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Dear Women's Caucus Members, Legislative Colleagues, and Partners,

Happy Holidays from the MA Caucus of Women Legislators! 2023 has been a great year for the Women's Caucus. From engaging in a thorough and inclusive priority-setting process, hosting numerous events and conversations for our members and the legislature as a whole, and making significant progress on our priority legislation, we have been hard at work uplifting and supporting the women and girls of the Commonwealth. Our Caucus is very fortunate to be led by our Executive Director Nora Bent, and we are grateful for all she has done this year to advance the priorities of the Caucus!


We are proud to bring you our final newsletter of 2023. Please see below for recent updates on our work and to see our holiday and end-of-year greetings to all of our partners. We are grateful to be in this work with you all and look forward to a similarly productive 2024.

Sincerely,

Senator Joan Lovely & Representative Hannah Kane
MCWL Co-Chairs
Happy Holidays from all of us at the MA Caucus of Women Legislators! We've had a fantastic year, and look forward to 2024. We wish you all a restful, peaceful, and joyful holiday season.
Strategic Priorities
  • Elevating Women’s Economic Opportunity & Eliminating Barriers
  • Addressing Racial and Gender Disparities in Health Care 
  • Empowering Women in Government
     
  • PASSED THE HOUSE & SENATE: An Act relative to salary range transparency
    • This bill passed the House of Representatives on October 4 and passed the Senate on October 19. The bill is now before a Conference Committee.
       
  • PASSED THE SENATE: An Act to increase access to disposable menstrual products
    • This bill passed the Senate on October 26. It is currently before the House Committee on Ways & Means, and we look forward to continuing to advocate for its passage.
       
  • An Act relative to a livable wage for human service workers
  • An Act relative to postpartum depression screening
  • An Act supporting parents running for public office 
    • H.669, Rep. Meschino and Rep. Connolly & S.422, Sen. Jehlen
       
Endorsed Legislation
  • You can see the full list of our endorsed legislation here.
     
  • One of our endorsed bills was recently heard in Committee
    • An Act to ensure legal parentage equality, filed by Reps. Peake and Kane and Sen. Cyr, was heard before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on November 14.
       
  • Recently, MassHealth announced coverage of doula services. This is directly related to one of our endorsed bills, An Act relative to Medicaid coverage for doula services, filed by Rep. Sabadosa and Sen. Miranda. We are thrilled to see this movement, which will help to reduce disparities in care. We look forward to continuing to support the underlying legislation, which will help ensure that implementation of this policy goes smoothly.

Earlier this week, the Women's Caucus met with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to discuss our strategic agenda and areas of shared priority. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Administration and our colleagues in 2024!

  • Reminder--the Women's Caucus is now on Instagram! Follow us for updates. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter.
     
  • The White House recently announced the formation of the first-ever White House Initiative on Women's Health Research. This initiative will be led by First Lady Jill Biden and the White House Gender Policy Council. Learn more here. 
     
  • In 1975, women in Iceland went on strike for gender equality. This article details the strike and ensuing passage of equal pay laws, electing the world's first female president, and the founding of an all-female political party. This article presents a strong case study of how women leaders--in government and in their communities--truly hold the keys to a livable world.
     
  • November 30 was Native American Women's Equal Pay Day. Native American women earn just 55 cents to the average white man's dollar. This day is calculated based on when in the year Native American women reach the same earnings that white men made the previous year. It is important to note that for Native American women, this day happens almost in the new year--meaning it takes almost a full year to catch up. Learn more about this disparity and potential solutions here.
     
  • This article and interview with former Governor Jane Swift offer an interesting view on her time in office, the media scrutiny she faced, the ways our society has changed in its view toward women in power, and the work we still have to do.
     
  • Our partners at the MA Commission on the Status of Women released their FY23 Annual Report. We encourage you to read it for updates on their work, the results of their public hearings, and more. This report also contains great summaries of the work of each Regional Commission.
     
  • "Only five of the largest public companies in Mass. have reached gender parity on their boards."
     
  • "Millenial women are making more money. They're also facing bigger health threats."
     
Please let us know if you have articles or social media that you would like to be shared in the next newsletter or on social media.
Please let us know if you have accomplishments that you would like to be highlighted in the next newsletter or shared on social media. 
Please send relevant articles, upcoming events, social media you would like shared, accomplishments, or other updates that you think MCWL members and our partners would find helpful. All updates should be sent to Nora.Bent@MALegislature.gov
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