Eight Months of Emergency without Emergency Paid Sick Time

Tomorrow marks eight months to the day since Governor Baker issued a state of emergency.

And our Legislature still hasn’t passed emergency paid sick time legislation.

Low-wage workers are our first line of defense against COVID-19, but they are feeling the greatest economic impact of the outbreak. Healthcare and long-term care workers, janitorial workers, food service workers, child care workers, municipal workers, adjunct faculty, gig workers, and others on the front lines are critical to supporting our communities during the OVID-19 outbreak.

But many of these front-line workers are struggling economically and lack basic economic protections including adequate paid sick time.

The MA House has the opportunity THIS WEEK to take action via the budget.

But there’s more. 

The proposed budget by the MA House fails to deliver on the promises made in the Student Opportunity Act last year. Our Governor and our Legislature made a promise to students, teachers, and community members that they would fully fund public schools. In a wealthy state like ours, they can’t punt on this obligation and hide behind manufactured budget constraints.

Legislators have a choice of whether to invest in an equitable economic recovery or accept a dangerous trajectory that leaves the most vulnerable behind.

Can you call or email your legislators in support of these four amendments? Find their contact info here.

  • Amendment #231 (Donato) — Emergency  Paid Sick Time
  • Amendment #524 (Sabadosa) — Increase the Tax Rate on Corporate Profits
  • Amendment #675 (Connolly) —Increase  the Tax Rate that Investors Pay on Unearned Income
  • Amendment #719 (Gouveia) —Tax Profits Shifted Overseas by Increasing the Tax Rate on ‘GILTI’

More about the amendments below

Amendment #231 (Donato) — Emergency Paid Sick Time. Would provide ten additional work-days (80 hours) of job-protected emergency paid sick time for immediate use during the COVID-19 outbreak to workers not covered by federal emergency paid sick time protections. This would allow workers with COVID symptoms to stay home so they can recover and not risk infecting others. As we enter a difficult winter with increasing rates of infection, Emergency Paid Sick Time is urgently needed to limit the spread of COVID19.

Amendment #524 (Sabadosa) — Increase the Tax Rate on Corporate Profits. Would raise the current corporate profits tax rate of 8.0% to the pre-2010 rate of 9.5%, generating $375 to $500 million annually for investments in an equitable recovery. Businesses that are turning a profit should be expected to contribute more to support the public goods on which their profits are based, especially during a public health and state fiscal crisis.  

Amendment #675 (Connolly) — Increase the Tax Rate that Investors Pay on Unearned Income. Would tax unearned income (income from non-retirement investments and other forms of asset ownership, such as stocks, bonds, and dividend and interest income) at a higher rate than earned income (income from wages and salaries, as well as pensions, annuities, 401k, IRAs, and other similar retirement accounts), generating millions annually for investments in an equitable recovery. Unearned income goes overwhelmingly to corporate shareholders and other high-income individuals, who should be expected to contribute more to support the public goods on which we all depend.  

Amendment #719 (Gouveia) — Tax Profits Shifted Overseas by Increasing the Tax Rate on ‘GILTI’. Would adopt a provision of federal law to tax a portion of MA-based corporate profits that are shifted overseas, raising $200 to $400 million annually for investments in an equitable recovery. Many multinational corporations that do business in MA dodge taxes by using complex accounting schemes that make their MA-based profits appear to have been earned in offshore tax havens. A federal provision called ‘GILTI’ identifies this shifted income and allow states to tax a portion of it.

Vote Yes on Question 1, Yes on Question 2

Election Day is just twelve days away. Can you believe it?

On your ballot statewide here in Massachusetts, you’ll see two ballot questions.

YES on Question 1: Right to Repair  🚙🚙

In 2012, Massachusetts voted for a Right to Repair ballot initiative that required automobile manufacturers to provide non-proprietary diagnostic information as well as safety information directly to consumers so that they can choose who repairs their car (rather than being dependent on the manufacturer itself). Technology has advanced in the past eight years, and Question 1 updates the legislative compromise that resulted from the 2012 ballot initiative accordingly. Curbing monopoly power and protecting consumers is a win for all of us.

