Priority Bills 2023 – 2024

Common Name	# (link)	Sponsors	Endorsing Organization	Notes (link to 1-pagers and other resources)	In Committee	Status	Upcoming Lobby Days	Actions	Social Media	Articles and Videos	James Arciero	Simon Cataldo	Michelle Ciccolo	Sean Garballey	Carmine Gentile	Ken Gordon	Kate Hogan	Margaret Scarsdale	Danillo Sena	Thomas Stanley	Michael Barrett	John Cronin	James Eldridge	Cindy Friedman	Robyn Kennedy	Policy Area
Votes ACCESS Act (Includes H.688, H.707, H.656, H.701)	S.410	Creem	Election Modernization Coalition, ACLU MA	Improve election systems to increase equitable access to the ballot. Establish same-day registration, ensure polling place access for people with disabilities, simplify the mechanics of mail-in voting, and prevent unwarranted removal of voters from the rolls.	Joint Committee on Election Laws										x						x		x	x	x	Democracy - Voting
Same Day Voter Registration	H.688	Gentile	Election Modernization Coalition, Progressive Democrats of MA	Same day registration of voters	Joint Committee on Election Laws										x			x	x				x			Democracy - Voting
An Act decoupling the municipal census from voter registration	H.707	Moran	Election Modernization Coalition		Joint Committee on Election Laws										x			x								Democracy - Voting
An Act providing uniform mail voting forms	H.656	Arriaga	Election Modernization Coalition		Joint Committee on Election Laws										x			x								Democracy - Voting
An Act enforcing accessibility for voters with disabilities	H.701	Khan	Election Modernization Coalition, ACLU MA	Ensure compliance with federal and state disability access laws by requiring inspection of all polling places every four years.	Joint Committee on Election Laws										x			x								Democracy - Voting
Voting Rights Restoration	H.724 / H.26 / S.428 / S.8	Uyterhoeven, Miranda	Progressive Mass, Election Modernization Coalition	Ensures that incarceration no longer leads to a loss of voting rights at any stage	Joint Committee on Election Laws			Write to your legislator for PM legislative agenda		** 2023-05-09 CommonWealth Magazine Article													x			Democracy - Voting
Local Option for Ranked Choice Voting	H.711 / S.433	Pignatelli, Rausch	Progressive Democrats of MA	Enables cities and towns in Massachusetts to adopt ranked choice voting for municipal elections	Joint Committee on Election Laws	Hearing held on 6/21/23						x	x	x	x			x	x			x	x			Democracy - Voting
Voting Access for College and University Students	H.723	Uyterhoeven			Joint Committee on Election Laws																					Democracy - Voting
An Act clarifying the role of governor’s councillor on the ballot	H.665 / S.406	Cataldo, Barrett			Joint Committee on Election Laws							x	x	x	x	x		x			x	x	x		x	Democracy - Voting
An Act to provide sunlight to state government	S.1963	Eldridge,	Progressive Mass, ACLU MA, Act On Mass, Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition, Common Cause Massachusetts	Promotes 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. Committee hearings scheduled at least 1 week in advance.	Joint Committee on Rules																		x			Democracy - Transparency
An Act making records in the office of the Governor public	S.1967	Brady,	ACLU MA, Common Cause Massachusetts	Make the governor’s office subject to the public records law.	Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight			Write to your legislator for PM legislative agenda																		Democracy - Transparency
An Act extending the public records law to the Governor and the Legislature	S.2064	Rausch		Make the governor's office and legislature subject to the public records law.	Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight	Hearing on 2023-07-26																	x			Democracy - Transparency
An Act Relative To The Open Meeting Law	H.3121	Uyterhoeven	Act On Mass	Open Meeting Law (OML) is a policy already in place for the vast majority of governing bodies in the state. This bill would extend that democratic privilege to constituents wishing to monitor legislative proceedings of the State House	Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight	Hearing on 2023-07-26																				Democracy - Transparency
Modern Open Meeting Access for All	H.3040 / S.2024	Garlick, Lewis	ACLU MA, Progressive Mass, Common Cause Massachusetts		Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight			**Tell your open meeting story **Write to your legislator for PM legislative agenda				x		x	x			x	x	x	x		x			Democracy - Transparency
An Act to Promote Racially Inclusive Curriculum in Schools	H.542 / S.288	Nguyen, Ultrino, Gomez	Coalition for Anti-Racism & Equity in Education	Here is a CARE Bill One Pager and Bill Summary by Section.	Joint Committee on Education			Write to your legislator					x		x			x	x				x			Education
