Take Action: Spring is the Time for Liberation and New Life

Springtime

Spring holidays are a time to reflect on the themes of liberation and of new life. Themes that are especially relevant when it comes to our transition away from fossil fuels toward a renewable energy future, and away from a punitive, costly, and ineffective carceral system toward a system rooted in humanity and second chances.

MA Senate Climate Bill: Free Our Energy System from Fossil Fuels

Last week, the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made clear that it’s “now or never” to act on climate change. Every country (and every state, and every city) needs to enlarge its ambitions, as we build a world free from fossil fuel dependency. A world with cleaner air, better transit, and healthier lives. A world that with its cleaner air, healthier lives, and better transit will be better for all.

Tomorrow, the MA Senate will be voting on a new climate bill: S.2180, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward. The bill takes many positive steps forward, but it does not do enough when it comes to accelerating our transition from renewable energy, improving the energy efficiency of our buildings sector, and investing in public transit.

Urge your state senator to support amendments to make the bill as strong as possible and free our commonwealth from fossil fuels.

No Planet B

What the Judiciary Committee Can Do This Week

Prisons are fundamentally unsafe environments, designed for punishment not rehabilitation. Warehousing people in settings rife with human rights abuses, price gouging, and isolation does not make anyone safer; indeed, our system makes us all worse off.

We know what works and what doesn’t from years of study and from the organizing and advocacy of impacted communities. We need to avoid entrenching a flawed system, we need to ensure that individuals who are incarcerated can maintain a connection with loved ones outside, and we need to ensure that young people have second chances, rather than being cut off from opportunities for life.

This Friday is a key deadline for the MA Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee in making that better vision a reality.

The members of the Judiciary Committee need to hear from you about these bills in particular:

  • No Cost Calls: H.1900: An Act relative to inmate telephone calls, which would prevent prisons and jails from charging individuals who are incarcerated for phone calls to loved ones.
  • Prison Moratorium: H.1905: An Act establishing a jail and prison construction moratorium, which would prevent the state from building new prisons and jails and from thereby locking in a carceral system through increased capacity.
  • Raising the Age: S.920 / H.1826: An Act to promote public safety and better outcomes for young adults, which would raise the age of criminal majority to 21, allowing offending youth to have better access to treatment and educational services and thereby reducing recidivism.
  • Juvenile Expungement: S.980 / H.1531: An Act relative to expungement of juvenile and young adult records, which would expand access to expungement to ensure young people who are on the right track can have better access to education and employment opportunities.

Are your legislators on the Committee? If so, send them an email / give them a call asking for a favorable report for these bills.

Not sure about your legislators? Look them up here.

Senate Judiciary Committee

Jamie Eldridge: James.Eldridge@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1120

Eric Lesser: Eric.Lesser@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1291

Sonia Chang-Diaz: Sonia.Chang-Diaz@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1673

Cindy Creem: Cynthia.Creem@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1639

John Velis: John.Velis@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1415

Patrick O’Connor: Patrick.OConnor@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1646  

House Judiciary Committee

Michael Day: Michael.Day@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2396  

Chynah Tyler: Chynah.Tyler@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2396  

Chris Hendricks: Chris.Hendricks@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2305  

Susannah Whipps: Susannah.Whipps@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2090  

Colleen Garry: Colleen.Garry@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2380

Jon Santiago: Jon.Santiago@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2450  

Brandy Fluker Oakley: Brand.FlukerOakley@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2400

Adam Scanlon: Adam.Scanlon@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2080

Jay Livingstone: Jay.Livingstone@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2575

Alyson Sullivan: Alyson.Sullivan@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2305

Common Start Rally on Saturday + State House Staff Union

This Saturday, parents, families, child care providers and workers, and activists across the state will be joining the Common Start Coalition for a rally on the Boston Common to highlight the need for robust child care and early education infrastructure.
Date: Saturday, April 9
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Place: Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand

RSVP at https://bit.ly/csrallyrsvp

The rally is family-friendly and free to attend. Bus transportation with snacks and beverages will be provided from key locations across Massachusetts.

Can’t make the rally? Send your state legislators an email in support of the bill!

Common Start Rally

Show Your Support for MA Senate Staff

Earlier this week, members of the MA State Senate staff announced that after years of staff organizing, they achieved the number of authorization cards necessary to form a MA Senate staff union. On Thursday, March 31, representatives of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222 (IBEW) notified Senate President Karen Spilka of the successful majority and requested voluntary recognition of the Massachusetts State House Employee Union, which will become the 2nd state legislative staff union in United States history.

