Protect consumer health data

H. 386 An Act relative to consumer health data

Wherever possible, protecting personal data is essential to public health and safety. This legislation was created in the wake of the Dobbs decision, which raised concerns amongst privacy experts around reproductive health information. Currently, consumer health data in Massachusetts is grossly unprotected by federal law, including HIPPA, and state law. Companies are able to collect, share, and sell an individual's personal information without having to obtain their consent or even make them aware. We must be able to control who has access to and what happens with our most private information.

If passed, this bill would:

• Require that companies maintain a Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy that discloses what data is being collected, how it will be used, and what other entities it will be shared with

• Require that companies obtain clear and specific consent from the consumer before sharing or selling their health data.

• Ensure the consumer's right to know how their data is being collected or shared, right to withdraw consent, and right to have their data deleted

Study the threat posed by nuclear weapons and climate change to Massachusetts

H. 738 A resolve providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons and climate change to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Nuclear weapons and climate change are absolutely existential threats that pose serious threats to the safety of the Commonwealth. In order to carefully plan how Massachusetts will transition from the production of nuclear weapons towards the development of green technologies, it is essential to study these threats. In addition, this issue is especially near and dear to the heart of several communities that are home to nuclear waste storage facilities. If passed, this bill would create a citizens commission to formally account for the state’s involvement in the production, maintenance, and storage of nuclear weapons and waste.

The commission would:

• Investigate the extent to which jobs, businesses, and communities are dependent on the production of nuclear weapons and the extent to which state funds are invested in those activities

• Make recommendations regarding any financial or legal measures that may assist the transition from jobs related to nuclear weapons-related to jobs that directly address the climate emergency

• Determine what federal assistance is necessary to implement these recommendations

• Hold at least 5 public hearings in different parts of the Commonwealth to inform residents and legislators about the humanitarian consequences of these issues and how jobs, technologies, and industries will be affected by the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

• Report its investigations and recommendations with drafts of legislation to carry those recommendations into effect

• Consist of 11 Massachusetts residents, four of whom would be appointed by state officers, and seven of whom would be nominated by the Massachusetts Warheads to Windmills Coalition

Require MassHealth coverage for voluntary sterilization

H. 1138 An Act relative to protecting reproductive destiny

We must ensure that the widest range of reproductive health choices are available to every member of the Commonwealth. Although a range of family planning, reproductive health, and postpartum care services are already covered by MassHealth, female sterilization is not. There are a wide range of reasons why an individual might seek female sterilization, and economic status should never be a barrier to essential health care. If passed, this bill would require MassHealth coverage for voluntary female sterilization if patients have completed decision counseling and signed an informed written consent form.

Provide comprehensive health options by improving discharge opportunities

H. 1241 An Act to improve discharge opportunities from acute care facilities

The acute care discharge process, often rushed, fails to consider the unique wants, needs, and concerns of patients and their families. This means that all too often, patients are being placed in understaffed nursing homes when home or community-based care could have been a more suitable choice. Nationally, it’s estimated that up to $265 billion work of services for Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries could shift from traditional facilities to home by 2025 without a reduction in quality or access. If passed, this bill would ensure acute care facilities thoroughly review post-care options presented in writing to the patient or their representative within the 24 hours prior to being discharged as well as prioritize returning patients to their community when possible. This means that more patients would be able to receive post-care that addresses their unique circumstances and condition.

Decriminalize plant medicine

H. 1754 An Act relative to plant medicine

This legislation concerns substances that have always been in use around the world. In the mid-twentieth century, substances like psilocybin showed promise in therapeutic research but backlash to associated countercultural movements prompted longstanding bans. This went against scientific consensus, as these substances pose a relatively low risk for abuse, and have never posed the kind of public health threat that would justify their criminalization: there are no public health, public safety, social, or economic benefits that can come from stigmatizing these substances. That’s why we must reopen opportunities for responsible possession, especially for scientific research into the potential for these substances to help people overcome personal health challenges. Many individuals could potentially benefit immensely from safe, responsible use and the state should not stand in the way. If passed, this legislation would make it lawful for a person 18 years or older to possess, ingest, obtain, grow, or give away without charge entheogenic plants and fungi.

Raise awareness around pregnancy loss

H. 2265 An Act relative to pregnancy loss awareness

Pregnancy loss, also known as miscarriage, affects about 10% of known pregnancies. It can be a serious source of physical and emotional pain for the affected pregnant person, especially when answers to their questions and treatment are not readily available. We must ensure that when a person suffers pregnancy loss, those around them will understand the issue and how to help.

