The legislative advocacy efforts of the LWVMA are led by the Legislative Action Committee (LAC), composed of the League’s legislative specialists. Each legislative specialist follows one or more focus areas. For those areas, the specialist researches bills filed with the Massachusetts legislature, recommends League action on them to the LAC, writes testimony on the League’s position to submit to the relevant committee of the legislature, and follows the progress of the bill. The bills LWVMA acts on must be consistent with LWVMA or LWVUS positions. The specialist may also join with approved coalition partners or advocacy groups to work together to support or oppose bills. The Legislative Action Committee decides on support or opposition for a bill, with the LWVMA board of directors retaining final authority on those decisions.
Legislative specialists encourage League members who are interested in closely following an area of legislation or a specific bill to contact them and be added to that specialist’s “team” for notifications of committee hearings and other activities related to specific legislation.
To contact any of the legislative specialists, email specialists@lwvma.org.
Bills Followed by LWVMA in the 2017-2018 Legislative Session, listed by subject area
The bill numbers listed are the numbers initially assigned. Those numbers will change several times during the legislative process. You can find the new numbers by clicking on the numbers below, then following the links under “Bill History” on a bill’s page on the legislature’s website.
Affordable Housing, Clare Gordon
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H675 | Bonds to produce new affordable housing and purchase existing units | An Act financing the production and preservation of housing for low and moderate income residents | Support Testimony Testimony |
| H673/S723 | Increase housing production | An Act relative to housing production | Support Testimony |
Agriculture, Louise Haldeman
Casino Gambling, Louise Haldeman
Child Safety, Palma McLaughlin
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S34 Summary | Repeal family cap on welfare benefits | An Act to lift the cap on kids | Support Testimony |
| S862 | Domestic violence training | An Act relative to improving training for child advocates to recognize the indictors of domestic violence | Support |
| H811 | Child-centered family law | An Act relative to shared parenting | Oppose |
| H85 | Repeal family cap on welfare Benefits | An Act relative to the care and well-being of a child | Support |
| S48 | Raises age of juvenile jurisdiction | An Act to promote the appropriate treatment of young children | Support Testimony |
Criminal Justice and Courts, Colleen Kirby
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S.2200/H.4043 | Criminal Justice omnibus bill, with provisions from many of the bills below | An Act relative to criminal justice reform | Support |
| S777 / H2359 | Deals with having to serve jail time because unable to pay court fees and fines | An Act to reduce the criminalization of poverty | Support Testimony |
| S874 | Conditional medical parole | An Act relative to medical placement of terminal and incapacitated inmates | Support Testimony |
| S779 /H3121 | Increases participation in rehabilitation programs, adds to parole board membership | An Act related to parole | Support Testimony |
| S770/H3072 | Allow alternative sentences for primary caregivers of minor children | An Act providing community-based sentencing alternatives for primary caregivers of dependent children convicted of non-violent crimes | Support Testimony |
| H74 | Reduce Recidivism | An Act implementing the joint recommendations of the Massachusetts criminal justice review | Support Testimony |
| S944/H2309 | Remove records of mistaken and juvenile arrests | An Act relative to sealing juvenile records and expungement of court records | Support Testimony |
| S873/H967 | Felony larceny amount | An Act relative to larceny | Support Testimony |
| S834/H3120 | Pretrial and bail reform | An Act reforming pretrial process | Support Testimony |
| S847/H793 | Restorative justice | An Act promoting restorative justice practices | Support Testimony |
| S1306/H3071 | Solitary confinement restrictions | An Act reducing recidivism, curbing unnecessary spending and ensuring appropriate use of segregation | Support Testimony |
| S819/H741 | Repeal certain mandatory minimum sentences | An Act to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences related to drug offenses | Support Testimony |
| S773 | Increase program participation | An Act to expand sentencing options | Support Testimony |
Education, Terry Yoffie
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S2071/H3704 | Sexual Health education | An Act relative to healthy youth | Support Testimony Testimony |
| S223 | Revise funding formula for education | An Act modernizing the foundation budget for the 21st century | Support Testimony |
| S215/H2016 | Civics engagement and learning | An Act to promote and enhance civic engagement | Support Testimony |
Elder Affairs, Pat Costello
Elections and Voting, Linda Freedman
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S371
| Election Day Registration | An Act to establish election day registration | Support Testimony |
| H353 | An Act to establish election day registration | ||
| H2093 | An Act relative to same day voter registration | ||
| S373/H2091 | Automatic voter registration | An Act automatically registering eligible voters and enhancing safeguards against fraud | Support Testimony |
| HD2379 | Boston reprecincting | An Act regarding decennial division of wards and precincts in the city of Boston | Support |
| S365 | Disclosure of presidential candidate tax returns | An Act restoring financial transparency in presidential elections | Support Testimony |
| H.2102 | Allow overseas ballot | An Act relative to UOCAVA voting | Oppose Testimony |
| S374 | Require photo ID to vote | An Act establishing voter identification procedures | Oppose Testimony |
| S397 | An Act requiring photo identification to | ||
| H363 | An Act ensuring election integrity through voter identification | ||
| H372 | An Act requiring photo identification for voting | ||
| H386 | An Act relative to valid identification at voting polls |
Environment—Energy and Resource Conservation, Launa Zimmaro
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S.2302 | Energy omnibus bill, with provisions from many of the bills below | An Act to promote a clean energy future | Support |
| H1726 | Carbon pricing | An Act to promote green infrastructure, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs | Support Testimony |
| S1821 | Carbon pricing | An Act combating climate change | Support Testimony |
