Take Action: The MA Legislative Session Ends in TWO WEEKS

Did you know that the current legislative session at the MA State House ends in just two weeks?

That’s right: any bills that don’t pass between now and July 31st are done until next year (at the earliest).

That means that there will be a flurry of activity in the coming weeks, and we want to keep you in the loop.

Stop the MA Legislature from Giving Massive Tax Breaks to the Wealthiest Estates

The Massachusetts tax system hits the wallets of lower-income people harder than high earners, with the bottom 20% of earners paying a higher percentage of their income in state and local taxes than the top 1%. An exception is the Commonwealth’s relatively robust estate tax. The estate tax is one of the main policies we have focused on reducing the gaping racial wealth gap in Massachusetts.

Nonetheless, the Massachusetts House voted last week to roll back the estate tax, to the cost of $207 million. This lost revenue means money isn’t available for important investments or for tax relief for the struggling residents of the Commonwealth.

Even worse, the estate tax rollback was designed in a way that disproportionately benefits the largest estates, namely those over $3 million. This would be the biggest increase in the racial wealth gap in decades.

If legislators want to help comparatively smaller estates, they should design their design their policies to do so, not advance a costly giveaway to the wealthiest estates.

Can you write to your state senator to urge them to reject the House’s estate tax proposal?

Turn up the Heat: MA Needs Climate Action

A climate bill is in the works, but it hasn’t reached the Governor’s desk yet. Together, the provisions laid forth in the House and Senate proposed bills put Massachusetts in a good position to implement strategies to reduce our emissions 50% by 2030 – as required by law – and create healthier communities.

But these strategies cannot wait two years more to be passed into law! Let’s ensure that lawmakers finalize a climate bill that moves us toward our shared climate and justice goals.

The conference committee and House and Senate leaders must send a bill to the Governor’s deskby Thursday, July 21 to avoid the chance of a pocket veto by Governor Baker.

Your legislators need to hear from you: no climate bill is not an option! Advocates are circulating a public sign-on letter for legislators to show their support for moving this forward swiftly. Your legislators need to hear from you that it’s important they demonstrate support!!

Take action!

  1. Check if your legislators have signed onto the letter
  2. If not, send your legislators a message asking them to sign on – either by emailing them or calling them.

Email

Dear _________

I am alarmed to hear that, in the final days of the legislative session, a comprehensive climate bill is still not on the governor’s desk. We have very little time before the end of the session.

[why passing a climate and justice bill is important to you]

We must get a climate bill to the governor’s desk by Thursday. Please join me in voicing your support for swift passage by signing on to this public “Dear Colleague” letter.

Thank you,

Call

I’m calling to voice concern that the legislature has still not passed a climate bill this session. Climate advocates are circulating a public sign-on letter for legislators in support of quickly moving a bill. Has the Representative/Senator seen the letter? You can view the form and the letter at bit.ly/maclimate22. Will the Representative/Senator sign on?

If yes: Wonderful, thank you. They can use the sign-on form found in the letter

If not sure/need to get back to you: Please let me know what the legislator says.

If no: Can you explain why not?

Two More Asks from Our Allies

Take Action in Support of the Prison Moratorium

This legislative session, our allies at Families for Justice as Healing and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls filed groundbreaking legislation to establish a 5-year moratorium on jail and prison construction and expansion (S.2030 and H.1905).

The 5-year Moratorium would provide organizers the opportunity to focus on releasing women, implementing real alternatives, and investing in community-led solutions that create real safety and well-being rather than move forward with a new women’s prison in Middlesex County or elsewhere. (Learn more at nonewwomensprison.org)

The House passed the Moratorium as part of the Infrastructure Bond Bill (H4790) on May 19 with only a few small changes from the original bills.

However, the Senate has passed inadequate Moratorium language that would not stop the women’s prison construction project as it’s currently written. It also fails to restrict jail construction.

These bills are currently in Conference Committee, where six legislators (3 state senators and 3 state representatives) are negotiating the final details. That means there’s still time to make your voice heard.

Here’s what you can do, per Families for Justice as Healing:

(1) Call and email the SIX Infrastructure Bond Bill Committee members to include the House version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium in the final bill!

You can also use this quick Action Network tool.

