Did you miss us, friend?
We took a few weeks off of the Scoop to focus on our organizing work because, frankly, there wasn’t much legislating happening for this legislative watchdog to watch. Beacon Hill took their typical August recess, holding only informal sessions and punting major business to the fall.
Well, I’m delighted to say that after four leisurely weeks of vacation, lawmakers hit the ground running by passing a handful of long-awaited progressive bills in their first two weeks back!
And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge over the Charles River I’d like to sell you.
Nope, our fair lawmakers haven’t held a formal session since July 31st. If you’ve been wondering if this is typical behavior for a legislature, it’s not: last week, FiscalNote reported that the Massachusetts Legislature is officially the least effective in the country in 2023.
For those keeping track at home, that’s our third “least” superlative of the fifty state legislatures, alongside least transparent, and least competitive elections. Hmm, I wonder if those could be connected somehow…
But even as the Legislature idles, the other mechanisms of lawmaking are kicking into high gear; last week, Attorney General Campbell approved 34 prospective questions for the 2024 and 2026 ballots. These initiative petitions include (re-)enabling cities and towns to implement rent control, removing the MCAS graduation requirement, granting rideshare drivers (think Uber or Lyft) the right to unionize, and last but not least, explicitly granting the office of the Auditor the right to audit the Legislature, not that they need it or anything. (More on that below!)
But none of these are a done deal; the groups behind each question need to collect 75,000 signatures before the November deadline to ensure they make it on the ballot. And THEN the campaigning begins.
All right, enough intro. There’s work to be done!
Oops, All Take Action!
As the brave Cap’n once said, sometimes all you need are the berries. And in this case, the berries are a metaphor for grassroots political calls to action.
In other words, just because the Legislature isn’t making a lot of news lately doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do! With the ballot question signature gathering deadline right around the corner, and high-profile bills getting their committee hearings left and right, this is a make-or-break few months for many key progressive issues. So, friend, refill that coffee cup, and take the next 10 minutes to submit testimony for these crucial bills:
SUNLIGHT AGENDA ACTION: testify in support of State House staff right to unionize
What: Committee Hearing for An Act relative to collective bargaining rights for legislative employees (S.2014/H.3069)
When: Wednesday, 9/20/23 at 1PM
Where: Hearing Room A-1 at the State House (directions) OR virtually here
With reports of underpayment and unequal payment, long hours, racial and gender discrimination and more, State House staff deserve the right to collectively bargain for better work conditions. A staff union contract would help improve democracy on Beacon Hill by increasing retention, removing staff pay as a negotiating tool in the hands of House and Senate leaders, and fostering a more efficient legislature that better serves its constituents. That’s why we’re fighting for this key bill as part of our Sunlight Agenda to restore Democratic Integrity on Beacon Hill!
SIGN UP TO GIVE ORAL TESTIMONY >>
We’ve put together a testimony toolkit for this bill to help you craft your narrative and develop effective testimony. You can also refer to our sample testimony for inspiration, but we strongly recommend you add your own personal spin to it.
If you’re unable to attend the hearing, you are still able to submit written testimony by 5PM on Wednesday, 9/20:
SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY FOR S.2014 >>
SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY FOR H.3069 >>
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Missed a Scoop or two? You can find a full archive of all past Saturday Scoops on our blog.
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Submit written testimony in support of the Cherish Act
What: Committee Hearing for An Act committing to higher education the resources to insure a strong and healthy public higher education system (H.1260/S.816)
When: Monday, 9/18/23 at 10AM
Where: Gardner Auditorium OR virtually here
Public higher education in Massachusetts has been defunded by 30% over the last two decades. That’s right – not 3%, 30%. This means the cost burden has been shifted onto the students, who have to take on more and more crushing debt in order to earn a degree. The Cherish Act would fully fund public higher education (community colleges, state universities, and the UMass system) in Massachusetts – something we haven’t done since 2001. This bill has been filed in the Legislature two previous sessions, and died both times.
For help getting started, you can check out Act on Mass’ official testimony in support of Cherish here, and Higher Ed For All’s testimony template here.
Submit Testimony in support of the Indigenous Legislative Agenda
What: Committee Hearing for An Act to Protect Native American Heritage (H.3248)
When: Monday, 9/18/23 at 10AM
Where: Hearing Room A-1 at the State House (directions) OR virtually here
This bill (H.3248) would ensure that Native American funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony (those of cultural, traditional or historical importance to their heritage) held in governmental, municipal or non-profit collections are not sold for profit.
SUBMIT PRE-WRITTEN TESTIMONY >>
TEMPLATE TO WRITE YOUR OWN TESTIMONY >>
Collect signatures for the ballot question to audit the Legislature
Since the House Speaker and Senate President have refused to comply, Auditor Diana DiZoglio has taken her fight to audit the Legislature to the ballot. But before we can campaign for it or even go vote YES, we need to ensure it makes it to the ballot in the first place. We need to collect 75,000 signatures by November. Sign up to volunteer to collect 50-100 signatures in your community:
SIGN UP TO COLLECT SIGNATURES >>
Help us reach our goal: donate to support the Sunlight Agenda
By campaigning for the four key bills in the Sunlight Agenda, we can fight the anti-democratic hierarchy on Beacon Hill, but we can’t do it without your help. We need to raise $5,000 in the next month to ensure we can run a bold, effective grassroots campaign behind the Sunlight Agenda. We’ve raised over $700–thank you to everyone who has already donated! If you haven’t given yet, can you help us reach our goal by making a donation today?
I don't know about you, but all these hearings and ballot questions are getting me excited, energized, and hopeful. There's just something about being a thorn in the Legislature's side that keeps me young.
See you at the hearings next week,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass