Our First 2022 Legislative Endorsements

The Massachusetts state primary is now less than 10 weeks away: Tuesday, September 6. And the general election is less than 19 weeks away: Tuesday, November 8.

With those dates rapidly approaching, we are proud to release our first group of legislative endorsements for this cycle.

Before rolling out the list, a few words about our process:

  • You can find all of the comprehensive questionnaires we have received from candidates this cycle so far here and here.
  • As we believe in the importance of small “d” democracy, all of our endorsements get voted on by our members, and candidates must receive at least 60% of the vote for an endorsement.
  • This list will be growing soon! We are planning to release more endorsements in the coming weeks, and endorsements in primary challenges or races where we have an active chapter conducting their own process are mostly still to come.

But now the endorsees….

Norfolk, Worcester & Middlesex State Senator Becca Rausch

State Senator Becca Rausch has a 100% on our Progressive Scorecard, and she’s earned it. She has been a powerful advocate for reproductive justice, climate action, public health, voting rights, and government transparency. She has put forth the most comprehensive plans to modernize our election laws and was one of the most outspoken voices against the inequities of the state’s COVID response, introducing the most comprehensive legislation to advance vaccine equity. She’s an independent voice in a Legislature where independent voices are rare and centers the most marginalized in her policymaking. She’s done great work in her two terms so far and will continue to do so if re-elected. Read Becca’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Bellingham, Dover, Franklin, Medfield, Milford, Millis, Needham, Norfolk, Plainville, Sherborn, Wrentham

Learn More: https://www.beccarausch.com/

27th Middlesex: Erika Uyterhoeven

State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven has a 100% on our Progressive Scorecard, and it’s not hard to see why. She is best known as the House’s most vocal advocate for transparency (vital in a chamber that could use some sunshine), but is far more than that. She has put forth the boldest legislation on addressing the climate crisis, championed labor rights and worker ownership, and fought to make sure big companies and large institutions are paying their fair share of taxes. An outspoken voice on housing justice and decarceration as well, she understands that a state like MA needs to be passing agenda-setting policy to meet the urgency of the crises before us. Read Erika’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Somerville (Ward 1 Precinct 4A; Ward 2 Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4; Ward 3; Ward 4 Precinct 2A; Ward 5; Ward 6 Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4)

Learn More: https://www.electerika.com/

First Worcester: Robyn Kennedy

When you talk with Central Mass activists, you’ll often hear Robyn Kennedy’s name. She’s known as a champion of progressive women running for office, helping with all the behind-the-scenes work necessary for first-time candidates to get up and running. She’s also a force in the community: as the Chief Operating Officer of the YWCA of Central Mass, she has played a key role in securing resources for the unhoused during COVID. With deeply held progressive values and the depth of policy and government experience that comes with being the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth and Families, she would be an excellent state senator. Read Robyn’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Northborough, West Boylston, Worcester (Ward 1-3 inclusive; Ward 4 Precincts 2, 3; Ward 6 Precinct 3; Ward 7 Precinct 1, 3; Ward 8 Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6; Ward 9 Precincts 1, 2, 3A, 5, 6; Ward 10)

Learn More: https://kennedy4senate.com/

8th Middlesex: James Arena-DeRosa

James Arena-DeRosa has an impressive background in public service. Whether as a regional director for the Peace Corps, a regional administrator for USDA Food and Nutrition, or a director of policy advocacy for Oxfam America, he has consistently advocated for the most underserved. His activism spans from the local to the national, from serving on the local Finance Committee and the board of Mass Farmers Markets to advising Democratic presidential candidates on food insecurity and nutrition policy. He understands how issues like poverty and climate change are systemic problems in need of systemic solutions and is ready to fight for them. Read James’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Holliston, Hopkinton, Millis (Precincts 2, 3), Sherborn