Senator Will Brownsberger (617) 722-1280 / William.Brownsberger@masenate.gov

Senator Nick Collins (617) 722-1150 / Nick.Collins@masenate.gov

Senator Ryan Fattman (617) 722-1420 / Ryan.Fattman@masenate.gov

Representative Danielle Gregoire (617) 722-2140 / Danielle.Gregoire@mahouse.gov

Representative Carlos Gonzalez (617) 722-2230 / Carlos.Gonzalez@mahouse.gov

Representative David Vieira (617) 722-2230 / David.Vieira@mahouse.gov

“Hello, my name is _______________ and I’m calling to ask you to include the House version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium language in the final version of the Infrastructure Bond Bill. The House language will prevent the new women’s prison project and allow a 5-year pause on new jail and prison construction so we can focus on implementing alternatives and investing in community-led solutions for real safety and well-being. Passing the House Moratorium language is what’s best for women, families, and communities. Thank you.

(2) Call and email your own State Rep and Senator and ask them to tell the Infrastructure Bond Bill Committee members to include the House version of the Moratorium in the final bill!

Find your legislators’ contact info here — or use our Action Network tool here.

“Hello, my name is _______________ and I’m your constituent. One of my top priorities this session is making sure the strongest possible version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium passes into law. Please let your colleagues on the Infrastructure Bond Bill Conference Committee know to include the House version of the Moratorium language in the final version of the Infrastructure Bond Bill. The Senate Bill has too many loopholes, but the House language will prevent the new women’s prison project and allow a 5-year pause on new jail and prison construction so we can focus on implementing alternatives and investing in community-led solutions for real safety and well-being. Passing the House Moratorium language is what’s best for women, families, and communities, so please make sure you do everything you can to make that happen. Thank you!”

(3) Post on Twitter to boost public pressure on the Conference Committee!

       Option 1

I support a five-year moratorium on jail and prison construction in MA, so I urge you to include the HOUSE language in the final Infrastructure Bond Bill. @nickcollinsma @WBrownsberger @DWGregoire @RyanFattman Rep Gonzalez and Rep Vieira

#NoNewWomensPrison #MApoli

       Option 2

The Senate version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium falls short. Conference Committee members, please include the HOUSE language in the final bill.

@nickcollinsma @WBrownsberger @DWGregoire @RyanFattman Rep Gonzalez & Rep Vieira

#NoNewWomensPrison #MApoli

(4) Sign up to volunteer to phone bank and canvas with the campaign. bit.ly/nonewprisonvolunteer

Take Action: How to Make the MA House’s Economic Development Bill More Equitable

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Legislature released their economic development bill, a mix of investments and tax reforms. While there are many parts of the bill that are welcome and overdue, the Legislature misses the mark on others.

No Excuse for Excluding Those Most in Need from Rebates

The economic development bill includes a provision to send one-time taxpayer rebates of $250 (or $500 for married couples) to individuals who reported between $38,000 and $100,000 in income (or up to $150,000 for joint filers) in 2021 as a way of blunting the impact of inflation on households.

But what about those with less than $38,000? Speaker Mariano argued that such individuals already received support through essential worker bonuses earlier this year, but if anyone could benefit from additional money right now in our increasingly unaffordable state, it is those who have the least.

Rep. Tami Gouveia’s Amendment #813 would eliminate this income floor.

Regressive Tax Cuts

All in all, the bill spends $523.5 million through tax policy changes. $207 million of that (almost 40%) will go to more affluent residents—an estimated 2,500 taxpayers.

That’s because of a change to the estate tax in the bill. Currently, the estate tax kicks in for estates valued $1 million or more (with a graduated rate above that), with a “cliff” effect leading to the whole value of the estate being taxed after that $1 million.

Cliffs can be bad policy designs, but what’s even worse is cuts to vital programs and services that would result from lost revenue. The Legislature could have chosen clear, readily available ways to fix this without costing so much money but chose not to.

Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven’s Amendment #621 would eliminate the estate tax language entirely and send the House back to the drawing board for a better proposal and Amendment #630 would would eliminate the cliff effect while preserving the progressive nature of the estate tax.

A Whiff on Housing Policy

In last year’s economic development bill, the Legislature included important zoning reforms and tenant protections. The economic development bill is one of the last chances for the Legislature to continue that work, and they missed that opportunity — a stunning decision as this state becomes increasingly unaffordable.