Yes on 1: Right to Repair Q

YES on Question 2: Ranked Choice Voting 🗳🗳

Our first-past-the-post system forces ordinary voters to weigh whether they can vote for their preferred candidate or whether doing so would lead to a “spoiler effect” that gives a candidate they like less a clearer path to victory. This same dynamic can lead candidates and their supporters to try to force similar candidates out of a race due to a fear of “vote splitting.” 

Within the current system, the ultimate winner may command less than a majority support, a contradiction of a basic tenet of democracy and a far too common occurrence in Massachusetts elections. We have some of the least competitive elections in the country, and candidates can win with small pluralities and then stay in office for decades. Ranked Choice Voting would eliminate these problems by enabling voters to rank the order of their preferences on the ballot and ensuring that whoever wins does so with majority support. 

Yes on 2: RCV

📢Find opportunities to volunteer with Yes on 2 here. 📢

📢Join Ayanna Pressley for a phone bank for Yes on 2 next Monday at 5:30 pm. 📢

Climate & Democracy Ballot Questions

Some state representative districts across the commonwealth will see non-binding advisory ballot questions. We are supporting a YES on two of them in particular.

YES on 100% Renewable Energy ☀️☀️

Question: Shall the representative for this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would require Massachusetts to achieve 100% renewable energy use within the next two decades, starting immediately and making significant progress within the first five years while protecting impacted workers and businesses?

YES on Transparent Government 🗳🗳

Question: Shall the representative for this district be instructed to vote in favor of changes to the Legislature’s rules that would make the results of all votes in Legislative committees publicly available on the Legislature’s website?

It’s simple: if we want a livable planet, we need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels. And our legislators represent us, so we should be able to know how they are voting.

Find out what’s on your ballot here.

Here’s What You Can Do This Week for Civil Rights & Housing Stability

It’s been quite the 24 hours. And if you’re like us, you’re thinking, “How can I take action, including right here in Massachusetts?”

Here are some ways.

Past Time to Pass the ROE Act

While we mourn the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we must redouble our efforts to strengthen reproductive rights here in Massachusetts.

Contrary to our liberal reputation, we still have retrograde language and laws on the books.

Tell your state legislators to stop delaying and pass the ROE Act.

Housing Is a Human Right

At the end of the July, the MA House and Senate passed economic development bills (H4887). Each bill contains some important steps to address our affordable housing crisis.

Can you call your state legislators in support of the following three housing reforms? You can find their number here if you don’t have it.

  • Tenant Opportunity to Purchase, which guarantees the right of refusal for tenants when a large building is up for sale or foreclosed (from the HOUSE bill)
  • Inclusionary Zoning Reforms, which would lower the threshold for passing such ordinances to a simple majority (from the SENATE bill)
  • Eviction sealing protections to gives tenants with no-fault evictions the legal right to petition the court to seal their record any time after the conclusion of the case and provide tenants with non-payment evictions the ability to petition the court to seal within 14 days of paying off their judgment (from the SENATE bill)

Police Accountability Week of Action w/ the ACLU

In July, the MA Senate and House both passed police reform legislation (not far-reaching enough, but with a number of important steps forward). However, since then, police unions have been bombarding them with ads and misinformation to make sure that a final bill gets watered down or not passed at all.

If we want to have any accountability at all, we can’t let such tactics work. Join the ACLU this week for a series of events to draw attention to police brutality here in Massachusetts and underscore the need for action.

Monday, September 21, 6:00 PM: Virtual rally kick off (RSVP here)

Tuesday, September 22, 5:30 PM: Police accountability phone bank (RSVP here)

Friday, September 25, 11:00 AM: Police accountability phone bank (RSVP here)

Haven’t spoken to your state legislators about this bill recently? Take a moment today to do so.

Phone Banking for the Safe Communities Act

The Safe Communities Act would end the entanglement of police, courts, and county sheriffs in immigration enforcement, and protect basic rights. This entanglement makes immigrants fear sharing personal information with anyone, including medical providers and public health workers.

We need to take a stand and make clear that immigrants are welcome here, and that means passing the Safe Communities Act.

Fortunately, the bill was reported out of committee in July. But we need to make sure that there is enough support for it to be brought to the floor by the end of the year.

