LWVMA - Legislative Priorities
5/15/12 ACTION ALERT - Amendment to SB 2260 - An Act Improving the Quality of Health Care and Reducing Costs Through Increased Transparency, Efficiency and Innovation will help demonstrate the benefits of a single-payer system. For the entire alert and to see how you can help, click here.
5/1/12 ACTION ALERT - HB 1173/SB 413 - An Act Providing Equitable Coverage in Disability Insurance. End gender inequality and discrimination in disability insurance in Massachusetts! Click here to read to the full alert.
4/26/12 ACTION ALERT - While the Updated Bottle Bill was among 800 amendments to the budget filed last week, it - as well as the vast majority of those amendments - was among those never considered by the members of the House of Representatives. Click here to see the entire article and learn how to take action!
3/15/12 ACTION ALERT - The Updated Bottle Bill is currently stuck in the Telecom, Utilities & Energy Committee. Speaker of the MA House, Robert DeLeo has the power to move this bill out of Committee but he needs to hear your voice loudly and clearly in favor of it. Please take a minute to let Speaker DeLeo know that you support this legislation. Click this link to Take Action on the Updated Bottle Bill. Click here to see the entire Action Alert
1/24/12 LWVMA Testimony in support of HB 1172/SB 414 An Act Prohibiting Discrimination in Insurance Policies and HB1173/SB413 An Act Providing Equitable Coverage in Disability Insurance
1/23/12 HB 3815 An Act Enhancing the Practice of Nurse Midwives passed in Massachusetts House and Senate! Once signed by Governor Patrick and implemented, Certified Professional Nurse Midwives will be allowed to order and interpret tests and to order therapeutics and certain prescription drugs.
LWV
Clarifies position on campaign finance reform
The National League of Women Voters Board met in late January and, among other issues, considered what the League’s response should be to Super PAC spending in the wake of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision and on campaign finance reform.
The National League Board is making campaign finance reform a top legislative priority, actively supporting the new version of the DISCLOSE Act focused on requiring disclosure of the identities of their donors from big money outside groups like Super PACs, and is appointing a Campaign Finance Reform Task Force to explore the issue further.
On a possible Constitutional amendment to address the concerns raised by the Citizens United decision, Elisabeth MacNamara, LWVUS president, stated: “The Board determined that the League is not in a position, at this time, to support a Constitutional amendment in this area or the efforts currently underway to encourage state legislatures to adopt resolutions in support of a Constitutional amendment. The Board concluded that too many questions about this approach remained unanswered.”
The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Board voted late last year to support a resolution asking the Massachusetts legislature to direct Congress to develop such a Constitutional amendment and has publicly backed it. In light of the LWVUS Board action, however, the state board will suspend for now its activities supporting that resolution, SB772.
LWVMA expects resolutions will be introduced at the national convention in June to further address the League’s positions on this and other aspects of campaign finance reform.
Constitutional solutions will have implications beyond campaign finance, and we need to build on our solid reputation among lawmakers for proposing well-considered solutions to difficult policy problems.”
12/15/11 LWVMA Testimony in Support of H338/S501 An Act to Provide Improved Medicare for All and H1228/S500 An Act to Establish a Public Health Insurance Option, press release
11/2/11 LWVMA Testimony in Support of H1106: An Act to Establish Election Day Registration
9/27/11 LWVMA Testimony in Support of S185: Act Preventing Students from Dropping Out of School
S185 Hearing at which Terry Yoffie and Jo Corro
testified 
LWVMA Testimony of Aug 15 on Bill to Ensure Secure Voting Equipment (H196)
Casino Gambling (Oppose)
Government Transparency
2011- Redistricting
"Day on the Hill",
held on April 13.
LWVUS - Current Studies
WHERE WE STAND
LWVMA Positions on Issues
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Pushing Back on Money Politics, 2012 - Public Forum
LWVMA and LWV Concord-Carlisle are co-sponsoring a forum on Thursday, May 17th, 7:30-9:30pm at the Concord-Carlisle High School Auditorium, 500 Walden St, Concord. Tom Ashbrook, Host of 90.9 WBUR Boston's On Point will be moderating. A panel of experts will share their views on the role of money in the 2012 landscape and discuss options for citizen action in response. This event is free and open to the public. For more information click here for the event flier.
We hope to see you there!
Past Events:
Council 2012: Challenges to Democracy: Protecting Voter Rights and the Influence of Money
All LWVMA members were invited to Council held at Lasell College on May 5 with key note speaker MA Treasurer Steve Grossman. For more information including the event schedule follow this link.
