Jonathan Cohn

News Roundup — June 14, 2023

Andrew Brinker, “Two decades later, public housing is once again coming to Boston,” Boston Globe, June 13, 2023.

“Until now. Through a new but little-known federal program, some municipalities in Massachusetts are building the first new public housing units since that cap was passed, a moment many in the housing world thought might never come.”

Amy Dain, “Zoning in the Boston suburbs is stacked against families with children,” Boston Globe, June 12, 2023.

“This is why the new MBTA Communities zoning law requires Massachusetts municipalities served by the transit system to reform their zoning to allow multifamily housing “suitable for families with children.” The region has perhaps not seen local zoning reform taking place at this scale since The Boston Globe concluded in 1960 that “suburban Boston is zoned to the eyeballs.””

Jarone Lee, Angie Liou, Raymond Liu, and Audrey Nguyen, “High rents are bad for your health,” CommonWealth, June 6, 2023.

“High rental prices lead to adverse health effects. When rent becomes a source of financial strain, other universal needs like healthcare become secondary. Money allocated to rent cannot be used for crucial medical treatment. Once rents surpass families’ ability to pay, they risk eviction and homelessness, which is associated with poor birth outcomes, higher rates of suicide and mental health hospitalizations, and higher rates of all-cause mortality.”

Ellen Fleming, “Bill could help fund affordable housing in Massachusetts,” WWLP, June 6, 2023.

“The idea here is this is just to empower and enable municipalities to do what they think is best, so a lot of flexibility in this bill. The baseline really is those that are profiting the most off of this crisis should be able to contribute just a little bit to solving it.”

Jennifer Smith, “State moves to bring sex education out of the ‘90s,” CommonWealth, June 6, 2023.

“Planned Parenthood reviewed all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and ranked their sexual health curriculum and their level of abortion protections. Massachusetts is somewhat of an outlier among states that are “protective” or “very protective” of abortion care, Hart said, because the state standards for sex ed do not require education to be medically accurate, cover birth control options, include LGBTQ+ identities, or affirm abortion access.”

Erin Tiernan, “Massachusetts Senate tax relief plan earns progressive stamp of approval — to conservative chagrin,” MASSterList, June 9, 2023.

“Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, praised the Senate for “rejecting the flawed trickle-down economics that believes that tax cuts for the super-rich and large corporations, rather than investments in our state’s commonwealth, are what make our state ‘competitive.’””

Jonathan Cohn, “Letter: Mass. lawmakers have two bosses, heed one (hint: it’s not the voters),” Boston Globe, June 8, 2023.

“With Massachusetts having the least competitive elections in the country, it’s no surprise which “boss” speaks loudest to legislators, but we all lose out from the lack of urgency around the many crises our state faces, from the growing costs of child care to the affordable housing crisis to a transit system in desperate need of care.”

Bahar Amkan Imboden, Rich Levy, and Ian Rhodewalt, “Congratulations Mass. grads, but watch out for that $400m in debt,” CommonWealth, June 3, 2023.

“This spring, the graduating class of 2023 from our Massachusetts public institutions alone, which comprises both community college graduates and individuals receiving bachelor’s degrees from public higher education institutions, collectively carries a staggering debt of approximately $400 million.”

“Letters: Can MCAS be improved? Curbed? Learned from? All of the above?,” Boston Globe, June 3, 2023.

“As a parent in Lawrence, I’ve seen how state takeover disrupts students’ education with a revolving door of administrators and educators. I’ve seen how students’ learning experiences are limited by a narrow focus on test prep. But because there’s no role for local democracy in the state takeover system, there’s no way for parents to make our voices heard on these issues.”

Katie Lannan, “Supporters of sex ed bill say it’s time for Massachusetts to act,” WGBH, May 30, 2023.

“Young people across the country witness their rights and access to care and education eroding before their eyes,” Hart said. “Passing the Healthy Youth Act is one way we can step up right now to ensure that our youth today, tomorrow and in the future have the access and the means to make the best decisions for their own health and safety.”

Doug Arnett and Laura Crimaldi, “‘Are you guys going to shoot me?’ Police encounters with mentally ill people increasingly turn deadly.,” Boston Globe, June 3, 2023.

“A Globe analysis ofpolice confrontations since 2016 shows that the majority of those shot by police in Massachusetts — 51 out of 88 — were people in the throes of a mental health crisis or who had been diagnosed with mental illness. That rate has risen significantly in the years since a 2016 Spotlight Team report, “The desperate and the dead,” on police shootings of people with mental illness.”