Rep. Mike Connolly filed several amendments to address this gap in the bill:

  • Amendment #26: Increase rental deduction to $5,000, which increases the rental deductions from $4,000 to $5,000.
  • Amendment #113: Simple-majority approval standard for inclusionary zoning ordinances, which would enable municipalities to approve inclusionary zoning ordinances by simple majority vote
  • Amendment #176: Local Option Real Estate Transfer Fee for Housing Affordability, which would enable municipalities to pass locally appropriate transfer fees on high-end real estate transactions to create dedicated funds for affordable housing

Can you contact your state rep in support of these amendments?

Time is Short: The Legislature Can Take Action to Rein in the Costs of Child Care and Housing

The national discourse around inflation tends to leave out major sources of rising costs facing individuals and families across the Commonwealth and the whole country: the spiraling costs of child care and housing.

Fortunately, the MA Senate is planning to vote on a bill this Thursday that represents a substantial step toward implementing a vision of a high-quality early education and child care system that is affordable and accessible for all families. You can read the Common Start Coalition’s statement on the bill here.

Let’s talk about housing for a moment too. There are less than four weeks left in the Legislative Session, and we need action–fast.

The Housing Crisis Requires Every Tool in the Toolbox

QUICK VERSION: Urge your state legislators to advocate for the inclusion of legislation to increase affordable housing production, preserve affordable housing stock, and protect tenants in the upcoming economic development bill.

CONTEXT: At the end of the last legislative session, the MA Legislature passed an economic development bill that included several key provisions to address the housing crisis in Massachusetts:

  • Reducing the voting threshold to a simple majority for smart growth zoning and affordable housing
  • Requiring cities and towns served by the MBTA to create at least 1 district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right because transit-oriented development is good for equity and for the environment (“MBTA communities”)
  • Allowing municipalities the option of providing tenants in multi-family buildings the right to match a third-party offer when their homes are being sold, a key tool for preserving affordable housing stock (“tenant opportunity to purchase”)
  • Creating a process to seal eviction records for no-fault evictions, as eviction records can stay with tenants for life and make it prohibitive to find stable housing

But, on all four fronts, the work is unfinished.

  • A 2/3 majority approval threshold is still required for municipalities to adopt inclusionary zoning ordinances that would require a certain percentage of new construction be affordable.
  • The MBTA communities requirement lacks an enforcement mechanism, and it is too limited in application.
  • Charlie Baker VETOED the two pro-tenant proposals, and because the legislative session had already ended, the Legislature could not override him.

OPPORTUNITY: The Legislature is going to be passing another economic development bill in the final weeks of the session, and it’s essential that that bill finish the work of last year’s bill. And it’s essential that the Legislature doesn’t wait until the last minute to pass it.

REQUEST: Can you email your state legislators to urge them to prioritize a pro-housing, pro-tenant agenda in the economic development bill that includes the following?

  • H.1448: An Act Relative to Housing Production, which would lower the threshold for municipalities to approve inclusionary zoning ordinances, require multi-family zoning around public transportation and other suitable locations, and facilitate the conversion of underutilized public land and vacant commercial properties for housing
  • H.1426: An Act to guarantee a tenant’s first right of refusal, which would let cities and towns adopt “tenant opportunity to purchase” ordinances that can preserve affordable rental housing stock, provide a mechanism for tenant associations to collectively purchase their buildings, and stabilize low-income households.
  • H. 4505: An Act promoting housing opportunity and mobility through eviction sealing (HOMES), which would create a process for the sealing of no-fault eviction records

This Week: Take Action on Juvenile Justice Reform

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

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

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

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

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

TOMORROW: Fair Share Canvass with Elizabeth Warren

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

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

RSVP HERE.

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

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

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

Contact your legislators here!

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

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

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

Here are three key areas to contact your legislators on:

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

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

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

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

TONIGHT: Community Forum on Suffolk & Plymouth County DA Races

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

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

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

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

RSVP here.

TOMORROW: The ‘Segrenomics’ of Education

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

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

RSVP here.

WEDNESDAY: Education Budget Briefing

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

RSVP here.