Join the Safe Communities Coalition for one of these upcoming phone banks:

Monday, 9/21, 5:00-8:00PM – Register here

Thursday, 9/24, 5:00-8:00PM – Register here

Tuesday, 9/29, 5:00-8:00PM – Register here

Thursday, 10/1, 5:00-8:00PM – Register here

Let Our Families Drive! March & Rally

Thousands of Black and Brown immigrant families continue to live in fear of ICE detention for being stopped for a traffic violation and many are being deported – even during a pandemic. All families deserve the right to move freely in our state and live in dignity. 

Saturday, September 26th, the Driving Families Forward Coalition will be holding a rally in support of the Work and Family Mobility Act, which would support expanding access to driver’s licenses across the Commonwealth

Join the Driving Families Forward Coalition for the Let Our Families Drive: March & Rally on Saturday, September 26th at 2:00PM! RSVP for the event here.

The March & Rally will be broadcast via Facebook Live. The coalition will meet up outside the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) located at 136 Blackstone St, Boston (by the Haymarket T Station) and march to the JFK Federal Building to uplift the need to abolish ICE and the deportation machine. The march will end at the State House for a short speaking program and rally.

Phone Bank for the Census

The 2020 census will determine representation and resource allocation for the next decade. If people are uncounted, their voices will be unheard, and their communities won’t get the resources they need to thrive.

That’s why we’re joining our allies at the Massachusetts Voter Table to call residents and voters in communities of color, working-class neighborhoods, and more to participate in the 2020 Census and to make a plan to vote safely this fall.

Sign up for a phone bank here.

These Bills Passed in July. Why Are They Still in Conference Committee?

In July, the MA House and MA Senate both passed police reform bills (of varying ambition). And the House passed a climate bill (the Senate had done so back in January).

In each case, there are six-member committees of state senators and state representatives (“conference committees”) working to come up with a final bill.

So where are they?

The short answer: We don’t know.

The long answer: Conference committees are incredibly secretive processes. But the more your legislators hear from you about the need for the strongest bills possible on both fronts, the better the odds are that we will see better final products — or any final bills at all.

Can you contact your state legislators this weekend with four key asks for each bill?

Climate Bill

  1. Environmental justice language to protect vulnerable and historically marginalized communities that have borne the brunt of pollution and other environmental harms
  2. An accelerated timeline for emissions targets because we are already so far behind
  3. Increased renewable electricity generation because we need to be shifting away from fossil fuels and toward clean, green energy for us to even meet those targets
  4. A clear equity focus in any carbon pricing scheme that comes out of the bill so that the communities most impacted by environmental injustices can benefit from a sustainable transition

Police Reform Bill

  1. Strong reforms to qualified immunity as well as the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, as in the Senate bill, to ensure that victims of police brutality can have their fair day in court
  2. Breaking up the school-to-prison pipeline by granting schools discretion over whether or not to have school resource officers and ensuring that student information is not being passed on to police or ICE
  3. Reinvestment in communities because strong, thriving communities are the bedrock of any real vision of public safety
  4. Restrictions on the government use of facial surveillance because such tools are notoriously racist and inaccurate and violate basic privacy rights

2020 Primary Election Debrief

Tuesday’s primary broke records, with more than 1.5 million people casting ballots. By contrast, fewer than 1 million people voted in the 2018 state primaries.

What accounts for the difference? A hotly contested Senate race drove turnout for sure. But a major driver was the expansion of vote-by-mail and early voting, which alerted more people to the fact that an election was even happening and made it easier for them to participate. As the next legislative session nears, it will be important to make these reforms not just a pandemic-induced one-off but a part of how we do elections in Massachusetts.

Another major winner on Tuesday?

Senator Ed Markey. Markey’s campaign was able to clearly communicate his history of delivering for Massachusetts and leading on progressive policy (especially on climate action), and he was able to combine support from party regulars with energized youth activists who combined a spirited online presence with a commitment to organizing and mobilizing voters of all ages. When Congressman Joe Kennedy first announced, early polls showed him leading: on Tuesday, Markey won 55.4% to 44.6%, a double-digit win. Kudos to all involved.