Learn More: https://www.jamesforstaterep.com/

14th Middlesex: Vivian Birchall

Vivian Birchall is a first-generation immigrant from Uganda and a persistent champion of accessible government. When in Uganda, she mobilized members of the Ugandan parliament to pass transparency and anti-corruption legislation. Locally, she produces shows on local and global issues with ActonTV and works with the Town of Acton to increase public access to information about town projects. She has fought to close racial and gender disparities in health care access and empower students of color to use their voices for change, and she would be a powerful voice for economic and racial justice on Beacon Hill and a state representative eager to strengthen small “d” democracy. Read Vivian’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Acton (Precincts 1, 2, 6, 7), Carlisle, Chelmsford (Precincts 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), Concord (Precincts 1, 2, 3A, 5)

Learn More: https://www.vivianbirchall.com/

11th Plymouth: Rita Mendes

Rita Mendes is a first-generation immigrant from Brazil who worked her way up through law school, a City Councilor At-Large in Brockton, and the first Brazilian-American to hold office in the city. She has been a go-to resource for new Americans in Brockton to navigate the homebuying process and the immigration system, and she has played a pivotal role in ensuring that underserved communities in Brockton were able to get the resources they need during the pandemic. Her lived experience and progressive values would make her a powerful advocate for racial and economic justice on Beacon Hill. Read Rita’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Brockton (Ward 1 Precinct A; Ward 2; Ward 3 Precincts A, B; Ward 7)

Learn More: https://ritamendes.com/

11th Suffolk: Roberto Jiménez Rivera

As a Chelsea School Committee member and a political organizer at the Boston Teachers Union, Roberto Jiménez Rivera has been fighting to make sure that our state delivers on its promise to fully fund public education and ensure that all students have the resources they need to thrive. He has been a central player in statewide coalitions to push back against education privatization and was an active member of the Drawing Democracy Coalition that helped to expand the number of opportunity districts in MA, including this new Chelsea-based district. He understands the importance of organizing both inside and outside the building and will bring a strong equity focus to the work. Read Roberto’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Chelsea, Everett (Ward 2 Precincts 1, 2A)

Learn More: https://electroberto.org/

15th Suffolk: Sam Montaño

Sam Montaño brings nearly a decade of community-centered, tenant-focused organizing on issues of housing and equity in Jamaica Plain, bringing deep knowledge of housing legislation from their work with the JP Neighborhood Development Corporation. Beyond housing, Sam has been a community leader. As co-chair of the JP Neighborhood Council and its Public Services Committee, as a board member at the Hyde Square Task Force, as an advisory board member of the Southern JP Health Center, and now serving as the Organizing Director at the environmental justice organization Greenroots, Sam has been fighting for the most marginalized on the ground and will continue to do so in the State House. Read Sam’s questionnaire here.

Where’s the District? Jamaica Plain and part of Mission Hill in Boston (Ward 10 Precincts 4-9; Ward 11 Precincts 4-10; Ward 19 Precincts 1, 4-7, 9)

Learn More: https://www.samforboston.com/

Letter to the Budget Conference Committee on No Cost Calls


Monday, July 27, 2022

Dear Chair Michlewitz, Chair Rodrigues, and members of the Committee:

I am writing on behalf of Progressive Massachusetts to thank you for your support of legislation that would keep families connected by eliminating the cost of phone calls for those who are incarcerated and for their loved ones. As you and the other members of the Conference Committee consider the FY23 budget reports, we urge you to consider that, to truly keep families connected, calls should be free, fully funded, and guaranteed.

We are proud to be among the 70 organizations, including legal service providers, public defenders, social workers, bar associations, and directly-affected people, that have advocated for No Cost Calls. We recognize that criminal legal reform is a racial justice issue and that mass incarceration disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities and people living in poverty. We understand that families often have to choose between staying connected to an incarcerated loved one and paying for necessities like rent or food—or risk going into debt.

We urge you to include the following essential pieces in the ultimate budget language:

Guaranteed Telephone Access

Currently, Massachusetts jails and prisons do not restrict how many minutes incarcerated people can talk to their loved ones each day. Calls are only limited by the cost. The Legislature must ensure that this current level of contact does not decrease once calls are free. Both the House and the Senate have approved language that aims to avoid new restrictions on access to phone calls. We urge you to bar any new caps on calls in order to maintain continuity and to guarantee at least 120 minutes per person per day.

