Lara’s Desk
Hello NCJW Leading Ladies! I’m reaching out to leaders like you to gauge your interest in running a short signature drive in your area. The ballot initiative One Fair Wage is striving to gather 20,000 signatures between 5/2 and 6/15. The legal goal is 12,000.
NCJW MA is a supporting organization and we would like to quantify the contribution we make to the efforts to get One Fair Wage enacted through voter petition in November.
If you haven’t heard of One Fair Wage, email me for more information. See last post to read the testimony I gave at the State House in March.
Essentially – the petition asks the Massachusetts voter in a Ballot Initiative to remove the “sub” minimum wage that tipped workers earn and instead pay them the Mass Minimum Wage (and make it a gradual process).
The first step is to gather signatures and turn them in to town clerks before mid June.There will be opportunities to receive training on the process in the next few weeks.
My ask: Would you take on the commitment to gather signatures in your area? Each page holds about 20 signatures. All materials will be shipped to you. Could you commit to gathering a certain number from your constituencies registered voters between May 2 and June 15? If so, let me know how many you think your sphere would capture.
If I don’t hear from you by Thursday April 25, I’ll consider you not able to participate. ()
Please join us May 2 at noon at the State House steps to launch our signature drive! We will be meeting and connecting with our One Fair Wage community, and getting started on signature collections! Register for this event
April 2024
I was nervous. I had prepared by writing a testimony I planned to read but my timing was off. I would need to skip some sentences. But could I do it in real time?
The two sides were clear. One wearing T-shirts reading “don’t mess with my tips” and the other with pink hats simply stating “OFW”. I slipped in and sat at the closest seat I could find. The room was packed and as I sat down and looked around I realized I had sat on the other side of the folks I was there to support. Oof, off to a great start.
As the experts were called up, and then down, the minutes ticked by. I looked at my comments. A lot of my message was being covered by the experts. I spoke to a woman next to me who was there in support of striking down the ballot. I wanted to understand her opposition. She didn’t seem to want to know much about my position. The time was 12:30pm ticking on to 1pm. Finally, my name was called but when I looked around I realize the room is nearly empty except for the Senators and Representatives sitting at the dais. I was the first of public speak to be called. Where was everyone?
I stumble, I bumble, I skip entire paragraphs and I finish about 10 seconds after the bell rings. As I end with “Thank you for listening today” I am already planning to do better the next time.
Learn more about the One Fair Wage Ballot measure
March 2024
Dear Advocate,
March Madness has begun! If you want to advocate for issues, then this is your time. There are actions related to gun violence, economic justice and reproductive justice. Testify-stand out- raise your voice!
Our advocates are organizing, testifying, and standing out related to the finalizing the Equal Rights Amendment, advocating for passage of bills related to gun control eliminating the sub-minimum wage and the continuation actions for the Location Shield Act. Standouts to counter measure to Catholic’s 40 day of life vigils has turned up new advocates to the cause.
I am speaking at the State House on Tuesday March 12 in favor of the elimination of the sub minimum wage and on the March 14th in Brookline on the atrocious sexual violence perpetuated by Hamas.
Lara Crawford, volunteer, Policy Advocate NCJW
February 2024
Yay! Dull, dry January is finally over! For some reason, February indicates a winter half over and spring is closer to blooming. January in New England is just dull.
Over the past few months I have participated in conducting workshops at several Massachusetts Progressive Conferences. I didn’t notice much enthusiasm for much of ‘anything’ unfortunately. I was asked to participate to speak on anti abortion centers and I happily said yes. Before attending, I did my homework and looked up the current slate of issues they are mobilizing on. I was disappointed, but not surprised, that neither of them had any repro justice issues at all.
I’ll take a win when I can though: Attorney General Andrea Campbell publicly announced her support for banning the sale of cellphone location data! If you haven’t read already
National
Abortion Justice
SCOTUS takes mife case
On Wednesday December 13, the United States Supreme Court decided to grant certiorari (to take up and hear) the case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. This is the case about medication abortion, and the case in which NCJW, along with our partners, filed an amicus brief. Importantly, mifepristone remains FDA approved and available. Essentially, the status quo is preserved for access to mifepristone, and ensures no part of the appeals court decision will go into effect while the litigation proceeds. We will continue to share updates as we learn more.
Sponsor. Lizzie Fletcher Representative for Texas’s 7th congressional district. Democrat.
Why is this bill important:
To prohibit the interference, under color of State law, with the provision of interstate abortion services, and for other purposes. This bill would help protect people’s rights to travel interstate to obtain an abortion by allowing for the movement in interstate commerce, in accordance with Federal law or regulation, of any drug approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration for the termination of a pregnancy.
Sponsor. Representative for Massachusetts’s 7th congressional district. Democrat.