Day on the Hill 2012 - "Democracy in Danger; Money, Media and Manipulation"
This year's event was on April 25th, at the State House in Gardner Auditorium. Keynote speakers were Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts and Jay Kaufman, MA State Representative. LWVMA Specialists discussed important legislation the League is following.
Click here for a printable copy of the LWVMA Lobbying Packet
After our program, many League members met with their Senators and Representatives. A revised packet for legislators was emailed to all Massachusetts Representatives and Senators. For a flier of the event click here.
Lobbying the state legislature is one of the defining activities of the League of Women Voters, and everyone who shows up in person makes an enormous difference in the success of our legislative efforts.
For event photos check out our Facebook page
LWVMA League Leaders Lunch
Local League board members attended our League Leaders Lunch on Saturday, April 14 in Amherst. For a program of events and more details click here and check out our Facebook page for photographs from the lunch.
SUMMIT TO UNITE CITIZENS
LWVMA participated in the Summit to Unite Citizens on January 20–21, the anniversary of the Citizens United decision, Occupy Boston along with a number of other organizations rallied for GETTING MONEY OUT OF POLITICS. LWVMA registered voters both days at the event and our Program and Action Committee Chair Carole Pelchat led a workshop on legislative strategies on Saturday at 1:30 at Suffolk University. For more information click here and to view more photos check out our facebook page
Our Annual Presidents' Breakfast was a great tool for local Leagues on Saturday October 29. Go to our facebook page to view more photos.
OLDER STORIES ILLUSTRATING ISSUES AND ACTIONS
Open Secrets Blog: LWVUS and Coalition Groups Fight to Put DISCLOSE Back on the Senate Floor
Fair and clean elections, determined by the votes of American citizens, should be at the center of our democracy. Enhanced disclosure is the most basic step toward protecting the role of voters and ensuring that they can make informed decisions.
NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE: A win for democracy in MA
Our current system for filling the highest office in the land is broken. The current Electoral College system of electing a president in separate state-by-state elections allows losers to win, creates opportunities for partisans to game the system and leads to most voters' preferences being essentially ignored...
Read more of the Huffington Post Report.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS PRESIDENT VISITS MASSACHUSETTS IN CAMPAIGH REFORM EFFORT
Boston, MA, July 12, 2010- Elisabeth MacNamara, newly elected national president of the League of Women Voters, is visiting Massachusetts this week to drum up support for the DISCLOSE Act.
SPEAKER'S BILL - GAMBLING WITH MASSACHUSETTS ECONOMY April 6, 2010 - The Speaker of the House filed his long-promised legislation which, if enacted as written, will license two resort-style casinos and allow slot machines at four race tracks. The bill was voted out of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Expanding Technologies without a public hearing. The Speaker has established a deadline for amendments to the bill for this Friday, April 9.
HOUSE PASSES COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM
Washington, D.C. – Statement from Mary G. Wilson, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States:
"It would be difficult to overstate the importance of today’s actions, and we commend our elected representatives for standing up for Americans and having the courage to do what needs to be done to confront the health care crisis in our country. The League congratulates the House leadership on a closely-fought victory."
LWVMA AND OXFAM PUSH ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION IN DC
Washington, D.C., March 8, 2010 - The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts is traveling to D.C. this week to urge Massachusetts’s Senators to support strong climate change legislation.
AMERICAN INSTITUTION TURNS 90
"For the last 90 years, the League of Women Voters has left its footprint on American history, and our democracy is stronger for it," LWV President Mary Wilson concluded. "We look forward to continuing this work over the next 90 years." MORE
"VICTORY ON BEHALF OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING", states Clarice Gordon, LWVMA Housing Specialist
S. 2190, "An Act Preserving Publicly Assisted Affordable Housing", gives public entities or affordable housing organizations first rights to buy "expiring use" properties that would lose affordability restrictions.
The bill was passed in mid-November by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Patrick.
This is a real victory on behalf of affordable housing! At a time when the need for subsidized housing is growing, this law is a critical part of keeping the affordable housing stock and protecting individuals and families who need subsidies to be able to live in decent housing.
LWVMA ATTENDS STATE HOUSE HEARING IN OPPOSITION TO CASINO GAMBLING
A move by the Massachusetts Legislature to change laws to allow for casino gambling in the Commonwealth.
Read the Testimony HERE
LWVMA TESTIFIES AT STATE HOUSE HEARING IN SUPPORT OF H. 3515 and S. 1480
An Act to Improve the Recycling Rates in the Commonwealth
Read the LWVMA Bottle Bill Testimony HERE