Here is an updated list of our priority legislation. Stay tuned for more information on the bills that still sit in committees and have not been acted on.
Priority Legislation for the 2017-2018 General Legislative Session
1. An
Act Advancing Contraceptive Coverage and Economic Security in Our State
(ACCESS) (SD939/HD450) Lead
Sponsors: Sen. Harriette Chandler, Reps. Patricia Haddad and John W. Scibak This bill would expand health
insurance coverage of contraceptives in the Commonwealth. Under this bill health insurance policies
must cover: all FDA-approved
prescription contraceptive drugs and devices or their therapeutically
equivalent alternatives, all FDA-approved over-the-counter contraceptive drugs
and devices, a 12-month supply of contraceptive drugs and devices in a single
dispensation, voluntary sterilization procedures, and education and follow-up
for any provided contraceptive drugs and devices. This will improve women’s access to
contraceptives throughout the Commonwealth. This bill was passed! Thank you to all who advocated for its passage
2. End
Child Marriage in Massachusetts (S785/H2310) Lead Sponsors: Rep. Kay
Khan & Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, Current laws allow marriage of children
the age of 18 with no age limitations with parental and judicial consent. This bill would ban marriage under the age of
18. Proponents say
updating marriage laws, which in many states are more than a century old, will
help protect children from being pushed into marriages by parents and
predators. This bill is now in committee. We need
your help to get it out of committee and up for a vote by the
legislature. Watch this website for details.
3. Housing
Court Expansion (S946/H.978) Lead Sponsors: Sen.
Karen Spilka The Housing Court has judges and staff with expertise in housing
law who are trained to provide tenants and landlords with a fair court process.
Both landlords and tenants can access the resources that only Housing Courts
have, including the Tenancy Preservation Program, Lawyer for the Day Programs
and Housing Specialists. Homeless can be prevented and municipalities can
address serious housing and health code violations efficiently and
effectively. Over 30 % of the population
in MA has no access to housing court that includes all of Cape Cod & the
Islands. This bill passed
4. An
Act Establishing Just Schedules for Employees
(SD/846HD3693) Lead
Sponsors: Sen. Kenneth Donnelley, Rep. Sean Garballey This bill would establish
employee rights to additional payment if they are not given sufficient advance
notice of any changes to their work schedule. The bill specifies that if employers
make changes to an employee’s schedule within 10 days of a scheduled shift,
they are required to pay between one and four additional hours of
predictability pay, in addition to wages earned for hours worked. This bill
will protect employees of the retail, fast food and hotel industries of the
Commonwealth.
5. An
Act Establishing a Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (SD1768/HD2573) Lead Sponsors: Sen.
Karen Spilka and Rep. Kenneth Gordon (2016-2017:
Engrossed by the Senate – 7/30/16) This bill establishes employee rights to
family medical leave or temporary disability leave in the event of the
following: the birth of a child of the employee, the placement of a child with
the employee for adoption or foster care, the necessity of an employee to care
for a family member that has been diagnosed with a serious health condition for
a period of time. Further, the bill safeguards the position, compensation,
status, and benefits of the employee upon return from leave so long as ample
notice to the employer is given. This bill will now be presented as a ballot referendum in 2018.
Supported Legislation for the 2017-2018 General Legislative Session
Equitable
Coverage in Disability Policies
(S545.H482) Lead Sponsors: Rep.
Kenneth Gordon and Sen. Spilka (2016-2017: Engrossed by the Senate –
7/30/16)
This bill establishes employee
rights to family medical leave or temporary disability leave in the event of
the following: the birth of a child of the employee, the placement of a child
with the employee for adoption or foster care, the necessity of an employee to
care for a family member that has been diagnosed with a serious health
condition for a period of time. Further, the bill safeguards the position,
compensation, status, and benefits of the employee upon return from leave so
long as ample notice to the employer is given.
Protect Girls from Female Genital
Mutilation
(S788/HD2873)Lead Sponsors: Rep. Sarah Peake/Sen. Harriette Chandler Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves
removing part or all of a girl’s healthy sex organs and surrounding tissue for
non-medical reasons resulting in health consequences, death in childbirth and
lifelong trauma. This bill would create a program for education, prevention and
outreach for communities that practice FGM, requires mandated reporters to make
a 51A report to DCF if a child has suffered from physical or emotional injury
resulting from FGM and criminalizes the acts of committing FGM on a child or
taking a child in or out of the Commonwealth to commit FGM or to permit another
to commute FGM.
this bill passed! Massachusetts Pregnant Workers
Fairness Act (S1023/H1048) Lead Sponsors: Sen. Joan Lovely
and Rep. David Rogers (2016-2017:
Reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
and referred to the Committee on House Ways and Means - 8/3/15) This bill provides safeguards for employees
with conditions of pregnancy, childbirth, and other related aspects. The bill
allots for ‘reasonable accommodations’ to be taken and provided by the
employer. These accommodations include but are not limited to: more or frequent
breaks, time off to recover from childbirth, acquisition or modification of
equipment, seating, temporary transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous
position, job restructuring, light duty, break time and private non-bathroom
space for expressing breast milk, assistance with manual labor, or modified work
schedule.