Show your support for the MA State House Employee Union here.

News Roundup — April 7, 2022

“Legalization 2.0: Massachusetts Senate approves overhaul of marijuana laws,” Boston Globe

“With this bill, Massachusetts will reclaim our leadership role, carving a path to make equity a reality in the cannabis industry,” said Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Democrat, who championed the legislation as co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy. “Lowering entry costs and opening up new avenues to capital will put this multibillion-dollar industry within reach for many talented equity entrepreneurs.”

“Opinion: Transfer fees on high-end real estate sales could fund affordable housing,” Cape Cod Times

“Do we really want to spend another year watching neighbors move away to somewhere they can actually afford to live? The pandemic allowed us all to see that everyone who makes up our communities are essential personnel, and the sense of community that once marked every single one of our towns is dying.”

Tanisha Sullivan, “How Secretaries of State Can Lead the Fight to Strengthen Democracy,” Democracy Docket

“Massachusetts deserves a secretary who takes up the mantle of leadership and embraces a shared vision for a stronger, more vibrant and more expansive democracy for all of us. Voting rights and access is about more than just the laws on the books; it’s about giving people a pathway into our democracy and a reason to engage.”

“Election day voter registration in Mass. shouldn’t be this hard to achieve,” Boston Globe

“Some lawmakers think they need to be the gatekeeper, to choose their voters,” said Beth Huang, head of Massachusetts Voter Table, a civic advocacy group. “Everything about this reflects how power is weighted against people who are more transient, younger, low-income, and often Black and brown.”

“As Beacon Hill moves toward undocumented drivers’ licenses, big-city mayors voice support,” WGBH News

“The experiences of undocumented communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit them especially hard, may have boosted the proposed reform’s prospects on Beacon Hill. Many undocumented individuals worked in-person providing essential services throughout the pandemic, and there’s some evidence that carpooling linked to the drivers’ license status quo helped spread the virus.”

“Massachusetts election reform conference to hold first meeting this week,” State House News Service

“Lawmakers tasked with reaching compromise on legislation to make mail-in voting a permanent part of the Massachusetts electoral landscape are set to hold their first meeting Thursday, more than two months after they were appointed to hash out differences between the House and Senate bills.” (They need to include Election Day Registration!)

“A Millionaire Tax is Necessary to Advance Critical Education Investments in Massachusetts,” MassBudget

“Federal pandemic relief has helped avert education cuts and added significant funds to expand services during the pandemic, particularly in K-12 schools. But it is insufficient and too short-term to meet the Commonwealth’s existing promises to improve education, much less to make bold new investments in early education, K-12 schools, or on higher education campuses.”

“From #MeToo to #WhoMe? on Beacon Hill,” Boston Globe

“Most successful organizations in this state thrive because they recognize talent, protect and nurture employees, and ensure a respectful work environment where merit, not privilege, drives promotions and allocation of resources. We deserve better from our elected officials.”

“The Three E’s: Greater Transportation Funding Can Improve the Economy, Equity, and Environment,” Mass Budget

“Massachusetts has long underinvested in our transportation systems. Our roads, bridges, trains, buses, ferries, and bike paths are not in the condition they should be. Opportunities to expand and improve these systems are stalled due to lack of dedicated funds. These funding shortfalls create serious harm for Massachusetts’ “three E’s:” the economy, equity, and environment. New sustaining revenue is needed, and no source of new funding is better scaled to meet the size of these unfunded needs than the Fair Share Amendment, which voters will decide on at the November 2022 ballot.”

“Waiting for the governor’s race to get going,” CommonWealth

“Those stances and comments reveal a lot about Healey, but voters need more from a candidate for governor. A governor deals with a multitude of issues, from education funding to public transportation, from prisons to the State Police, from public health to climate change. Sorting out where candidates stand is what campaigns are all about.”

“Charts: How much did housing costs go up in your town?,” Boston Globe

“The survey also found rapidly rising home values in Greater Boston, with some cities, including Boston and Cambridge, reporting home values about 50 percent higher than they were in 2010, the last time a similar survey was released. In Boston, the median owner-occupied home value was $581,000 in 2020, up from $395,000 in 2010. In Cambridge, the median owner-occupied home value was $843,000, compared to $560,000 in 2010. In Somerville, prices rose even higher, from $454,000 in 2010 to $710,000 in 2020 — a 56 percent hike.”