Education Budget Briefing

In solidarity,

Less Than Six Months Until Election Day

I was looking at the calendar yesterday and realized something: we were exactly six months to the day away from Election Day (November 8, 2022).

That means that we now have less than six months to have as many conversations with fellow voters around the Commonwealth about the Fair Share for MA campaign and how it can mean better schools, better roads, better bridges, better transit, and a fairer economy.

The campaign will be formally launching this week, and there will be canvasses around the state (and many more to come).

This Week: Join Fair Share for Massachusetts for a regional canvass during our campaign launch week!

We’ll be hitting the doors and talking to voters about how the Fair Share Amendment could transform our communities—from well-resourced and affordable public education to safe roads and bridges and reliable public transportation.

Canvasses are being held in:

  • Amherst – Thursday, May 12
  • Boston (Hyde Park) – Saturday, May 14
  • Fall River – Saturday, May 14
  • Salem – Saturday, May 14
  • Somerville – Sunday, May 15
  • Brookline – Sunday, May 15

Sign up here!📋📋

And sign a pledge to vote YES on Fair Share this November if you haven’t already!

Will You Be Able to Register on Election Day? 🗳

Negotiations between the MA House and MA Senate happening right now will determine whether or not eligible voters will be able to register to vote or update their registration on Election Day.

The four Democrats on the six-person Conference Committee are Senators Barry Finegold (Andover, Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury) and Cindy Creem (Brookline, Newton, Wellesley) and Representatives Mike Moran (Allston-Brighton, St. Mary’s in Brookline) and Dan Ryan (Charlestown, most of Chelsea).

Look up your state representative and state senators’ phone numbers here and call them to stress the importance of passing Election Day Registration this year.

Sample Script: 📞

“My name is [NAME], calling from [ADDRESS/TOWN]. Election Day Registration is a simple, proven reform that increases participation, improves the accuracy of voter rolls, and would make Massachusetts more of a leader on voting rights. Please urge the VOTES Act Conference Committee to include Election Day Registration in the final bill.”

Learn more about the VOTES Act here.

Follow-ups to Tonight’s “Lobby & Learn Event”

Thank you to all of you who joined us earlier this evening, and to those who couldn’t join: we missed you! And thank you to all four of our wonderful presenters: Crystel Murrieta-Ruiz, Cabell Eames, Sana Fadel, and Vanessa Snow!

You can watch the video from tonight’s event here: https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveMass/videos/526092582299567.
If you are interested in making calls to voters in key districts for any of the bills, please let me know! (Phone-banking the friendly folks on our list is fun!) And if you want to be notified if we organize a phone bank around one of them, let me know as well.

Work & Family Mobility Act

The Senate will be voting tomorrow (or if you read this in the morning, “today”). You can join the virtual watch party at 11AM, which is when the Senate will begin session. Register using the following link: https://bit.ly/dff-senate-watch-party.

Don’t forget to email and call your Senators ahead of Thursday to ensure they are committed to voting “YES” in favor of driver’s licenses.

  • 📧
    : bit.ly/2022-dff-senate-vote
  • 📞
    :bit.ly/dff-click-to-call

And then remind a few friends as well.

Climate Action

Cabell spoke about hearings this week on the Future of Gas Report (https://thefutureofgas.com/sep), which was written by consultants hired by the public gas utility companies in Massachusetts (Eversource, National Grid, Berkshire, Liberty and Unitil), in response to a request from the Attorney General for the DPU to do a study on how gas companies can meet Massachusetts’ mandatory emissions reductions. Instead of doing that investigation themselves, the DPU handed it over to the gas companies. The DPU is now reviewing the consultants’ report and the companies’ plans and trying to assess the claims and assumptions made. You can find instructions on how to submit testimony (due by 5 pm on Friday) here.

One of the priority bills for the Mass Renews Alliance that Cabell mentioned is the Building Justice with Jobs bill (S.2226 / H.3365), which would adopt housing regulations mandating minimum energy efficiency, energy performance, or related energy standards and put thousands of MA residents to work retrofitting 100,000 homes each year to improve energy efficiency and health outcomes, and reduce utility bills and carbon emissions. We have a fact sheet with sample scripts and talking points here: https://www.progressivemass.com/issues/building-justice-jobs-2021-action.

