“House plans vote on prison construction moratorium,” CommonWealth

“Mallory Hanora, executive director of Families for Justice as Healing, which has been leading the campaign to oppose construction of a new women’s prison, said a five-year moratorium would provide “an opportunity for us to pause as a state and reconsider our spending priorities and take this opportunity to invest in what we know actually creates safety and wellbeing.” Hanora argued that the state should invest in community-based solutions for female offenders, like housing, health care and treatment, rather than building a new prison.”

“Next steps beyond Roe v Wade,” CommonWealth

“The national reproductive health care landscape—with abortion as the first domino to fall—is about to be drastically altered. But as we face this unprecedented moment in history, there is one thing we know to be true: Massachusetts can rise to the occasion and remain a leader for reproductive freedom. We can pave the way forward for abortion access and serve as an example of what is possible when leaders are committed to smart, forward-thinking reproductive equity policy. This agenda is an important starting point.”

“Make abortion pills available over the counter,” Boston Globe

“But there is a way to improve access: Make the pills available for over-the-counter sale. That way, women in antiabortion states could ask friends or family members in neighboring states to visit a pharmacy or grocery store, grab the two-drug combination off the shelf, and send it along. Or, if time was a concern, they could drive across state lines themselves and make a quick purchase.”

“We must invest in early education and care,” CommonWealth

“When a mother loses the choice to work or a family must go into debt in order to care for their children, our system has failed them. When a child loses an opportunity for early childhood or after school education, our system has failed them. When a small business owner can’t open because their employees cannot return to work due to childcare responsibilities, our system has failed them. Our childcare system is failing us in all of these ways. We must act now to make the changes required to support families in the Commonwealth.”

“In prison, phone calls home aren’t a frill. They’re as important as food and clothes.,” Boston Globe

“Onerous fees for a basic necessity like communications do nothing to protect public safety, and in fact make rebuilding life after prison harder if they cause inmates’ social and family connections to fray. The fees are simply an unnecessary and counterproductive burden, one that should be lifted by lawmakers this year.”

“The housing divide is pulling Massachusetts apart,” Boston Globe

“It’s a really difficult problem,” Schuetz told me, “when you have people who say that they care about inequality. They say that they care about racial justice … And yet they are not willing to make changes in their own life, or to accept changes in their personal environment that would make equity better, that would reduce racial segregation.

“School takeovers by the state haven’t worked, Globe analysis shows,” Boston Globe

“As Massachusetts considers taking control of Boston Public Schools, evidence suggests the state has failed to make meaningful progress in turning around much smaller districts it currently oversees….A Globe analysis of test scores, graduation rates, college enrollment, and a dozen other metrics in Lawrence, Holyoke, and Southbridge shows the state has failed to meet almost all its stated goals for the districts.”

“Illegal voting latest Baker license bill red herring,” Boston Globe

“The driver’s license bill was passed by veto proof majorities in both the House and Senate for all the right reasons. It would make an estimated 185,000 undocumented immigrants eligible to learn the rules of the road, to take the tests that would certify that they know those rules and are competent behind the wheel and in doing so that would make the roads safer for all of us….And it would make a difference in people’s lives, allowing more to join a workforce where they are badly needed….No amount of gubernatorial obfuscation can change those simple facts of life.

“Massachusetts is segregated. Here’s why.,” Boston Globe

“The segregation of Massachusetts communities has been forged by a legacy of discrimination, including redlining, in which banks refused to grant loans to Black and brown households in certain ZIP codes. And local “Not in My Back Yard” zoning rules have historically prevented the development of affordable homes, including multiunit developments.”

“Letter: Fair Share passage would help schools, public transit,” The Daily News

“Anyone who travels around the Merrimack Valley by public transportation or car knows that our infrastructure is in serious need of repair. Our streets and highways are full of potholes and our bridges are crumbling….Using public transportation in this area poses many challenges from bus stops lacking bus shelters and information about times and routes to the difficulties traveling from the seashore to the inland cities of Haverhill and Lawrence.”

