Mass NOW Legislative Recap 2021-2022
Hannah Wilcove, Mass NOW Summer Fellow
August 1, 2022
Hello friends!
As we wrap up the formal legislative session, it’s critical for us to take a look back at the past year and reflect. The purpose of this report is to help us do so as an organization, so that we can start the next session in a stronger position than ever before.
With a backdrop of federal gridlock and the rollback of civil and reproductive rights by an extreme right-wing minority, Massachusetts has continued to be a leader in inclusive, progressive policies, thanks in part to Mass NOW and our many coalition partners. Out of nearly 40 endorsed bills, we helped pass the Work and Family Mobility Act, a budget amendment to end child marriage in the Commonwealth, and the VOTES Act!
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we helped marshall the second major abortion rights bill through the Massachusetts legislature for the second consecutive year. This sweeping legislation would protect patients and providers from prosecution under other states’ draconian restrictions, expand access to emergency contraception, decrease restrictions on abortions occurring after 24 weeks of pregnancy, and mandate broader health insurance coverage for abortions. The bill was signed by Governor Baker on July 29th, meaning that we ended the formal session with a major win!
Additionally, our members helped moved several bills further through the legislative process this year than in previous sessions: in March the I AM bill passed the Senate unanimously, and Common Start, the Healthy Youth Act, and Nonbinary Gender Markers on MA Identification all passed the upper chamber as well. As we shift to the informal session, our work is not done. Bills can still move forward during informal session if they are passed without objection, and the Governor has several pieces of legislation on his desk awaiting his signature.
Here are some ways to stay involved through the fall:
- Call and email your state Representative and ask them to tell Speaker Mariano to bring the I AM bill to a vote in the House. Let us know if you’d like us to help you reach out
- Get involved with our PAC to help elect candidates who share our feminist agenda in September’s primary elections (and beyond)!
With love and solidarity,
Hannah Wilcove
| Racial Justice | |||||
| Issue | Bill # | Sponsors | Summary | Committee | Status |
| School Resource Officers | H694 | Rep. Sabadosa | Gets SRO’s out of schools | Education | Hearing 6/11/21 (stuck in Committee) |
| Alternatives for Community Emergency Services | H4928 S1552 | Rep. Sabadosa. | Establish Alternatives for Community Services grant program to increase non-police response | Health Care Financing Senate Ways & Means Public Safety and Homeland Security | Hearing 7/14/21: Language to modify the existing Equitable Approaches to Public Safety (EAPS) program was approved in budget bill |
| Decarceration & COVID-19 | H1868 | Rep. Sabadosa | Decarcerate individuals who pose no immediate threat after 14 days to limit their risk of COVID-19 exposure | Judiciary | Accompanied a Study Order (H4844) on 6/9/22 Hearing 10/5/21 |
| Raise the Age | H1826 | Rep. O’Day & Rep. Khan | Increases the age of criminal majority from 18 to 21 over the next 5 years | Judiciary | Hearing 10/12; reporting date extended to 6/30/22 (no report available) |
| School Discipline & Expulsion | H4646 | Rep. Meschino | Prevents students accused of crime from being excluded from school without due process | House Ways & Means Education | Hearing 6/11/21: reported favorably |
| Safe Communities Act | H2418 S1579 | Rep. Balser & Rep. Miranda Sen. Eldridge | Ensure court and police officials do not inquire about immigration status unless required by law | House Ways & Means Public Safety and Homeland Security | Hearing 12/1/21: reported favorably out of House Committee (no report available from the Senate) |
| Juvenile Justice Data Collection | H1795 S1558 | Rep. Miranda Sen. Creem | Collect accurate and comprehensive data on juvenile interaction with law enforcement | Senate Ways & Means Judiciary | Hearing 10/12/21: reported favorably out of Senate Committee (no report available from the House) |
| Work & Family Mobility Act | S2289 H4805 | Sen. Crighton Rep. Barber & Rep. Farley-Bouvier | Provide drivers licenses for undocumented citizens | Transportation | PASSEDVeto overridden 6/9/22 |
