Recording + Links (Follow-up to “DC Attacks, MA Fights Back: Defending Science and Our Health”)

Thank you so much for joining us on Wednesday for our forum “DC Attacks, MA Fights Back: Defending Science and Our Health”!

And thank you again to our speakers!

  • Dr. Nancy Krieger, Professor of Social Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Dr. Gordon Schiff, Quality and Safety Director, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
  • Dr. Sarah Neville, Postdoctoral Researcher, Brown University School of Public Health, and Chelsea School Committee Member
  • Melissa Varga, Science Network Senior Manager, Union of Concerned Scientists
  • Katie Blair, Executive Director, Massachusetts Families for Vaccines

Recording

You can find the video here: https://youtu.be/3W9Hurh6XkM. 

Slide Decks Shared

What You Can Do

Other Resources

This is a running list of HHS offices eliminated entirely or reduced to the point of non-functionality. https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1_HNSEowQOkojkTM5MjXdNdXzNjPK79Q4BXO8VU83A0w/mobilebasic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&pli=1&urp=gmail_link

Upcoming Forums

Join us again on May 7: https://actionnetwork.org/events/dc-attacks-ma-fights-back-protecting-masshealth.

Live Every Week Like Sunshine Week: Transparency Campaign Update & Action Hour

Sunshine Week—the week-long celebration of open government — may have been last week, but we know that it’s important to live every week like Sunshine Week.

Join us TOMORROW at 6 pm for an update on the push for a more transparent, responsive, and timely Legislature.

In February, both the House and Senate adopted a series of transparency reforms to make a more open, inclusive, and timely legislative process. These reforms were only possible because of people like you who emailed, called, and met with your legislators.

But the fight isn’t over yet. The House and Senate have to negotiate the differences between their respective proposals for Joint Rules.

In recent sessions, these conference committees have stalemated. But this session can and must be different. Legislators have felt the pressure from the public that voters across the commonwealth want to see these changes. Let’s keep up the momentum, get this done, and get to the important work across so many urgent issues facing the Commonwealth.

Progressive Mass Virtual Awards Night 2025

Progressive Mass Virtual Awards Night 2025
Sunday, April 27th
7-8:30pm
(Zoom link upon RSVP)

Come celebrate the great achievements and contributions of progressive leaders from across the state and be inspired for the work ahead as we all push the progressive movement forward.

We are thrilled to present our Progressive Leadership Award to these dedicated leaders: 

  • African American Coalition Committee (AACC)
  • Emily Anesta, Bay State Birth Coalition 
  • Tanya Neslusan, MassEquality
  • Kelly Turley, Mass Coalition for the Homeless, and Andrea Park, MLRI
  • Mass Power Forward Coalition

Tickets are $35.

Join the Host Committee! Levels begin at $250.

Transparency Action Hour: Next Steps

Thank you so much for joining us last night! We had 140+ people join to learn and take action together—and to keep the momentum going. And we filled up quite a few voice mails. (And if you weren’t able to make it, you were missed!)

Links from last night:

Earlier today, the House released a summary of their proposed rules changes. There are some positive signs, but we are awaiting the full text and will keep you posted. But for now, the important thing is to make sure that YOUR state rep is hearing from YOU.

Don’t forget to call or email (or both!) your state representatives, and to share the ask with your networks! Again, you can find our action guide at https://tinyurl.com/transparencyactionma. Pass this on to family, friends, and neighbors and ask them to take action for transparency too.

2/19: Transparency Action Hour

Voters have said on the ballot countless times that they want to see a more transparent State Legislature, and we know that the top-down, closed-door nature of policymaking empowers the large corporations and special interests that can get their way in, leaving the rest of us out.

Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker Ron Mariano have both promised to take up rules reform to make for a more transparent and efficient legislative process. Last month, 30+ organizations laid out a set of pro-transparency, pro-participation, pro-democracy reforms that would boost public confidence in the legislative process.

With the Senate rules behind us and the House rules being taken up later this month, where does the campaign stand? Join us for a campaign update and an opportunity to make some calls to make sure that state legislators are hearing from us, their constituents.


RSVP here

Coming Soon: PM 2025 Member Meeting & Activist Conference

Coming soon, just two weeks from tomorrow: we’re excited for the opportunity to see you in person at our 2025 annual member meeting (open to all!) on Saturday, February 1st.

We will review accomplishments from the past year, announce our legislative agenda for the new session, and host a variety of breakout sessions focused on building skills and digging deeper into policy and action. Join us to hone your skills, network with activists from across the state, and get energized for the fights to come.

There’s a lot of important work to do, and we look forward to doing it with activists like you.