Cabell also mentioned the Mass Power Forward press conference and lobby day next Thursday from 11 am to 1 pm at the State House. You can RSVP for that (and learn more) here.

Raise the Age

Sana had excellent slides about the Raise the Age bill ( H.1826 / S.920), which would improve public safety and reduce youth entanglement with the criminal legal system by allowing 18, 19, and 20-year-olds to not be automatically tried as adults. The coalition has an excellent website, with a sample script for contacting your legislators: https://www.raisetheagema.org/.

Election Day Registration

This is the article Vanessa mentioned about provisional ballots: https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2022/04/27/provisional-ballots-massachusetts-2020-election-rejected-common-cause/.

The Election Modernization Coalition will be holding an informal in-person lobby day next Wednesday 5/11 @11am in the State House. More details to come, but RSVP to gfoster@commoncause.org if you can attend.

The four Democrats on the six-person Conference Committee are Senators Barry Finegold (Andover, Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury) and Cindy Creem (Brookline, Newton, Wellesley) and Representatives Mike Moran (Allston-Brighton, and a tiny bit of Brookline) and Dan Ryan (Charlestown, Chelsea). If you know people in their districts, urge them to contact their legislators! The Senators both support EDR and need backing; the two reps do not support it and need pressure. Please also write to your own legislators urging them to contact the Conference Committee in support of Election Day Registration.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

This Wednesday: Our Legislative Update & Action Evening

Can you believe that it’s May already? That means warmer weather, blooming flowers, and both upcoming deadlines at the Legislature and opportunities to take action.

Wednesday, May 4: Lobby & Learn Evening

Join us this Wednesday, 5/4, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm to learn more about some of our top legislative priorities and how to take action to support them.

The first hour will consist of info sessions on legislation. The second hour will consist of breakout groups for taking action in this critical part of the session.

Featured Speakers:

  • Chrystel Murrieta, Political Coordinator, SEIU 32BJ
  • Cabell Eames, Political Director, 350 Mass / Better Future Project
  • Sana Fadel, Deputy Director, Citizens for Juvenile Justice
  • Vanessa Snow, Director of Organizing & Policy, MassVOTE

This Thursday: The MA Senate Votes on the Work & Family Mobility Act

Our event on Wednesday is timely because the next day, the MA Senate will be voting on the Work & Family Mobility Act.

Allowing Bay Staters to apply for driver’s licenses, regardless of immigration status, is common sense public policy that improves public safety for all Massachusetts families.


Please email your state senator to urge them to VOTE YES on the Work & Family Mobility Act this week!

Saturday, May 7: Free Our Mothers Car Rally in Framingham

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, but not everyone will have the opportunity to spend quality time with their mother due to a carceral system that rips families apart.

Join Families for Justice as Healing and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls for their annual car rally in Framingham this Saturday (May 7) 1 pm to 3 pm. Come let the community know—No New Women’s Prison, No Old Women’s Prison, No More Women’s Prison.

To get more details, RSVP here.

Take Action to Address the Housing Affordability Crisis!

Massachusetts has an affordability crisis, and cities and towns lack the tools to adequately respond.

That’s why we’ve been working in coalition with groups across the state to pass Real Estate Transfer Fee Enabling Legislation (H.137S.868: An Act empowering cities and towns to impose a fee on certain real estate transactions to support affordable housing). These bills would enable cities and towns to impose a modest fee on high-end real estate transactions to create a funding source for affordable housing.

The bill faces an important deadline of May 9th (one week from today) in the Joint Committee on Housing. If no action is taken by this date, the session will be over for this bill.

Can you email House & Senate Leadership in support of this key bill?

What’s in the MA House Budget….And What Could Be.

First of all, happy Earth Day! This Earth Day, I’m thinking about how the investments from the Fair Share Amendment will help us improve our public transit systems, a vital part of our response to climate change (as well as reducing air pollution and expanding economic opportunity). The Fair Share campaign recently launched new social media accounts, so if you haven’t followed them yet, make sure to do so on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A Budget Is a Moral Document

Last week, the MA House Ways & Means Committee released its budget for the next fiscal year.

The Good: The budget avoids the regressive tax cuts for the rich proposed by Republican Governor Charlie Baker, includes the new investments in public schools required by the Student Opportunity Act, and ends the exploitative practice of charging incarcerated individuals for phone calls to loved ones.