“Four takeaways from the latest report on the Future of Work in Mass.,” Boston Globe

“Most office jobs at big employers will be hybrid or largely remote, for the foreseeable future. For that reason, the MBTA should offer more flexible fare options that aren’t tied to five days a week of commuting. State officials should extend passenger rail service to the South Coast or Western Massachusetts where housing is cheaper. The thinking: People might be more willing to settle down further from their office, if they don’t need to commute every day, and instead take “longer distance, lower frequency trips tied to specific purposes.””

“What if College Were Free? This State Is Trying to Find Out.,” New York Times

“As universities across the United States face steep enrollment declines, New Mexico’s government is embarking on a pioneering experiment to fight that trend: tuition-free higher education for all state residents….After President Biden’s plan for universal free community college failed to gain traction in Congress, New Mexico, one of the nation’s poorest states, has emerged with perhaps the most ambitious plans as states scramble to come up with their own initiatives.”

“Massachusetts Senate passes CROWN Act,” Boston25News

“The CROWN Act ensures that discrimination based on one’s hair style, which largely impacts Black residents, has no place in professional or school settings in the Commonwealth,” said Senate President Karen Spilka. “We must never forget how long and hard the struggle for true racial justice has been for Black and brown residents of Massachusetts.””

Gig Companies’ Lies…As Easy as A, B, C

uber Lyft

Dear Chair Feeney, Chair Murphy, and Members of the Joint Committee on Financial Services,

Thank you for holding today’s hearing. My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the Policy Director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group fighting for a Massachusetts that is more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic.

Progressive Massachusetts is opposed to Big Tech’s anti-worker, anti-consumer Ballot Initiative (H.4375/H.4376), An Act defining and regulating the contract-based relationship between network companies and app-based drivers.

Massachusetts has very clear standards for determining independent contractor standards (the “ABC test”), and gig economy companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Instacart have been in flagrant violation of them.

As a reminder, those three parts are (1) that the work is done without the direction and control of the employer, (2) that the work is performed outside the usual course of the employer’s business, and (3) that the work is done by someone who has their own, independent business or trade doing that kind of work. None of these apply to gig economy work. For example, there would be no Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or Instacart without their drivers; the claim that their companies are merely an app is a clear fallacy intended to evade the law.

Knowing that they are in violation of the law, these companies want to change it, rather than adhere to it. They are planning to spend possibly hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure that the law does not apply to them and that they, themselves, can rewrite it in order to bolster their own profits and power over workers.

These ballot questions would deny app-based gig workers a living wage, benefits, legal rights, and anti-discrimination protections. They also effectively take away consumers’ and the public’s right to take legal action against the companies in the event of an accident, and will disincentivize the companies from doing everything they can to ensure that riders are safe when they avail these services.

These companies spent over $200 million to pass a similar ballot question in California called Proposition 22 with devastating impacts for workers and communities.

The impact of these laws extends beyond just the gig economy sector itself. The ability to define away terms like “employee” and “independent contractor” sets a dangerous precedent, enabling companies across sectors to gut labor rights. Will we see restaurants claiming that the “restaurant” is only the physical building and physical infrastructure, relegating all employees to independent contractor status? Or hospitals claiming that the “hospital” is just the brick-and-mortar building, rather than the doctors, nurses, aides, and other health care workers that make it run? The list goes on.

That is not the future we want to live in, and we hope it is not one you want to live in either.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

News Roundup — March 27, 2022

“Beacon Hill Lags on Sexual Harassment,” Boston Globe

“The bottom line is that State House staffers — now that most are making their post-pandemic return to the building — need someone they can turn to and trust if they are experiencing harassment or discrimination. That person needs to be a visible and accessible presence on Beacon Hill.”

“One Tool to Help Create Affordable Housing — Real Estate Transfer Fees,” Boston Globe

“We have the opportunity to arrest the statewide housing crisis, bolster our economic sustainability, and protect public health. The Legislature must pass the transfer fee and hand municipalities across the state the right tool so we can get to it.”

“Letter: Millionaires’ tax no ‘blank check’,” The Salem News

“Massachusetts is one of the few states without a higher tax on its uber-wealthy. Without that tool, Massachusetts voters know any other option will hit them directly in higher sales or property taxes, even more tuition and fee hikes, cuts to our children’s already understaffed and overstretched schools, or further deterioration of our crumbling infrastructure.”