While high turnout should always be celebrated, it may have made an uphill battle even steeper for Congressional primary challengers, as countless voters may have cast their ballots before the challengers’ had the chance to make contact with them (or may have never even been in an expected voter universe). Despite this and the myriad of challenges posed by COVID, Holyoke mayor

Alex Morse was able to pull 41.2% of the vote against Congressman Richard Neal, and physician Robbie Goldstein 33.3% of the vote against Congressman Stephen Lynch. We’re excited for their political futures and hope that Neal and Lynch realize that they’re on watch.

So How about the State Senate?

In the Springfield-based Hampden district, progressive Springfield City Councilor Adam Gomez defeated centrist incumbent Jim Welch 52.5% – 47.5%, adding another progressive voice to the MA Senate and increasing the size of the Senate Black & Latino Caucus.

Disappointingly, over in the southern suburbs and exurbs of Boston, progressive challenger Jarred Rose lost to conservative incumbent Walter Timilty 68.1% to 31.9%. A clear sign of the turnout jump from this year? Jarred Rose got 11,637 votes; in 2018’s uncontested race, Timilty got just 1,000 more total votes than that. More than twice as many ballots were cast as were in the contested open race for this seat in 2016.

So How about the State House?

Three of our endorsees —Steve Owens, Orlando Ramos, and Erika Uyterhoeven — won in their open primaries to replace Representatives Jon Hecht, Joe Tosado, and Denise Provost, respectively. All three had strong voter outreach operations and clear messages.

Other candidates — whether running in open seats or against incumbents — were not so lucky, although some came extremely close. Given challenges they faced — the inability to run as aggressive of a field operation due to the pandemic, huge spikes in turnout learned about too late to adjust, and a wave of outside spending from allies of Charlie Baker and Bob DeLeo –they all did respectably, and we look forward to what comes next for all of them. They were fighting for progressive policy change before they started running, and we know they will continue to do so — and have inspired more people to join because of their campaigns.

Orlando Ramos (9th Hampden): WON 47.0% – 39.1% Hurst – 14.0% Mullan [Won by 552 votes]

Marianela Rivera (17th Essex): LOST 64.4% – 35.5% 

Lisa Arnold (17th Middlesex): LOST —  43.8% Howard (WON) – 32.1% Nangle (incumbent) – 24.1% Arnold 

Erika Uyerhoeven (27th Middlesex): WON — Uyterhoeven 62% – Sharp 38% 

Steve Owens (29th Middlesex): WON — Owens 59.65% – Sideris 22.95% – Ciccarelli 17.4% 

Andrew Flowers (8th Norfolk): LOST — Philips 51.7% – Flowers 48.3% [lost by 342 votes] 

Damali Vidot (2nd Suffolk): LOST — Ryan 57.6% – Vidot 42.4% 

Gretchen Van Ness (14th Suffolk): LOST  — Consalvo 53.4% – GVN 32.1% – Duckens 14.5% 

Joe Gravellese (16th Suffolk): LOST — Giannino 61.45% – Gravellese 38.55% 

Jordan Meehan (17th Suffolk): LOST 54.2% Honan – 45.8% Meehan [lost by 662 votes]

Ceylan Rowe (12th Worcester): LOST — Kilcoyne 51.4% – Rowe 28.2% – Turner 20.2% 

Vote for Ed Markey and Downballot Progressives!

ou may have already voted, but we’re sure that even if you have, you still know people who haven’t yet.

TOMORROW — Tuesday, September 1st — is the last day to cast your ballot for the primary.

Polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. Find your polling location at wheredoivotema.com. (Note: Some polling locations have changed, so make sure to double check.)

If you still have your mail-in ballot, the best thing to do would be to drop your ballot off at the secure dropbox in your city/town. You need to do so by 8 pm tomorrow (the earlier, the better). You can find dropbox locations here. You cannot drop your mail-in ballot at a polling location tomorrow instead, but you can still vote in-person if you have not submitted your mail-in ballot.

Check if your mail-in ballot has been processed here. If it has not been, you can still vote in-person.

