Our Bills
Mass. NOW 2011-2012 Legislative Agenda
An Act Relative to Employee Protection (The Abusive Waivers Prevention Act)
Sen. Steven Tolman, S00972
This bill would make it illegal for employers to require their employees to sign pre-dispute waivers of rights at the onset of their employment. Pre-dispute waivers limit employees’ ability to file suit for discriminatory employer policies and practices. These waivers disproportionately affect women, who may be victims of gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.
An Act Relative to Consent and Counseling of Pregnant Women under Sixteen Years of Age
Rep. Ellen Story, H00629
Currently, minors in Massachusetts seeking an abortion must obtain permission from at least one of their parents/guardians or seek a judicial bypass. This legislation would allow young women, who may be unable to discuss their situation with their parents, to seek counseling from a trained medical professional in lieu of seeking a court order. It would also lower the age of consent for abortion from 18 to 16.
An Act Relative to Further Defining Comparable Work
Rep. Alice Wolf, H01415; Sen. Patricia Jehlen, S00931
Current Massachusetts law prohibits pay disparity between male and female employees for comparable work; however, it does not define comparable work. This legislation would define the term as “solely based on whether the two positions entail comparable skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions between employees of the opposite sex,” thereby clarifying current law and working to eradicate the wage gap and pay discrimination.
An Act Relative to Healthy Youth
Rep. James O’Day, H01063; Sen. Katherine Clark, S00190
This legislation would ensure that schools offering sex education provide young people with age-appropriate, medically accurate information about the benefits of abstinence and delaying sexual activity, as well as effective use of contraceptives and the skills needed to form healthy, respectful relationships.
An Act Relative to Establishing Paid Sick Days
Rep. Kay Khan, H01398; Sen. Patricia Jehlen, S00930
Currently, almost half of private sector workers in Massachusetts do not have a single paid sick day. Women are disproportionately affected by a lack of paid sick days, as they remain the primary caregivers for children and elderly relatives, and must take time off from our jobs to care for them when they are ill. This legislation would provide 7 earned paid sick days to ALL employees in Massachusetts.
An Act Relative to Providing for Equitable Coverage in Disability Policies
Rep. Ruth Balser, H01173; Sen. Katherine Clark, S00413
This legislation does the same as An Act Relative to Prohibiting Discrimination in Insurance (described below); however, it focuses only on disability insurance.
An Act Relative to Prohibiting Discrimination in Insurance Policies
Rep. Ruth Balser, H01172; Sen. Katherine Clark, S00414
Under Massachusetts law, health insurance, automobile insurance, annuities, and homeowner’s insurance are required to be gender neutral. This omnibus legislation would require that life insurance and disability insurance are subject to this same mandate.
An Act Relative to Safe Pregnancies and Related Health Care for Female Inmates
Rep. Kay Khan, H02234
This bill would establish minimum standards for the treatment and medical care of female inmates, would promote safe and healthy pregnancy outcomes, prohibit shackling of women during childbirth, and ensure that release planning includes child custody and basic family planning information and services.
An Act Relative to Transgender Equal Rights
Reps. Carl Sciortino & Byron Rushing, H00502; Sens. Benjamin Downing & Sonia Chang-Diaz, S00764
Currently, transgender people in Massachusetts do not have any legal protection from discrimination or hate crimes. This bill would extend current legal protections with regards to housing, credit, public education, employment, and public safety to the transgender community. It also would ensure that transgender victims of violence are protected under hate-crime laws.
An Act Relative to Updating the Laws to Protect Women’s Health
Rep. Ellen Story & Rep. Byron Rushing, H00515; Sen. Harriette Chandler, SD 00748
This bill would repeal outdated, unconstitutional, and archaic laws that remain on the books in Massachusetts, including a pre-Roe v. Wade abortion ban, a medically unjustified and burdensome hospital mandate, and a birth control ban for unmarried couples. It would ensure that abortion rights are upheld in the Commonwealth should Roe v. Wade ever be overturned.