2018 Legislative Priorities
An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which amends MGL §4, ch.151B to cover women (pregnant & nursing) who need minor accommodations.
An Act Establishing a Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (S1048/H2172) requires employers to offer employees up to 16 weeks of paid leave for family care and up to 26 weeks for temporary disability leave. Employees would be eligible for such benefits after 1,250 hours of service, the current federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) standard.
An Act to Protect Access to Confidential Healthcare (PATCH) (S591, now S2296/H2960) would establish mechanisms to ensure that, when multiple people re on the same insurance plan, confidential health care information (Explanation of Benefits-EOBs) is not shared with anyone other than the patient to protect victims of domestic violence or young adults or minors seeking medical or counseling care.
An Act Relative to Healthy Youth (S2128/H3704) which, for schools providing sexuality education, requires a age-appropriate, medically accurate sexual health curriculum, including making healthy decisions about relationships and sexuality.
The WBA supports a funding increase to $23M for FY2019 budget item 0321-1600: General Support for legal services, funding for Battered Women's Legal Assistance Project, a program for advocacy for Medicare and a Disability Benefits Project to correct the shameful unmet need.
An Act Updating the Public Health Laws [aka the Archaic Law Bill -previously known as the NASTY Women Act] (S784, now S2260/H954) would repeal laws banning all abortions, requirement that all non-emergency after 12th week be performed in a hospital, banning contraceptive use for unmarried couples. Amended in Senate to repeal statutory bans on adultery and fornication.
An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids (S34)/ Act relative to the Well Being & Care of a Child, H85) bills that are the centerpiece of a campaign to repeal the Family Cap, a law which denies TAFDC cash assistance to a child born after the family first received TAFDC.
An Act to Protect Girls from Genital Mutilation (S788/H2333), a redraft developed by the WBA, which would protect girls in Massachusetts from harm from female genital mutilation (FGM).
