Education for English language learners, Office of Health Equity, and budget investments among caucus achievements
Legislative and Budget Successes
Over the past two years the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus (MBLLC) has advocated for various legislative priorities which the membership selected at the beginning of the session. This advocacy included collaborating with external organizations, corresponding and meeting with legislative leaders, and many other strategies. These methods secured victories related to criminal justice reform, voting, and more.
Most notably, MBLLC members celebrated the passage of comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation. Criminal justice reform has been a reoccurring and integral piece of the MBLLC’s legislative priorities dating back to 2012. This session the MBLLC was able to deliver as two bills, An Act Relative to Criminal Justice Reform (S.2371) and An Act implementing the joint recommendations of the Massachusetts criminal justice review (H.4012), were signed by Governor Charlie Baker in April 2018.
The criminal justice reform bills included provisions from MBLLC priorities such as An Act Relative to the Expungement of Marijuana Arrests (H.2785), An Act to reduce the criminalization of poverty (S.777), and An Act for justice reinvestment (S.791). The legislation also included policy reforms such as CORI reform, expungement, pre-trial bail and fine time reform, diversion, law enforcement training on implicit biases, evidence-based programming, and data collection provisions.
The Massachusetts FY2019 budget brought several successes, one of which guaranteed the creation of an Office of Health Equity. This victory was a result of the advocacy by Representative Jeffery Sánchez (D-Jamaica Plain) and Representative Byron Rushing (D-South End).
Other victories within the FY2019 budget included securing funding greater than what the MBLLC requested for 12 line items and securing the requested funding amount for 14 others. Those items included Homeless Individuals Assistance, YouthWorks, Adult Basic Education, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. Another budget success was achieved by securing an increase for limited English student rates: the per pupil funding for educating limited English public school students. Closing the education attainment gap was a motivating factor in advocacy by MBLLC members for Representative Sánchez's An Act for Language Opportunity for Our Kids (H.4032). The bill was signed into law in November 2017 and now allows school districts to provide programs better suited for English language learners.
The MBLLC was also successful in its advocacy for automatic voter registration in the Commonwealth. Voting remains an essential part of our democratic system and increasing accessibility to this right is vital to ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard. Known as An Act automatically registering eligible voters and enhancing safeguards against fraud (H.4834), the priority legislation would streamline voter registration by turning it into an opt-out system. Implementation of this legislation will decrease barriers to voting making it more accessible to the roughly 680,000 Massachusetts residents who are eligible but unregistered to vote.
Caucus members also stepped in to advocate for the thousands of Americans displaced from Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Following the disaster Massachusetts became the state with the third highest concentration of evacuees. The MBLLC stepped in by encouraging the Baker Administration to support evacuees seeking to rebuild their lives in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts would go on to provide $15 million for school districts serving these evacuees and also fund housing accommodations for many of the evacuees ineligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance. Additional advocacy from the MBLLC led to extension of this state assistance, in particular, for families with children.
The Caucus would also go on to advocate to the State’s federal delegation in support of legislative measures before congress to assist the evacuee population. Additional advocacy included stressing opposition to the inhumane Trump Administration family separation immigration policy and requesting support from the Baker Administration for the reinstatement of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The Baker Administration followed by advocating to the Trump administration for TPS.
Appointment Successes
In March 2016 Representative Frank Moran (D-Lawrence), an MBLLC member since 2013, ascended to the position of Caucus Chair. Representative Moran succeeded former chair Representative Russell Holmes (D-Mattapan) who has continued to serve as a proud member of the MBLLC.
Caucus members celebrated as their colleague Representative Jeffrey Sánchez (D- Jamaica Plain) was named Chairman of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means. As chairman of the committee, Representative Sánchez became the first legislator of color to serve in the role. Additional appointments included Senator Linda Dorcena Forry (D- Dorchester) (now retired) as Senate Assistant Majority Whip, Representative Evandro Carvalho as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health (D-Dorchester); Representative Frank Moran (D-Lawrence) as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy; and Representative Aaron Vega (D-Holyoke) as Vice Chair, Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. The MBLLC also welcomed its four newest members: Representative Juana Matias (D-Lawrence), Representative Chynah Tyler (D-Roxbury), Representative Bud Williams (D-Springfield), and Representative Andy Vargas (D- Haverhill).
The MBLLC also welcomed Lucas DeBarros, a former Legislative Aide to Representative Carvalho, as the new Executive Director. Mr. DeBarros took over the role as the former Executive Director Sibusisiwe Malaba departed for New York City in pursuit of a master’s degree in Public Administration at Baruch College.
The Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus is a group of 13 state legislators who advocate for communities of color throughout the Commonwealth. For more information, please visit: www.mablacklatinocaucus.com.