If you have any issues casting a ballot, or see clear issues like long lines or closed polling places, call the Election Protection Hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

WHOM TO VOTE FOR

You can find a complete list of our 2020 endorsements below. Scroll down to find links to the full sets of questionnaires that we received, including for races in which we did not yet choose to endorse. We make all of the questionnaires we receive available to the public as a service to you, the voters.

NB: There are some races that are contested in the general (but not the primary) in which we haven’t endorsed. Stay tuned for more!

Congress

US Senate: Ed Markey

Read our endorsement announcement of Ed Markey here.

MA-01: Alex Morse

MA-08: Robbie Goldstein

Read our endorsement announcement of Alex Morse and Robbie Goldstein here.

MA Legislature

MA Senate

Adam Gomez, Hampden

Becca Rausch, Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex

Jarred Rose, Norfolk, Bristol & Plymouth

Meg Wheeler, Plymouth & Norfolk

MA House

Amber Hewett, 1st Essex

Christina Eckert, 2nd Essex

Orlando Ramos, 9th Hampden

Marianela Rivera, 17th Essex

Lisa Arnold, 17th Middlesex

Erika Uyterhoeven, 27th Middlesex

Steve Owens, 29th Middlesex

Andrew Flowers, 8th Norfolk

Damali Vidot, 2nd Suffolk

Gretchen Van Ness, 14th Suffolk

Joe Gravellese, 16th Suffolk

Jordan Meehan, 17th Suffolk

Ceylan Rowe, 12th Worcester

Governor’s Council

District 6: Helina Fontes

District 7: Paul DePalo

Sheriff (Special)

Norfolk County: Bill Phelan

Click below for C

The Primary Is Just Over Half Weeks Away. Here Are Some New Endorsements.

The Massachusetts primary is just over two weeks away. We’ve made some endorsements already this spring and summer, and we’re ready to announce a few more.

Do you have questions about voting safely this fall? Check out SafeElectionsMA.org.

MA Legislature

Adam Gomez for Hampden Senate District

Adam Gomez is the Vice President of the Springfield City Council, where he serves as chair of Economic Development, and holds positions on the committees for Casino Oversight, Finance, and Environment and Sustainability. Adam is running to build a community where everyone has a good-paying job they can get to, where everyone has a home in a safe and healthy neighborhood, and where everyone sends their children to a world-class school. 

District: Parts of Chicopee, Springfield, and West Springfield

Learn more about Adam Gomez’s campaign here.

Orlando Ramos for 9th Hampden House District

Orlando Ramos is the chair of the Public Safety Committee of the Springfield City Council, where he has spearheaded the passage of one of the first ordinances to ban facial surveillance technology, and a member of United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 336. He is running to continue the fight for police accountability and to ensure that cities like Springfield aren’t left behind, especially when it comes to equitable education funding.

District: Parts of Springfield and Chicopee

Learn more about Orlando Ramos’s campaign here.

Governor’s Council

The Massachusetts Governor’s Council is composed of eight individuals elected from districts, and the Lieutenant Governor who serves ex officio. The eight councillors are elected from their respective districts (consisting of five State Senate districts) every two years. The Council meets weekly to record advice and consent on warrants for the state treasury, pardons and commutations, and recording advice and consent to gubernatorial appointments such as judges, clerk-magistrates, public administrators, members of the Parole Board, Appellate Tax Board, Industrial Accident Board and Industrial Accident Reviewing Board, notaries, and justices of the peace.

Helina Fontes for Governor’s Council – District 6

Helina Fontes is a community organizer and an experienced human services and mental health program director. She is running to ensure that judges and parole board members are representative of the communities they serve, understand the unique challenges of those communities, and have demonstrated a personal commitment to jail and prison diversion, community integration, and racial justice.

Cities and Towns in District 6: Cambridge, Everett, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Marblehead, Medford, Melrose, Nahant, Reading, Saugus, Somerville, Stoneham, Swampscott, Wakefield, Winchester + parts of Boston (East Boston, Charlestown, North End, West End, Downtown, Beacon Hill, and parts of the South End and Allston/Brighton)

State Senators’ Districts within D6: Brendan Crighton, Joe Boncore, Sal DiDomenico, Pat Jehlen, Jason Lewis

Learn more about Helina Fontes’s campaign here.