Funding of Communication Services

We strongly support the House language creating a $20M Trust Fund dedicated to communication services. Upon proof of expenditures, the Fund would reimburse prisons and jails for their spending on communication services. That Trust Fund should be in the final FY23 budget, to take effect this year.

Prohibition on Commissions 

Both the House and Senate budgets address site commissions, i.e., payments made by phone companies to jails and prisons, taken from revenue paid by consumers. While some Sheriffs have said they need this money to provide programs, the House and Senate have agreed that low-income telephone consumers should not pay for programs in the jails and prisons. Instead, the Sheriffs should seek such funding through their budget requests, with full transparency and accountability, and the Legislature should ban site commissions.

Start Date

Families have shouldered the financial hardship of paying the high costs of maintaining contact with their incarcerated loved ones for too long. We respectfully request that you include fully funded, guaranteed No Cost Calls in the final FY23 budget, to take effect this year.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director Progressive Massachusetts





This Week: Take Action on Juvenile Justice Reform

What do eggs, lotion, and Slurpees have in common?

All of them have been deemed “dangerous weapons” in courts that made young people ineligible for judicial diversion to community supervision instead of incarceration.

This Thursday, the MA Senate will be voting on an important juvenile justice reform bill (S.2942) to expand opportunities for judicial diversion for youth, as well as another bill (S.2943) that eliminates the requirement that youth pay an $40 administrative bail fee as a condition of being released on bail.

The Senate also has the opportunity to strengthen these reforms by including an amendment (#4 to S.2942, filed by Sen. Pat Jehlen) to preserve the right to education of students who are accused of a felony offense allowing them to remain in school as long as their case has not moved towards an arraignment and that the felony be a “serious violent felony” before a student is suspended from school.

Can you contact your state senator in support of these reforms?

TOMORROW: Fair Share Canvass with Elizabeth Warren

Join Fair Share for Massachusetts and Senator Elizabeth Warren TOMORROW at 5:30 PM to canvass voters and spread the word to vote YES of Fair Share this November!

The kickoff will be at Lincoln Commons Park, Bryant and Cross Street, Malden.

RSVP HERE.

Tell Your Legislator: Pass Child Care Legislation This Legislative Session!

In early 2021, the Common Start Coalition drafted legislation, originally filed by Reps. Gordon & Madaro and Senators Lewis & Moran, that would establish a framework for delivering increased access to affordable, high-quality early education and child care to Massachusetts families, over the course of several years. On May 18, the Legislature’s Education Committee approved a landmark bill, H.4795/S.2883, titled An Act to Expand Access to High-Quality, Affordable Early Education and Care.

Major sections of the Education Committee’s legislation are heavily based on the Common Start bill. Now, we have until the end of the current legislative session on July 31 to pass H.4795/S.2883 and make progress this year on transforming the childcare system in Massachusetts!

Contact your legislators here!

The Fight for Reproductive Justice Isn’t Over

We’ve seen it coming for months (years, even), but it was still a gut punch to see the Supreme Court vote 6-3 today to overturn Roe vs. Wade, ending protections for legal abortion in the United States and taking our country back decades.

Here in Massachusetts, abortion is still legal, thanks to strong laws we have on the books (a thank-you especially to everyone who fought for the ROE Act two years ago).

But barriers to care—including exorbitant costs, complicated insurance coverage, and under-resourced providers—still exist, especially for low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities.

And Massachusetts can do more for those who might need to leave other states to obtain abortion access. The Senate budget included strong language to protect reproductive health care providers who serve out-of-state residents, and it’s vital that that stay in.

Our allies at the Mass Beyond Roe Coalition (spearheaded by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Reproductive Equity Now) laid out a comprehensive agenda for reproductive justice. You can read about it — and get ready to advocate for it — here: https://massbeyondroe.com/.