The Bad: At the same time, the budget continues our chronic underfunding of public transit and fails to deliver on the investments in child care necessary for true affordability and accessibility.

How the Budget Could Be Better: The House will be considering various amendments next week to improve the budget and better deliver on the promise of shared prosperity and justice for all.

Can you contact your state rep in support of these amendments?

Voting Access for All

Amendment #47 (New American Voters Fund), filed by Reps. Ultrino & Donato: Would allocate $4 million to municipalities and community organizations to hire bilingual election workers, pay for professional translators and interpreters, and train elections departments.

Justice for All

Amendment #902 (ACES), filed by Rep. Sabadosa: Would ensure that every call to 911 gets the best response by providing funding to communities that want to develop alternatives to police response for calls better handled by mental and community health providers, like social workers and peer specialists.

Amendment #936 (Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant), filed by Rep. Mary Keefe: Would provide $15 Million for the Community Empowerment Reinvestment Grant Program, which funds reentry and intervention programs.

Amendment #1346 (Youth Bail Fees), filed by Rep. Fluker Oakley: Would (1) eliminate the statutorily-required $40 administrative bail fees charged to juveniles when they are arrested overnight and (2) shift the decision to release a child to their parent or to impose cash bail decisions from the police officer on call to the Bail Magistrate, a neutral 3rd party.

The House budget remains poised to earmark millions of dollars for the incarceration of men civilly committed for treatment of substance use disorder under the statute known as “Section 35” (M.G.L. c.123 s.35).

  • Amendment #332 (Section 35), filed by Rep. Balser: Would eliminate the Governor’s proposed funding for correctional section 35 facilities.  
  • Amendment #333 (Access to Addiction Services), filed by Rep. Balser: Would ensure sufficient bed space in DPH or DMH facilities for men committed under section 35.

Economic Security for All

Amendment #181 (Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty FY23), filed by Rep. Decker: Would raise cash assistance grants for very low-income families with children, elders, and persons with disabilities by 20% for FY 23.

Amendment #640 (Excluding Temporary COVID Relief Income from FY23 Means Testing), filed by Rep. Elugardo: Would ensure that economic assistance from the CARES Act does not count against anyone’s eligibility for means-tested public assistance programs.

Amendment #802 (Including underemployed and unstably housed youth in “at-risk”), filed by Rep. Elugardo: Would add a focus of creating economic opportunity for youth experiencing homelessness to the YouthWorks Youth Jobs program.

Amendment #881 (Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program), filed by Rep. Madaro: Would cap tenant rent share to 30% income instead of 40% and expand mobile vouchers to cover tenant-paid utilities, among other measures.

Amendments #1068 (RTA Funding) & #1070 (RTA Funding Distribution), filed by Representative Sarah Peake: Would make $101 million in base funding available to the RTAs (an increase from $94 million).

Amendment #1268 (Housing Protections), filed by Rep. Moran: Would extend Chapter 257 eviction protections to cases where landlords seek to recover arrears for non-payment of rent – effectively closing the non-payment loophole – and require landlords to participate in the rental assistance process in good faith before being permitted to file an eviction case in court.

Amendment #1371 (Rental Assistance for Families in Transition), filed by Rep. Decker: Would expand eligibility for RAFT to households with incomes from 50% of the area median income (AMI) up to 60% AMI.

Safe & Welcoming Schools for All

Amendment #1133 (Targeted Intervention to Enhance the Learning of Students in Early Grades), filed by Rep. Uyterhoeven: Would provide funding for student specific supports and interventions that enhance learning during preschool through the third grade and that support the elimination of disciplinary sanctions for this population of students

Amendment #1138 (Student Wellness School Support), filed by Rep. Uyterhoeven: Would provide funding to reduce school exclusion for students in prekindergarten through the third grade by utilizing best practices, increased parent engagement and community-based services to support teachers and school staff to employ alternatives to suspensions and expulsions to address student misbehavior in the early grades

Amendment #1321 (Holistic School Health and Safety Practices Grant Program), filed by Rep. Khan: Would create a grant program, administered by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, to support public schools and school districts in transitioning to safety models that do not rely on stationing police in schools.

Can you contact your state rep in support of these amendments?