League Day on the Hill Lobby Day Oct. 17
We’re looking for a big turnout at the League’s lobby day, Day on the Hill “Time to Act,” Thursday, Oct. 17. Plan to come. Organize a carpool now!
Senator Karen Spilka, the president of the Senate, is our keynote speaker. You’ll also hear from legislative specialists on our legislative priorities—Election Day registration, climate crisis, education funding and reproductive rights.
We will meet in Room 428 at the State House. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the program runs from 10 a.m. to noon. If you
register here by Oct. 11, the office will let your Senator and Representative know that you will be stopping by between noon and 1 p.m. But you can still register up to the day of the event.
Nothing makes a bigger impression on a legislator than a personal visit from a constituent.
Support Carbon Pricing Bill
Opponents of a strong carbon pricing bill are waging a disinformation campaign against a carbon pricing bill we support,
H2810
An Act to promote green infrastructure and reduce carbon emissions. Carbon pricing is a proven strategy for reducing carbon emissions.
Please contact your legislators and tell them you support this bill putting a price on carbon to combat the looming climate crisis.
Gun Control Bill Needs a Push
The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is scheduling in-district meetings with legislators on the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in late October/early November to ask them to report H.2045/S.1388 out of the committee favorably. This bill
will require detailed analysis of state crime gun trace data to determine the origins of crime guns.
Are these your legislators? If so, are you available for a meeting in-district? Please contact gun control specialist
Jen Muroff
.
The legislators on the committee are: Senators Michael Moore, Paul Feeney, Sonia Chang-Diaz, Mark Montigny, Joan Lovely and Dean Tran, and Representatives Harold Naughton, Alan Silvia, Thomas Walsh, Bruce Ayers, Paul Tucker, Stephan Hay, Chynah Tyler, Patrick Joseph Kearney, Christina Minicucci, Liz Miranda, David Vieira, David Muradian, and Peter Durant.
At the federal level, LWVUS asks League members to contact their members of Congress in support of three bills in the House. Massachusetts members of Congress support these bills, but it helps if they hear from their constituents so they can pressure their colleagues in the House. Email your U.S. Representative, thank them for their support of gun control legislation, and ask them to do everything they can to pass:
H.R. 1186, the
Keep Americans Safe Act
to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines
H.R. 1236, the
Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019
to prevent those deemed a risk to themselves or others from accessing firearms
H.R. 2708, the
Disarm Hate Act
prohibiting those convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes from possessing firearms.
Save the Date: Abortion Bill Lobby Day
The ROE Act coalition is planning a lobby day at the State House Wednesday, Oct. 30, in support of
H3320
/
S1209
An Act to remove obstacles and expand abortion access, known as the ROE Act. Look for more details on our Facebook page closer to the date. LWVMA is part of this coalition and supports this bill to expand the circumstances when an abortion after 24 weeks is allowed to include fatal fetal anomalies. The bill also removes the requirement that pregnant teens have the approval of a parent or judge to obtain an abortion and establishes safety net coverage for abortion for people excluded from MassHealth.
You can also help by contacting your legislators and telling them you and the League support this bill, even if you have contacted them before. The opposition to this bill continues to flood the State House with misleading and hateful information.
LWVMA Supports Two Ballot Question Initiatives
The LWVMA board voted to begin support now for two of the ballot question initiatives: the petition to implement ranked choice voting in the state, and the Constitutional amendment to restore the right of incarcerated prisoners to vote. The League’s name will appear as a supporter of those two efforts, and we encourage local Leagues and individuals to participate in the signature-gathering process, perhaps with petitions at your fall events.
For information on working on the ranked choice voting ballot initiative, go to Voter Choice Massachusetts
ballot question website.
For more information on ranked choice voting, including hosting a speaker in your community, go to
Voter Choice MA.
For information on working on the prisoner voting issue, see the Mass POWER tab on the Emancipati
on Organization
website. Click
here to volunteer.
Upcoming Legislative Hearings
Post-Election Audits:
Joint Committee on Election Laws, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 1 p.m., Room A-2 for
H687
/
S388
/
H721,
Acts relating to post-election audits to improve our system of audits after elections. Specialist Linda Freedman testifying.
We expect numerous other joint committee hearings in October which have not yet been posted. We will post future hearings when our specialists will testify in person on our
Facebook page
, so you can check what’s coming up. If there is a bill you are particularly interested in, please ask the specialist to let you know when a hearing is scheduled by emailing
specialists@lwvma.org
. Our specialists appreciate having League members back them up by attending hearings.
Support LWVMA's Work
The state League depends on your support during our Fall Appeal to keep us running. If we receive your donation of $100 or more by Oct. 31, your local League will receive 15% of your donation; for donations of less than $100 received by Oct. 31, your local League will receive 10%. And if you donate now, you won't be called during our Phonathon later this year.
To donate online,
please click here
.
To donate by mail, please print and enclose this
form
with your check.
LWVUS Census Action Plan
From LWVUS: A complete and accurate count of the 2020 Census is critically important to the integrity of our democracy. We will continue to provide Leagues with the tools and resources they need to ensure people in their communities are counted. For a one-page guide on how to think through getting out the count, check out this new resource:
Get Out the Count: Mapping Out a Plan
.
LWVUS DEI Webinars
LWVUS is hosting a series of webinars on diversity, equity and inclusion in 2019. All League members are invited to participate. Upcoming Webinars: Oct. 30
Register; Nov. 21
Register; and Dec. 19
Register.
Recordings and resources from previous webinars are on the
League Management Site.
How to Contact Your Legislator
You can find phone numbers, email addresses and office addresses on the legislature’s webpage for your Senator and Representative. Go to
www.malegislature.gov
and click on the Legislators tab. If you don’t know who your legislators are, click
here.