Thrive Act	H.495 / S.246	Montano, Hawkins, Miranda, Gomez, Comerford	Progressive Mass, Massachusetts Teachers Association	The bill would end receivership, which has never worked to improve schools, though it has worked to privatize public education funding and decision-making. Instead, the bill would create a system of actual support and accountability for real improvement, and keep the funds and decision-making public. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Education			**Support the Thrive Act **Write to your legislator for PM legislative agenda		2023-02-02 Statements from BTU			x		x	x		x	x	x			x		x	Education
Cherish Act	H.1260 /S.816	Garballey, Duffy, Comerford	Progressive Mass, Massachusetts Teachers Association	Creates a framework for adequate funding levels for public higher education, including increased student support and better pay and benefits for faculty and staff; implements a debt-free college plan; and creates a plan for green and healthy buildings on campus. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Higher Education			Write to your legislator for PM legislative agenda			x	x	x	x	x			x		x	x	x	x		x	Education
An Act for an Equitable Work Force (Vocational Education)	H.440 / S.257	Cabral, Cronin	Progressive Democrats of MA	Would require use of lottery for vocational school admissions	Joint Committee on Education					2023-02-02Commonwealth Magazine, 2023-02-03Commonwealth Magazine		x										x	x			Education
Universal Child Care (Common Start)	H.489 / S.301	Gordon, Madaro, Lewis, Moran	Common Start Coalition, Progressive Mass, Reproductive Equity Now, ACLU MA, Progressive Democrats of MA	Establishes a universal system of affordable, high-quality early education and child care for all Massachusetts families, over a 5-year timeline Fact Sheet Bill Overview FAQ	Joint Committee on Education			**Common Start - Ask your legislator to co-sponsor ** Reproductive Equity Now letter			x	x	x	x	x	x		x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	Education
Interdiciplinary Climate Justice Education	H.496	Hawkins	Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition	Creates a committee to design and integrate climate justice standards. This bill will implement elementary and secondary interdisciplinary climate justice education in the Commonwealth.	Joint Committee on Education							x														Education, Climate
Medicare for all	H.1239 / S.744	Garlick, Sabadosa, Eldridge	Mass-Care, Progressive Democrats of MA, Progressive Mass	Establishes a single payer system, in which the state provides health care to all residents as a right. Slide Show Video More Info	Joint Committee on Health Care Financing			**Ask your legislator to co-sponsor **Organizational Sign-on Letter		**Medicare for all 101 3/22/23 - Recording					x			x	x	x			x			Health Care
An Act Relative to End of Life Options	H.2246 / S.1225	O'Day, Philips, L'Italien	Compassion & Choices	A terminally ill, mentally capable adult with a prognosis of six months or less to live the option to request, obtain and ingest medication — should they choose — to die peacefully in their sleep if their suffering becomes unbearable.	Joint Committee on Public Health						x	x	x	x	x	x		x	x	x	x		x	x		Health Care
An Act Relative to Medicaid Coverage for Doula Services	H.1240 / S.782	Sabadosa, Miranda	Reproductive Equity Now, ACLU MA	Mandate MassHealth coverage of doula care which improves birth, breastfeeding, and maternal health outcomes and is an essential tool for the Commonwealth to address racial inequities for birthing people.	Joint Committee on Health Care Financing			** Reproductive Equity Now letter					x	x	x			x		x						Women/Health
An Act Ensuring Access to Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care	H.1137 / S.646	Sabadosa, Balser, Friedman	Reproductive Equity Now, ACLU MA	Cost should never be a barrier to accessing prenatal or abortion care but all too often, it is. Because high-deductible plans are common, many people face steep deductibles when trying to access full spectrum pregnancy care. We are trying to change that by passing a law that would require health insurance plans to cover all pregnancy care, including abortion care, prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care, without any kind of cost-sharing. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Financial Services	Hearing was held on 5/2/23		** Reproductive Equity Now letter		Hampshire Gazette 2023-02-20		x	x	x	x			x	x	x			x	x		Women/Health
An Act Relative to Birthing Justice in the Commonwealth	S.1415	Miranda	Reproductive Equity Now, ACLU MA	This bill introduces a framework to improve maternal health outcomes and advance recommendations from the Special Commission on Racial Inequities in Maternal Health.	Joint Committee on Public Health	Hearing was held on 6/6/23		** Reproductive Equity Now letter				x		x	x					x			x		x	Women/Health