Yvonne Abraham, “Let’s make representatives more representative of us,” Boston Globe, May 31, 2023.

“That prohibition helps keep some excellent candidates from seeking public office. And it’s embarrassing, especially in a state like Massachusetts, where we like to think of ourselves as progressive. On this particular point, we are behind Texas, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Montana, and some 20 other states, all of which allow candidates to claim child care costs as campaign expenditures.”

Addario Miranda, “It’s hard to learn when you’re hungry. ‘I’m living proof’,” WBUR, May 23, 2023.

“Currently, 1 in 5 households with children in our state report that they have difficulty affording food, with BIPOC families being affected the most. If Massachusetts fails to make the pandemic-era program permanent, it means 400,000 students in the commonwealth could lose access to school meals.”

Sen. Pat Jehlen, “Letter: Cries to keep the state competitive overlook data on just who’s leaving,” Boston Globe, May 30, 2023.

“Our housing crisis is largely because we have gained so much population. Competition for housing has driven up housing prices. That’s one of the main reasons cited for the loss of low-income essential workers, as multiple Globe articles have reported.”

Lisa Guisbond, “Time to end the state’s ‘test and punish’ accountability system,” CommonWealth, May 24, 2023.

“But our current MCAS-driven assessment and accountability system, instead of promoting such an education, has become a barrier to opportunity for too many students. A new bill called the Thrive Act would take down some of these barriers.”

Sen. Lydia Edwards, Sen. Adam Gomez, and Sen Liz Miranda, “Time to enact new rules for use of facial recognition software,” CommonWealth, May 24, 2023.

“After all, as senators of color, we represent communities that stand to gain the most from these recommendations becoming law. Our communities deserve safety, both from violence and from wrongful targeting by police.”

Jonathan Hecht, “Letter: House leaders made a mockery of the process in ramming through tax package,” Boston Globe, May 26, 2023.

“That tax cut’s inclusion in the tax package shows how House leaders’ complete control of the legislative process gives powerful people a back channel to advance their interests with none of the public scrutiny and participation that democracy demands.”

Editorial Board, “An unfinished piece of criminal justice reform business: Raising the age for juvenile offenders,” Boston Globe, May 25, 2023.

“Raising the age for juvenile defendants is one of those bits of unfinished business from a trailblazing piece of legislation now five years into its implementation. Today, given the state of scientific research on developing brains, the case is even stronger to keep young adults out of a prison system ill-equipped to provide the education and the rehabilitation they need. Today it’s time to try something different, something better.”

Editorial Board, “It’s time to restore legislative democracy on Beacon Hill,” Boston Globe, May 22, 2023.

“Yes, but it requires both voters and lawmakers to demand more. Legislative bodies, after all, set their own formal rules and establish or accede to their own norms. At present, both rules and norms surrender too much power to the leaders of the legislative chambers. But what’s been given could and should be taken back — if lawmakers make that, and not internal turf battles, their goal.”

Kara Miller, “Public Colleges Should Be Truly Public Again,” Boston Globe, May 18, 2023.

“We have been steadily “shifting the cost burden to students and their families,” argues Tom Harnisch, vice president for government relations at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. “There’s a real intergenerational equity issue here that I don’t think gets talked about nearly enough.””

Editorial Board, “Give in-state college tuition to undocumented immigrants,” Boston Globe, May 20, 2023.

“There are 23 states that offer in-state tuition to immigrants without legal status who graduated from their state’s high schools, according to the National Immigration Law Center. Some are liberal-leaning like California and New York, but others vote conservative, like Kansas, Texas, and Utah. Seventeen states offer state financial aid to students without legal status.”

The Solution to Homelessness Is Homes, Not Criminalization.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Chair Kennedy, Chair Livingstone, and Members of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities:

My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I’m the policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide, member-based grassroots advocacy organization fighting for a more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic Commonwealth.

We urge you to give a favorable report to H.211/S.1112: An Act establishing a bill of rights for individuals experiencing homelessness, filed by Representatives Smitty Pignatelli and Frank Moran and Sen. Becca Rausch.

The solution to homelessness is clear: giving people homes. But too often, municipalities see the solution as criminalization and punishment instead, worsening the underlying problems and forcing individuals into vicious cycles of incarceration and housing instability.

As rents and housing prices skyrocket in Massachusetts, an increasing number of families face housing instability, experiencing short-term or long-term homelessness. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, 18,471 people in Massachusetts were counted as homeless in January 2019, more than two-thirds of that population consisting of families with children.

