Through an inclusive and extensive process, the MCWL selected the following five top legislative priorities for the 2023-2024 legislative session, all of which support our overarching strategic priorities. We will work to advance these legislative priorities throughout the session through advocacy, education, and coalition-building.

SIGNED INTO LAW: An Act relative to salary range transparency (H.1849, Rep. Fluker Oakley and Rep. Cutler, & S.1191, Sen. Jehlen)
This bill would have MA join a growing number of states in requiring employers to disclose the salary range when advertising a position. Research shows that salary range transparency in the hiring process is one of the best tools to help close the gender wage gap. Posting salary ranges is already a common practice in many industries, but some businesses are reluctant to do so for fear of being put at a competitive disadvantage. Having a uniform state law removes that barrier and puts everyone on a level playing field. This bill supports our “Elevating Women’s Economic Opportunity & Eliminating Barriers” Strategic Priority. You can see our testimony in support of this bill here.

• This bill passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate in October of 2023. Governor Maura Healey signed this into law on July 31, 2024.

LANGUAGE INCLUDED IN FY25 BUDGET: An Act relative to a livable wage for human service workers (H.191, Rep. Khan & S.84, Sen. Friedman) 
This bill addresses disparities between the rate of pay for human services workers employed directly by the state and those employed by agencies with state contracts. Requires the state, over the course of 4 years, to increase the rate of reimbursement for human services providers in order to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the pay disparity. An estimated 80% of human service workers in MA are women, and nearly 1/3 are people of color. Human service workers are more likely to live below 150% of the poverty level, have lower median wages, and have lower household incomes than workers in other industries. This bill supports our “Elevating Women’s Economic Opportunity & Eliminating Barriers” Strategic Priority.

• Passed by the House and Senate in July 2024, the FY25 budget included language related to this bill. Governor Maura Healey signed the budget on July 29, 2024.

SIGNED INTO LAW: An Act relative to postpartum depression screening (H.2163, Rep. Fiola & S.1375, Sen. Friedman)
This bill requires MassHealth to provide coverage for postpartum depression screenings by pediatricians for 12 months. This coverage is already covered by the mother's physicians, so this would expand coverage to pediatrician visits as well. Postpartum depression is vastly underdiagnosed, and that is in part because women are not being screened enough. Oftentimes, women do not come forward with their symptoms, so having a pediatric physician who is trained to spot symptoms can be critical. Expanding the screening time period from 6 months to 12 months can make a difference. This bill supports our “Addressing Racial & Gender Disparities in Health Care” Strategic Priority. You can see our testimony in support of this bill here.

• On August 15, 2024, the House and Senate voted to pass the bill, and on August 23, 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed it into law.

An Act to increase access to disposable menstrual products (H.534, Rep. Barber and Rep. Livingstone & S.1381, Sen. Jehlen) 
This bill requires all schools, prisons, and homeless shelters to provide free access to menstrual products. Period poverty impacts the lives and abilities of menstruators to fully participate in society. For many, this is a large expense and something that is not as accessible as needed. Period products are a basic need that should be provided in schools and other settings. This bill supports our “Addressing Racial & Gender Disparities in Health Care” Strategic Priority. You can see our testimony in support of this bill here.

• This bill was unanimously passed by the Senate on October 26, 2023. It is currently before the House Committee on Ways & Means.

SIGNED INTO LAW: An Act supporting parents running for public office (H.669, Rep. Meschino and Rep. Connolly & S.422, Sen. Jehlen) 
 Currently, childcare costs incurred during campaign events and activities are considered personal expenses and therefore not eligible for reimbursement under MA law. This bill would allow state and local candidates to use their campaign funds to pay for campaign-related childcare expenses. Childcare should be treated like other allowable expenses, such as printing literature and purchasing tuxedos for campaign events. This bill would eliminate a major barrier for parents seeking public office in their communities and advance equitable political representation throughout the Commonwealth. This bill supports our “Empowering Women in Government” Strategic Priority. You can see our testimony in support of this bill here.

• This bill was incorporated into H.5100, the Economic Development Bond Bill, and was signed into law.

Endorsed Legislation

In addition to the above top 5 legislative priorities, the MCWL also endorsed the following 20 pieces of legislation. These bills all speak to at least one of our strategic priorities.

Under “Elevating Women’s Economic Opportunity & Eliminating Barriers” Strategic Priority 

• An Act relative to transparency in the workplace (H.1940, Rep. Barber and Rep. Rogers & S.1181, Sen. Feeney) 

  • This bill passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate in October of 2023. Governor Maura Healey signed this into law on July 31, 2024.