“Massachusetts lawmakers should put their name where their vote is,” Boston Globe

“The Massachusetts House of Representatives has a reputation for operating with less transparency than the Senate, said Cohn of Progressive Mass. But both legislative bodies, he said, embrace a style of consensus-building that “likes to pretend divisions don’t exist.” When they do, roll call votes are avoided. Lawmakers are counselled to withdraw amendments and a quick voice vote is called. He also said lawmakers who oppose a measure that is generally seen as popular seek the cover of a voice vote, rather than be recorded with a “nay.” Beacon Hill’s lack of transparency, said Cohn, “is striking, compared to other states. Massachusetts likes to view itself as a positive example, but this is one place where we can learn something from other states.””

“Letter: Climate reasons for supporting the Fair Share Amendment,” The Daily News

“Our greatest challenge in the 21st century is climate change mitigation. In Massachusetts the largest sector of greenhouses gas emissions (42%) is transportation. Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuels in our cars, trucks, and heavy duty vehicles….The Fair Share Amendment will provide new revenue to allow substantial investment in transportation and public education in Massachusetts. These investments will make it easier for us to kick our fossil fuel dependence by providing safer options for pedestrians and cyclists as well as speedy, affordable, regular, reliable and convenient public transportation.”

“Massachusetts should have a state-owned bank,” Boston Globe

“A public bank would alleviate some of those racial disparities by allowing the state to funnel money through the new banking institution to minority-owned businesses, giving them more access to the financial capital that they need.”

“‘Damning lack of transparency’ on Massachusetts sports betting vote in Senate raises skepticism law will get on the books this session,” MassLive

“Progressive Mass Policy Director Jonathan Cohn called out a “damning” lack of transparency that permeated the Senate debate on Thursday. Members passed the bill in a voice vote — an unusual move for a major policy change that he suggested was “intentionally opaque” and “choreographed” to tee up contentious closed-door negotiations as the two chambers work to reconcile major policy differences and pass a bill over the next three months.”

“A strategy for tackling housing, climate crises simultaneously,” CommonWealth

“While the state has significant ARPA funds to deploy right now, HERO revenue would likely kick in just as the ARPA funds begin to deplete, ensuring that we can sustain investments now being launched. As state legislators consider proposals on housing and climate, the HERO Act deserves their support.”

“Almost 60% of Mass. provisional ballots were rejected in 2020 election,” Boston.com

“In the 2020 Massachusetts general election, nearly 60%, or 2,587 ballots, were rejected, according to Massachusetts Secretary of State data acquired by pro-democracy non-profit Common Cause Massachusetts….While this number represents a minuscule number of ballots, approximately .05%, it is discouraging for voters to know that if they have an issue at the polls, it’s likely that their vote won’t be counted.”

“New England Lawmakers Demand Legislative Action to Protect Abortion Rights,” NBC Boston

“Our fundamental right to abortion care is under attack, and the draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade shows that the stakes could not be higher. We must be clear: abortion care is still legal in America, but Congress must legislate to protect this fundamental human right and codify it into law. We know that our most vulnerable communities will bear the disproportionate brunt of any decision to restrict and deny access to abortion care—particularly Black, brown, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+ and low-income people. We must legislate as if our lives depend on it, because they do.” — Ayanna Pressley

“We need new tools to deal with epidemic of wage theft,” CommonWealth

“Wage theft takes many forms. It happens when tips are skimmed at a restaurant, when employers fail to pay for prep time before the official beginning of a shift, not paying time and a half for overtime hours, or when an employer does not pay the wages that are owed to workers for a job that they perform. This example from Amherst reveals how commonplace wage theft has become in Massachusetts, even at major employers who should know better, and why we need new legislation to stop it.”

