Test

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.

Ensure compliance with federal and state disability access laws by requiring inspection of all polling places every four years

Would increase the deposit on more beverage containers, create a separate recycling stream which keeps the containers clean, sorted and more easily recycled

The Massachusetts State House is one of the least transparent in the country. When decisions about what bills will pass are made in backroom deals with a small handful of people, that’s not democracy. Bay Staters deserve a government that centers their voices - not one that bends over backwards to keep them out.

Ensure equitable access to open meetings for people with disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, and limited transportation options by allowing members of the public to participate in person or remotely; Create a trust fund to help municipalities finance this goal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This bill introduces a framework to improve maternal health outcomes and advance recommendations from the Special Commission on Racial Inequities in Maternal Health.

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.

Establish basic labor law protections for agricultural workers in the commonwealth, including minimum wage parity, overtime pay, and a day of rest

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.)

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

This bill replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in the Massachusetts General Laws. Indigenous People’s Day celebrates Native resilience & survival. More Info.

Raises the age of criminal majority to 21, allowing youth to have better access to treatment and educational services and thereby reducing recidivism.

Eliminate automatic reincarceration for technical violations of parole conditions that do not warrant a new arrest.

Housing production goal, multi-family around public transit, legalize accessory dwelling units, etc.

Create the Massachusetts Healthy Homes Program (MHHP) Fund, to scale up the Commonwealth’s efforts to address serious health problems caused by substandard housing.

(Progressive Mass, League of Women Voters - endorsed Medicare for all in 21-22 legislative session) Establishes a single payer system, in which the state provides health care to all residents as a right. Slide Show Video More Info

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

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

Makes publicly accessible reports that are already filed annually by publicly-traded corporations, detailing their sales, profits, taxable income, and taxes paid.

Preserves most of the revenue-generation, inequality-reduction, and fairness benefits of the estate tax, while eliminating the current cliff effect.

Makes the charitable deduction more targeted by limiting it to individuals who are not already getting such a deduction on their federal taxes.

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.

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.

Act to improve outdoor and indoor air quality for communities burdened by pollution.

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.

Would increase the deposit on more beverage containers, create a separate recycling stream which keeps the containers clean, sorted and more easily recycled

This bill would ban food packaging and consumer products with intentionally-added PFAS from the state by 2030

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

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

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.

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.