As abortion access has always been most difficult for those with the least resources, please consider donating to one of the Commonwealth’s abortion funds:

Eastern Mass Abortion Fund: https://emafund.org/

Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts: https://arfwm.org/

The Jane Fund: https://www.janefund.org/

PM in the News: Final Day of the SCD for Governor Campaign

Anthony Brooks, “Sonia Chang-Díaz is the Democratic underdog in the Mass. governor’s race, but she’s overcome long odds before,” WBUR, June 23, 2022.

Some other progressives agree, including Jonathan Cohn, policy director for Progressive Massachusetts, which endorsed Chang-Díaz.

“She’s been a leader on a number of the marquee progressive victories in recent sessions — where she’s been somebody who really did go to bat for those issues,” he said.

Cohn said Chang-Díaz has led on education, transgender rights, criminal justice reform and police accountability. And unlike Maura Healey, he points out that Chang-Díaz supports other big progressive goals, including single-payer health care and debt-free public college.

Lisa Kashinsky, “Maura Healey’s Democratic rival drops out of Massachusetts governor race,” Politico, June 23, 2022.

And with a growing air of inevitability around Healey’s ascension to the governor’s office, Democratic activists are now starting to look ahead to January. Jonathan Cohn, policy director for Progressive Massachusetts, which had endorsed Chang-Díaz, said now is the time for activists and progressive groups to begin having conversations about early priorities for a progressive Democratic governor and a Democratic supermajority Legislature that skews more moderate.

“It’s not clear what are the first things a governor Healey wants to do, or wants the Legislature to do,” Cohn said. “There need to be discussions among groups about what can be pushed early on in her term, both when it comes to executive actions and what having a Democratic governor means for shaping what action looks like in the Legislature.”

Statement on Sonia Chang-Díaz’s Ending of her Campaign for Governor

Sonia Chang-Díaz has been a proactive, prolific, and progressive state legislator and an ally to movement organizers, which is why our members overwhelmingly voted to endorse her earlier this year. We are disappointed to see that she will not be continuing her campaign for Governor. Throughout her campaign, she has emphasized the need for bold action on ending racial disparities, combating climate change, and investing in our future as a Commonwealth, and we know that she will continue to do so. — Jonathan Cohn, Policy Director of Progressive Massachusetts

Less Than Six Weeks Before the End of the Session. But This Happens Before.

The Legislative session will be over in just under six weeks, but there’s one key deadline that’s earlier than that: the state budget deadline, which is just around the corner on June 30.

The Legislature doesn’t always meet that deadline (pushing things into July), but it still exists. And that means action has to happen quick.

Here are three key areas to contact your legislators on:

*Equitable Approaches in Public Safety: The Senate budget included language to increase funding to $3.5M for the Equitable Approaches to Public Safety (EAPS) program (line item 4512-2020). This language and funding will allow municipalities to create community-based alternative crisis response models centered around social and emotional health professionals like social workers and peer support specialists.

*Early Education and Child Care: The House and Senate both included new funding for early education and child care in their budgets. They increased funding in different ways, but, as the Common Start Coalition has argued, if the priorities of both chambers make it into the final budget, it would represent a substantial step toward implementing the coalition’s full vision of a high-quality early education and childcare system that is affordable and accessible for all families.

*No Cost Calls: Both the House and Senate budgets included language to provide persons who are incarcerated with access to free phone calls or similar forms of communication. It is unconscionable that prisons and jails have been price-gouging incarcerated individuals and their families for years, and it’s important that this provision is a part of the final budget.

Can you contact your state legislators in support of these three budget priorities?

TONIGHT: Community Forum on Suffolk & Plymouth County DA Races

We’ll be joining community partners from the Justice for Massachusetts coalition for a forum with the Suffolk and Plymouth County DA candidates TONIGHT from 6 pm to 9 pm.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Kevin Hayden (Suffolk County)

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Rahsaan Hall (Plymouth County)

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Ricardo Arroyo (Suffolk County)

RSVP here.

