Election Day Registration Lobby Day
We need you to lobby for Election Day Registration! Plan to attend our Election Day Registration lobby day
Wednesday, June 5, from 10 a.m. to noon
at the State House!
EDR is a League priority this session. Without a showing of public support, it can be hard to get the legislature to pay attention. Your presence will help raise the profile of Election Day Registration and show Massachusetts constituents care about voting rights.
The EDR lobby day will start with a presentation about the bills and some how-to-lobby tips at 10 a.m. in Room 428 at the State House. Then you will have a chance to visit your own Senator and Representative in support of Election Day Registration. You can
register here
.
Gun Legislation Lobby Day
The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence will hold a lobby day
Monday, June 3, at 2 p.m.
in Room 428 at the State House. We will ask legislators to support
S.1388
/
H.2045
,
An Act relative to crime gun data reporting and analysis.
This bill requires the state to research how crime guns are getting to our streets so that we can design better ways to stop them. We will hear from the chief sponsors of the bill, Sen. Cynthia Creem and Rep. Marjorie Decker, and then meet with legislators.
Register here.
Take Action on Abortion Rights
You can take a stand for reproductive rights in the face of enormous challenges.
An Act to remove obstacles and expand abortion access, called t
he “ROE Act,”
H3320
/
S1209
, would expand access to abortion in Massachusetts, but opponents are flooding legislators with loud, deceptive, and incendiary messages to defeat this bill. It is critical that lawmakers hear from constituents who support reproductive rights in general and this bill in particular.
Currently, Massachusetts law permits abortions after 24 weeks only to save the life or health of the pregnant person. The ROE Act would add a provision permitting an abortion after 24 weeks in cases of fatal fetal anomalies. It also removes a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for abortion care. The bill eliminates the requirement that teens obtain permission from a parent or judge to access abortion care, an unnecessary hurdle since judges grant that permission 99% of the time.
Please call or email your Senator and Representative now and tell them you support the ROE Act and want it to pass. Anti-abortion advocates are spreading misinformation across the country and on Beacon Hill. Fight back.
Become a Forum Moderator!
LWVMA is recognized locally and statewide for our work moderating informative, respectful, and inclusive candidate and issue forums. The competence and fairness of League-trained moderators has contributed to the high level of public trust LWVMA has earned. This work is essential to our mission and identity as a nonpartisan political organization working for good government.
Members who moderate consistently describe the work as rewarding and the skills they gain as useful within and beyond the forum setting. League moderators represent our organization to the candidates, speakers, media, and the public.
LWVMA and the League of Women Voters of Salem are co-hosting a moderator training on
June 12
. Expert League member and moderator Jo-Ann Berry will lead this training.
Details:
- Who should attend: Whether you have never moderated before or are an experienced moderator looking to refresh your skills, this training is for you! (This training is only for current League members)
- Date and Time: 7-8:30pm, June 12, 2019
- Location: Sohier Room at the Beverly Library (32 Essex Street, Beverly, MA 01915
- Registration: Register online here. Space is limited so please register today!
- Questions: Call (857-452-1715) or email lwvma@lwvma.org
Interested in 2020 Census?
Massachusetts' planning for the 2020 U.S. Census is beginning. Census data determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the Commonwealth, this data drives the distribution of over $16 billion in federal funding; Massachusetts risks losing up to $2,400 for each person not counted.
Local Leagues and League members can join their local Complete Count Committees. You can find your local Committee
here
. If your city or town is not listed, it has not yet shared information with the state. You can find more information on the 2020 Census
here
. One way League members can be involved is by applying for jobs at the Census
here
.
Support the Conservation Land Credit
The Conservation Land Tax Credit allows taxpayers a tax credit for qualified donations of certified land to a public or private conservation agency. This incentive program has been highly effective at conserving the Commonwealth’s most critical natural resources, but it is being limited by its $2 million dollar cap and a multi-year wait list.
Please contact your Representative and Senator and ask them to urge the FY20 operating budget Conference Committee to include in the final budget the House of Representatives language, adopted through a unanimous roll call vote, to increase the annual cap for the Conservation Land Tax Credit. The House language would increase the annual cap to eliminate the backlog and enable land trusts, municipalities, and state agencies to collaborate with private landowners to conserve land for farming, forestry, wildlife, and clean water.
Transportation Forum in Winchester
A forum on emerging new technologies and regional strategies in transportation, “Future of Transportation: Strategies for a Low-Carbon Region,” will be held
Monday, June 10, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
at the Jenks Center, 109 Skillings Rd., Winchester. The forum is co-hosted by the Winchester Climate Action Advisory Committee and the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.
Speakers are Kasia Hart and Alison Felix from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Sen. Jason Lewis on emerging technologies and regional strategies for efficiently transporting people in our region.
Learn How Facebook Can Help Your League
LWVMA staff members Brynne Gorman and Taylor Grenga are offering a webinar on how local Leagues can start a Facebook page or tweak the one they have. The webinar, "Engage Your Community and Grow Your Membership Through Facebook: Join the Conversation!" will be
Monday, June 17, at 4 p.m.
You can register for the webina
r
here
and will then receive instructions for signing in.
After the event, this webinar will be available along with all the other LWVMA webinars in our
webinar library.
LWVUS Litigation and Legislation Update
Join LWVUS Director of Advocacy and Litigation Celina Stewart and Policy and Legislative Affairs Senior Manager Jessica Jones Capparell for a mid-year update on LWVUS legislation and litigation efforts. This webinar is
Tuesday, June 11, 3-4 p.m.
Register here
!
How to Contact Your Legislator:
You can find phone numbers, email addresses and office addresses on the legislature’s webpage for your Senator and Representative. Go to
www.malegislature.gov
and click on the Legislators tab. If you don’t know who your legislators are, click
here
.
