Dear Women's Caucus Members, Legislative Colleagues, and Partners,
As we near the end of our busy July month, we are glad to bring you this newsletter with updates from the Women's Caucus. Please take a moment to read below about recent work on our strategic and legislative priorities.
We also want to highlight a recent op-ed that we penned about the work of the Women's Caucus. Since our founding in 1975, we have grown to represent 31% of the legislature. As we have grown in size and diversity, we have also taken on a variety of different policy issues to support women in MA. Our consistent thread of support among members has guided our work over the decades, making us a unique Beacon Hill entity. We join together on the issues that impact all women, using our members' lived experiences to ensure that the generations to come have expanded opportunities. Read more here.
As the Co-Chairs of the Women's Caucus, we were pleased to attend and speak at two events last month hosted by our partner organization, the MA Commission on the Status of Women. We offered remarks and presented congratulatory citations at the Commission's 25th Anniversary Gala and their annual Commonwealth Heroines event.
We hope that you find this newsletter informative. We will take a break from our monthly newsletter in August, and return with updates in September. We appreciate your partnership, and as always encourage you to connect with us. To do so, please contact our Executive Director, Nora Bent.
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
Legislative Priorities
- An Act relative to a livable wage for human service workers
- An Act relative to salary range transparency
- An Act to increase access to disposable menstrual products in prisons, homeless shelters, and public schools
- H.534, Rep. Barber and Rep. Livingstone & S.1381, Sen. Jehlen
- This bill was heard before the Joint Committee on Public Health on June 6. You can see the Caucus' written testimony here.
- We recently collected 400 menstrual products and donated them to Rosie's Place. Thank you to Rep. Domb for organizing this effort, and to the many other offices that participated!
- 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
- This bill was heard before the Joint Committee on Election Laws on May 17. You can see the Caucus' written testimony here.
Endorsed Legislation
- You can see the full list of our endorsed legislation here.
- Several of our endorsed bills have recently been heard in Committee:
- S708, An Act enhancing post-pregnancy mental health care, filed by Sen. Rausch, was heard before the Joint Committee on Financial Services on June 26.
- H1195/S755, An Act clarifying rate-setting processes for home health and home care services, filed by Rep. Gentile and Sen. Jehlen, will be heard before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing on July 25.
- H2146/S1333, An Act prohibiting nonconsensual intimate examinations of anesthetized or unconscious patients, filed by Reps. Domb and Ferguson and Sen. Comerford will be heard before the Joint Committee on Public Health on July 26.
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Annually, our Board of Directors meets with members of leadership across both legislative chambers and the Executive Branch. We were honored to recently meet with Senate President Spilka to discuss our priorities for this session and areas of shared collaboration.
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Did you know that just 32.7% of state legislators in the U.S. are women and only 7.8% of legislators identify as women of color?
In MA, the numbers are slightly different. Of the 200 legislators serving in the Massachusetts state legislature, 62 are women. Only 13 identify as women of color. All 62 women legislators in MA are members of the Caucus.
One of the MCWL’s strategic priorities is empowering women in government. By fostering opportunity & addressing hurdles, we are working to support women in the State House and the women to come. Learn more about this data on women in state government.
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- The Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus is hosting their Young Professionals Summer Soiree on Wednesday, July 26 at 5:30 pm at Democracy Brewing in Boston. See details and register here.
Please let us know if you have events that you would like to be highlighted in the next newsletter or shared on social media.
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- Women's Caucus Co-Chairs Sen. Lovely & Rep. Kane penned an op-ed about the work of the Caucus. You can read the op-ed here (paywall) or here.
- "Bipartisan and bicameral in nature, the caucus is a unique entity on Beacon Hill, bringing together all the women who serve. The caucus’ membership spans generations, geography, backgrounds, cultures, and political views. That diversity is what keeps the caucus strong. We come together on issues that impact all women, using our members’ lived experiences to ensure that the generations of women to come have expanded opportunities."
- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released a startling new report that shows that serious complications from labor and delivery doubled in MA between 2011-2020. Women of color continue to experience higher rates of complications. Black women experienced 2.3 times higher rates of complications, and Hispanic and AAPI women experience rates 1.2 times higher.
- The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation released a new report entitled "Incentivizing Employer-Supported Child Care in Massachusetts"
- "New research reveals the 30 critiques holding women back from leadership that most men will never hear."
- "'We just don't hire women': In the construction industry, discrimination runs rampant" & "Building for the Future: Advancing Equal Employment Opportunity in the Construction Industry."
- July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Learn more here about the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness.
- Members of the Caucus participated in a research study, conducted by Australian Member of Parliament Gabrielle Upton. MP Upton conducted an international study tour to analyze best practices to support women in government.
Please let us know if you have articles or social media that you would like to be highlighted in the next newsletter or shared on social media.
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Please let us know if you have accomplishments that you would like to be highlighted in the next newsletter or shared on social media.
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