“Rich Countries Must Stop Producing Oil and Gas By 2034, Says Study,” The Guardian

“The report, led by Prof Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Manchester University, found that wealthy countries such as the UK, US and Australia had until 2034 to stop all oil and gas production to give the world a 50% chance of preventing devastating climate breakdown, while the poorest nations that are also heavily reliant on fossil fuels should be given until 2050.”

“Blue States Must Do More to Protect Democracy,” Democracy Docket

“Too often we have ignored the problems facing voters in blue states, focusing exclusively on the voter suppression laws passed by Republican legislatures. This is a missed opportunity. By improving voting rights, Democrats can improve voting rights for their citizens and raise the bar for what is considered normal and acceptable elsewhere. Finally, showing that expanding voting opportunities works undercuts the Republicans’ false narrative of voter fraud.”

“Wu, Janey, Pressley tout benefits of new fare-free bus service in Boston,” Boston Globe

“I’m very excited that now making those multiple trips to school, to home, to pick up the kids without having to worry about how that will add up or take away from your ability to pay for food, or medicine or rent, that is the ultimate goal here,” Wu said.

“Letter: Access to legal representation changes lives for domestic violence survivors,” Patriot Ledger

“Too often domestic violence survivors face eviction due to violence, and most are unaware of how to protect themselves in court. For too many, eviction means homelessness. All people deserve the right to live without fear of abuse or that they would be unfairly removed from their homes without representation.”

“Healey’s positions on criminal justice give some Democratic activists pause,” Boston Globe

“When you are an attorney general, there tends to be a built-in relationship [with police] and she has definitely been too deferential to state and local police,” said Progressive Massachusetts policy director Jonathan Cohn. “There are many good things she has done as attorney general, but she has not been a leader on criminal justice issues.”

“PILOT payments should be standardized statewide,” CommonWealth

“Given our communities’ needs—in such critical areas as housing, transportation, public schools, and public health—the legislation’s value is obvious. For institutions too, there is a value to having universal standards evenly applied across the board—offering a chance for them to restore public trust through deeds, and not just words.”

“Reform laws only as good as those who enforce them,” Boston Globe

“These fixes shouldn’t wait. When new and trailblazing laws are passed, politicians and advocates too often pat each other on the back and move on. But reforms are only as good as those willing to enforce them and those committed to make them work — not just on paper but on the ground.”

“No, COVID Isn’t Over,” Boston Globe

“Perhaps there will come a time for post-pandemic victory laps. But this moment needs more vigilance, not fewer protocols or threats to federal funding for virus treatments. COVID is still here, but what seems to be all but gone is the leadership on every level to do everything possible to eradicate it.”

“Letter: Fair Share Amendment could boost quality of life for all in Massachusetts,” Berkshire Eagle

“The current state income tax burdens lower-income taxpayers more heavily than it does the wealthy. Here is an opportunity to reduce the inequities of our system when thousands of working families in our state have lost jobs and housing and otherwise have had their lives upended as a result of the pandemic, while the wealthy have seen their incomes soar. As President Joe Biden remarked in his recent State of the Union, it’s time that “wealthy American start paying their fair share.””

“Mass. House leaders heralded the creation of an Equal Employment Opportunity officer. They’ve left the position empty for 15 months.,” Boston Globe

“Ten current and former House staff, most of whom spoke anonymously out of fear of retaliation, told the Globe that they believe the unfilled role signals a lack of commitment to workplace safety by House leadership, and alleged that a self-evaluation McLafferty had conducted regarding staff pay and job descriptions was never finished or discussed after he left the House.”

“Inflation blunts impact of school aid increases in Baker’s budget,” WBUR

“More than 40% of the state’s school districts would receive the smallest possible bump in funding under the governor’s budget plan, and administration officials and lawmakers alike agreed Tuesday that the minimum aid increase is not really much of an increase thanks to the high rate of inflation.”

“Cheap fares, trains to more suburbs: This is what the MBTA was supposed to look like,” Boston Globe

“I think we’d have a city and a region far less dependent on cars,” Johnson said. “Far fewer folks would be impacted by high gas prices or terrible traffic. We’d likely be having fewer fights over parking in new developments.”

“Suspending the gas tax doesn’t make sense,” CommonWealth

“Let’s face facts folks. The problem is not high state gas taxes. They have not gone up since 2013. They don’t even keep pace with inflation. The problem is unbridled corporate greed coupled with US energy insecurity that makes us all economic victims of Russian aggression and self-interested oil cartels. Why, then, would we deprive ourselves of much-needed public revenue, why would we deplete the amount of funding available for investments that will improve our lives, as a response to these unstable, unpredictable, and unmanageable global forces? And why would we do so in a way that helps the wealthiest and not the neediest?”

