to support community members. James discussed some of them, including a guaranteed income program for currently and formerly incarcerated women, a basic housing program, a hydroponic farm, and more.

Lastly, the event ended with Rabbi Leora Abelson, the Rabbi of the Nehar Shalom Synagogue in Jamaica Plain and a member of T’ruah, a national organization of Jewish Clergy organizing for human rights. Leora discussed faith and spirituality in connection to social justice, stating that she perceives organizing as sacred work. Participants had the opportunity to think of a moment when they felt free, and Rabbi Abelson powerfully stated that “we live in a world whose structures and systems do not reflect what we know within us about freedom, and dignity, and worth. But we are building that world. And what we know inside of us is guiding us. Guiding us to know that we do not need any more prisons. That we don’t need any prisons. And to know what we do need.” She ended the reflection with a call for action, where participants had the opportunity to support the prison moratorium bill by signing up for an upcoming rally, call the governor’s office, and call their legislators.

If you weren’t able to join the event, you can watch the recording of the event here: https://youtu.be/GobJ-4UmmM8

Want to support the prison moratorium bill? You can with these quick steps!

  1. Sign up to join FJAH and the National Council at the State House for a Day of Action on February 9 from 3-6pm.
  2. Call Governor Healey and tell her NO NEW WOMEN’S PRISON
    Now is the time to let Governor Healey know that people across MA want a 5 year pause on jail and prison construction and expansion. Call and fill up the voicemail box: bit.ly/massmoratoriumguide
  3. Call your State Rep and Senator and ask them to co-sponsor the Prison Moratorium bit.ly/massmoratoriumguide
  4. Sign up for a phone bank or canvass!
    Volunteer to phone bank or canvass with members of  FJAH and the National Council, and support their efforts to stop the new women’s prison and pass the prison moratorium! Sign up for a shift here: bit.ly/nonewprisonvolunteer

Our 2023-2024 Legislative Agenda

We’re proud to announce our legislative agenda for the 2023-2024 legislative session. You can contact your legislators about these bills here. And check out additional bills that we have endorsed at progressivemass.com/agenda.

Our Shared Prosperity Agenda

Protecting the Fair Share Victory

We had a big win last November with the Fair Share Amendment, and for the Fair Share Amendment to deliver on its full potential, we need to prevent tax evasion and ensure any proposed tax reform package is progressive.

  • Statutory Protections for FSA Revenue: SD.1166 (Lewis) / HD.2236 (O’Day): An Act to protect the intent of the Fair Share Amendment, which would prevent Fair Share revenue from being diverted to tax giveaways or reserves, so it is available for spending on transportation and education as voters intended
  • Preventing FSA Tax Evasion: SD.1167 (Lewis) / HD.2310 (O’Day): An Act preventing high-income tax avoidance, which would prevent tax avoidance of the Fair Share Amendment by requiring, as many other states do, couples who file jointly at the federal level to file jointly at the state level as well
  • Fiscally Responsible Estate Tax Reform: SD.1114 (Cyr) & SD.888 (Jehlen) / HD.1465 (Uyterhoeven): An Act relative to estate tax reform, which would preserve most of the revenue-generation, inequality-reduction, and fairness benefits of the estate tax, while eliminating the current cliff effect
  • A Targeted Charitable Deduction: SD.1596 (Eldridge) / HD.3073 (Uyterhoeven): An Act to reform the charitable deduction, which would make the charitable deduction more targeted by limiting it to individuals who are not already getting such a deduction on their federal taxes
  • Corporate Tax Disclosure: SD.1038 (Miranda) / HD.751 (Capano): An Act to require public disclosures by publicly-traded corporate taxpayers, which would make publicly accessible reports that are already filed annually by publicly-traded corporations, detailing their sales, profits, taxable income, and taxes paid
  • Taxing offshored “GILTI” income: SD.1541 (Rausch) / HD.388 (Barber / Uyterhoeven): An Act to close corporate tax loopholes and create progressive revenue, which would tax, as other states and the federal government do, a portion of the profits that multinational corporations who do business in MA shift to offshore tax havens
  • Increasing the Corporate Tax Rate: SD.508 (DiDomenico) / HD.2758 (Keefe): An Act relative to restoring corporate tax rates, which would restore the tax on corporate profits to 9.5%, where it was before 2009, from the existing 8.0% rate
  • Tiered Corporate Minimum Tax: SD.677 (Gomez) / HD.418 (Connolly): An Act establishing a tiered corporate minimum tax, which would ensure that larger corporations pay a minimum corporate tax bill in proportion to the size of their business in MA, while small businesses continue paying the current corporate minimum tax of just $456 per year

