We did it–we made it through another Election day, largely unscathed! And with so much on the line this time around, that’s no small feat.
Nationally, Democrats fended off a “red wave” and kept control of the senate. Huge. Here in Massachusetts, ballot question #1 for the Fair Share Amendment and #4 drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants won. Massive.
Down-ballot Dems had a great night here in the Bay State, too; in fact, we are poised to have the highest number of Democrats in the state legislature since 2009. Between this super-super majority in the legislature and the entirely Democratic statewide offices including the governor, there will be absolutely no excuse not to swiftly pass the bills that make up the MA Democratic party platform, such as the Safe Communities Act, Medicare for All, and making committee votes public.
Then again, when have they ever needed excuses before?
State House Scoop
Baker signs economic development bill, vetoes education campaign about fake abortion clinics
Don’t say we didn’t warn you; by failing to pass major legislation before the end of formal sessions in July, the legislature ceded their power to override any Baker vetoes. This procrastination has already proved disastrous for a number of progressive policies, including the 5-year jail and prison construction moratorium and no-cost calls for the loved ones of incarcerated people. This week, Governor Baker killed another progressive policy as he signed the $3.8 billion spending bill: he vetoed $1 million earmarked for a public education campaign about fake abortion clinics, also known as “crisis pregnancy centers” or CPCs.
According to Planned Parenthood, fake clinics are sites disguised as real health centers run by anti-abortion activists who have a harmful agenda: to scare, shame, or pressure people out of getting an abortion, often by spreading lies and misinformation. This deceitful practice is completely legal and designed to make people think they are receiving actual, licensed medical care, when they usually are not. Comedian John Oliver ran a special on fake clinics a few years back — if you have 20 minutes to spare this weekend, I highly recommend watching it so you can at least laugh a little through your rage.
Luckily, incoming governor Maura Healey has published information about the dangers of fake clinics as the Attorney General — we hope she continues this advocacy and awareness and she works with the legislature to appropriate funding for the public education campaign as soon as feasible.
House staffers receive 8% raise in pace with inflation
Speaker Mariano announced last week that Massachusetts State House employees will be receiving at least an 8% raise in their next paycheck. This is a good start, but the bare minimum; with inflation hovering around 7.7% this year, for many staffers this raise will be a net neutral. The speaker’s plan also sets a new salary floor of $50,466 for all staff, and $53,000 for legislative aides. This modest wage increase comes in the wake of the senate staffer’s unionization bid, motivated by devastating reports of low and unequal wages, poor working conditions, and harassment. When interviewed, Speaker Mariano went out of his way to assure reporters that this raise was in no way a response to the ongoing unionization efforts. Hmmmm… sounds like something someone afraid of a union would say.
In Memoriam
As House leadership congratulates themselves on approving “raises” for their staff, let’s take a moment to review a series of bills that all never saw the light of day this session. This package of bills was introduced over a year ago in response to demands from staff to make improvements that would reflect the real needs and challenges they face.
HD.4386: An Act relative to legislative employee living wage
This bill would have set the pay floor at $55,000 with a plan to annually increase the pay floor at the same rate as the median household income.
HD.4387: An Act relative to legislative employee compensation equity adjustment
To offset costs incurred during remote work and the pandemic, this bill would have offered a retroactive bonus of 6% for all employees.
HD.4388: An Act relative to legislative employee compensation COLAs
To ensure pay raises continue to reflect the rising cost of living in Massachusetts, this bill would have mandated an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) on staff salaries at the same rate of increase of the median household income in MA during the preceding year.
HD.4389: An Act relative to health insurance coverage
Currently, State House staff face a mandatory 60-day waiting period before they are eligible to receive employee health insurance benefits — an inhumane standard that Mariano and House leadership turned a blind eye towards despite loud cries from staff during the pandemic. This bill would eliminate the waiting period for health insurance eligibility and allow for immediate enrollment.
HD.4390: An Act establishing employee liaison; mediation and conflict resolution training
This bill would have established an employee liaison for each branch to represent employees in conflict and mediation for anything ranging from compensation and benefits to responsibilities or performance reviews. It would have also made mediation and conflict resolution training available to all managers and supervisors.
Election News
Question 6 for public committee votes sweeps all 20 districts
Results have been slowly trickling in since polls closed on Tuesday night and although we’re still awaiting final tallies, I can say with confidence that Question 6, our non-binding ballot question about public committee votes, passed! In fact, we didn’t just win, we swept the gosh darn board: Question 6 won in every single district, and passed with an average of 85%. Plus, we’re getting some fantastic media coverage (Eagle Tribune, Gloucester Times).
I cannot express enough gratitude to all of you who voted YES for public committee votes, and especially to those who helped collect signatures and campaign for our question. Together, we achieved the most successful ballot question campaign that Act on Mass has ever run! Now it’s up to us to ensure Beacon Hill acts on this crystal clear mandate from the people.
SEE ALL QUESTION 6 RESULTS >> JOIN THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE CAMPAIGN >>
Take Action
Act on Mass Fall Membership Meeting 11/29 7:00PM
You are cordially invited to our virtual Fall Membership Meeting! Here, we’ll debrief how the ballot campaign went, update everyone on our plans for the next year, discuss prospects for State House reform next session, and share ways to get plugged into the next phase of the campaign for rules reform.
RSVP FOR THE FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING >> SIGN UP TO GET THE MEETING RECORDING >>
Support Abortion AccessThe best way to support people seeking abortions and the abortion access movement is to offer direct monetary support to patients. The Jane Fund of Central MA reported a 160% increase in funding needs from Sept-Oct as patients from out of state begin to come to MA for safe care and the need for funding continues to rise. Making a recurring donation — no matter how small the amount — is the best way to support abortion funds and patients right now. If you or someone you know needs abortion care, you can find a licensed provider near you here.
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That’s all for this week! There won’t be a Scoop next week because I plan to spend the whole weekend in a turkey-induced food coma. And, frankly, reader? I encourage you to do the same.
Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass
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