“Wind down of housing assistance raises concerns,” CommonWealth

“Homes for All Massachusetts and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a report which found that evictions are disproportionately occurring in Black and Latino neighborhoods, neighborhoods with more single mother heads of households, areas with absentee and corporate landlords, and in central and southeast Massachusetts. Of all evictions filed between October 2020 and October 2021, 43 percent were in neighborhoods where a majority of residents are non-white, even though only 32 percent of rental housing is in these areas.”

“Massachusetts House OKs Bill Banning Bias Based on Hairstyle,” NBC News

“Eighty percent of Black women are more likely to change their hair from its natural state to fit a workplace setting and changing to fit your workplace simply suppresses your creativity,” Tyler said.

MA Senate 2021-2022 Midterm Review

This is a companion to the 192nd Session midterm Senate scorecard. Note that it does not include every vote taken by the Legislature but those deemed worthy of inclusion in the scorecard.

Although debates about rules and transparency have proven contentious in the MA House, they have not in the MA Senate. When a vote came up at the start of the to extend the public notice period for legislative hearings from 72 hours to one week so that members of the public can better engage in the legislative process, it passed unanimously (1s).

Some of the early work this session was a continuation of efforts from last session. This includes a vote on the Next Generation Roadmap climate bill (2s), which the Legislature passed at the very end of last session. Governor Baker was able to defeat it with a pocket veto, and with the session having already ended, the Legislature couldn’t override him and had to re-file the bill in the new session. The Senate yet again passed the Healthy Youth Act, which would ensure that schools that teach sex education use a comprehensive and medically accurate curriculum, and the Gender X bill, which would provide a non-binary option to the gender question on state-issued IDs, both of which the House did not pass last session (10s, 11s). There were also attempts to push back against work from last session, with a conservative messaging amendment demanding a cost analysis of the police reform bill, a move intended to imply that police accountability will be a burden for cities and towns (8s).

The Senate also voted to advance the Fair Share Amendment to the 2022 ballot, holding the second constitutional convention required by law (7s). Massachusetts currently has a flat tax, meaning that secretaries and billionaires have the same income tax rate. The Fair Share Amendment would create an additional 4% tax on annual personal income in excess of $1 million, dedicating the revenue to public education and infrastructure needs.

Several other recorded votes also concerned tax policy. The Senate overrode the Governor’s veto of a one-year delay in the charitable deduction, which, if had been implemented, would have cost the state $300 million a year, mainly benefiting the wealthiest taxpayers; as well as his veto of the repeal of a set of corporate tax giveaways (i.e., harbor maintenance credit, medical device user fee credit) that have been proven to benefit only a small number of companies without broader economic impact. They also rejected a tax change from Governor Baker that would have cost the state $90 million each year and given all of the money to the wealthiest residents of the state (9s, 12s-13s).

The Senate defeated other wasteful tax proposals, such as creating a $5 million grant program that would divert public funds to corporate lobby groups (3s) and giving farmers a tax deduction if they donate food to nonprofit, draining money from the state budget that could be used for providing food directly (among other valuable uses) (6s).

The Senate also overrode Baker’s vetoes of the repeal of overly restrictive laws for accessing welfare programs. The asset limits of $250 for Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) and $5,000 for Transitional Assistance to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) created unnecessary paperwork that jeopardized the eligibility of struggling individuals for these modest but critically important benefits (14s-15s). And they defeated a Republican messaging amendment to increase the penalty for unemployment fraud that would have done nothing to address the rise of high-tech, high-dollar fraud from foreign businesses and instead done more to harm people for clerical errors (4s).

The Senate also took action in the bill addressing the crisis and tragedy at the Holyoke Soldiers Home to ensure strong labor and procurement standards, requiring the new Holyoke Soldiers Home to be built with collective bargaining and creating a committee to set goals on hiring minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses for the project (5s).

Last year, the MA Senate also passed a robust version of the VOTES Act, an election reform bill to make COVID-era vote-by-mail and early voting reforms permanent and to go further by enacting Same Day Registration and strengthening protections for jail-based voting. Unfortunately, the Senate defeated several attempts to make this good bill better, including amendments to require at least one secure, accessible drop box location per 25,000 registered voters in a municipality; to enable voters to enroll in vote-by-mail on a permanent basis, rather than just election by election; and to require that all workers be able to take 2 hours of paid time off to vote, ensuring that a work schedule is not a barrier to participating in our democracy (16s-19s).

A significant share of the Legislature’s time last year was spent on redistricting, the decennial redrawing of lines of legislative and Congressional districts to reflect the results of the census. Most maps passed with overwhelming majority, but an interesting exception was the Senate vote on the Congressional maps. Advocates had criticized the proposed map for failing to unite the immigrant, working-class cities of New Bedford and Fall River in one district, namely the coastal 9th Congressional District. Progressives and South Coast senators organized against the proposal, yield a closer vote than expected (20s).

Happy Sunshine Week! ☀☀ Announcing Our Mid-Session Scorecard

Happy Sunshine Week! ☀☀ Sunshine Week is an initiative from the News Leaders Association to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy. We know a thing about excessive and unnecessary secrecy in government here in MA.

But one piece of information we do have is recorded votes.

Each session, we create a scorecard based on a subset of key roll call votes related to our progressive platform. Scorecards provide a vital accountability tool, enabling constituents to see what the Legislature is doing, how their legislators are voting, and where there is room for pressure.

Announcing Our Mid-Session 2021-2022 Scorecard

Our 192nd Scorecard through February 2022 is now live on https://scorecard.progressivemass.com/. You can also find it on our website here and here.

How did your legislators do? Click to find out.

Perfect Scores & Other Data Points

Congratulations to the five legislators who had perfect scores!

  • Rep. Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge)
  • Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville)
  • Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz (D-Jamaica Plain)
  • Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton)
  • Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham)

Other legislators who scored above 90% include Rep. Tami Gouveia (D-Acton), Rep. Nika Elugardo (D-Jamaica Plain), Rep. Russell Holmes (D-Mattapan), Rep. Dan Sena (D-Acton), Sen. Adam Gomez (D-Springfield), Sen. Adam Hinds (D-Pittsfield), Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville), and Sen. Ed Kennedy (D-Lowell).

Compared to last session, fewer Democrats received Ds and Fs. Why? Because the Legislature last session took a number of votes on policing reform, which highlighted major ideological splits in the Democratic caucus in both the House and Senate. There are still plenty of important pending bills that might raise similar ideological splits in the current session if the Legislature chooses bold action instead of inertia and avoidance.

That said, Democrats scoring a “D” or below include Rep. Patrick Kearney (D-Scituate), Rep. Christopher Markey (D-Dartmouth), Rep. Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield), Rep. Jeff Turco (D-Winthrop), Rep. Dave Robertson (D-Tewksbury), Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton), and Sen. Walter Timilty (D-Milton).

No Republican in the House scored above 30%; in the Senate, the highest was Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) at 45%.

Why a Scorecard?

We believe that Democracy functions best when there’s transparency. And, our Massachusetts Legislature functions best when citizens know what votes our elected officials are taking and when we can compare their actions to their rhetoric. But on Beacon Hill, that’s not such a straightforward proposition.

Finding your legislator’s voting record, and understanding it, can be very difficult and time-consuming. With our “progressive scorecards,” finalized at the end of every 2-year legislative session (but with mid-session updates), we aim to make it easier.

What a Score Means…and What It Doesn’t

As they do with letter grades, an A means excellent, a B means good, a C means average, a D means poor, and an F, well, you get the point.

It’s important to understand these scores from two perspectives: (1) how a legislator is doing compared to how we want them to be doing and (2) how a legislator is doing compared to his/her colleagues. A good scorecard is one that tells a story.

That being said, EVERY legislator can be doing better. And part of doing better is providing more recorded votes that truly capture the story of each chamber. We are only scoring the votes that are taken, and there are many bills and amendments that never receive the votes they deserve. A scorecard can’t account for what goes on behind the scenes and how legislators championed or fought bills or amendments before they came to that vote.

But recorded votes matter. They are how legislators provide receipts of their professed principles, and scorecards provide engaged citizens with an understanding of what’s happening at the Legislature—and how they (YOU) can change it.

News Roundup — March 12, 2022

“The Police State Is Failing Officers Too,” The Nation

“As a society, we have been taught that police should respond to every issue, and as a result, their outsize budgets take away resources from basic community needs, including schools, affordable housing, and infrastructure. This one-solution-fits-all approach is backed by neither data nor common sense, and all too often leads to violence and death.”