| S1876/H2700 | Increase minimum use of renewable energy by electric utilities | An Act relative to enhancing RPS standards | Support Testimony |
| S1846/H2706 | Solar net metering, solar targets, renewable energy standards | An Act relative to solar power and the green economy | Support Testimony |
| H2683 /S1845 | Gas leaks | An Act relative to protecting consumers of gas and electricity from paying for leaked and unaccounted for gas | Support Testimony |
| H2148 | Electronic products waste | An Act to require producer responsibility for collection, reuse, and recycling of discarded electronic products | Support Testimony |
| S1849/H3395 | Goals for renewable energy use | An Act transitioning Massachusetts to 100% renewable energy | Support Testimony |
| S1875/H1725 | Modernize electric grid | An Act relative to local energy investment and infrastructure modernization | Support Testimony |
| S.479/H.2149 | To implement 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act | An Act relative to 2030 and 2040 emissions benchmarks (Global Warming Solutions Implementation Act) | Support |
| H.3400/S.1847 | Block electricity customers paying for gas pipelines, more open DPU process | An Act clarifying authority and responsibilities of the department of public utilities | Support |
| H.2913/S.426 | Promote environmental justice, reduce disparities in exposure to toxins | An Act relative to environmental justice and toxics reductions in the Commonwealth | Support |
Environment—Natural Resources, Carolyn Lee, Loring Schwarz
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H1744, H2686, S1865 | Repeals bottle deposit laws | An Act improving recycling in the Commonwealth | Oppose Testimony |
| H1245 | Ban toxic flame retardants | An Act to protect children, families, and firefighters from harmful flame retardants | Support Testimony |
| H.3662 | Increases funding for Community Preservation Act | An Act to sustain Community preservation community | Support |
| H.3855 | Tax credits for donating land for conservation | An Act relative to land conservation incentives | Support |
Fiscal Policy, June Michaels
Good Governance, Carolyn Lee
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S787/H873 | Prohibit registries based on religion, national origin, etc. and prevent collection of information based on First Amendment activities | An Act to protect fundamental freedoms and prohibit discriminatory registration programs | Support Testimony |
Gun Control, Jennifer Muroff, Sue McCalley
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.3610 | Temporarily remove guns from people at risk of harm | An Act temporarily preventing firearm access for extremely dangerous or suicidal individuals | Support Testimony |
Health Care, Janice Goodell
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S591/ H2960Summary | Health insurance reports sent to patient | An Act to protect access to confidential health care | Support Testimony |
| S619 | Single-payer health care | An Act to establish Medicare for all in Massachusetts | Support Testimony |
| H2987 | Single-payer health care | An Act establishing improved Medicare for all in Massachusetts | Support Testimony |
| S610/H596 | Study costs of single-payer health care system | An Act to ensure effective health care cost control | Support Testimony |
| S1169/H2474 | Create advanced dental practitioner level | An Act auth orizing dental therapists to expand access to oral health | Support Testimony |
| H1189/S1206 | License midwives | An Act relative to out-of-hospital birth access and safety | Support Testimony |
Immigration, Karen Price
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S1305/H3269 | “Safe Communities Act” on immigration enforcement | An Act to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents | Support Testimony |
| H644 | In-state tuition for some non-citizen students | An Act relative to equal opportunity for high school graduates in the commonwealth | Support Testimony |
| H3033 | Require costs of state and local immigration law enforcement be covered by federal funds | An Act relative to enforcing federal law | Support |
Meeting Basic Human Needs, Clare Gordon
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H659 | Remove requirement for families to spend one night in places not fit for sleeping | An Act to protect families experiencing homelessness from having to sleep in unsafe places | Support Testimony |
| S612/H101 | Common application for safety-net services | An Act improving public health through a common application for core food, health and safety-net program | Support Testimony |
| H695 | Homelessness | An Act providing a homeless bill of rights | Support Testimony |
| S46 | Homelessness | An Act creating a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness | Support Testimony |
| H1504 | Earned income tax credit | An Act improving the Earned Income Tax Credit for working families | Support Testimony |
| S1521 | Earned income tax credit | An Act improving the Earned Income Tax Credit for healthier families | Support Testimony |
Transportation, Lois Levin
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S1905/H2877 | Reduce bicycle and pedestrian accidents | An Act to reduce traffic fatalities | Support Testimony |
Water Resources, Carolyn Lee
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S1126/H2116 | Permit “water-banking” fee on large-scale water users | An Act providing for the establishment of sustainable water resource funds | Support Testimony Testimony |
| S420/H2711 | Maintain streamflow and water levels | An Act relative to streamflow standards | Support Testimony |
| S425/H2115 | Water conservation during droughts | An Act relative to drought management | Support Testimony |
| H2139 | Requires water quality and pollution control report | An Act to improve water quality and pollution control programs | Support Testimony |
| H2777 | Shift Water pollution oversight from EPA to Mass DEP | An Act to enable the commonwealth’s administration of the Massachusetts pollutant discharge elimination system | Oppose Testimony |
Women’s Issues, Jessica Sullivan, Tanya Roy
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S1023/H1038 | Rights for pregnant workers | An Act establishing the Massachusetts pregnant workers fairness act | Support Testimony |
| S545/H482 | Disability insurance equity | An Act providing for equitable coverage in disability policies | Support Testimony |
| S499/H536 | Insurers provide contraceptives without copays or deductibles | An Act relative to advancing contraceptive coverage and economic security | Support Testimony |
| S784 | Contraception and abortion | An Act negating archaic statutes targeting young women | Support Testimony |
| S805 | Contraception, abortion adultery and other issues | An Act relative to archaic crimes | Support Testimony |