Ensuring Livable Wages for All

We won a $15 minimum wage, but that has already been eroded due to inflation, and too many people are forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

  • Living Wage: SD.2032 (Lewis): An Act relative to raise the minimum wage closer to a living wage in the Commonwealth / HD.3965 (Nguyen / Donahue): An Act relative to the minimum wage, which would raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour over four years and indexes it to inflation to better align the minimum age with a living wage

A High-Quality Education for All

Everyone deserves access to a high-quality education, from pre-K to higher ed, and our state has the resources to make that happen.

  • Common Start: SD.667 (Lewis/Moran) / HD.2794 (Gordon/Madaro): An Act providing affordable and accessible high-quality early education and care to promote child development and well-being and support the economy in the Commonwealth, which would establish a framework for delivering increased access to affordable, high-quality early education and child care with greater investment in providers, better pay for workers, and a cap on costs for families
  • Thrive Act: SD.2067 (Comerford/Miranda/Gomez) / HD. 3162 (Hawkins/Montaño): An act empowering students and schools to thrive, which would create a better system of assessment, support, accountability, and improvement that considers the whole child, and focuses on giving students and educators the tools and resources they need to succeed and thrive, replacing the harmful and failed state takeover policy
  • CHERISH Act: SD.2092 (Comerford) / HD.2755 (Garballey/Duffy): An Act committing to higher education the resources to insure a strong and healthy public higher education system, which would create a framework for adequate funding levels for public higher education, including increased student support and better pay and benefits for faculty and staff; implement a debt-free college plan; and create a plan for green and healthy buildings on campus

Housing for All

Massachusetts offers a great quality of life, but only if you can afford to live here. We need to embrace a diverse set of tools to address our state’s housing crisis.

  • Real Estate Transfer Fee: SD.1982 (Comerford) / HD.2857 (Connolly): An Act granting a local option for a real estate transfer fee to fund affordable housing, which would enable cities and towns to assess a fee of 0.5-2% on residential and commercial real estate transactions, with the funds allocated to affordable housing trust funds
  • HERO Bill: SD.1226 (Eldridge) / HD.2510 (Montaño): An Act providing for climate change adaptation infrastructure and affordable housing investments in the commonwealth, which would increase the deeds excise tax on home sales to provide a funding stream for the Global Warming Solutions Fund, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Fund
  • Zoning Reform: SD.2006 (Crighton) / HD.3252 (Vargas/Honan): An Act to promote yes in my back yard, which would set a statewide housing production goal, allow multi-family housing to be built near public transportation, make it easier for municipalities to pass inclusionary zoning ordinances, allow accessory dwelling units to be built as-of-right, and promote the use of vacant commercial properties and empty state-owned properties for housing

Our Racial and Social Justice Agenda

We need to move past a punitive model of mass incarceration and toward rehabilitation and community stability; recognize the full diversity and potential of our immigrant populations; and ground education in inclusion and respect.

  • No Cost Calls: SD.1441 (Creem): An Act to keep families connected / HD.822 (Tyler): An Act relative to telephone service for inmates in all correctional and other penal institutions in the Commonwealth, which would prevent prisons and jails from charging individuals who are incarcerated for phone calls to loved ones
  • Prison Moratorium: SD.661 (Comerford) / HD.799 (Tyler): An Act establishing a jail and prison construction moratorium, which would enact a five-year pause on new prison and jail construction in order to provide time to develop more effective, community-based approaches to public safety
  • Raising the Age: SD.428 (Crighton) / HD.3510 (O’Day / Cruz): An Act to promote public safety and better outcomes for young adults, which would raise the age of criminal majority to 21, allowing youth to have better access to treatment and educational services and thereby reducing recidivism
  • Language Access & Inclusion: SD.1066 (DiDomenico) / HD.3616 (Madaro/González): An Act relative to language access and inclusion, which would build the capacity of key public-facing state agencies to meet the language access needs of an increasingly diverse population by standardizing and enforcing language access protocols and practices
  • Healthy Youth Act: SD.2199 (DiDomenico) / HD.3874 (O’Day / Howard): An Act relative to healthy youth, which would require school districts that provide sex education to ensure that it is comprehensive, age-appropriate, and LGBTQ-inclusive, with an emphasis on consent

Our Sustainable Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Agenda

Massachusetts has ambitious climate goals, but we won’t meet them without aggressive steps to transition to renewable energy and invest in a green and just economy.  