| Keeping Families Connected | S.1559 H.1900 | Rep. Tyler Sen. Creem | These bills would make phone calls free of charge to the person placing or the person receiving the call; they would apply to state prisons, county jails, and state juvenile detention centers. | Senate Rules Public Safety and Homeland Security | Accompanied a Study Order (S2911) on 6/9/22 Hearing 10/21 |
| Moratorium on Prison and Jail construction | S.2030 H.1905 | Sen. Comerford Rep. Tyler | Impose a five-year moratorium on prison and jail construction. | Senate Ways & Means State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Judiciary | Hearing 7/20/21: Reported favorably out of Senate Committee (no report available from House Committee) |
| Economic Justice (8) | |||||
| Issue | Bill # | Sponsors | Summary | Committee | Status |
| Campaign funds for childcare | S475 H769 | Sen. Jehlen Rep. Connolly & Rep. Meschino | Candidates running for public office can use their campaign funds for their childcare needs | Senate Ways & Means Election Laws | Reported favorably out of Senate Committee 6/16/22 Hearing 9/15/21 |
| Affordable and accessible childcare for all (Common Start) | H4795 S2997 | Rep. Gordon & Rep. Madaro Sen. Lewis | The state would provide affordable and accessible early education and childcare | House Ways & Means Education | PASSED in the Senate on 7/12/22 Hearing 11/23/21 |
| Wage transparency | S2721 | Sen. Jehlen Rep. Malia & Rep. Miranda (H2020), Rep. Cutler (H1950) | Employer shall provide pay scale for employee/applicant | Senate Ways & Means Labor and Workforce Development | Reported favorably out of Committee on 3/3/22 Hearing 6/22/21 |
| Homelessness Bill of Rights | H264 S142 | Rep. Pignatelli Rep. Moran & Sen. Rausch | Provide a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness | Senate Ways & Means Health Care Financing Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities | Reported favorably out of Committee in both chambers Hearing 10/15/21 |
| One Fair Wage Bill | H1971 S1213 | Rep. Farley-Bouvier | Guarantees one standard, full minimum wage for all tipped workers, ending the practice of paying subminimum wages. | Senate Ways & Means Labor and Workforce Development | Reported favorably out of Senate Committee Hearing 10/19/21 |
| Fair Work Week Bill | H.1974 | Rep. Garballey & Rep. Robinson | This bill would grant workers in restaurants, retail establishments, and the hospitality industry the following rights: the right to 14 days advance notice of hours and more. | House Committee on Steering, Policy, and Scheduling Labor and Workforce Development | Placed in Orders of the Day on 5/25/22 Hearing 7/13/21 |
| Dignity at Work Act | S1185 H3843 | Sen. DiZoglio (by request—not the sponsor), Rep. Lewis | Provides a comprehensive definition of workplace bullying, assuring all workers are protected against infringement against their inherent dignity, and incentive for employers to prevent, detect, remedy, and eliminate workplace bullying before targets suffer irreparable harm. | Labor and Workforce Development Senate Rules (Study Order) | Accompanied with a Study Order (S2816) Hearing 6/22/21 |
| Protection at Work | H4613 S1173 | Rep. Livingstone & Rep. Elugardo Sen. Creem | Provides workplace protections for survivors of sexual and domestic abuse | House Committee on Steering, Policy, and Scheduling Labor and Workforce Development | Placed in Orders of the Day on 5/17/22 Hearing 6/22/21 |
| Reproductive Justice (5) | |||||
| Issue | Bill # | Sponsors | Summary | Committee | Status |
| I AM | H 2354 S2730 | Sen. Jehlen Rep. Livingstone & Rep. Barber Rep. Roy sponsored similar legislation | Increase Access to Menstrual products in K-12 schools, prisons/jails, and shelters | House Ways & Means Senate Ways & Means Public Health | PASSED the Senate; still no movement in the House Hearing 6/7/21 |
| Medication Abortion at Public Universities | H4821 S1470 | Rep. Sabadosa Sen. Lewis | Require public universities to provide medication abortion | House Ways & Means Health Care Financing Public Health | PASSED as part of the emergency reproductive justice bill on 7/29/22 Has been reported favorably out of two Committees Potential for language in omnibus bill Hearing 6/7/21 |
| Healthy Youth Act | S2541 H673 | Sen. DiDomenico Rep. O’Day & Rep. Howard | Provide comprehensive and inclusive sex ed in all public schools that teach sexual/health education; changes to an opt-out system rather than an opt-in system | House Ways & Means Senate Ways & Means Senate Rules | PASSED the Senate; stuck in House Ways & Means Hearing 5/20/21 |