Enhancing Access to Abortion Care	H.1599 / S.1114	Kerans, Rausch	ACLU MA Indivisible Mass Coalition	Expand equitable access to abortion care in several ways including improving youth access, expanding access to abortion later in pregnancy, prohibiting targeted restrictions of abortion and abortion providers, and ensuring safe access to diagnostic care.	Joint Committee on the Judiciary							x	x		x										x	Women/Health
Safe Communities Act	H.2288 / S.1510	Balser, Cruz, Eldridge	MIRA, Progressive Mass, League of Women Voters, SURJ	Limits local and state police collaboration with federal immigration agents, bars law enforcement and court personnel from inquiring about immigration status, and ensures due process protections. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security			** Letters to legislators to cosponsor ** Ask Governor Healey to publicly urge its passage				x		x	x				x	x	x		x			Immigration
Language Access and Inclusion	H.3084 / S.1990	Madaro, gonzalez, DiDomenico	MIRA, Progressive Mass, Mass Speaks Coalition	Builds 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. Report: Families Torn Apart Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight							x	x	x	x			x	x	x			x			Immigration
Healthy Youth Act	H.544 / S.268	O'Day, Howard, DiDomenico	Progressive Mass	Requires school districts that already provide sex education to ensure that it is comprehensive, age-appropriate, and LGBTQ+ inclusive, with an emphasis on informed consent to prevent sexual violence. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Education			** Information and Actions						x	x	x		x	x	x	x		x	x	x	Racial and Social Justice, Education
I AM Bill	H.534 / S.1381	Livingstone, Barber, Jehlen	Mass NOW, MA Menstrual Equity Coalition	This bill would provide access to free menstrual products to all menstruating individuals in prisons, homeless shelters and public schools from 6th-12thgrade. The bill also contains language to ensure the products are truly accessible without stigmatizing the individual seeking them. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Public Health	Hearing was held on 6/6/23						x	x		x			x		x	x	x	x		x	Racial and Social Justice
Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty	H.144 / S.75	Decker, DiDomenico	Lift Our Kids	The bills set a floor for financial assistance at 50% of the federal poverty level -- $915 a month for a family of three. The bills increase financial assistance by 20% a year until grants reach 50% of the federal poverty level. Lift Our Kids	Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities						x	x	x	x	x	x		x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	Racial and Social Justice
HOMES Act (Eviction Sealing)	H.1690 / S.956	Moran, Edwards	Progressive Mass, ACLU MA, Abundant Housing MA, Public Health Institute of Western MA	Protects tenants from being unfairly branded with an eviction record if they don’t have a judgment against them, if they weren’t actually evicted, or if they didn’t do anything wrong. More information.	Joint Committee on the Judiciary	Hearing was held on 5/9/23								x	x			x		x	x	x	x		x	Racial and Social Justice
Access to Counsel and Housing Stability	H.1731 / S.864	Rogers, DiDomenico	Public Health Institute of Western MA, ACLU MA	86% of landlords are represented in court, but only 11.5% of tenants are, according to FY2022 Trial Court data. Tenants facing eviction are overwhelmingly poor, female, and people of color. This bill will establish an Access to Counsel program to provide legal representation to low-income tenants and low-income owner-occupants in eviction proceedings. More Information.	Joint Committee on Housing	Hearing was held on 5/9/23						x		x	x					x			x			Racial and Social Justice
An Act to create access to justice	H.1677 / S.953	Meschino, DiDomenico	Mass Power Forward	This legislation creates — under state law — critical civil rights protections that were previously available under federal law. Specifically, it would eliminate the burden of proving that governmental programs or activities that have a disparate impact were motivated by discriminatory intent.	Joint Committee on the Judiciary										x	x		x					x			Racial and Social Justice
Protecting Equity for Homewoners Facing Foreclosure	H.2937	Roy, Vitolo		The bill would make tax foreclosures more like mortgage foreclosures, so homeowners could keep their remaining equity after the foreclosure sale. It also would help make sure homeowners are informed about foreclosure proceedings before they happen.	Joint Committee on Revenue					**‘2023-01-31Home equity theft’ — in New Bedford and across Massachusetts ** 2023-06-02 Boston Globe Editorial				x	x				x	x			x			Racial and Social Justice
Debts & Driving Act	H.3314 / S.2227	Fluker-Oakley, Cyr	ACLU MA	Eliminate license suspension for reasons related to debt and poverty, rather than safety. Promote on-time payment of money owed to the RMV and allow indigency waivers when appropriate. Remove economic roadblocks and help get people back to work, to school, and to medical appointments.	Joint Committee on Transportation									x						x	x		x			Racial and Social Justice