Why is this bill important:
Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures in the country. Abortion needs to be accessible where people live and where they access health care. Systemic racism, economic insecurity, abelism, and a dehumanizing immigration system exacerbate the already-massive barriers to abortion care. This bill provides grants to make abortion more accessible, affordable and fairly distributed.
Economic Justice
- Ten Year Anniversary of the FAMILY Act
This past week marked the ten year anniversary of the FAMILY Act in Congress. Passage of this legislation, which would guarantee a national paid family and medical leave program for virtually all working people across the country, is long overdue. NCJW joined a press conference held by the bill’s leader, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), to commemorate the anniversary and call for paid leave NOW! You can join in and urge your Members of Congress to pass the FAMILY Act and create a critical safety net for the 83 percent of workers who do not have access to paid family leave through their employer.
- The Local Impact of the Child Care Funding Cliff
On September 30, 2023, critical child care stabilization funding expired. To illustrate the situation’s intensity, our partners at the National Women’s Law Center developed a map that actively monitors the impact of the child care cliff across different states and localities. The map will be continually updated to capture unfolding stories and serve as compelling evidence of the repercussions the expiration of funding has had on families and communities.
View the map here: State-by-State Map on Local Impact of Child Care Funding Cliff
The map also shows how much each state could gain if Congress passed $16 billion in emergency child care funding that we are continuing to push for.
Federal Courts
Hearing for first Israeli American and Muslim American nominees
This week, NCJW joined the Senate Judiciary Committee in person for a hearing on two nominees we are supporting: Nicole Berner to the Fourth Circuit and Adeel A. Mangi to the Third Circuit. These ‘phenominees’ who have stellar careers and extraordinary qualifications were attacked with hostile and offensive questions. Mr. Mangi, who would be the first Muslim-American on a federal circuit court, was especially viciously treated, even being asked to condemn the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. NCJW’s letter in support of Mr. Mangi was quoted and entered into the record in the midst of these spurious attacks on the nominee. If confirmed, Ms. Berner would be the first labor lawyer and LGBTQ judge on the Fourth Circuit.
State
Abortion Justice
Presenter: Rebecca L. Rausch
Status: Referred to Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Why is this bill important:
To Enact common sense provisions to tighten up rules around abortion care: Some include: Please read the full explanation.
- Eliminates waiting periods for abortion care
- Abortion care does not need to be affiliated with a hospital
- school based health center shall keep confidential any abortion-related information or care
By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 148) of Cynthia Stone Creem, Joanne M. Comerford, Michael J. Barrett, James B. Eldridge and other members of the Senate for legislation to protect reproductive health access, LGBTQ lives, religious liberty, and freedom of movement by banning the sale of cell phone location information. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
Presenter:
Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
Why is this bill important:
Location Privacy Policy includes the description of the policies, practices, and procedures controlling a covered entity’s collection, processing, management, storage, retention, and deletion of location information which includes banning the sale of cell phone location information. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
In order to build support for the bill, we are working to get our state representatives to co-sponsor the legislation.
To make it easy to make a call to our state representatives, folks can use this click-to-call tool: https://mobilize.aclum.org/a/location-shield-act-call-your-state-rep
- Bill S.184/ H.386 An Act relative to consumer health data- “Location Shield Act”
By Ms. Kennedy, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 184) of Robyn K. Kennedy, Jacob R. Oliveira, Jason M. Lewis and Lindsay N. Sabadosa for legislation relative to consumer health data. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
Why is this bill important:
This is an important step in the data privacy landscape, as it sets a precedent for protecting consumers’ most sensitive information and raises the bar for compliance in some important ways — in the absence of a federal consumer privacy law, or a federal health law that captures non-HIPAA-regulated consumer health data. It would prohibit regulated entities from collecting consumer health data, except with the consent of the consumer and to the extend strictly necessary to provide a product or service that the consumer has requested.
- Bill S.1116 An Act establishing a right to freedom from doxing
By Senator Becca Rausch
S.971/H.1707: An Act relative to the malicious doxing of personal information
By Sen. Barry Finegold and Rep. Tram Nguyen (S.971/H.1707)
Why is this bill important:
Provide civil remedies for targets of doxing. Individuals who have been doxed under this law will be able to seek relief, including injunctive relief and reasonable attorney fees, for the harm caused. And, help stem the rising tide of hatred and bigotry by sending a clear message that Massachusetts will not tolerate this harassment. Targets of online harassment deserve to be free of the fear that their personal information will be weaponized against them.
Leaders to watch:
State Auditor Diana DiZoglio serves as the chief accountability officer for Massachusetts state government and its residents. For Office of the State Auditor DiZoglio continues push to audit Legislature, even as AG says she lacks the authority
said.
“Massachusetts has one of the most opaque legislatures in the nation and this decision reinforces the status quo that benefits powerful insiders while leaving working people in [the] dark,” the state auditor
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