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BOSTON (State House News Service) - With the first all-woman team in the executive office and nearly one-third of the Legislature made up of women, including the Senate president, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women on Wednesday laid out its overarching goals for this legislative session to "advance equity for women, and ensure their rights and opportunities."
The commission's strategic objectives include promoting bills having to do with reproductive health care, empowering women in government, and expanding access to early education and child care, among other goals.
Gov. Maura Healey spoke to commission members gathered at the State House on Wednesday before they went door to door, visiting the offices of state lawmakers to advocate for their priorities.
Healey spoke about being the first woman elected as governor of Massachusetts, and part of the first all-female governor and lieutenant governor team in the nation, but she did not specifically endorse any of the commission's priorities.
"From time immemorial, we have not had the diversity of experience, lived experience, at the proverbial table," Healey said. "Working together with you, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, we look forward to partnering on so many issues... I know we're going to look forward to internalizing the findings and the recommendations that you have made."
The commission's priority legislation includes:
- H 2325 / S 1493 filed by Sen. Cynthia Creem and Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley would mandate that state prison administrators maximize out-of-cell time for incarcerated people and create opportunities for their participation in education, training, employment and other programming, with the intent of aiding rehabilitation and decreasing the chances of re-entry into the prison system. The bill seeks to regulate a mandatory minimum of eight hours per day for incarcerated people to spend outside of cells, as well as increasing community partnerships for vocational training, ensuring access to a library at least three times a week, and other human rights regulations, such as maintaining a comfortable temperature in correctional facilities and ensuring safe and high-quality water.
- H 2371 filed by Reps. Jay Livingstone and Kay Khan would make contraceptives available to incarcerated individuals who are capable of becoming pregnant upon admission to a correctional facility, within a minimum of 60 days prior to a scheduled release date, and at any time upon request. The bill would make intrauterine devices, contraceptive implants, shot birth control, birth control pills, contraceptive patches, and other types available, and would not require incarcerated individuals to receive a medical diagnosis to access the birth control.
- S 947 / H 1713 filed by Sen. Julian Cyr and Reps. Sarah Peake and Hannah Kane would provide every child the same rights and protections as any other child regardless of their parents' marital status, gender identity or sexual orientation, or whether they were adopted, conceived through surrogacy or other means of assisted reproduction.
- S 1799 / H 2894 filed by Sen. Jaime Eldridge and Rep. Montano would impose an excise tax to provide for climate change adaptation infrastructure and affordable housing investments.
- S 1415 filed by Sen. Liz Miranda seeks to better integrate midwifery care into the maternal health care system. It would create a board of registration in midwifery within the department of public health to rectify a licensure gap, where certified professional midwives can practice in Massachusetts but are not officially licensed in the state. The bill would also require that certain insurers, including MassHealth, cover licensed midwifery services throughout prenatal and delivery care. Supporters say that this bill would specifically help women of color, who are more likely to use doula and midwife services, and who face higher rates of pregnancy death and postpartum complications.
- S 744 / H 1239 filed by Sen. Jaime Eldridge and Reps. Lindsay Sabadosa and Denise Garlick to establish Medicare for all in the state.
- S 301 / H 489 filed by Sen. Jason Lewis and Reps. Kenneth Gordon and Adrian Madaro seeks to expand access to affordable and accessible early education and care. The bill would develop a schedule for revising the rate structure for early education and care providers, to encourage providers to offer care during nonstandard hours. It would also collect data on the pay rates and employer-paid benefits of early education and care providers, as well as how many people are working in the field and how many children are enrolled in early education every year. The bill would also build an early education and care financial assistance program for families.
- S 348 / H 590 filed by Sen. Patricia Jehlen and Reps. Mike Connolly and Joan Meschino to allow candidates running for public office to use campaign funds to pay for child care services.
- S 1381 / H 534 filed by Sen. Patricia Jehlen and Reps. Jay Livingstone and Christine Barber would require family housing shelters, adult housing shelters, hotels used for emergency shelter, emergency apartments, domestic violence shelters, runaway and homeless youth shelters and safe houses for refugees, among other temporary housing facilities, to provide disposable menstrual products for free.
- S 268 / H 544 filed by Sen. Sal DiDomenico and Reps. Jim O'Day and Vanna Howard would remodel sex education in Massachusetts. The bill would create curriculum guidelines for sex education for public school districts and charter schools that opt in to teaching sex ed. It requires that districts that teach the subject go over human anatomy; how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, AIDS and unwanted pregnancy; effective use of contraceptives; how to safely discuss sexual activity in a relationship; skills to identify and prevent sexual violence and relationship violence; and age-appropriate and affirming education on gender identity and sexual orientation.
- H 3095 filed by Reps. Tram Nguyen and Dawne Shand would require that every appointed board or commission of the state have at least 50 percent members who identify as female and at least 30 percent members who identify as an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+, or else explain why it does not reach these requirements.
- H 1849 filed by Reps. Josh Cutler and Brandy Fluker Oakley would require employers, public or private, who have 15 employees or more disclose the pay range for a particular position in the advertisement for the opening. It would also require that the business provide the pay range for promotions and transfers to new positions.
Written By Sam Drysdale
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