WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION HIGHLIGHTS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 2023-2024 SESSION

WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION HIGHLIGHTS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 2023-2024 SESSION

WBA Honors Former Representative Liz Malia with the 2023 Public Official of the Year Award

BOSTON, MA - March 6, 2023 - Today the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association (WBA), led by the WBA’s Legislative Policy Committee (LPC), hosted its annual Legislative Breakfast. The LPC was joined in the State House by legislators, their staff, WBA members and coalition partners for its presentation on the WBA’s 2023-2024 Legislative Agenda. The annual breakfast serves as a platform for the WBA to advocate for its important legislative priorities.  

WBA President, Kristy Lavigne, presented the 2023 Public Official of the Year Award to former Representative Liz Malia for her years of dedicated advocacy to policies that have improved the lives of women, children, and families in the Commonwealth. Notably, Representative Malia championed important legislation to protect victims of human trafficking and the LGBTQ+ community. She was instrumental in the passage of “An Act Relative to the Commercial Exploitation of People,” which strengthens protections for victims of human trafficking and prostitution and increases punishment for offenders and also helped to strengthen LGBTQ+ policy by assisting with advancing marriage equality, defeating the anti-transgender rights ballot referendum in 2018, and helping pass the ban on conversion therapy. Additionally, throughout her twenty-four years of service in the Massachusetts legislature, Representative Malia led legislative efforts on CORI reform, foreclosure legislation, affordable housing, immigrants’ rights, and women’s health issues.

“The WBA congratulates Rep. Malia for her tireless advocacy on behalf of women, children and families in the state. We also extend our thanks to the many legislators, aides, coalition partners and WBA members who attended the event today. We are proud to renew our support for legislation relative to pay transparency, employment protections for victims of abusive behavior, civil legal aid, inmate telephone calls, and anti-poverty and are excited to support a new bill this session in support of Medicaid coverage for doula services,” stated WBA President Kristy Lavigne.

Several notable speakers voiced their support for the WBA’s 2023-2024 legislative priorities:

• Leslie Credle, Founder and Executive Director of Justice 4 Housing, spoke on SD.1441 / HD.822 - An Act Relative to Telephone Service for Inmates for All Correctional and Other Penal Institutions in the Commonwealth (“No Cost Calls”). Leslie spoke about her own experience, emphasizing the importance of these calls to maintain a connection with her family. The bill provides no cost telephone calls to incarcerated individuals in all Massachusetts state prisons, county jails and houses of correction, allowing incarcerated individuals to connect with family members and reduce recidivism.
• Senator Robyn Kennedy advocated for SD.501 / HD.507 An Act to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty and spoke of the negative impact that poverty has on children’s health, development, ability to learn and overall wellbeing. The bill would provide financial assistance to the state’s most vulnerable children by increasing assistance 25% a year until grants reach 50% of the federal poverty level.
• Representative Fluker Oakley spoke of her support for SD.1521 / HD.2814 An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency, a bill that calls on employers to disclose salary ranges to prospective employees to ultimately remedy unjustified pay disparities. The bill also permits employees to ask about the pay scale for their current jobs, allowing them to advocate for a fair wage, reducing wage disparity.
• Representative Jay Livingstone stressed the importance of supporting SB.2005 / HB.3239 An Act Relative to Employment Protections for Victims of Abusive Behavior (“Protected At Work”), which would add to employment nondiscrimination laws by prohibiting against discrimination based on an employee’s status as a victim of abusive behavior or as a close family member to a victim of abusive behavior. The bill requires employers to provide workplace accommodations to ensure employees safety and the ability to address the abusive behavior.

The WBA’s legislative priorities for the 2023-2024 legislative session also include Civil Legal Aid Funding: FY2024 Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation State Budget Line Item: 0321-1600 and An Act Relative to Medicaid coverage for Doula Services (HD.2452/SD.1638).

Legislative Policy Committee Co-Chairs Kate Symmonds and Krina Patel closed the program by offering the WBA as a resource for legislators and staff and encouraged WBA members in attendance to get involved with the organization’s LPC.