Progressive Mass 2025 Member Meeting
Saturday, February 1
1 pm to 5 pm
Lasell University, DeWitt Hall
80 Maple Street, Newton

RSVP here

Our Agenda for 2/1

1:00 – 1:30 Registration & Socializing

1:30 – 2:00 Business Portion(Updates, New Legislative Agenda, etc.)

2:00 – 2:45 Panel Discussion: “Winning Our Wins”

Winning a policy by legislature or by ballot takes a lot of effort, but it is only step one. There’s a world of work afterwards focused on implementing, protecting, and messaging policy victories as well as capitalizing on them to build support for future ones.

Panelists:

  • Harris Gruman, Executive Director, SEIU State Council
  • Laura Rotolo, Field Director, ACLU of Massachusetts
  • Vatsady Sivongxay, Executive Director, Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance

3:00 – 3:45 Breakout Sessions: Policies in Focus

  • Achieving Housing for All
  • Building Up People, Not Prisons
  • Climate Action: What States & Cities Can Do  
  • Protecting Our Immigrant Communities
  • Public Health: The Fights Ahead

4:00 – 4:45 Breakout Sessions: Skills & Strategies

  • Ballot Questions 101
  • How to Build Support for Housing in Your community
  • Progressive Communications in a Fractured Media Landscape
  • What I Learned from Lobbying in Other States
  • Why You Should Run for Local Office

Our Annual Meeting is open to everyone. However, you must be a member to vote for members up for election or re-election to the Board. You also must be a member to nominate yourself or someone else for election.

It’s a New Legislative Session. What Does That Mean Anyway?

We’re now in a new legislative session in the Massachusetts State Legislature. Bills will be filed (by next Friday!), committees assigned, hearings held, etc., etc. Which raises an important question: How does this process even work?

That’s why next week, we’ll be hosting a Beacon Hill 101 virtual event, which will be a refresher on the legislative process in Massachusetts and how you can take action over the next two years.

Read on for more info about next Wednesday and two other upcoming events:

  • Our annual meeting on February 1st (February: it’s closer than you think!)
  • Clean Slate MA’s campaign launch

Our Beacon Hill 101 Legislative Advocacy Event

The new legislative session in the MA Legislature begins on January 1, 2025, and our Legislature can be hard to follow (for a reason). Join us on Wednesday, January 15, for a refresher on the legislative process in Massachusetts and how YOU can make a difference.

Beacon Hill 101

Wednesday, January 15, 7 pm

RSVP here

Coming Sooner Than You Think: 2025 Annual Member Meeting

We’re excited for the opportunity to see you in person at our 2025 annual member meeting on Saturday, February 1st.

We will review accomplishments from the past year, announce our legislative agenda for the new session, and host a variety of breakout sessions focused on building skills and digging deeper into policy and action. Join us to hone your skills, network with activists from across the state, and get energized for the fights to come.

Progressive Mass 2025 Member Meeting
Saturday, February 1
1 pm to 5 pm
Lasell University, DeWitt Hall
80 Maple Street, Newton

Our Annual Meeting is open to everyone. However, you must be a member to vote for members up for election or re-election to the Board. You also must be a member to nominate yourself or someone else for election.

Clean Slate MA Campaign Launch

Sign up now to participate in Clean Slate MA’s campaign launch (tomorrow at 10 am!) for the 2025-2026 legislative session. It’s free and online!

  • Learn about clean slate legislation to create an automated system in Massachusetts to seal CORIs as soon as people are eligible. No more red tape, delays, or missed opportunities.
  • Hear from elected officials and other allies advocating for automated CORI-sealing.
  • Find out how YOU can help improve the law. Every voice matters!

SAVE THE DATE: Our 2025 Annual Member Meeting & Activist Conference & More

Join us on Saturday, February 1, for our 2025 annual member meeting.

We will review accomplishments from the past year, announce our legislative agenda for the new session, and host a variety of breakout sessions focused on building skills and digging deeper into policy and action. Join us to hone your skills, network with activists from across the state, and get energized for the fights to come.

Progressive Mass 2025 Member Meeting
Saturday, February 1
1 pm to 5 pm
Lasell University, DeWitt Hall
80 Maple Street, Newton

Our Annual Meeting is open to everyone. However, you must be a member to vote for members up for election or re-election to the Board. You also must be a member to nominate yourself or someone else for election.

To nominate yourself or someone else to the Board, submit this form to the Governance Committee at: governance@progressivemass.com. Please submit your nomination by January 2nd. Elections will take place at business portion of our annual meeting. For more information about responsibilities, roles, and terms, please email the Governance Committee.

More for the New Year: Our Beacon Hill 101 Legislative Advocacy Event

The new legislative session in the MA Legislature begins on January 1, 2025, and our Legislature can be hard to follow (for a reason). Join us on Wednesday, January 15, for a refresher on the legislative process in Massachusetts and how YOU can make a difference.