  • Polluter Pays: SD.2366 (Eldridge) / HD.3460 (Owens): An Act establishing a climate change superfund and promoting polluter responsibility, which would require fossil-fuel producers to fund the state’s climate adaptation programs based on past emissions, a proposal that would extend the long-standing “polluter pays” principle for toxic waste cleanups to addressing climate change
  • Zero-Carbon Renovation Fund: SD.500 (Gomez) / HD.776 (Vargas): An Act establishing a zero carbon renovation fund, which would create a fund for green and healthy home retrofits, with a prioritization of affordable housing, low-to-moderate-income homes, gateway cities, and environmental justice communities
  • Gas Moratorium: SD.1925 (Gomez) / HD.3794 (Williams / A. Ramos): An Act to establishing a moratorium on new gas system expansion, which would pause the approval for any new or expanded gas infrastructure through 2026

Our Good Government and Strong Democracy Agenda

Our democracy is strongest when all are able to participate, and we need to remove the barriers that remain.

  • Voting Rights Restoration: SD.1037 & SD.1464 (Miranda) / HD.3153 & HD.3188 (Uyterhoeven): An Act relative to voting rights restoration & Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to voting rights, which would ensure that incarceration no longer leads to a loss of voting rights at any stage
  • Modern Open Meeting Access for All: SD.2017 (Lewis) /HD.3261 (Garlick): An Act to modernize participation in public meetings, which would require that all public bodies have options for hybrid participation and create a trust fund and competitive grants to help municipalities with the technology needed to do so
  • Public Records & Transparency: SD.131 (Eldridge): An Act to provide sunlight to state government, which would promote transparency in state government by removing the Governor’s exemption from public records law and requiring committee votes and legislative testimony (with appropriate redactions) to be public

So what does “Progressive” Mean Anyway?

Happy Giving Tuesday, and belated Thanksgiving!

We’ve come a long way in 2022. Back when Progressive Mass started, many politicians didn’t want to touch the word “progressive.” Now, more and more of them are embracing the term.

But that makes our work harder — and more important. Because it means greater attention to — and accountability for — what “progressive” actually means.

In a time when more politicians are calling themselves “progressive”, Progressive Mass has a critical role to ensure the term doesn’t lose meaning.

  • We define it through our candidate questionnaires that shape the conversation of progressive policy, such as explicit support for the Fair Share Amendment and the Work and Family Mobility Act.
  • We evaluate it through our scorecards, which show whether politicians are living up to their professed values.
  • We close the gap between our State’s progressive image and reality by keeping activists like you updated on the State House
  • We support local chapters, including two new chapters in Salem and Western Norfolk County, to put principles into practice through local policy advocacy, municipal candidate questionnaires and interviews, forums, book groups, and other community contacts
  • We help voters differentiate information from disinformation on crucial issues through posts and blogs, and thousands of voter contacts.

We’re in a great position to grow and we hope you’ll support us. Will you consider becoming a monthly donor?

Monthly donors allow us to consistently and effectively:

  • Support activists to launch new chapters to bring coordinated pressure to more legislators
  • Bring organizing muscle to statewide advocacy coalitions
  • Educate, engage, and mobilize activists and potential activists around the state on policies that would make our Commonwealth more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic
  • Building tools to better enable constituents to hold their legislators accountable

I would be grateful for your support, we have much more work to do and your donation could make all the difference.

This year, like every year, we are thankful for you. We look forward to many years of progressive grassroots organizing to come.

Onwards,

Caroline Bays Progressive Mass Board President

Progressive Mass Trivia Night 2022

Progressive Mass Trivia Night 2022
Saturday, December 3, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Zoom

Who’s ready to play?! We’re looking forward to some time to unwind and enjoy the company of fellow advocates and allies after another busy election cycle.

Join us for a night of trivia and show off your knowledge of pop culture and politics while competing for fun prizes!

Reserve a ticket today!

Play trivia!

  • $15 per person
  • $45 per team of 4 people

Sponsor a question!

  • $100 to sponsor 1 question
  • $150 to sponsor 2 questions

*Sponsor name & logo will appear on question slide

Click here to reserve tickets or to sponsor a question!

If you have questions, please email Melanie O’Malley at: melanie@progressivemass.com.