Paul DePalo for Governor’s Council – District 7

Paul DePalo is an attorney, former special education teacher, and member of the Worcester Planning Board. He’s running to ensure that the Parole Board has more mental health professionals and that Massachusetts judges protect women’s rights, workers’ rights, and civil rights for everyone in our inclusive Commonwealth. ​

Cities of District 7: Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, and Worcester; Towns of District 7: Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Auburn, Barre, Bellingham, Berlin, Blackstone, Bolton, Boylston, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton, Clinton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Hardwick, Holden, Holland, Hopedale, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leicester, Lunenburg, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Monson, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northborough (Pcts. 1, 2, 4), Northbridge, Palmer, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southbridge, Spencer, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sutton, Templeton, Townsend, Upton, Uxbridge, Wales, Ware, Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Westminster, Winchendon

Learn more about Paul DePalo’s campaign here.

Sheriffs

Bill Phelan for Norfolk County Sheriff

Bill Phelan comes with the background of a former mentor for at-risk youth, former mayor, and current defense attorney. He is running to provide a continuum of services before, during, and after incarceration delivered with compassion and dignity in a safe environment and to foster a culture of racial equity and respect for all.

Learn more about Bill Phelan’s campaign here.

One Month Until Primary Day: Our New State Legislative Endorsements

The Massachusetts state primary is just one month away: Tuesday, September 1st. And the general election just three months and two days.

The basics for getting prepared for the next month:

But beyond just being registered, we want you to be informed. Read questionnaires from candidates running for State Legislature across the state here.

There are a lot of questionnaires, so we decided to break up our endorsements into multiple batches as in years past.

Our Elections Committee reviewed questionnaires, spoke with allies, and made recommendations for our second round of endorsements, and then our members voted.

And we’re proud to endorse the following candidates, who will be progressive champions in the MA House and Senate.

🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳

SENATE 

NorfoBlk, Bristol & Middlesex: Becca Rausch

Becca Rausch is a first-term senator and a progressive champion. We endorsed Becca in 2018, and she’s been one of our strongest allies in the Senate, with a perfect score on our 2019 scorecard. She’s been a tireless fighter for health equity, civil rights, and strengthening our democracy, and we need more senators like her.

Learn more at https://www.beccarausch.com/.

Where’s the District?: All or parts of Attleboro, Franklin, Millis, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, North Attelborough, Plainville, Sherborn, Wayland, Wellesley, and Wrentham

Norfolk, Bristol & Plymouth: Jarred Rose

Jarred Rose is a Town Meeting Member in Stoughton, a member of the Stoughton Cultural Council, and a former policy adviser in the MA Senate. He is running to fight for a Massachusetts Green New Deal, affordable housing for all income levels, and a more equitable and inclusive commonwealth.

Learn more at https://www.jarredrose.com/.

Where’s the District?: All or parts of Avon, Braintree, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Milton, Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater

Plymouth & Norfolk: Meg Wheeler

Meg Wheeler is the founder of One for Women, an online community and marketplace devoted to connecting and empowering women. She is running to fight for universal child care, a more aggressive response to climate change, and an economy that works for all, not just those on the top.

Learn more at https://www.megwheeler.com/.

Where’s the District?: Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwell, Scituate, and Weymouth

🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳🗳

HOUSE

1st Essex: Amber Hewett

Amber Hewett is an environmental advocate who has advanced offshore wind policy in a number of states at the National Wildlife Federation. She’s ready to continue the fight for bold policies to mitigate climate change and address the intersectionality of the climate crisis with inequality and systemic racism.

Learn more at https://www.amberhewett.com/.

Where’s the District?: Amesbury, Newburport, and Salisbury

2nd Essex: Christina Eckert

Christina Eckert is a community advocate who has worked for Merrimack River Watershed Council, Masconomet Education Foundation, and the Community Giving Tree. She is running to fight for environmental protection and housing security and address the district’s status as public transit desert.

Learn more at https://www.eckertforrep.com/.

