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, after researching and voting on support or opposition for a bill, makes a recommendation the LWVMA board of directors on the League position on that bill. The board then votes whether to support or oppose a specific bill. Once the board has made its decision, LWVMA and local Leagues can actively work to support or oppose the bill.
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 2015-2016 Legislative Session, listed by subject area
Affordable Housing, Clare Gordon
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.1111 | Increase housing construction | 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 |
| S.827 | Domestic violence training | An Act relative to improving training for child advocates to recognize indicators of domestic violence | Support Testimony |
| H.1207/ S.834 | Child centered family law | An Act relative to child centered family law | Oppose Testimony |
Criminal Justice and Courts, Colleen Kirby and Carolyn Lee
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S.844 | Felony larceny amount | An Act updating the definition of felony larceny | Support Testimony |
| S.71 | Restorative justice | An Act promoting restorative justice practices | Support Testimony |
| H.1584/ S.802 | Bail reform | An Act reforming pretrial process | Support Testimony Letter |
| H.1620/ S.786 | Eliminate mandatory minimum drug sentences | An Act eliminating mandatory minimum sentences related to drug offenses | Support Testimony |
| H.1270 | Remove record of mistaken arrests | An Act relative to the expungement of records of persons falsely accused and juveniles | Support |
| H.3039/ S.2014 | Change rules on driver’s license suspension | An Act relative to motor vehicle license suspension | Support Testimony Action Alert |
| S.729 | Impact of good behavior | An Act relative to parole eligibility | Support Testimony |
| H.1475/ S.1255 | Solitary confinement restrictions | An Act to reduce recidivism, curb unnecessary spending, and ensure appropriate use of segregation | Support Testimony Testimony |
| H.1313 | Restorative justice | An Act promoting restorative justice practices | Support Testimony |
| H.1270/ S.810 | Expungement of records | An Act relative to the expungement of records of persons falsely accused and juveniles | Support Testimony |
Education, Terry Yoffie
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S.251 | Dropout prevention | An Act relative to dropout prevention and recovery | Support Testimony |
| S.2062 | Sexual health education | An Act relative to healthy youth | Support Testimony Action Alert |
Elder Affairs, Pat Costello
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.2029/ S.1159 | Informing patients of status | An Act regarding notification of patient observations status | Support Testimony |
Elections and Voting, Linda Freedman
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.553/ S.377 | Election Day voter registration | An Act to establish election day registration (Bill no longer active this session.) | Support Testimony |
| H.3321 | Redraw Boston precincts | An Act regarding Decennial division of wards and precincts in the city of Boston | Support |
| H.3937 | Automatic voter registration | An Act automatically registering eligible voters and enhancing safeguards against fraud | Support Testimony |
| H.572 | Campaign finance | An Act relative to the elimination of public campaign financing (Bill no longer active this session.) | Oppose Testimony |
| H.574 | Require paper ballots | An Act to ensure secure voting equipment (Bill no longer active this session.) | Support Testimony |
| H. 557 | Require voter ID | An Act ensuring election integrity through voter identification (Bill no longer active this session.) | Oppose Testimony |
| H.569 | Require voter ID | An Act requiring photo identification for voting | Oppose Testimony |
| H.595 | Require voter ID | An Act relative to valid identification at voting polls (Bill no longer active this session.) | Oppose Testimony |
| H.600 | Allow overseas ballot by secure website | An Act relative to UOCAVA voting (Bill no longer active this session.) | Oppose Testimony |
Environment—Energy and Resource Conservation, Launa Zimmaro
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S.1747 | Carbon pricing | An Act combatting climate change | Support Testimony Action Alert Letter |
| H.756 | Electronic waste products | An Act to require producer responsibility for collection, reuse and recycling of discarded electronic products | Support Testimony |
| H.2870 and S.1768 | Gas leaks | An Act relative to protecting consumers of gas and electricity from paying for leaked and unaccounted for gas (Bill no longer active this session.) | Support Testimony |
| H.2871 and S.1767 | Gas leaks | An Act relative to gas leak repairs during road projects | Support Testimony |
| H.3854 | Sets solar net metering caps and other solar energy policies | An Act providing for the establishment of a comprehensive adaptation management plan in response to climate change | Oppose Letter |
| S.2372 | Energy diversity | An Act to promote energy diversity | Support Letter Letter |
Environment—Natural Resources, Lynn Wolbarst
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.2119 | Toxic chemicals | An Act to prohibit the distribution in commerce of children’s products and upholstered furniture containing certain flame retardants, and for other purposes | Support Testimony |
| H.646 | Repeals current bottle deposit law | An Act improving recycling in the Commonwealth | Oppose |
Fiscal Policy, June Michaels
Good Governance, Carolyn Lee
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.3665 | Access to public records | An Act to improve public records | Support Testimony Action Alert Action Alert Letter Action Alert |
Health Care, Judy Deutsch
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.1026 | Single-payer health care | An Act establishing Medicare for all in Massachusetts | Support Testimony |
| H.1033 | Public health insurance option | An Act establishing a public health insurance option | Support Testimony |
| H.965 | Compare health care costs | An Act to ensure effective health care cost control | Support Testimony |
| H.1958/ S.1206 | Patient-staff ratios | An Act relative to patient safety | Support Testimony |
| S.2076 | Dental Hygienist | An Act establishing an advanced dental hygiene practitioner level of practice | Support Testimony |
| S.1114 | Health disparities | An Act to eliminate health disparities in the Commonwealth | Support Testimony |
Human Trafficking/Child Safety, Carole Pelchat
Immigration, Karen Price
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.1061 | In-state tuition for some non-citizen students | An Act relative to equal opportunity for high school graduates in the commonwealth (Bill no longer active this session.) | Support Testimony |
Meeting Basic Human Needs, Clare Gordon
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.1129 | Homelessness | An Act providing a homeless bill of rights | Support Testimony |
| H.2479 | Earned Income Tax Credit | An Act improving the earned income credit for working families (Bill no longer active this session.) | Support Testimony |
| S.70 | Financial Stability | An Act promoting financial stability and asset development | Support Testimony |
Transportation, Lois Levin
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| H.3100 | Transportation assessment | An Act directing the board of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to assess the current status of the Commonwealth’s transportation system | Support |
| H.2698/ S.1474 | Local ballot initiatives for transportation | An Act relative to regional transportation ballot initiatives | Support Testimony |
| H.3613 | Omnibus transportation bill | An Act for a reliable, sustainable Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | Support Testimony |
| H.3073/S.1807 | Sets space between cars and other road users | An Act to protect vulnerable road users | Support Testimony |
| H.3019/S.1810 | Side guards on trucks | An Act to protect vulnerable road users by requiring certain vehicles to be equipped with side under-rider guards and blind spot mirrors (Bill no longer active this session.) | Support |
| H.3072/ S. 1808 | Keep vehicles out of bicycle lanes | An Act to protect bicyclists in bicycle lanes | Support Testimony |
| S. 1809 | Allows cyclists to ride when using crosswalk | An Act to protect bicyclists in bicycle paths | Support Testimony |
Women’s Issues
| Bill # | Topic | Bill Title | LWVMA Action |
| S.2107 | Pay equity | An Act to establish pay equity | Support Testimony Action Alert Action Alert Action Alert |
| H.1769 | Rights for pregnant workers | An Act establishing the Massachusetts pregnant workers fairness act | Support Testimony Letter |
| H.784 | Disability insurance equity | An Act providing for equitable coverage in disability policies (Bill no longer active this session.) | Support Testimony Action Alert |