• An Act to ensure legal parentage equality (H.1713, Rep. Peake and Rep. Kane & S.947, Sen. Cyr) 

  • This bill was redrafted by the Joint Committee on Judiciary as H.4672 and was passed by the House of Representatives in June 2024. The Senate passed the bill in July of 2024. Governor Maura Healey signed this into law on August 8, 2024.

• An Act to enhance child care relief (H.2864, Rep. LaNatra & S.1891, Sen. Moran) 

  • This bill was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Revenue and was sent to the House Ways & Means Committee.

• An Act establishing a diaper benefits pilot program (H.149, Rep. Domb and Rep. Pignatelli & S.104, Sen. Lovely) 

  • This bill was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities and was sent to the House Ways & Means Committee.

• An Act to protect gender pay equity (H.2588, Rep. Domb and Rep. Livingstone & S.1691, Sen. Jehlen)  

  • This bill was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Public Service and was sent to the Senate Committee on Ways & Means.

• An Act to further family-centered child support (H.127, Rep. Barber and Rep. Armini & S.70, Sen. Creem) 

  • This bill was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities and was sent to the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

• An Act clarifying rate-setting processes for home health and home care services (H.1195, Rep. Gentile & S.755, Sen. Jehlen) 

  • This bill was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and was sent to the House Ways & Means Committee.

Under “Addressing Racial & Gender Disparities in Health Care” Strategic Priority 

• An Act relative to menstrual product ingredient disclosure (H.2138, Rep. Blais & S.145, Sen. Comerford) 

  • This bill was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Public Health and was sent to the Senate Committee on Ways & Means.

• An Act relative to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (H.1115, Rep. Giannino and Rep. Philips) 

  • This bill was sent to study.

• An Act designating September as PCOS awareness month (H.3090, Rep. Montaño & S.2030, Sen. Miranda) 

  • This bill was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. The House bill was sent to the House Committee on Steering, Policy, and Scheduling and then was ordered to a third reading. The Senate bill was sent to the Senate Rules Committee.

• An Act relative to accelerating improvements to the local and regional public health system to address disparities in the delivery of public health services (H.2204, Rep. Kane and Rep. Garlick & S.1334, Sen. Comerford) 

  • This bill—now H4101—was reported out of the Joint Committee on Public Health and sent to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing recommended that the bill pass and referred it to the House Committee on Ways and Means. The bill was incorporated into H.5100, the Economic Development Bond Bill, and was signed into law.

• An Act enhancing post-pregnancy mental health care (S.708, Sen. Rausch) 

  • As part of the omnibus maternal health legislation H.4999, this bill successfully passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law on August 23, 2024.

• An Act prohibiting nonconsensual intimate examinations of anesthetized or unconscious patients (H.2146, Rep. Domb and Rep. Ferguson & S.1333, Sen. Comerford) 

  • This bill—now H4293—was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Public Health and was referred to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. It was then reported favorably and was sent to the House Ways & Means Committee.

• An Act relative to breast cancer screening and early detection (H.938, Rep. Balser & S.674, Sen. Lovely) 

  • This bill was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Financial Services and was referred to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. It was then reported favorably and was sent to the House Ways & Means Committee. The House Ways & Means Committee redrafted the bill, and it was passed by the House of Representatives. On October 31st, the bill was enacted in both Chambers and it was signed by the Governor into law on November 13, 2024.

• An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options (H.2209, Rep. Khan and Rep. Fluker Oakley & S.1457, Sen. Rausch) 

  • As part of the omnibus maternal health legislation H.4999, this bill successfully passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law on August 23, 2024.

• An Act relative to Medicaid coverage for doula services (H.1240, Rep. Sabadosa & S.782, Sen. Miranda)  

  • As part of the omnibus maternal health legislation H.4999, this bill successfully passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law on August 23, 2024.

Under “Empowering Women in Government” Strategic Priority 

• An Act to promote diversity on public boards and commissions (H.3095, Rep. Nguyen and Rep. Shand & S.2029, Sen. Miranda and Sen. Lewis) 

  • This bill was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. The bills are currently before the House and Senate Ways & Means Committees, respectively.

• An Act directing the superintendent of state office buildings to install a permanent memorial in the Massachusetts State House in honor of Mercy Otis Warren (H.3013, Rep. Diggs & Sen. Cyr) 

  • This bill was reported favorably out of committee and sent to the House Committee on Steering, Policy, and Scheduling and then was ordered to a third reading. Learn more about Mercy Otis Warren here.

• An Act relative to virtual meetings of appointed statewide public bodies (H.3671, Rep. Farley-Bouvier and Rep. Domb)  

  • This bill and others were redrafted as H.4771 by the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. It is now before the House Committee on Ways & Means.

• An Act relative to gender-neutral language in elections laws (H.660, Rep. Blais) 

  • This bill was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Election Laws and then was ordered to a third reading.