August 2, 2016 – Several bills LWVMA strongly supported passed in the 189th session of the Massachusetts legislature, which ended at midnight Sunday, July 31.
A bill improving access to public records, a strong pay equity bill and an energy diversity bill that increases the state’s reliance on renewable energy sources all passed with active League support.
The legislature in this session made major strides in considering bills to reform the criminal justice system. While only the bill to repeal automatic drivers’ license suspensions for certain drug-related offences passed, the work done on criminal justice reform is expected to carry over into the new session which begins in January.
In the next session, the League will again work for election reform bills, including ones to implement automatic voter registration and election day registration and to redraw Boston precinct lines.
We were disappointed that bills providing for better working conditions for pregnant workers, for a ban on toxic flame retardants, for accurate and appropriate sex education in schools, for a carbon pricing policy, for in-state tuition rates for certain non-citizen students, and many others that the League supported did not make it to floor for a final vote this session. We will be advocating for those and other issues again in the 190th session of the General Court.