TOMORROW: The ‘Segrenomics’ of Education

Many of the educational issues and controversies we face today — state takeovers, standardized testing, charter schools, many more — have interconnected historical roots and mutually reinforcing current impacts that result in huge gaps in school quality and huge gaps in student opportunity. Understanding that history is crucial for finding solutions.

Tomorrow at 7:00 pm, join the important discussion with Dr. Rooks about her research on segrenomics, connecting the dots between economics with segregated schooling and community organizers from across the state on their work.

RSVP here.

WEDNESDAY: Education Budget Briefing

On Wednesday at 4 pm, join the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance, MassBudget, and the Massachusetts Teachers Association for a briefing on the education budget, including discussions of the state budget, budget supplemental, the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), and the Fair Share Amendment.

RSVP here.

Education Budget Briefing

In solidarity,

News Roundup — June 20, 2022

“Massachusetts can lead in supporting LGBTQ+ youth,” CommonWealth

“To prevent sexual violence, coercion, and assault, young people need access to sex education that includes lessons about consent and healthy relationships, starting well before college and well before they become sexually active. By passing the Healthy Youth Act, the Legislature would ensure that our young people are taught the importance of healthy relationships and consent, which are pivotal to preventing sexual violence in our communities.”

“Driver’s licenses for immigrants without legal status in Massachusetts becomes law; Beacon Hill overrides Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto,” MassLive

““I can’t wait to see the impact this bill will have with such a worthy group of individuals,” state Sen. Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat, said on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon. No longer will undocumented immigrants need to fear interactions with law enforcement, Gomez said, if they are pulled over or are entangled in a minor fender bender.”

“Bay State Billionaires: Massachusetts billionaires’ wealth surges 46 percent during the pandemic,” Institute for Policy Studies

“As in the rest of the country, the growing wealth of the Bay State’s most well-off residents contrasts sharply with the pandemic struggles of its working people. One year into the pandemic, over 2 million Massachusetts residents reported loss of employment income. And this spring, over half a million experienced a loss of income due to lost jobs or hours.”

“SJC throws out Uber-Lyft ballot question,” CommonWealth

“Wes McEnany, campaign director of Massachusetts is Not for Sale, said in a statement, “Millions of Massachusetts drivers, passengers, and taxpayers can rest easier knowing that this unconstitutional bid by Big Tech CEOs to manipulate Massachusetts law has been struck down by the Supreme Judicial Court… We commend the court for getting it right on this issue and we will remain vigilant and united against any further attempts by Big Tech to water down worker and consumer protections in Massachusetts or beyond.””

“State not living up to environmental justice responsibilities,” CommonWealth

“In fact, the only track record the state maintains is one for dismissing the lives and concerns of environmental justice communities. The Baker administration has skirted multiple laws and policies that have been promulgated to protect environmental justice populations.”

“Why do we accept asthma with our ‘natural’ gas?,” CommonWealth

“We can no longer afford to ignore the health and climate impacts of fossil fuels on the residents of Massachusetts. We need utilities’ partnership in order to address asthma in Massachusetts and we need to find a way forward to deliver clean heat that does not involve continued dependence on health harming petrochemicals that leave us tethered to the past. There is a path available to utilities that will reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases and preserve jobs for utility employees: networked ground source heat pumps. Let’s choose clean heat so we can all breathe easier. “

“Massachusetts election reform bill emerges from negotiations without same-day voter registration provision,” MassLive

“A Massachusetts elections reform bill codifying pandemic-era allowances, including no-excuse voting by mail and expanded early voting, has finally emerged from a conference committee — without its most contentious provision….Bay Staters still will not be allowed to register to vote on Election Day, based on the comprise agreement disclosed Wednesday.”

“A program to remove police from some 911 calls in Denver helped reduce crime, study finds,” USA Today

“A program in Denver removing police from certain 911 calls led to a 34% reduction in low-level crimes, according to a study released Wednesday amid a growing wave of cities changing their responses to mental health crises.”

“Sonia Chang-Díaz knows what it’s like to be ‘other.’ It has shaped her and her bid for Massachusetts governor.,” Boston Globe

“If you’ve never been on the outside, I don’t think you understand how that feels,” said Liz Kinsella, Chang-Díaz’s sister. “It’s quite motivating to make others not feel that way.”

