The formal part of the legislative session ended July 31 with some major wins in LWVMA-supported bills:
Automatic voter registration
Criminal justice reform
Civics education
Gun control
Women's issues
Take a look at the complete report on the legislation we were following on our website.
In total, our Legislative Action Committee of 19 legislative specialists followed more than 75 bills during this current legislative session, submitting written testimony on all the bills and testifying in person at hearings on many of them.
Thank you for all your emails, phone calls and face-to-face contact with your own Senators and Representatives. Hearing from constituents influences legislators. All of you citizen lobbyists made the difference!
When you attend state legislator candidate forums or run into your legislators this fall, ask them about the prospects for those bills which did not pass, particularly those which were in play until the end of the session.
U.S. 2020 Census Question: Do This by Tuesday!
Oppose Census Citizenship Question NOW: U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has directed the Commerce Department to include a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. Census. Including this question will discourage participation and impact the data collected, particularly in underserved areas. LWVUS asks all League members to submit a comment opposing this question to the Commerce Department using this LWVUS link:
Submit a comment about the U.S. Census questions today!You can use the prepared text in the LWVUS link or substitute your own comments. It only takes a minute.
Check out LWVMA's new Online Voters' Guide to the Sept. 4 primary election at www.InformedVoterMA.org, going live this weekend, and pass the link on to your friends and network.
Remember the deadline to register to vote in the primary is Aug. 15. You can do it online at www.registertovoteMA.com. There will be no early voting, but absentee ballots are available from town clerks and city election officials.
Voter Registration Opportunity:
Register Voters with Mass Audubon: Mass Audubon has invited LWV to set up voter registration and information tables at events at their sanctuaries around the state this summer and fall. The events include a Summer Music concerts at Drumlin Farm, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MAFriday, Aug. 24, 5:30 to 8 pm. To volunteer to register voters at this event, email Judy Zaunbrecher. We will post additional opportunities as we receive them.
The LWVMA Action Newsletter is distributed to all LWVMA members. Anyone can request the Action Newsletter by clicking here. Please review this Newsletter for articles of interest to your League and include them in your local Bulletin.
