Priorities for the 193rd Legislative Session

Prioritizing the health of our mothers, we aim to reduce the disproportionate maternal mortality and morbidity rates that affect Black and Latino women. As a caucus, we will prioritize H.2209/S.1457, H.3616/S.1335, and H.1984, which expand access to midwives, home birth, and birth centers.

Recognizing the power of representation in the classroom, we aim to implement strategies that attract and retain educators of color, to create an inclusive educational environment for our students. As a caucus, we will prioritize H.549/S.311, which will increase uniformity in hiring and promotional practices that lead to the diversification of our teacher workforce.

To protect our vibrant and diverse workforce, we aim to affirm legal protections and rights for gig-economy workers, many of whom are Black and Latino. Any legislation in this category must provide protections, benefits, the right to organize, and more, while maintaining their flexibility to work on their own schedule. As a caucus, we will prioritize a combination of H.1158/S.627, and H.1099, which can accomplish this.

We are committed to addressing the inequalities present in healthcare. We aim to establish a State Equity Secretary, tasked primarily with enhancing health equality statewide. Our caucus prioritizes bill H.1250/S.799, which institutes the role of this secretary. This legislation mandates the adoption of uniform health equity data metrics across healthcare providers and insurance companies, and addresses the financial strain from medication needed to manage chronic illnesses that unduly impact Black and Latino communities.

Acknowledging the crucial role of safety net hospitals, we aim to eliminate disparities in resources and reimbursement rates to ensure high-quality, accessible healthcare. As a caucus, we will prioritize H.1227/S.741, which would ensure that Safety Net Hospitals are adequately reimbursed by requiring insurers to pay fair reimbursements

Recognizing that homeownership is a key to wealth building, we aim to prioritize Black and Latino families on their path to first-time homeownership. We do this by boosting the MassDreams and Commonwealth Builder programs– which provide grants for first time homeowners, and incentivize developers to sell to first-time home buyers respectively.

We are committed to strengthening tenant protections and promoting affordable housing for Black and Latino families. As a caucus, we will prioritize S.988/H.1690, which protects the records of tenants who are subject to court proceedings like non-fault based evictions. The caucus will also prioritize investments in public housing capital maintenance and expediting state owned development of housing.

We want to make our neighborhoods better for everyone by supporting more home building and ending unfair zoning laws. As a caucus, we are prioritizing H.1379/S.858. This is a major change in zoning laws that will help solve the housing shortage that is hurting Black and Latino people the most. The bill stops zoning rules that unfairly harm people of color and increase housing prices. It also allows for more apartments to be built near public transport, makes it easier to create affordable housing, and helps convert empty business spaces into homes, among other things. The bill also creates a minimum standard for accessory dwelling units to be allowed in every municipality.

The police reform bill that was passed into law created several commissions to dig deeper into justice issues. Those commissions issued reports with consensus recommendations. Our caucus prioritizes the implementation of those recommendations ranging from parole, probation, facial recognition and more. Our caucus prioritizes bills H.1728/S.927 and H.1805. H.1805 mandates that the parole board makeup include a formerly incarcerated individual that has demonstrated success and mandates mental health experience on the board. . H.1728/S.927 tackles the issue of facial recognition technology often misidentifying people with darker skin, posing risks in law enforcement use. Both bills aim to address the structural racism in various agencies that was further illuminated by the commission’s established by our caucus’ 2020 Police Reform Legislation.

Understanding the significant role of micro-businesses, we're committed to nurturing their growth, particularly in Black and Latino communities. Our caucus prioritizes bills H.410 and H.2811. H.410 will form an office specifically for micro and minority-owned businesses to boost entrepreneurial opportunities. H.2811 proposes an incentives program for micro-businesses to employ recently released inmates and individuals in transitional assistance programs.