MASS LEAGUE ACTION
January 2024
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Advocacy 101 for Local Leagues
January 30
How can your local League take action at the local, state and national levels on issues that matter? Join us on Tuesday, January 30, at 7:00 PM via Zoom for Advocacy 101 for Local Leagues featuring Jessica Jones Capparell, Director of Government Affairs for the League of Women Voters of the US (LWVUS). We invite all members to join us and encourage all local League board members to attend. Register here.
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Meet the Specialists
- Affordable Housing: January 17
- Health Care: January 31
LWVMA’s Meet the Specialists programs offer members the chance to take a deep dive into the state level bills we support in a topic area. Read more.
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Common Start local events
The Common Start Coalition, of which LWVMA is a member, is holding two regional events in January to urge the members of the Joint Committee on Education and other legislators to report bills H.489 and S.301 favorably out of committee before the February 7 reporting deadline – and to show them how important high-quality, affordable, and accessible early education and child care is is to their constituents. Read more.
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LWVMA has partnered with New England for Offshore Wind (NE4OSW) on a three-part Zoom webinar series featuring respected and knowledgeable speakers who will bring us up to speed on Offshore Wind. The third and final webinar of the series, Conflicts and Solutions: Overcoming Offshore Wind Opposition, is scheduled for Thursday, January 18, from 4:00-5:00 PM and will feature opening remarks from Katie Theoharides, former Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and current President and CEO of The Trustees of Reservations. Read more.
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Do your legislators serve on the Joint Committee on Public Health? Using the sample script below, urge them to report H2197/S1356, An Act to protect Massachusetts public health from PFAS, favorably–without being watered down by industry inputs. As we learned during the League Leaders lunch featuring Rep. Kate Hogan, lead sponsor of the House bill, the need to stop production of the more than 20,000 PFAS chemicals and their contamination of our waters, soils and consumer products gets more urgent daily. Read more.
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Do your legislators serve on the Joint Committee on Education? Using the sample script below, contact them to support S2528, An act regarding free expression, and urge them to report the bill favorably out of committee. The hearing will occur on January 10, and LWVMA has submitted written testimony. The move to restrict freedom of expression in our schools is current and urgent. Just before the holidays, Great Barrington police entered and searched a classroom for a coming-of-age book on LBGTQ+ topics that had been anonymously and erroneously reported as pornographic. This was not legal and we need to reinforce free speech rights for all in the Commonwealth. Read more.
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LWVMA is excited about launching (early February) an all-member survey focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This comprehensive survey aims to capture valuable insights, experiences, and perspectives from members. It will also enable LWVMA to share back with members available resources as well the scope of the work being done to foster a deeper understanding of the current state of DEI within the organization. Read more.
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A new LWVMA video on campaign finance rules for candidates, particularly for local offices, is coming soon! Watch for a notice that it’s available.
In the recording, Jason Tait, Director of Communications and Public Education for the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, explains the rules for accepting campaign donations, the tools for reporting receipts and expenditures, and the missteps candidates should avoid. Read more.
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The deadline for the Lotte E. Scharfman Grant applications is January 17 at midnight. The good news is the Scharfman Board increased the grant amounts; $400 for a single League and $800 for two or more Leagues working together. The grant guidelines can be found HERE on the LWVMA website and the grant application can be found HERE.
Questions? Contact Jean Cherdack at jcherdack@lwvma.org.
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Interested in effecting change on Beacon Hill? Become a legislative specialist with LWVMA’s Legislative Action Committee (LAC). Specialists review bills and recommend to the LWVMA board which bills to support or oppose, testify before legislative committees, urge member support of legislation, and work with other organizations in coalitions to pass bills. Click here for a job description. We need volunteers for climate emergency, gun violence prevention, and education policy including higher education. Email specialists@lwvma.org to express your interest.
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The LWVMA Board will issue guidance on the November 2024 ballot questions after the Secretary of State determines which questions will appear on the ballot. This occurs in early July 2024. Presently, the ballot questions that met the first round signature threshold will be laid before the legislature to act before May 1. For more information on the ballot question process, click here.
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A huge thank you to the local Leagues who have submitted the data collection form for each of their 2023 activities. If your League has not yet submitted its data, there is still time! Please complete and submit your data by midnight on Thursday, January 10. HERE is the data form and user guide.
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Nuts and Bolts of Program Planning Meetings
Thursday, January 11 at 3:00 PM
Learn how to prepare for your League’s January/February 2024 Program Planning meeting. The Program Planning team will share information on organizing your meeting, finding resources to share with members pre-meeting and instructions for completing and submitting your League’s online program planning form by March 10. Bring your questions for the timely webinar. Click here to register. Read more.
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The Mass Action Newsletter is distributed to all LWVMA members. Anyone can request the Action Newsletter by clicking here. Please review this Newsletter for articles of interest to your League and include them in your local Bulletin. | | | | |