“MBTA Looking at $230M Shortfall When Federal Aid Runs Out,” State House News Service

“In fiscal year ’24, even after using about $100 million in fiscal year ’24, we still have a gap of $236 million,” O’Hara said. “Our fiscal cliff is then in fiscal year ’24.” A great case for Fair Share

“How Air Pollution Across America Reflects Racist Policy From the 1930s,” New York Times

“Urban neighborhoods that were redlined by federal officials in the 1930s tended to have higher levels of harmful air pollution eight decades later, a new study has found, adding to a body of evidence that reveals how racist policies in the past have contributed to inequalities across the United States today.”

“Federal COVID funds offer Boston Mayor Michelle Wu a big boost with her big plans,” Boston Globe

“The biggest barrier in this city is believing that we can’t do more,” Wu said. “And so being able to show and have people see with their own eyes and live the impacts is going to be transformational for making the case for larger investments down the line.”

“How Did This Many Deaths Become Normal?,” The Atlantic

“The United States reported more deaths from COVID-19 last Friday than deaths from Hurricane Katrina, more on any two recent weekdays than deaths during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, more last month than deaths from flu in a bad season, and more in two years than deaths from HIV during the four decades of the AIDS epidemic.”

“Boston Progressives Fear Rollback of Reforms After DA’s Early Exit,” Bolts

“There’s a strong and growing body of research that shows that declining to prosecute nonviolent misdemeanor cases not only minimizes individuals’ current involvement with the criminal legal system, but also substantially reduces the probability of future involvement,” Cohn told Bolts. 

“Chang-Diaz aims for big, progressive change,” CommonWealth

“We have seen so many examples, time and time again, where people power movements have taken on and won against establishment powers in Massachusetts,” she said. “In the end, we have to remember…that it’s not money that wins elections. It’s people that win elections.”

“2 senators say proposed building code comes up short,” CommonWealth

“The straw proposal bars a city or town from mandating all-electric new construction, even after local officials allow for vigorous analysis and debate. For municipalities in Massachusetts and other progressive states, all-electric construction is the favored strategy for decarbonizing new buildings. Barring communities from employing it would be a significant setback,” the senators said. They added, “Bottom line: Despite its unequivocal support of ‘net zero emissions’ by 2050, despite the special challenges of reducing emissions in buildings, and despite having been given a full 18 months by the Legislature to do its work, the Baker administration has proposed a municipal opt-in specialized stretch energy code that comes up short.”

“‘This should not be survival of the fittest.’ For high-risk people, COVID is far from over,” Boston Globe

“In a way, it was comforting to see people indoors for a while. I thought they would understand what it’s like to not leave your house,” she said. “But when given the chance, the world went outside in a flash and left me behind. I see all my friends living their lives. When is that going to be me?”

“State Senate hires a pay consultant in wake of report that says staff pay ‘breaks with best practice’,” Boston Globe

“The conversation around staff pay was always . . . can we afford to have this conversation with the Senate president now?” Raynor said. “It’s wild when you see the policies you’re pushing for addressing poverty and the fiscal cliff, and realize it’s about you.”

“Senate passes ‘period poverty’ bill,” CommonWealth

“We don’t expect school nurses to pay for toilet paper for everyone in the school,” Jehlen said. “Why should they pay for menstrual products?”

“State Police troopers may have inflated hours they worked in hundreds of details, inspector general finds,” Boston Globe

“The change, the report notes, “appears to remove the incentive for troopers to misrepresent” their hours. But it also means troopers will likely be paid for more time than they actually work, Cunha’s office said.”

“Fewer than 10% of applicants have been granted medical parole, frustrating some Mass. lawmakers,” WBUR

“It reminded me of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ ” said Eldridge, a Democrat whose district includes Middlesex and Worcester. “It was incredibly outdated and cramped and just not ideal for providing health care to prisoners in their 70s and 80s.”

“‘A no-brainer’: Merrimack Valley RTA makes all buses free to ride for two years,” Boston Globe

“I’m about to say something completely radical,” Berger said. “What I’m going to say that’s radical is that we are going fare-free, and that ain’t radical, that’s mainstream.”

“Local-option COVID approach slammed,” CommonWealth

“Not only are we seeing a patchwork of different rules in different communities in this state, which is confusing for the public and also less effective for the public health protections, but it also means that the decisions are getting pushed on to the backs of local public health staff who are then the folks who are being harassed and threatened,” Pavlos said. “That’s really unacceptable.”

