Local
Postcards for Progress – January Edition
Saturday, January 27, 10am-12pm, Sweet Journey, 30 Central Street, Lowell
It’s time for postcards again! We’ll be writing to our elected officials and directly to voters! Please join us for the first postcarding Saturday of the new year! Open to all who want to help with progressive causes.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/316908875478750/
Solidarity Lowell Meeting – note new location!
Sunday, January 28th, 5:30pm, Christ Church United (UCC), 1 Bartlett Street, Lowell
Join us for the monthly general meeting for members of Solidarity Lowell. PLEASE NOTE THE NEW LOCATION! Enter at the Bartlett Street entrance. Our meeting is in the chapel (come inside and take a left). This month’s speaker is Laura Rótolo from the ACLU. All are welcome!
More information:
https://www.facebook.com/events/168642753867149/
Develop Your Leadership Skills and Make Your Community a Better Place!
Empower: Building Leaders, Strengthening Communities is an initiative developed by Lowell Alliance and Coalition for a Better Acre. We are seeking community activists and leaders, or potential leaders, interested in learning how to create positive change and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods and communities. Through a 9-week training program, Empower will provide participants with the knowledge, skills and resources to strengthen their capacity to create and lead change at the grassroots level.
More information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_FZRWBF3OYyBFtDoW81Dl7PgVqNe6h1JPS1ZaDMSq0Q/edit
Volunteer Opportunity: Solarize Mass
350 Lowell is looking for volunteers for its Solarize Massachusetts (Solarize Mass) program. Solarize Mass seeks to increase the adoption of small-scale solar electricity in participating communities through a competitive solicitation process that aggregates homeowner buying power to lower installation prices for participants. If you’re interested in volunteering, please email Tom Fahlberg at tom.fahlberg@gmail.com
More information: http://www.masscec.com/solarize-mass
State
Automatic Voter Registration Lobby Day
Wednesday, January 31, 10am, Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon Street, Room 428
Our democracy is strongest when every voice is able to be heard. Automatic voter registration (AVR) would shift voter registration from the current opt-in system to an opt-out one, enabling more people to participate in the political process. AVR costs less and makes voting rolls more accurate and secure, too. It’s time for Massachusetts to take the win-win! Join us at the State House (Room 428) and talk with your legislators about why MA should finally pass this vital reform!
More information: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdiZ88MTINRHuYoXe4fkvow7syvvtqE4JFbiE6amOoBy8SWfg/viewform
Safe Communities Act Call-In Day
Wednesday, January 31st, from your home!
Please contact your state representative and state senator (find yours here https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator):
Rep. Thomas Golden 617-722-2263
Rep. David Nangle 617-722-2520
Rep. Rady Mom 617-722-2460
Rep. Colleen Garry 617-722-2380
Rep. James Lyons 617-722-2460
Sen. Eileen Donoghue 617-722-1630
Sen. Michael Barrett 617-722-1572
We believe Massachusetts should lead the resistance against the Trump administration. The Safe Communities Act (SCA) is the STRONGEST action Massachusetts can take to push back against Trump’s toxic, xenophobic deportation machine. But political courage is needed–Safe Communities Act urgently needs your help. Anti-immigrant forces have been poisoning our culture for a long time, and politicians are now reflexively overly cautious–even in these dire, frightening times. We must push if we want to win. Wednesday, 1/31, Progressive Massachusetts and the Safe Communities Coalition are jamming the phone lines at the State House–you’ve called before, and it’s time for Legislators to act.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/174901399947165/
Single Payer Health Care in MA by 2020
Please contact your state representative and state senator (find yours here https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator):
Rep. Thomas Golden 617-722-2263
Rep. David Nangle 617-722-2520
Rep. Rady Mom 617-722-2460
Rep. Colleen Garry 617-722-2380
Rep. James Lyons 617-722-2460
Sen. Eileen Donoghue 617-722-1630
Sen. Michael Barrett 617-722-1572
We need to ensure that the “Benchmark Bill” amendment (Bill H596/S610, “To Ensure Effective Cost Control”) isn’t stripped from the Health Care Cost Control Omnibus Bill when it is voted on in the House–which could happen anytime now. This bill, if passed, requires a comparison of our current healthcare system to a universal single payer system, modeling cost and accessibility by using 3 years of data (2016, 2017, 2018). If the data proves single payer is more effective, the Health Policy Commission would be required (with public input) to submit a plan for implementation within six months.
Sample Script: “Hello, my name is ______ from _______, Massachusetts. Please support the Benchmark bill by writing a letter to House Speaker DeLeo. This letter should request that DeLeo takes up the Health Care Cost Control Omnibus Bill with Jen Benson’s Benchmark Study included. Please send a copy of the letter to me as well. Thank you!”
More information: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S610
Stand with Americans who are Poor, Disabled, and/or Unable to Work
Write and/or call: Daniel Tsai, Assistant Secretary for MassHealth
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Medicaid
1 Ashburn Place, 11th Floor, Room 1109
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 573‐1770
Sample Script: “Hello, my name is ______ from ______, Massachusetts. I am deeply concerned about the CMS letter on 1/12/18 allowing states to deny medical care to vulnerable citizens. With a majority of Medicaid enrollees already working, in school, or medically unable to work, compliance enforcement is an unnecessary waste of taxpayer money. This policy penalizes people living in poverty and with disabilities, risks their health, and cuts them off from a powerful poverty-reducing program. We must take care of our neighbors in need. I entreat you to continue providing Medicaid to all citizens of Massachusetts who need it. Thank you!”
More information: https://talkpoverty.org/2018/01/11/heres-trumps-new-policy-end-medicaid-know/