Stop Aversive Therapy	H.180	Gregoire	Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (MASS)	This bill bans Graduated Electronic Decelerators (GED) that shock students with disabilities for punishment.	Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities			**Sign the Petition															x			Racial and Social Justice
An Act establishing a transportation network driver bill of rights	H.1099 / S.666	Moran, Lewis	International Association of Machinists, 32BJ SEIU	This bill seeks to ensure that workers for Uber, Lyft and other for-hire ride services can access a guaranteed minimum wage, paid sick time, unemployment insurance, discrimination protection and collective bargaining rights.	Joint Committee on Financial Services					WBUR 2023.01.23												x	x			Worker Rights
Fairness for Agricultural Workers	H.2812 / S.1837	Gonzalez, Gomez	ACLU MA	Establish basic labor law protections for agricultural workers in the commonwealth, including minimum wage parity, overtime pay, and a day of rest.	Joint Committee on Revenue																					Worker Rights
Living Wage	H.1925 / S.1200	Nguyen, Donahue, Lewis	Progressive Mass, Progressive Democrats of MA	Raises the minimum wage to $20 per hour over four years and indexes it to inflation to better align the minimum wage with a living wage. (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.) MIT - Massachusetts Living Wage Calculator	Joint Committee on Labor and workforce Development										x			x	x		x		x			Worker Rights
One Fair Wage	H.1872 / S.1188	Farley-Bouvier, Oakley, Jehlen	SURJ, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice	Eliminates the subminimum wage for tipped workers. Subminimum wages are hurting workers even more during the pandemic, they open the door to sexual harassment on the job and economic precarity. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Labor and workforce Development																x		x			Worker Rights
Right to Strike for Certain Public Employees	H.1845 / S.1217	Connolly, Uyterhoeven, Rausch	Massachusetts Teachers Association	This bill allows educators and other public employees, except for public safety personnel, to legally strike after six months of failed negotiations with their employer. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Labor and workforce Development										x			x	x				x			Worker Rights
Remove Racist Mascots	H.477 / S.245	Oakley, Comerford	MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda	This bill would prohibit the use of Native American mascots in Massachusetts public schools. About 25-30 schools in the Commonwealth currently use such mascots. Native mascots negatively impact mental and emotional health of Native students & reinforce racism in non-Native students. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Education			Write to Legislators - Support Indigenous Agenda							x					x	x		x			Indigenous Legislative Agenda
Honor Indigenous People’s Day	H.2989 / S.1976	Barber, Comerford	MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda Italian Americans for Indigenous People's Day	This bill replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in the Massachusetts General Laws. Indigenous People’s Day celebrates Native resilience & survival. More Info.	Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight			Write to Legislators - Support Indigenous Agenda								x					x		x			Indigenous Legislative Agenda
Celebrate and Teach Native American Culture & History	H.529 / S.344	Lewis, Rausch	MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda	Creates educational standards for all MA students on indigenous history, sovereignty, etc. More Info.	Joint Committee on Education			Write to Legislators - Support Indigenous Agenda							x	x							x			Indigenous Legislative Agenda
Protect Native American Heritage	H.3248 / S.2186	Rogers, Biele, Collins	MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda	Prevents selling objects stolen from Native peoples and held in private collections from being sold for profit. More Info.	Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development			Write to Legislators - Support Indigenous Agenda				x			x	x							x			Indigenous Legislative Agenda
Support the Education and Futures of Native Youth	H.536 / S.318	Montano, Miranda	MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda	Create a permanent commission for improving educational opportunities and outcomes for indigenous students. More Info.	Joint Committee on Education			Write to Legislators - Support Indigenous Agenda							x	x							x			Indigenous Legislative Agenda, Education