“Ending mask mandate won’t bring us back to normal,” CommonWealth

“The pandemic is far from over. Just a few weeks ago, our ERs were overflowing and our primary care colleagues were pulled in to cover hospital shifts. While we are relieved to see the decline in Omicron cases, more variants are sure to emerge. Just last week, the World Health Organization announced a newly detected, even more contagious Omicron subvariant.”

“Massachusetts’ roadmap bill created an environmental justice advisory council. Where is it?,” Boston Globe

“The historic climate law that Governor Charlie Baker signed last March included provisionsmeant to make sure low-income communities and people of color don’t suffer disproportionate environmental harm from new polluting projects….It required Baker’s administration to appoint a special council to weigh in on which communities should have certain environmental protections, on the grounds that they’re already overburdened by pollution from fossil fuel infrastructure…But nearly a year later, Baker hasn’t appointed anyone to the council yet. And the body’s first report is due in July.”

“Mass. residents should welcome law on licenses for undocumented immigrants” (Letter), Boston Globe

“We found that not just immigrant and US-born Latino residents in those states responded more positively to welcoming immigration policies, but also most white, non-Latino residents did as well. Like immigrant and US-born Latinos, white residents displayed a more positive emotional response and felt like they belonged in their state more when immigration policies were more welcoming.”

“14 Takeaways From The Latest U.N. Study On Climate Change’s Deadly Toll,” HuffPost

“But the report emphasizes what millions of people can already intuit from dramatic shifts in weather patterns: Ways of life that sustained generations are coming to an abrupt and chaotic end, causing great suffering that world governments’ responses so far have proven woefully inadequate to ease, much less reverse.”

192nd Senate Scorecard: 2021-2022 Session

192nd Senate Scorecard: 2021-2022 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

Since legislators’ jobs are to vote, we count absences as the same as votes against the progressive position when calculating scores. HOWEVER, when legislators submit letters to the Clerk detailing how they would have voted had they been present, we will count these intentions, so long as their vote would not have alone decided the outcome of a bill or amendment. This helps us better achieve one of our main goals — informing advocacy — and acknowledges that there are extenuating circumstances behind some absences.

192nd Senate Scores *

"Who's my legislator?" Find out here.

Key/Descriptions

* What you see in our Scorecards and accompanying materials and analysis are the result of many, many hours of hard work by dedicated volunteers. Research, interviews, coding, data input, reviewing, designing, coordinating, investigating, editing, and intensive consideration and deliberation. Our scorecards are unique and are having the impact we seek: giving voters access to obscure info that is necessary to keep legislators accountable.

Please support this work with your contribution. With more resources, we can make improvements on many fronts, including design and interactivity. You can also support our work by sharing it, with attribution to Progressive Mass: progressivemass.com/scorecard

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192nd House Scorecard: 2021-2022 Session

192nd House Scorecard: 2021-2022 Session

About the Scorecard:

A scorecard serves its purpose if it tells a story and informs advocacy.

As such, we prioritize votes that are contentious over those that are unanimous: unanimous votes neither tell a story nor inform advocacy. We prioritize bills and amendments that relate to our Progressive Platform and Legislative Agenda over those that do not, and we make a point of including bills and amendments for which our members lobbied their legislators.

Since legislators’ jobs are to vote, we count absences as the same as votes against the progressive position when calculating scores. HOWEVER, when legislators submit letters to the Clerk detailing how they would have voted had they been present, we will count these intentions, so long as their vote would not have alone decided the outcome of a bill or amendment. This helps us better achieve one of our main goals — informing advocacy — and acknowledges that there are extenuating circumstances behind some absences.

192nd House Scores * " target="_new">

"Who's my legislator?" Find out here.

vote descriptions

Key/Descriptions 🔻 click to 🔻 view in separate window 🔻 ">

* What you see in our Scorecards and accompanying materials and analysis are the result of many, many hours of hard work by dedicated volunteers. Research, interviews, coding, data input, reviewing, designing, coordinating, investigating, editing, and intensive consideration and deliberation. Our scorecards are unique and are having the impact we seek: giving voters access to obscure info that is necessary to keep legislators accountable.

Please support this work with your contribution. With more resources, we can make improvements on many fronts, including design and interactivity. You can also support our work by sharing it, with attribution to Progressive Mass: progressivemass.com/scorecard

Return to Scorecards page >>

Want to look at other scorecards?

Don’t know your legislators?  Find out at scorecard.progressivemass.com