Beacon Hill 101

Wednesday, January 15, 7 pm

RSVP here

THIS THURSDAY: Learn about the November Ballot Questions

Can you believe that the primary was a week ago already?

Congratulations to our endorsees who won their primaries last week!

  • Mara Dolan (Governor’s Council District 3), who will be the first public defender on the Governor’s Council and defeated a 13-term incumbent
  • Leigh Davis (3rd Berkshire), who will be a progressive housing champion in the State House
  • Tara Hong (18th Middlesex), who defeated a conservative, five-term incumbent state representative
  • Erika Uyterhoeven (27th Middlesex), who defeated her challenger by more than 2:1

We are excited for all the great work that they will do in office.

Not all of our endorsees won their races, but we admire the progressive, issue-focused, grassroots campaigns that they ran, their commitment to their communities, and their willingness to take the step of running for office. We endorsed them because we were impressed by the great work that we have done and know that there is so much inspiring work ahead of them.

The general election is now only eight weeks away. So join us in getting ready for that by attending an info session on the five ballot questions.

2024 Ballot Question Info Session

Massachusetts voters will see at least five questions on the November ballot:

  • Question #1: Auditing the State Legislature
  • Question #2: Eliminating the use of the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement
  • Question #3: Enabling Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize
  • Question #4: Legalizing psychdelics
  • Question #5: Ending subminimum wages for tipped workers

Join us on Thursday, September 12, at 7 pm, to learn more about the five questions, what they would do, and how to get involved. We will have speakers from each of the five campaigns.

Landmark Maternal Health Bill Passes in Mass!

By Marissa Jones

Every birthing person deserves a healthy birth to embrace a new bundle of joy into their lives enthusiastically. In Massachusetts, many birthing persons do not experience that. Pregnancies resulting in deaths (maternal mortality) and pregnancies causing short or long-term health consequences (severe maternal morbidity) still plague and haunt the residents of Massachusetts. 

From 2018 to 2021, 15.3 per 100,000 deliveries resulted in the death of a birthing person in Massachusetts compared to 23.5 per 100,000 deliveries resulting in death nationwide. While Massachusetts is below the national rate of maternal mortality, the issue is still significantly higher than other countries with a similar GDP compared to the United States. For example, Canada has a maternal mortality rate of 8.4 per 100,000 deliveries. 

In less than a decade, severe maternal morbidity (SMM) rates in Massachusetts almost doubled from 52.3 per 10,000 deliveries resulting in a negative health consequence in 2011 to 100.4 per 10,000 deliveries in 2020. The effect and nuances surrounding racial disparities must be considered as well. Racism, not race, has exacerbated negative health outcomes among birthing persons. In 2020, Black non-Hispanic birthing persons had an SMM rate almost double the average SMM rate in MA (190.8 per 10,000 deliveries). White persons experienced SMM rates approximately 56% lower than their Black non-Hispanic counterparts (AAPI with 48% lower and Hispanics with a rate 44% lower). 

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kate Walsh, stated that “[w]hen we look at maternal health outcomes through a lens of race and ethnicity, we see a different picture of our healthcare system…[b]irthing people, particularly women of color, face devastating levels of risk. We have a lot of work to do to improve outcomes.” And now Massachusetts has created an opportunity to improve health outcomes for birthing persons with the state legislature passing bill H.4999, “An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options”.

Thanks to the untiring efforts of maternal health advocates, Bill H.4999 passed within the Massachusetts state legislature on August 15, 2024, and was signed by Governor Maura Healey on August 23, 2024. Emily Anesta, President of the Bay State Birth Coalition, declared that this bill “has the potential to significantly improve access to high-quality, personalized maternity care for countless families across our state.”

Here are some highlights of the bill:

  • Establishment of state licensure for Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs)  and lactation consultants.
    • Midwives are essential in providing a healthy and safe environment for birthing persons and their infants. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the presence of midwives can prevent up to 80% of maternal deaths, neonatal deaths, and stillbirths. 
  • Encourages free-standing birth centers and the distribution of grants to address maternal mental health and substance abuse. 
  • Allows CPMs and Nurse Midwives to serve as clinical directors for freestanding birth centers (previously, only physicians could hold this role).
  • Will enable CPMs to serve as birth attendants in freestanding birth centers (previously, only Nurse Midwives or physicians could hold this role).
  • Requires that the Medicaid agency, MassHealth, reimburse Nurse Midwives at the same rate as physicians for the same services.
  • Mandates that insurers, including MassHealth, provide coverage for postpartum depression.
  • Expansion of a universal postpartum home visiting program statewide that will support birthing persons during this new chapter in their family.

It did not, however, include private payer reimbursement equity, but maternal health advocates vow to continue to push for that in the coming session.

This historic bill is a step towards addressing and ameliorating maternal and perinatal disparities throughout the Commonwealth.