Your rep is your voice at the state house. Did they speak last week? Why or why not?
Head to bit.ly/aom-energy-speeches for a breakdown and more takeaways.
Find your rep's contact info at malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator to let your rep know what you think!
To put our Democratic supermajority to work and secure representation that matters, we need free and open debate in the MA House.
#mapoli
Pie chart entitled "Who gets heard in the Massachusetts state house?" Subtitle: speaking time in minutes, House energy debate 2/26 Tranches of the pie chart: - 54 minutes of speaking time by Democrats, with 132 House members and an 83% supermajority - 48 minutes of speaking time by Republicans, with 28 House members and 17% minority control Source: Act on Mass analysis, bit.ly/aom-energy-speeches
The debate was also strictly partisan, with nearly equal speaking time between Democrats and Republicans, despite the fact that Democrats hold an 83% super-majority.
Debate and disagreement between Democrats is kept behind closed doors, keeping the public in the dark.
#mapoli
Men outnumber women 2:1 in the MA legislature. Yet, in this debate, male members spoke 4x more than female members.
The Black & Latino Caucus makes up 13% of the legislature, yet only 4% of speaking time in this debate.
When legislators’ voices are sidelined, so are their constituents. #mapoli
Pie graph entitled "Who gets heard in the Massachusetts state house?" Subtitle: Speaking time in minutes, House energy debate 2/26 The tranches on the pie graph: - 4 minutes of speeches by members of the Black & Latino Legislative caucus (with photograph of Rep. Orlando Ramos) - 18 minutes of speaking time by woman legislators (with photo of Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven) - 29 minutes of speaking time by white male legislators named Mark (with photos of Rep. Mark Cusack and Rep. Marc Lombardo) - 51 minutes of speaking time by white male legislators not named Mark (with photos of Rep. Tommy Vitolo, Rep. Kenneth Sweezey, Rep. Kelly Pease, and Rep. Michael Kushmarek) Source: Act on Mass analysis, bit.ly/aom-energy-speeches
When the MA House voted to pass a controversial energy bill that would cut $1 billion from MassSave, Beacon Hill's "old boys club" dominated the conversation.
#MAPoli
Wondering about the holdup with the audit? So are we. Join Act on Mass and retired attorney and good government activist Jeanne Kempthorne for a comprehensive overview of why this critical transparency measure is nowhere to be found. Sign up at the link below:
secure.everyaction.com/b1KPgUSfEkey...
Our next newsletter will address the use of this practice for H.5151 directly, but here is our blog from last year's budget process that explains consolidated amendments. An amendment removed in this way is "consolidated away." Incredibly confusing and intentionally opaque.
Amendment #113 would have stopped the cuts to MassSave.
112 House Dems instead chose to accept a MAGA framework that we need to sacrifice climate progress for relief on energy costs—protecting utilities instead of their vulnerable constituents. #mapoli
Graphic with the following information: Get the facts on this bill (H.5151) - The MA House’s final version of an “energy affordability” bill - Reps had less than 48 hrs to read the 105-page bill before voting—not transparent! - The bill has some good, with a major setback: a catastrophic $1 billion cut to MassSave Why that's bad: - MassSave provides roughly $3 in benefits for every $1 invested - Energy efficiency is not driving high energy costs—utility profits are. This bill moves us backwards on climate without targeting utilities at all
MassSave is a critical energy efficiency program which provides ~$3 in benefits for every $1 invested.
Energy efficiency is not driving high energy costs—utility profits are. This bill moves us backwards on climate without targeting utilities at all. #mapoli
Graphic entitled "Roll Call Alert: Did your state rep vote to save Mass Save?" MA House reps who voted to save Mass Save: Reps. Barber, Connolly, Cruz, Decker, Gentile, Gomez, Higgins, Howard, Meschino, Nguyen, Owens, Dave Rogers, Sabadosa, Scarsdale, Sena, Uyterhoeven, and Whipps Full vote available at: https://malegislature.gov/RollCall/194/HouseRollCall134.pdf
The MA House just approved a devastating $1 billion cut to MassSave, with less than 72 hours notice and no public hearing.
17 state reps bucked the oppressive state house leadership to stand up for energy efficiency and climate progress.
Was your rep one of them? #mapoli
The State House and Governor Healey have stalled real immigration action for years. The result is real consequences for our communities.
Tell your legislators that enough is enough: we need action against ICE to protect our neighbors ⬇️
secure.everyaction.com/ttr9Vfcktka9...
"A well-supported and effective press is our bulwark against authoritarianism in our democracy, whether it’s coming out of Washington or Beacon Hill." ☀️
Read our latest newsletter on recent changes in the world of #MApoli journalism and how it relates to our fight for a transparent state house.
Gov. Healey has filed her $62 billion budget proposal, kicking off a process that will eat up a lot of time, energy, and lobbyist $$$$ on Beacon Hill for the next few months.
Read our latest Saturday Scoop for a review of the budget process "in all its un-transparent glory." #MApoli
ICE is terrorizing our communities, and state leadership's complacency is enabling it. Take action to protect your neighbors ⬇️
🚨ICE is a danger to our communities. What can our state leaders do about it?
Read our latest Saturday Scoop on:
- How our safety in MA is connected with the horrific violence in MN
- Actions the legislature must take to protect us, including banning state officials from aiding ICE
#mapoli
This is wrong, but shows how broken our campaign finance laws are. Senate Pres. Spilka uses campaign funds to lease, repair, & pay insurance on her Audi (~$13,700 last year). Leadership drops thousands on steak dinners. Apparently, Rep. Tyler's error was failing to come up with an excuse. #mapoli
After years of organizing by Act on Mass and our allies, leaders on Beacon Hill finally agreed on new joint rules this year, incorporating major transparency changes.
To actually follow through on boosting public trust, transparency, and accountability, these rules must now be followed.
Beacon Hill is continually violating its own joint rules by failing to deliver on transparency promises. Naturally, we made a tracker with @progressivemass.bsky.social to call them out on it. You can check it out here: beaconhilltracker.org
And if you appreciate our work, consider supporting our end of year fundraiser. Thank you!
Read our latest Saturday Scoop on:
- the potential record-breaking number of ballot questions for 2026 & what it says about our legislature
- Speaker Mariano reveals he thinks the electorate hasn't changed since 1994
- Gov. Healey joins a bipartisan pact to push for climate deregulation
#mapoli
Thanks so much for sharing Jordan!
I know asking for donations on here is a mixed bag, but I want to heavily suggest donating to one of my favorite organizations, Act on Mass which has been critical in raising the questions around how the Massachusetts authoritarian rule harms regular people. Please consider giving #mapoli
It’s #GivingTuesday, and at Act on Mass we’re kicking off our end-of-year fundraising push! In order to keep pushing for transparency victories in the State House, we need the help of people like you to meet our fundraising goal + sustain our grassroots movement. Donate here! ⬇️
bit.ly/ActonMassgive
Just Launched: A new tool from us and @act-on-mass.bsky.social that tracks whether or not Beacon Hill's committees are actually following the new pro-transparency reforms adopted this summer
beaconhilltracker.org
Our Saturday Scoop delivers breakdown and analysis of what's happening on Beacon Hill once a week to help you stay informed, tell your neighbors, and hold your representatives accountable.
Sign up to get the Saturday Scoop at bit.ly/saturday-scoop.
Read our latest newsletter on the climate rollback bill being pushed by state house leaders and their friends in the fossil fuel industry. We cover:
- Background on the House's energy committee and Beacon Hill's "Old Boys Club"
- Breaking down the committee's 7-0 vote
- Why we need reform
#mapoli