We desperately need comprehensive action to address our housing crisis and to secure housing for those currently without it. However, we also need to ensure that misguided and archaic laws do not make it more difficult for individuals to obtain housing.

These bills would rectify this status quo by extending anti-discrimination protections to persons experiencing homelessness, including protections when seeking employment, housing, voter registration, and access to public spaces and places of public accommodation. They would also ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness are not being criminalized for existing in public space, protecting their right to rest, seek shelter from the elements, occupy a legally parked car, pray, eat, and avoid needless harassment in public spaces.

H.211 and S.1112 are essential to ensuring Massachusetts is a state that treats all residents with dignity and respect, and we urge you to give it your support.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

housing

Everyone Needs ID. Here’s Why, and Here’s What the Legislature Can Do.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Chair Crighton, Chair Straus, and Members of the Joint Committee on Transportation:

We urge you to give a favorable report to H.3388, H.3360, and S.2251: An Act to provide identification to youth and adults experiencing homelessness (the Everyone Needs ID bill), filed respectively by Rep. Jim O’Day, Rep. Kay Khan, and Sen. Robyn Kennedy.

Individuals experiencing homelessness face significant obstacles to obtaining an ID, but IDs can often be essential to securing employment and even accomplishing everyday life tasks. Without an ID, it can be difficult, if not outright impossible, to apply for jobs, enroll in education programs, get a library card, pick up a package from the post office, receive a prescription from a pharmacy, and more. So many of us take such tasks for granted, but for individuals experiencing homelessness, they become complicated endeavors and roadblocks on the path toward stability.

The aforementioned bills offer a solution by requiring the Registry of Motor Vehicles to waive the $25 fee for an ID for people experiencing homelessness and by allowing applicants to support alternative documentation to prove Massachusetts residency, such as allowing individuals to provide evidence of receiving services from a state agency under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

Massachusetts must take comprehensive addition to ensure housing for all; however, in the interim, we must ensure that our policies are not exacerbating the obstacles faced by individuals experiencing homelessness. We urge you to make a difference this session by advancing these bills.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

housing

MASSter List: “Massachusetts Senate tax relief plan earns progressive stamp of approval — to conservative chagrin”

Erin Tiernan, “Massachusetts Senate tax relief plan earns progressive stamp of approval — to conservative chagrin,” MASSter List, June 9, 2023.

Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, praised the Senate for “rejecting the flawed trickle-down economics that believes that tax cuts for the super-rich and large corporations, rather than investments in our state’s commonwealth, are what make our state ‘competitive.’”

Letter: “Mass. lawmakers have two bosses, heed one (hint: it’s not the voters)”

“Mass. lawmakers have two bosses, heed one (hint: it’s not the voters),” Boston Globe, June 8, 2023.

The article “Lawmakers show little concern over sleepy start” (Page A1, May 30) astutely captured the problem of worsening inertia on Beacon Hill, with few bills, few votes, and almost no debate in the session so far. As the article points out, the over-centralization of power on Beacon Hill is a key culprit.

I often underscore that the State House suffers from a “two bosses” problem. In most jobs, the person who can hire and fire you is the same as the person who controls your pay. But for legislators, we — the public — are the ones who can choose, through our votes, to hire and fire elected officials, and legislative leadership, through committee chairs and other perks, are the ones who control the pay, with a scale that has become even more hierarchical in recent years.

With Massachusetts having the least competitive elections in the country, it’s no surprise which “boss” speaks loudest to legislators, but we all lose out from the lack of urgency around the many crises our state faces, from the growing costs of child care to the affordable housing crisis to a transit system in desperate need of care.

Jonathan Cohn

Boston

The writer is policy director of Progressive Massachusetts.

beacon hill

This Sunday: Join us for a re-launch of Activist Afternoons

Join Progressive Mass for an Activist Afternoons series!

We’ll be reaching out to voters across the state to contact their legislators about key issues at the State House.

For our kickoff on Sunday, Jun 11, at 3:30 pm, we’ll be focusing on the Access to Counsel bill, which would ensure that tenants facing eviction have legal representation.

Can you join us on Sunday?

This series will be both on Zoom and in person in Jamaica Plain (link and address information upon confirmation).