| PrEP Access for Youth | S1404 H2349 | Sen. Cyr Rep. Lewis & Rep. Tyler | Increase HIV prevention access for young adults | House Ways & Means Health Care Financing Public Health | Reported favorably out of Public Health on 4/11/22; referred to Health Care Financing Hearing 5/3/21 |
| Licensed Midwives Out of Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act | H4640 S1519 | Rep. Khan Sen. Rausch | Expanding licensing for midwives; creates a process of licensure for certified Midwives, and increases access to maternal care | Health Care Financing Public Health | Hearing 6/7/21 |
| LGBTQ Rights (4) | |||||
| Issue | Bill # | Sponsors | Summary | Committee | Status |
| LGBTQ Inclusive History Education | H4539 S2748 | Rep. Higgins & Rep. Lewis Sen. Cyr | Inclusion of LGBTQ history in public schools Combined with several other bills as part of An Act Relative to Educator Diversity | House Ways & Means Senate Ways & Means Education | Reported favorably out of Education in March 2022 Hearing 9/13/21 |
| Age of Consent (Also called Romeo & Juliet) | H1726 | Rep. Lewis & Rep. Fernandes | Clarifying consent laws for consenting adolescents | Judiciary | Accompanied a Study Order (H4844) that was reported favorably and discharged to House Rules Hearing 12/7/21 |
| An Act to Stop Profiling Transgender People and Low-Income Women | S992 | Sen. Cyr | To repeal “common nightwalking” and grant limited amnesty to sex workers that seek help. | Judiciary | Accompanied a Study Order (S2665) that was reported favorably and discharged to Senate Rules Hearing 6/15/21 |
| An Act Relative to Gender Identity on Massachusetts Identification | S2540 H3521 | Sen. Comerford Rep. Linsky | An individual may request a change in the sex designation on their birth record to a sex designation including, but not limited to, “female,” “male,” or “X,” with “X” designating that the person is another gender or an undesignated gender. | House Ways & Means Transportation | PASSED the Senate 9/23/21 but still awaiting report from House Ways & Means Hearing 6/24/21 |
| Gender-Based Violence (4) | |||||
| Issue | Bill # | Sponsors | Summary | Committee | Status |
| End Child Marriage | H1709 S937 | Rep. KhanSen. Chandler | A magistrate or minister will not marry someone if a person is under the age of 18 | Judiciary | PASSED as part of the budget on 7/28/22 Accompanied a Study Order (S2976) that was reported favorably and discharged to Senate Rules Hearing 11/16/21 |
| Health and Safety of Sex Workers | H1867 | Rep. Sabadosa | Promote the health and safety of people working in the sex trade by expunging certain prostitution-related offenses from records | Judiciary | Accompanied a Study Order (H4844) that was reported favorably and discharged to House Rules Hearing 12/14/21 |
| Student Mental Health | S1266 | Sen. Comerford | Include the number to the suicide prevention hotline on the back of student ID cards for public and charter schools | Mental Health and Substance Use and Recovery | Accompanied a Study Order (S2919) that was reported favorably and discharged to Senate Rules Hearing 6/16/21 |
| Body Size Discrimination | S2669 H1822 | Sen. Rausch Rep. Nguyen | Makes height and weight protected identities alongside race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and others. | Senate Ways & Means Judiciary | Reported favorably on 2/10/22 Hearing 11/23/21 |
| Constitutional Equity (3) | |||||
| Issue | Bill # | Sponsors | Summary | Committee | Status |
| VOTES Act | H805 S2924 | Rep. Lawn Sen. Creem | Expand and improve mail-in voting, and lengthen in person-voting | Election Laws | PASSED Signed by the Governor 6/22/22 |
| Parity on Boards | H3157 S2077 | Rep. Haddad Sen. Lewis | Ensure gender parity and racial and ethnic diversity on public boards and commissions | House Ways & Means Senate Ways & Means State Administration & Regulatory Oversight | Reported favorably in December 2021 Hearing 9/22/21 |
| Protect the Voting Rights of Eligible Incarcerated People | H836 S474 | Rep. Tyler & Rep. Miranda Sen. Hinds | Providing assistance to eligible incarcerated persons to register as voters and apply for mail ballots in all primaries and elections | Election Laws | Hearing 10/6/21 (no movement from Committee) |