“Communications 101: Closing the language barriers in state agencies,” Boston Globe

“The pandemic has shown that people are willing to step up, but we shouldn’t have to. We do it because we’ve all experienced it,” she said. “Ya traes la costumbre, you’re already used to it — you hear someone batallando en Español, struggling in Spanish, and you start helping.” There are at least 70 languages spoken in the Malden public schools. “Can we get at least the top five or 10 languages? How are people going to be engaged if we’re not doing that?”

Letter: Allow Massachusetts State Senate Staffers to Unionize

The staff of the Massachusetts State Senate announced earlier this year that they had gathered the requisite number of authorization cards needed to form a union with the IBEW.

They are organizing to ensure fair wages, protection from workplace harassment, sufficient healthcare benefits and accountability from their management.
Much of what happens in the State Senate would be impossible without the hard work of staffers. They respond to constituents, draft and redraft legislation, meet with advocates, organize scheduling and so much more.

However over half of House staffers and more than a quarter of Senate staffers earn less than $45,000/year—hardly a livable wage in a state with some of the highest housing and day-to-day living costs in the nation—costs now spiraling upward due to inflation. In addition, Senate staffers face a 60 day waiting period for health care benefits. Many staffers have to resort to second jobs just to make ends meet. On top of this, workplace harassment, and long working hours lead to burnout and high turnover rates.

This means that many individuals without independent financial means choose not to enter public service—depriving the state of a diverse workforce and the perspective that this brings to policymaking. Moreover, inasmuch as many staffers move on to run for office, this lack of diversity means that the statehouse will continue to be unrepresentative of the state’s population as a whole.

The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively is not only a cornerstone of American democracy, it is a core policy position of the Democratic Party, to which a veto-proof majority of the State Senate belongs.

It is high time for our State Senators to live up to the values they profess to admire and permit their staffers to unionize.

John Kyriakis

What Just Happened at the State House & What’s Happening Next Week

Last week was an exciting week at the Massachusetts State House, as both the House and Senate voted to override the Governor’s veto of the Work & Family Mobility Act, making Massachusetts the 17th state to ensure that all qualified residents, regardless of immigration status, are able to get a driver’s license.

You can see how your legislators voted below.

VOTES Act Advances…But With a Big Gap

Last week, the House and Senate released their final version of the VOTES Act. The bill contains many important reforms, like making the option to vote early-by-mail permanent, expanding early voting options, and strengthening the protections for jail-based voting. Unfortunately, however, the House’s opposition to Same Day Registration carried the day, and Massachusetts will continue to lag behind our neighbors with our arbitrary and exclusionary voter registration cutoff. The bill would shorten the deadline from 20 days before an election to 10 days, but that’s still 10 days too many.

The bill passed the Senate last week and is on track to pass the House soon.

Read a full write-up of the bill here.

The ‘Segrenomics’ of Education

Many of the educational issues and controversies we face today — state takeovers, standardized testing, charter schools, many more — have interconnected historical roots and mutually reinforcing current impacts that result in huge gaps in school quality and huge gaps in student opportunity. Understanding that history is crucial for finding solutions.

Join the important discussion with Dr. Rooks about her research on: segrenomics, connecting the dots between economics with segregated schooling and community organizers from across the state on their work.

RSVP here.

Event info for "The Segrenomics of Education"

Community Forum on Suffolk & Plymouth County DA Races

We’ll be joining community partners from the Justice for Massachusetts coalition for a forum with the Suffolk and Plymouth County DA candidates on Monday, June 20, from 6 pm to 9 pm.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Kevin Hayden (Suffolk County)

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Rahsaan Hall (Plymouth County)

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Ricardo Arroyo (Suffolk County)

RSVP here.

Your Plans for this Weekend (…And the Next…and the Next…)? Canvassing for Fair Share!

Find a canvass near you at https://www.mobilize.us/fairshareamendment2022/.