Dear Women's Caucus Members, Legislative Colleagues, and Partners,
As we enter the Fall season, we are thrilled to bring you this newsletter with updates about recent work on our strategic and legislative priorities.
To kick off this newsletter, we wanted to share an interesting fact about the Caucus. As you may know, the Caucus was founded in 1975 (we are approaching our 50th anniversary!) and has grown significantly in those years. We currently have 62 members, comprising 31% of the legislature. In our state's history, only 234 women have been elected to serve in the legislature--compared to over 20,000 men. We encourage you to take a look at our website, which lists the order in which women were elected. For example, we are the 185th (Sen. Lovely) and 192nd (Rep. Kane) women elected.
We hope that you find this newsletter informative. 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.
- 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.
- An Act to promote diversity on public boards and commissions (H.3095 filed by Rep. Nguyen and Rep. Shand, and S.2029 filed by Sen. Miranda) was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight to the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means, respectively.
- Several of our endorsed bills have recently been heard or will be heard in Committee:
- An Act clarifying rate-setting processes for home health and home care services (H.1195 filed by Rep. Gentile, and S.755 filed by Sen. Jehlen) was heard before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing on July 25.
- An Act relative to virtual meetings of appointed statewide public bodies (H3671 filed by Rep. Farley-Bouvier and Rep. Domb) was heard by the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight on July 26.
- An Act establishing a diaper benefits pilot program (H.149 filed by Rep. Domb and Rep. Pignatelli, and S.104 filed by Sen. Lovely) was heard before the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities on September 12.
- An Act relative to gender-neutral language in election law (H.660 filed by Rep. Blais) was heard before the Joint Committee on Election Law on September 19.
- An Act prohibiting nonconsensual intimate examinations of anesthetized or unconscious patients (H.2146 filed by Rep. Domb and Rep. Ferguson, and S.1333 filed by Sen. Comerford) was heard before the Joint Committee on Public Health on September 20.
- An Act relative to Medicaid coverage for doula services (H.1240 filed by Rep. Sabadosa and S.782 Sen. Miranda) was heard before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing on September 20.
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The Women’s Rights History Trail Task Force needs your ideas on sites to be included as part of the statewide Trail. The Women's Caucus prioritized the legislation that created this Task Force last session, and we are thrilled to see it progressing. Please submit your suggestions for sites online here or in person at one of the upcoming listening sessions:
September 19th from 5 pm to 7 pm
Hosted by Senator Mark at the Adams Theater
September 21st from 5 pm to 7 pm
Hosted by Leader Gregoire at Marlborough High School (3rd Floor Lecture Hall)
October 3rd from 3 pm to 5 pm
Hosted by Rep. Kane at the Shrewsbury Public Library (Library Meeting Room)
October 5th starting at 1 pm
Hosted by Chair Domb at the Massachusetts State House – Hearing Room B-1
This session will allow for both in-person and virtual testimony
Sites should be historically and thematically associated with the fight for women’s rights and women’s suffrage, including the contributions of women veterans; and commemorate individuals who reflect racial, ethnic, cultural, and economic diversity.
Please feel free to share our Twitter & Facebook posts about opportunities for input.
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- The Prospera Institute is hosting its inaugural Health Equity for All Symposium on Saturday, September 30th. See details and ticket information here.
- Along with our partners at the Ellie Fund, we are hosting a briefing and panel discussion on breast cancer equity during October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Join us on Tuesday, October 3 at 11 am in State House room 428.
- The MA Commission on the Status of Women is hosting a briefing on October 4 at 10:30 am to share the results of their recent report examining the status of LGBTQ+ people in MA. See details and the link to register here.
- On Wednesday, October 11 at 2 pm, the Women's Caucus Justice-Involved Women's Task Force is cohosting a briefing along with the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus and the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus to discuss the report and recommendations of the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison. This briefing will be in room 428 at the State House.
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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Please welcome our fall interns and our international fellow! Thank you to all of these fantastic women for supporting the work of the Women's Caucus.
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- "Women are returning to work, but there's more to the story."
- UN Women Report on "Global Gender Equality in 2023: Urgent Efforts Needed to Reach 2030 Goals."
- Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month! Learn more here.
- Rep. Barber penned a great op-ed about her work with the Women's Caucus and our continued relevance as an organization.
- In August, several members of the Women's Caucus traveled to Ireland as part of the American Irish State Legislators Caucus to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement. During their visit, Rep. Kane, Rep. Kilcoyne, and Rep. Barber saw several placards honoring female elected officials and leaders in both the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Irish Parliament.
- September 18-24 is Diaper Need Awareness Week--join us in recognizing the importance of access to diapers! To help address this need, we endorsed S.104/H.149, An Act establishing a diaper benefits pilot program, filed by Sen. Lovely, Rep. Domb, and Rep. Pignatelli. Learn more here.
- Soon, there will be a professional women's soccer team in Boston. See more information and some history about women's sports teams here.
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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