Yesterday, the MA Senate voted 38 to 2 and the House 153 to 5 for the final language of legislation to require all employers with 25+ employees to post salary ..read more

July 25, 2024 To the Conferees: My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the policy director at Progressive Massachusetts. We are a statewide, multi-issue, grassroots membership organization focused on ..read more

The Massachusetts state primary is Tuesday September 3, the day after Labor Day. That’s 6 weeks away. And that will go by fast. In April, our Elections and Endorsements Committee began sending our comprehensive policy questionnaire to candidates running in contested races for MA House and MA Senate. We view these questionnaires as a vital opportunity to educate candidates about issues that matter to progressive voters, get candidates on record, and create a more informed and engaged electorate. Read questionnaires we’ve received (for legislative, county, and Governor’s Council races) here. The ..read more

Last week, the House took up its climate omnibus bill. While the bill contains a number of important reforms, it lacks the ambition of the Senate’s recent bill, which did far more to accelerate the transition away from gas. And the Senate’s bill still hadn’t gone far enough to meet the moment, especially around environmental justice. The process in the House was also emblematic of the chamber’s democracy deficit: of 107 amendments filed, 91 were withdrawn, and the handful that were adopted were watered down. What we see time and time again in the MA Legislature is that bad process leads to bad ..read more

The clock is ticking. The current formal legislative session at the State House ends in less than two weeks. And there is a lot still pending. Today, we’re asking you to take action in support of two bills of critical importance to women’s health: A maternal health bill that passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate The prison moratorium bill which passed last session but is still in committee with the clock ticking The MA Senate Must Act on Maternal Health Massachusetts families deserve a better maternal health care system. We have waited long enough for greater access to midwi ..read more

The clock is ticking. The current formal legislative session at the State House ends in just two weeks. And there is a lot still pending. Take action in support of strong action on our housing crisis and on the climate crisis with the tools and templates below. The Affordable Homes Act Must Support Renters WHAT HAPPENED SO FAR: Last month, the MA House and MA Senate passed versions of Governor Maura Healey’s Affordable Homes Act. Like Healey’s original version of the bill, both bills established an Office of Fair Housing, legalized accessory dwelling units in single-family zoning districts wi ..read more

July 15, 2024 Via Electronic Mail Senator Karen Spilka President of the Senate Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov Representative Ronald Mariano Speaker of the House Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov Representative Aaron Michlewitz Chairperson, House Committee on Ways and Means Chairperson, Joint Committee on Ways and Means Aaron.M.Michlewitz@mahouse.gov Senator Michael Rodrigues Chairperson, Senate Committee on Ways and Means Chairperson, Joint Committee on Ways and Means Michael.Rodrigues@masenate.gov Representative John Lawn, Jr.  Chairperson, Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing John.Lawn@mahouse.g ..read more

My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the policy director at Progressive Massachusetts. We are a statewide, multi-issue, grassroots membership organization focused on fighting for policy that would make our Commonwealth more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic.  Massachusetts faces a growing affordable housing crisis. To rent the average 2-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts requires an income equal to $37.97 per hour, more than twice the minimum wage. Home ownership has become increasingly out of reach, as the state’s median home price has passed $600,000. The high cost of housing h ..read more

On Thursday, during the long debate on the MA Senate’s economic development bill, the chamber voted 31 to 9 to increase the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 18-year-olds—keeping high school seniors out of the adult prison system. Although the Raise the Age bill would have gone all the way to 21, this is still a major win, and research has shown that allowing emerging adults to be tried as juveniles decreases crime, improves public safety, and is good for creating economic opportunity. In the juvenile system, there is better access to education and support resources, and there are also b ..read more

Three weeks from this Thursday (i.e., August 1st), the MA Legislature will go on break for the rest of the year. That means that it’s crunch time: all of the policymaking that should have already happened over the pats 18 months will happen in just over three weeks. That also means that it’s especially important for your legislators to hear from you so that our priorities can cut through the noise. Read on for an email to your state rep and an email to your state senator to send this week and share. Thank you for all you do. In solidarity, Jonathan Cohn Policy Director Progressive Massachusett ..read more