Where’s the District?: All or parts of Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Newbury, and West Newbury

8th Norfolk: Andrew Flowers

Andrew Flowers is an economist and the chair of Walpole’s affordable housing committee. He is running to fight for greater investments in public transit, make Massachusetts a more welcoming state for all, and strengthen democracy in the State House and the state as a whole.

Learn more at https://andrewflowers.com/.

Where’s the District?: All or parts of Mansfield, Sharon, Stoughton, and Walpole

16th Suffolk: Joe Gravellese

Joe Gravellese is former legislative director and mayoral aide and has the hands-on experience of crafting policy. He’s running for office in order to fight for greater investment in public transit, solutions to our affordable housing crisis, and an accelerated transition to 100% renewable energy.

Learn more at https://www.joegrav.com/.

Where’s the District?: Parts of Chelsea, Revere, and Saugus

Will Any True Reform Have Taken Place?

Dear Conference Committee Members,


I am writing today as the chair of the Issues Committee and Secretary of the Board of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots progressive advocacy

We urge you to the inclusion of the following provisions in a final bill, We would specifically note that without strengthening the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act and limiting qualified immunity, most other reforms in the bill will fail to deliver on their promise. If our legal system continues to allow police officers to violate the basic constitutional rights of Massachusetts residents, especially those who are Black or Brown, with impunity, then little if any “reform” will have taken place.

From the SENATE Bill:

(1) Section 10, which enables victims of police abuse to seek redress in the courts

(2) Sections 34-40, which require transparency and public decision-making about local police acquisition of military equipment such as tanks, grenade launchers, and armored vehicles

(3) Section 37, which establishes a Justice Workforce Reinvestment Fund

(4) Section 49, which prohibits schools from transmitting to law enforcement personal information about students or their family members

(5) Section 50, which permits school superintendents to determine whether or not police should be assigned to local schools.

(6) Section 52, which bans racial and other profiling, requires data collection for all stops, frisks, and searches with, analysis, reporting, and accountability if the data demonstrates profiling

(7) Sections 59-61, which clarify that individuals petitioning for expungement may do so for more than one record and creates a limited, rather than indefinite, lookback period for expungement eligibility.

(8) Language in Section 55 – 2(f) that requires police to plan for de-escalation in advance of protests or gatherings

From the HOUSE bill:

(1) Section 2, which clarifies that law enforcement misconduct records are public records

(2) Section 25, which restricts government use of facial surveillance

(3) Section 78, which establishes reasonable safeguards around the use of no-knock warrants

(4) The definition of “choke hold” in Section 29

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Chair, Issues Committee

Secretary, Board

Progressive Massachusetts

Fight for the Strongest Police Reform Bill

House and Senate Leadership have appointed a conference committee to reconcile their respective bills. The conference committee — Sen. Brownsberger, Sen. Sonia Chang Diaz, Sen. Tarr, Rep. Cronin, Rep. Gonzalez, and Rep. Whelan — will work on a consensus bill, which will have to be voted on and then sent to the Governor.

Please urge your legislators and Governor Charlie Baker to support the strongest bill possible.

From the SENATE Bill:

(1) Section 10, which enables victims of police abuse to seek redress in the courts

(2) Sections 34-40, which require transparency and public decision-making about local police acquisition of military equipment such as tanks, grenade launchers, and armored vehicles

(3) Section 37, which establishes a Justice Workforce Reinvestment Fund

(4) Section 49, which prohibits schools from transmitting to law enforcement personal information about students or their family members

(5) Section 50, which permits school superintendents to determine whether or not police should be assigned to local schools.

(6) Section 52, which bans racial and other profiling, requires data collection for all stops, frisks, and searches with, analysis, reporting, and accountability if the data demonstrates profiling

(7) Sections 59-61, which clarify that individuals petitioning for expungement may do so for more than one record and creates a limited, rather than indefinite, lookback period for expungement eligibility.

(8) Language in Section 55 – 2(f) that requires police to plan for de-escalation in advance of protests or gatherings

From the HOUSE bill:

(1) Section 2, which clarifies that law enforcement misconduct records are public records

(2) Section 25, which restricts government use of facial surveillance

(3) Section 78, which establishes reasonable safeguards around the use of no-knock warrants

(4) The definition of “choke hold” in Section 29