An Act to reduce mass incarceration	H.1821 / S.1045	Worrell, Miranda	Emancipation Initiative, ACLU MA	Eliminate life without parole sentences for adults and provide parole eligibility after 25 years; Limit sentence lengths further for juveniles. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on the Judiciary																					Criminal Justice
Raising the Age	H.1710 / S.942	O'Day, Cruz, Crighton	Progressive Mass, ACLU MA	Raises the age of criminal majority to 21, allowing youth to have better access to treatment and educational services and thereby reducing recidivism.	Joint Committee on the Judiciary																					Criminal Justice
Full Decriminalization of Sex Work	H.1757	Sabadosa	Decriminalize Sex Work, Black and Pink Massachusetts	Sex work related charges are often women and TGNC folks’ path to prison and jail bunks. Models that criminalize the purchase of sex do not protect sex workers and make it impossible to screen johns. Criminalizing the purchase of sex in other countries has led to sex workers losing their homes, children, etc. ACLU Brief on decriminalizing sex work	Joint Committee on the Judiciary					** 2022-07-04 CommonWealth																Criminal Justice
Stop Profiling Transgender and Low Income Women	H.1683 / S.945	Montano, Cyr			Joint Committee on the Judiciary					** 2022-07-04 CommonWealth																Criminal Justice
Reduce Incarceration for Technical Violations of Parole	S.1540 / S.1534	Miranda, Jehlen	ACLU MA	Eliminate automatic reincarceration for technical violations of parole conditions that do not warrant a new arrest.	Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security																					Criminal Justice
Rehabilitation including guaranteed health, treatment, and safety for incarcerated LGBTQI+ People	H.2357 / S.1499	Lewis, Montano, Cyr	Black and Pink Massachusetts	Written in consultation with LGBTQ+ and HIV+ members of Black and Pink MA. Screen people being matched to share cells for homo/transphobia. Celebrate Pride month + access to LGBTQ media. Reduce use of solitary confinement. Eliminate punishment for hugs and handshakes. Collect data on LGBTQ+ folks and HIV+ folks in order to meet needs. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security																					Prison Reform
No Cost Calls	H.1796 / S.1494	Tyler, Creem	Progressive Mass, ACLU MA	Prevents prisons and jails from charging individuals who are incarcerated for phone calls to loved ones. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security			**Toolkit for Action **Email your legislators **2023-06 Email the conference committee				x	x	x	x			x		x	x					Prison Reform
Curbing Solitary Confinement	S.1511	Eldridge		Expands the rights of those in solitary confinement, including requiring treatment for those with serious mental illness and monthly reviews for eligibility to return to the general population. PLS Fact Sheet.	Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security																x		x			Prison Reform
Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium	H.1795 / S.1979	Tyler, Comerford	SURJ, Families for Justice as Healing, The national Council, Progressive Mass, Black and Pink Massachusetts	Black and brown communities are always on the defensive against prison/jail construction. Implements an emergency law to put a 5 year ban on any construction. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight	Hearing on 2023-06-27		**Pass the Jail/Prison Moratorium call script **						x	x			x	x		x		x	x		Prison Reform
An Act to promote Yes in My Back Yard - Zoning Reform	H.1379 / S.858	Vargas, Honan, Crighton	Abundant Housing Massachusetts, Progressive Mass	Housing production goal, multi-family around public transit, legalize accessory dwelling units, etc.	Joint Committee on Housing	Hearing on 2023-07-26						x	x								x		x			Housing
Healthy Homes Program	H.1307 / S.881	Cruz, Arriaga, Keenan	Public Health Institute of Western MA	Create the Massachusetts Healthy Homes Program (MHHP) Fund, to scale up the Commonwealth’s efforts to address serious health problems caused by substandard housing.	Joint Committee on Housing																	x	x			Housing
Affordable Housing & Climate Resilience (HERO)	H.2894 / S.1799	Montano, Eldridge	Progressive Mass, The Housing and Environment Revenue Opportunities (HERO) Coalition, Progressive Democrats of MA	Increases 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. More Info.	Joint Committee on Revenue							x			x				x			x	x			Housing
Real Estate Transfer Fee	H.2747 / S.1771	Connolly, Comerford	LOHA Coalition, Progressive Mass	Enables 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. More Info.	Joint Committee on Revenue			** 2023-06-06 LOHA Briefing + Day of Action				x			x						x		x	x		Housing