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“Opinion: Help cut the high cost of college by voting ‘yes’ on Fair Share Amendment,” The New Bedford Light

“With this ballot question, we can reverse decades of underfunding and start making our public colleges affordable again. In the face of declining enrollment at our public colleges, we need to act urgently to remove the barriers that are preventing working and middle-class students from pursuing a degree at our public colleges.”

“Letter: Fair Share Amendment would make Massachusetts’ opportunities more equal,” Berkshire Eagle

“When we work hard and enjoy financial success, we like to tell ourselves that we’ve excelled in a fair race. Can we say this when our tax system is inequitable and public university is unaffordable? The Fair Share Amendment will get us back toward an equal opportunity Massachusetts.”

“Abolishing MBTA bus fares is about more than improving transit access,” Boston Globe

“On the surface, abolishing bus fares is about improving transit access and easing the financial burden of transportation on poor residents. But more than that, the fare-free bus program is about government taking a small step toward providing people with the dignity they deserve. No one should be denied a ride because they can’t afford it. No one should be made to feel ashamed for having to ask a bus driver to let them on. And no one should have to choose between paying for a bus fare or getting a couple of extra items at the grocery store.”

“State power limits Boston’s vision,” Boston Globe

“Thanks to a striking concentration of power in the seat of Massachusetts government on Beacon Hill, the capital city and other Massachusetts municipalities must seek state sign-off for both substantive policy changes, such as restricting how much rents may increase each year, and more routine proposals, such as changing speed limits on some roads.”

“Senate plan puts too much emphasis on electric vehicles,” CommonWealth

“do not oppose the transition to electric vehicles, indeed I embrace it. But we need to be honest with ourselves about what an all-electric vehicle future means. Primarily, it means continued traffic congestion, continued poor land use, continued particulate matter emissions – in other words, every negative externality of today’s auto mobility system other than carbon emissions will remain present in an all-electric vehicle future. We can do better than use public funding to enable that future, without any effort to balance the scales in favor of more sustainable, healthier, sensible mobility solutions. Right now, neither the current Baker administration plan nor this Senate bill gets this balance right.”

“College becoming increasingly inaccessible to low-income students, report says,” State House News Service

“After two decades of disinvestment, we’re too far down the road to expect a few reforms will re-chart a new course for our public institutions and students. Years of inaction will force the state to finally decide the role the Commonwealth, which prides itself on being the birthplace of public education, should play in post-secondary public education,” wrote Bahar Akman Imboden, managing director of the Hildreth Institute and the author of the report.

“Boston Common Rally Calls To Make Early Education More Affordable In Massachusetts,” CBS Boston

“The child care system in Massachusetts is struggling to meet the needs of families and parents, but it’s also not working for providers who are struggling to keep their doors open. And it’s not working for workers who are not making a livable wage.”

“Taxing Massachusetts millionaires to boost racial justice,” Boston Globe

“A graduated income tax is a fact of life for federal filers. Those who make more, pay more. Graduated state tax systems across the income spectrum are also common (as are, yes, zero state tax states). In Massachusetts, where there is so much wealth and yet so much poverty, starting with an extra tax tier for those who are fortunate enough to make over $1 million in a year seems only just.”

“Two months in, Maura Healey’s pitch for Mass. governor is light on the details,” Boston Globe

“Chang-Díaz’s platform web pages link to news articles, studies, and votes the senator has taken while serving on Beacon Hill, going into great detail with bulleted lists of actions she would take as governor. She’s been endorsed by groups like Progressive Massachusetts, which require lengthy, detailed questionnaires. Chang-Díaz’s was 48 pages long.”

“Dear Governor Baker: You’re wrong on driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants,” Boston Globe

“Fearmongering Republicans make it a sport to assume the worst possible behaviors of undocumented residents. The truth is that the vast majority of people without valid immigration status are like the radio caller from Pembroke — maybe they overstayed their visa (not a criminal violation), maybe their green card has expired, maybe they have a pending immigration case. But they have jobs and pay taxes, and they have kids to drive to school. It’s in everyone’s best interest to license them to drive.”