PM Activist Afternoons: Sunday, June 11, 2023

MA Doesn’t Need New Tax Giveaways for the Rich

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Chair Moran, Chair Cusack, and Members of the Joint Committee on Revenue:

We urge you to give a favorable report to H.2964/S.1801: An Act to reform the charitable deduction, filed by Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven and Sen. Jamie Eldridge.

Legislative leaders have been talking about the importance of “progressive” tax reform. If we want to build on steps toward a more progressive tax code, such as last year’s passage of the Fair Share Amendment, one place worth attention is the charitable deduction, which recently took effect.

The charitable deduction will reduce state revenue by approximately $300 million annually, with disproportionate benefits to the richest residents of the Commonwealth. According to a 2020 analysis from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, tax filers with more than $1 million in income would receive a benefit of almost $10,000 on average (amounting to more than half of the total benefits from the deduction). Those with income under $50,000 would receive just $7 on average (amounting to just 4% of the total benefits from the deduction).

This bill would address such disparities by limiting the charitable deduction to individuals who don’t also get such a deduction on their federal taxes: in other words, it would limit the deduction to low- and middle-income residents.

Voters were clear last year that they want to see a more progressive tax code and greater investments in our Commonwealth. Especially with the possibility of a recession in the near term, as well as a federal retrenchment from key social programs, now is not the time to be protecting tax cuts to the richest residents of the Commonwealth and eliminate a new “double dip” deduction.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

tax fairness

Ensuring Birthing Justice in the Commonwealth

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Chair Cyr, Chair Decker, and members of the Joint Committee on Public Health:

We urge you to give a favorable report to S.1415, An Act relative to birthing justice in the Commonwealth, and H.2209/S.1457, An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options.

Since the Dobbs decision last year, nearly 20 states have moved to ban or severely restrict access to abortion, with wide-reaching negative impacts on access to reproductive health care, especially for marginalized communities. Although Massachusetts has taken important strides in recent years to strengthen access to reproductive health care, which we greatly appreciate, our Commonwealth still sees severe inequalities in access to care. Indeed, Black women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. We have more work to do to break down barriers to the full spectrum of reproductive health care that still exist for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.

An Act relative to birthing justice in the Commonwealth introduces a critical framework to improve maternal health outcomes and ensure people have the support, education, and access to resources to be empowered throughout their pregnancies. An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options, standalone legislation which is also a core provision of the birthing justice bill, creates a pathway to licensure for Certified Professional Midwives, the key midwifery workforce trained in out-of-hospital births.

These bills advance key recommendations from the Special Commission on Racial Inequities in Maternal Health. When the Legislature creates commissions to investigate policy areas, it is incumbent upon the Legislature to listen to the recommendations. Commissions take time and work from countless legislators, administrators, staff, and outside experts, and the recommendations are the result of such underappreciated work.

By embracing those recommendations, Massachusetts can ensure all pregnant people—regardless of race—have the autonomy, support, and adequate birth options to feel empowered throughout their pregnancies.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

health care reproductive rights

Next Week at the State House

See you at the State House? Next week, a number of our coalitions are hosting advocacy days at the State House, a great opportunity to connect with other activists across the state and add momentum to key bills.

Mark Your Calendars!

Tuesday, June 6 @ 11 am at the State House: Transfer Fee Coalition Lobby Day —RSVP here

Join the Local Option for Housing Affordability (LOHA) Coalition on Tuesday, June 6, 11-12 PM for a briefing and day of action in support of Rep. Connolly and Sen. Comerford’s bills H.2747/S.1771 establishing a local option transfer fee to fund affordable housing. Speakers will include advocates, municipal officials, impacted people and housing experts from across the Commonwealth.

Tuesday, June 6 @ 1 pm at the State House (House Members Lounge) — Polluters Pay & Put Gas in the Past Legislative Briefing

This event will be a presentation for legislators on bills at the center of two Mass Power Forward priority campaigns:

For the Make Polluters Pay campaign, (H.872 /S.481), An Act Establishing a Climate Change Superfund Promoting Polluter Responsibility – which we call, for short, the “Polluter Responsibility Superfund Bill”.
For the Put Gas in the Past campaign, (S.2135/H.3237), An Act Establishing a Moratorium on New Gas System Expansion. – which we call, for short, the “Gas Expansion Moratorium Bill”

Invite your legislators to the briefing with this toolkit.

Wednesday, June 7 @ 2 pm at the State House — Youth Justice Lobby Day

Join activists across the state to advocate for bills that would end the school-to-prison pipeline and ensure better outcomes for our youth. The lobby day will focus on bills to keep 18-to 20-year-olds out of the adult criminal justice system, expand opportunities to expunge criminal records, create opportunities for diversion, and more.