Increasing the Corporate Tax Rate	H.2856 / S.1788	Keefe, DiDomenico	Progressive Mass, Raise Up Massachusetts	Restores the tax on corporate profits to 9.5%, where it was before 2009, from the 8.0% where it is now Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Revenue										x			x			x		x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Tiered Corporate Minimum Tax	H.2743 / S.1835	Connolly, Gomez	Progressive Mass	Ensures 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	Joint Committee on Revenue										x						x		x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Taxing offshored “GILTI” income	H.2708 / S.1925	Barber, Uyterhoeven, Rausch	Progressive Mass, Raise Up Massachusetts	Increases the tax on profitable multinational corporations who use unfair tax schemes to shift their profits made in MA overseas and away from US tax collectors Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Revenue										x						x		x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Corporate Tax Disclosure	H.2725 / S.1875	Capano, Miranda	Progressive Mass	Makes publicly accessible reports that are already filed annually by publicly-traded corporations, detailing their sales, profits, taxable income, and taxes paid.	Joint Committee on Revenue										x				x				x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Fiscally Responsible Estate Tax Reform	H.2960 / S.1845 / S.1784	Uyterhoeven, Jehlen, Cyr	Progressive Mass	Preserves most of the revenue-generation, inequality-reduction, and fairness benefits of the estate tax, while eliminating the current cliff effect. Alternative Estate Tax Reform Proposal.	Joint Committee on Revenue					** 2023-05-17 Estate tax cuts - MassBudget					x				x				x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
A Targeted Charitable Deduction	H.2964 / S.1801	Uyterhoeven, Eldridge	Progressive Mass	Makes the charitable deduction more targeted by limiting it to individuals who are not already getting such a deduction on their federal taxes.	Joint Committee on Revenue														x				x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Statutory Protections for FSA Revenue	H.2908 / S.1865	O'Day, Lewis	Progressive Mass, Progressive Democrats of MA	Prevents Fair Share revenue from being diverted to tax giveaways or reserves, so it is available for spending on transportation and education as voters intended.	Joint Committee on Revenue			** Protect New Fair Share Amendment						x	x			x	x	x			x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Preventing FSA Tax Evasion	H.2909 / S.1866	O'Day, Lewis	Progressive Mass, Progressive Democrats of MA	Prevents 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. Mass Budget Summary	Joint Committee on Revenue			** Protect New Fair Share Amendment		**2023-02-13 CommonWealth Article			x	x	x			x	x	x			x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Payments in Lieu of Tax by Wealthy Non-profit Organizations	H.2963 / S.1836	Uyterhoeven, Gomez		An Act relative to payments in lieu of taxation by organizations exempt from the property tax	Joint Committee on Revenue					** 2023-04-07 Boston Globe Article													x			Tax Fairness (Progressive Tax)
Rodenticide Bill	H.825 / S.487	Hawkins, Feeney		An Act relative to pesticides IndivisibleLAB Rodenticide Resources	Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources	Hearing on 2023-05-10					x	x	x	x	x	x		x		x		x	x	x		Environment
Air Quality	H.2131 / S.1382	Barber, Connolly, Jehlen	Mass Power Forward, Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition	Act to improve outdoor and indoor air quality for communities burdened by pollution.	Joint Committee on Public Health							x	x	x	x	x		x		x			x			Environment
An Act to Save Recycling Costs in the Commonwealth	H.779 / S.572 / S.471	Day, Rush, DiDomenico	Progressive Democrats of MA	Would make companies responsible for the packaging waste they create,help reduce the amount of packaging waste created, increase recycling rates, ban certain toxic additives and provide the necessary funding to develop reuse systems.	Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources						x									x		x	x			Environment
An Act to Update the Bottle Bill	H.3676 / H.3690 / S.2104	Ciccolo, Decker, Creem	Progressive Democrats of MA	Would increase the deposit on more beverage containers, create a separate recycling stream which keeps the containers clean, sorted and more easily recycled	Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy							x	x	x												Environment
Plastics Omnibus Bill	H.767 / S.525	Ciccolo, Lewis			Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources							x	x					x			x					Environment
PFAS Omnibus Bill	H.2197 / S.1356	Hogan, Cyr		This bill would ban food packaging and consumer products with intentionally-added PFAS from the state by 2030	Joint Committee on Public Health					**All About PFAS	x	x		x	x	x	x	x	x	x			x	x	x	Environment
