Dear Women's Caucus Members, Legislative Colleagues, and Partners,
Happy Women's History Month! As a caucus of the 62 women serving in the state legislature, we represent 31% of this esteemed body. We appreciate your support of our strategic and legislative priorities, and our ongoing work to enhance the economic status and equality of women and to encourage and support women at all levels of government.
The Women's Caucus has grown in size and scope over our almost-50 year history--and our members continue to make history every day. We continue our work supporting our members and female-identifying State House staffers, as well as focusing on the policies that most directly impact the women and girls of the Commonwealth. We hope that you will take a moment to read below about our work and how we are celebrating Women's History Month.
We'd also like to take a moment to welcome our Communications Intern, Grace! Grace is a student at Simmons University and is interning with the Women's Caucus this semester. As always, we encourage you to reach out to our Executive Director Nora Bent to connect, share your ideas, and think about how we can continue to work together.
Sincerely,
Senator Joan Lovely & Representative Hannah Kane
MCWL Co-Chairs
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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 and the Senate in October. 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 in October. Currently, it is before the House Committee on Ways & Means, and we look forward to continuing to advocate for its passage.
- EXTENDED: An Act relative to a livable wage for human service workers
- H.191, Rep. Khan & S.84, Sen. Friedman
- The reporting deadline for this bill was extended to May 2
- EXTENDED: An Act relative to postpartum depression screening
- H.2163, Rep. Fiola & S.1375, Sen. Friedman
- The reporting deadline for this bill was extended to December 31
- EXTENDED: An Act supporting parents running for public office
- H.669, Rep. Meschino and Rep. Connolly & S.422, Sen. Jehlen
- The reporting deadline for this bill was extended to May 28
Endorsed Legislation
- You can see the complete list of our endorsed legislation here.
- Following the Joint Rule 10 reporting deadline, all major status updates have been put on our website. The status of each bill will be updated as it continues to move through the legislative process.
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March is Women's History Month! Throughout this month, we are highlighting the current 62 members of the Women's Caucus and the history of those who came before us.
Throughout history, just 234 women have served in the state legislature--compared to over 20,000 men. While showing how much we have grown, this stark statistic also shows how much more we have to accomplish.
Throughout the month, our members are highlighting where they stand in the history of women serving in the legislature. We are sharing all of these posts on our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages--follow us to learn more!
Here are a couple of other ways that you can celebrate:
** The MA Office of Travel and Tourism has a helpful resource to celebrate Women's History Month. Check out this guide for great information and go-to places to celebrate the women who contributed to our history!
** The State Senate recently unveiled a portrait of Abigail Adams, which hangs prominently in the Senate Lobby. The Senate also announced that they are seeking nominations of an influential woman to honor with a bust in the Senate Chamber. Nominations will be reviewed by the Senate Art Committee, chaired by Sen.Cyr. Nominate someone today!
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Please let us know if you have articles or social media that you would like to share in the next newsletter or on social media.
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Our Board of Directors recently met with Senate President Spilka to discuss our strategic and legislative priorities, and our many areas of shared interest.
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- Neighborhood Birth Center is hosting a workshop series focusing on empowered birth and postpartum power. Learn more, register, and see the dates of this series here.
- Suffrage100MA is hosting an event to launch a new website and their efforts to become the online Massachusetts Women's History Center. This virtual event will be on Friday, March 22 at noon. Learn more and register here.
- On March 25 at 1:30pm in State House Room 428, join the AAPI Commission, the MA Commission on the Status of Women, and the Parity on Boards coalition in an event encouraging women to join state boards and commissions. The Women's Caucus endorsed a bill this session that would ensure parity on public boards and commissions.
- The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau is hosting an event on March 25 at 1pm that will feature women workers who are advocating for change in their industries. This event will take place in D.C. but will be livestreamed here.
- The MA Commission on the Status of Women's annual Girls Empowerment Leadership Initiative (GELI) supports girls and gender-expansive youth to engage in civic engagement training. This year's event will be on Saturday, April 20. Learn more and register here.
- Save the date--the Health Equity Compact is hosting the 2024 Health Equity Trends Summit on Thursday, June 6. Details to come!
Please let us know if you have upcoming events that you would like to be included in the next newsletter or on social media.
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Legislators--have you nominated a 2024 Commonwealth Heroine yet? Time is running out! Nominations are due to the MA Commission on the Status of Women by April 1, 2024.
Our partners at the MA Commission on the Status of Women host this event annually, which offers an opportunity for legislators to nominate someone in their district. Commonwealth Heroines are women who don’t always make the news, but truly make a difference in their communities, businesses, or volunteer endeavors.
The nomination portal will close on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 5pm ET. Honorees will be notified of their nomination in mid to late April and the 2024 celebration will take place on June 14, 2024 at the Statehouse.
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Please let us know if you have upcoming events that you would like to be included in the next newsletter or on social media.
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