In solidarity,
Jonathan Cohn
Policy Director
Progressive Massachusetts

climate criminal legal reform housing

News Roundup – May 26, 2023

Editorial Board, “An unfinished piece of criminal justice reform business: Raising the age for juvenile offenders“ (Boston Globe)

“Today, given the state of scientific research on developing brains, the case is even stronger to keep young adults out of a prison system ill-equipped to provide the education and the rehabilitation they need.”

Lydia Edwards, Adam Gomez, and Liz Miranda, “Time to enact new rules for use of facial recognition software” (CommonWealth)

“Three years ago, our Commonwealth started the good work of putting democratic guardrails around police use of this powerful but imperfect technology. Now, it’s time to get the job done. “

Lisa Guisbond, “Time to end the state’s ‘test and punish’ accountability system” (CommonWealth)

“Better ways to improve schools and student learning are grounded in community-based efforts – not state takeovers or private partnerships – using holistic, wraparound services to support schools that face multiple challenges.”

Editorial Board, “It’s time to restore legislative democracy on Beacon Hill” (Boston Globe)

“Why should the public care about any of this? Because as power has flowed upward and rank-and-file legislators have lost any real policy role, constituents have had less opportunity to influence the process.”

Editorial Board, “Give in-state college tuition to undocumented immigrants” (Boston Globe)

“Allowing these young people easier access to a college education would give them a chance at a better life. Currently, schools charge students without legal status the higher international or out-of-state rate, which many immigrants cannot afford to pay. At UMass Boston, a Massachusetts undergraduate faces a bill of $15,535 in tuition and fees next year, while an out-of-state student will be charged $37,211.”

Kara Miller, “Public colleges should be truly public again” (Boston Globe)

Mark Paul, “Economists Hate Rent Control. Here’s Why They’re Wrong.” (The American Prospect)

” Some 67 percent of Americans live in owner-occupied homes—meaning they enjoy de facto rent control in the form of the 30-year mortgage…..It’s high time for the government to extend these benefits—and the economic security that comes with them—by adopting rent control to cover all people in the United States.”

Matt Stout, “Mass. tax revenues for April fell $2.2 billion below what state collected a year ago” (Boston Globe)

“The Raise Up Massachusetts coalition, which successfully pushed a ballot question last year raising taxes on the wealthiest, said in a statement that lawmakers should reconsider the tax cuts, should the state face budget shortfalls in the future.”

Carrie Jung, “Report: Boston’s child care capacity remains below pre-pandemic levels” (WBUR)

“The report also highlighted the increased costs of child care. Between 2018 and 2021, the average tuition for infant care in Boston increased by about $1,300 to $21,269. The tuition hike for toddler care was even steeper, increasing by about $5,600 to reach $19,402 in the same time period.”

“Rally To Make Higher Education More Accessible Held At State House” (WBZ Radio)

“We have underinvested for well over four decades in public higher education, this is unacceptable,” Eldridge said. “This is the session we’re gonna begin to see major investments in public higher education.”

Phineas Baxandall and Stacy Thompson, “Fare debate: Make buses free to all” (CommonWealth)

“Free transit, especially when it comes to buses, isn’t a fringe idea. It is a popular and proven method for increasing transit ridership and improving service. It’s time we start treating it as such.”

Bruce Mohl, “Senate budget embraces in-state tuition for undocumented students” (CommonWealth)

“While Massachusetts leads in so many areas in education,” she said, “we are falling behind other states, including the red states, in offering what is not only the right thing for these immigrant students but good for our atmosphere of inclusion, equity, and overall success. Twenty-three states plus DC already have this. We need to be competitive as well.”

Bruce Mohl, “Senate budget boosts RTA funding, backs fare-free buses” (CommonWealth)

“The $100 million in the Senate proposal includes $56 million for direct operating support, $25 million for innovation grants, $4 million for accessibility grants, and $15 million so each of the RTAs can launch six-month, fare-free pilots on their bus systems.”

Kristina Mensik and Adam Eichen, “It’s time to restore felon voting rights” (CommonWealth)

“As a new Sentencing Project report shows, disenfranchisement is associated with a range of adverse societal consequences that come at the expense of political and racial equality and the public good, ranging from lowered future political participation to roadblocks towards reintegration into society. One study has found that among individuals who had been arrested previously, 27 percent of non-voters were rearrested, versus 12 percent of voters.”