Digital Right to Repair Bill	H.360 / S.142	Madaro, Brady	MassPIRG	This bill would help extend the lifespan of much-needed electronic devices like cell phones and laptops by requiring tech companies to make parts and instruction manuals available to the public.	Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure					** 2023-04-18 US PIRG Right to Repair Report		x				x							x			Environment
Zero Carbon Renovation Fund (ZCRF)	H.3232 / S.2365	Vargas, Gomez	Mass Climate Action Network, Progressive Mass, Mass Power Forward, Progressive Democrats of MA, Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition	Allocate $300 million from the remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to establish a Zero Carbon Renovation Fund that will jumpstart the market for zero carbon renovations in existing buildings in Massachusetts. The ZCRF will advance equitable building decarbonization by prioritizing affordable housing, public housing, low- and moderate-income homes, schools, BIPOC and women businesses, and buildings located in Environmental Justice communities. Bill Summary	Joint Committee on Ways and Means	Hearing on 2023-07-19 HouseHearing Toolkit		** Green Energy Consumer Alliance - Ask your legislators to co-sponsor ** Send testimony to the House ** Send testimony to the Senate	** ZCRF Legislative Briefing Social Media Toolkit		x	x	x	x	x	x		x	x	x			x		x	Climate
Polluter Pays	H.872 / S.481	Owens, Eldridge	Progressive Mass, Mass Power Forward, Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition	Requires 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	Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources	Hearing on 2023-05-17		#MakePollutersPay-Hearing Action				x			x			x					x			Climate
Gas Moratorium	H.3237 / S.2135	Williams, A. Ramos, Gomez	Progressive Mass, Mass Power Forward	Pauses the approval for any new or expanded gas infrastructure through 2026	Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy	Hearing on 2023-07-26 Senate Hearing on 2023-07-27 House									x			x					x			Climate
Energy Facilities Siting Reform	H.3187 / S.2113	Madero, DiDomenico	Mass Power Forward, Mass Climate Action Network	Would add community members to the energy facility siting board and require the EFSB to consider cumulative impacts. Bill summary	Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy							x		x	x	x		x		x		x	x			Climate
Commuter Rail Electrification	H.3392 / S.2217	Owens, Armini,			Joint Committee on Transportation							x	x	x	x			x		x		x	x			Climate
Clean Energy, Equity, and Innovation within Municipal Utilities	H.3150 / S.2117	Cataldo, Eldridge	Mass Climate Action Network	This bill requires municipal utilities (also known as Municipal Light Plants or MLPs) to adhere to the same clean energy goals and requirements as Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs). It also establishes a $50 million fund to accelerate the transition to clean energy for environmental justice communities, low- or moderate-income housing, and elderly housing that is being served by MLPs.	Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy							x	x		x			x	x				x			Climate
Incorporation of Embodied Carbon into State Climate Policy	H.764 / S.2090	Ciccolo, Owens, Comerford	Mass Climate Action Network	This bill takes critical steps to address this little-known but critical source of global emissions by establishing a state advisory board to address embodied carbon.	Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy								x					x								Climate
Remove woody biomass loophole for municipal lighting plants	H.3210 / S.2136	Ramos, Gomez	Partnership for Policy Integrity	Amends the 2021 Climate Roadmap law to remove biomass from the list of “non-carbon emitting sources” that municipal lighting plants can use to meet the new MLP greenhouse gas emission standard. Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy																					Climate
An Act limiting the eligibility of woody biomass as an alternative energy supply	H.3211 / S.2137	Ramos, Gomez	Partnership for Policy Integrity	Makes commercial-scaled and institutional heating facilities that burn wood fuels ineligible for subsidies under Massachusetts’ Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (APS). Fact Sheet	Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy																					Climate
Gun Control	HD.4420	Day	Moms Demand Action League of Women Voters	An Act modernizing firearm laws. Fact Sheet.	Joint Committee on the Judiciary Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security			** Write your legislator - Everytown.org letter ** Moms Demand Action Call Kit ** Moms Demand Action Email Kit					x		x	x										Other Bills of Note
Title of the Governor and Lt. Governor	H.30 / H.31	Armini		These bills will add "Her" and "Their" versions of both titles - “capture the progress made” for women serving on Beacon Hill and set the stage for non-binary lawmakers by using inclusive language in the Constitution.	Joint Committee on the Judiciary																					Other Bills of Note