If passed, this bill would:

• Direct the Commissioner to develop and distribute information regarding:

• Pregnancy loss, including its incidence among pregnant people, and the range of evidence-based treatment options, as medically appropriate, including miscarriage and recurrent miscarriage

• Comprehensive mental health supports, necessary procedures, medications, and culturally responsive supports such as pregnancy-loss doula care

• Direct the Commissioner to expand programs for conducting evidence-based research on the causes of and treatment/procedure options for pregnancy loss

• Direct the Commissioner to develop and distribute information on pregnancy loss, prioritizing both the physical and mental health care of the patient, to perinatal health care workers (including midwives, physician assistances, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists

• Direct the Commissioner to collect and analyze pregnancy loss data

Decriminalize sex work

The following legislation strongly values harm reduction, increasing resources, and thoughtful safety planning. It believes that sex workers have the right to autonomy. As such, it does not confused trafficking — a serious and illegal problem — with conditions where individuals have decided on sex work as their profession. Lastly, it understands the devastating and destabilizing consequences of criminalization to families and communities, regardless of the offense.

The primary goals of this legislation are to grant sex workers the autonomy owed to them and minimize harm.

Current policies force sex workers into the criminal justice system, depriving them of autonomy, dignity, and respect. In practice, Massachusetts has chosen to emphasize targeting the clients of sex workers. This means that sex workers are unable to maximize their safety when navigating the sex trade and choosing clients. As such, they are more likely to suffer abuse from clients and trauma from policing. These policies create barriers to employment and accessing health care services that all individuals need and deserve. So much of public health has moved towards harm reduction models, and that should be true for sex work as well.

If passed, H. 1757 “An Act to promote the health and safety of people in the sex trade” would fully decriminalize prostitution, whereas H. 1758 “An Act to prevent human trafficking and improve the health and safety of sex workers” would partially decriminalize prostitution.

Fully decriminalize sex work

H. 1757 An Act to promote the health and safety of people in the sex trade

If passed, this bill would:

• Decriminalize prostitution

• Decriminalize common nightwalking and common streetwalking*

• Expunge marijuana and prostitution-related records from all criminal record information systems

• Enable those incarcerated for marijuana and prostitution-related offenses to apply for release

Partially decriminalize sex work

H. 1758 An Act to prevent human trafficking and improve the health and safety of sex workers

If passed, this bill would:

• Decriminalize common nightwalking and common streetwalking*

• Create a Human Trafficking Preventing Project to distribute aide and identify critical low-barrier resources such as housing, childcare, and job training opportunities

• Create a committee to study decriminalizing sex work with respect to health and human rights, supported by grassroots advocates and health and human rights experts

• Allow sex workers to report crimes against them without fear of arrest by establishing limited amnesty

*Common nightwalking/streetwalking, or loitering for the purposes of prostitution, is a vague and constitutionally suspect criminal offense. Police are able to profile, entrap, and arrest people based on race, gender, class, and location.Prevent price gouging by electricity companies

Reduce barriers to birth control

H. 2133 An Act relative to hormonal contraceptives

In Massachusetts, women looking to use hormonal birth control can only obtain a prescription from a physician. This means that in order to access birth control, women must overcome several barriers, including the shortage primary care providers, transportation, and time away from work and family. H. 2133 works to eradicate those barriers, following the 24 states and Washington, DC who have already signed similar measures into law. If passed, this bill would allow a registered pharmacist to prescribe and dispense oral hormonal contraceptives (the birth control pill) and hormonal contraceptive patches to any person. Pharmacists would be required to receive comprehensive training and provide patients with all medically pertinent information in a timely manner.

Increase community-based responses to emergency calls informed by public health

H. 2264 An Act to create equitable approaches to public health

We need to ensure that our emergency services system is structured to reduce harm and provide the right support. People experiencing a mental health crises have often experienced trauma. This means that they can feel safer and less stigmatized when a community mental health worker, social worker, or peer specialist is present during a crisis. The majority of 911 calls for psychiatric crises are not crime-related and police are not necessary unless there is a safety concern. As such, social work skills are more suited to addressing these sorts of crises that do not pose a real safety risk. H. 2264 would find alternatives to armed responses, an especially critical initiative for BIPOC and immigrant communities who have always experienced over-policing and higher rates of police escalation and violence.

If passed, this bill would:

• Require the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to create a competitive grant to develop local systems of alternatives to law enforcement for emergency and non-emergency situations involving mental health and substance use

• Require these community-based options to support the mental and physical wellbeing of residents, prevent violence, de-escalate volatile situations, ensure access to human services, and reduce the use of force

• Require that the Office regularly evaluate the outcomes and costs of funded programs along with trends across grant-funded service models, including mental, physical, and behavioral health outcomes, impact on reduced demand for law enforcement, and rate of successfully connecting resident with human services

Advance gun safety through a voluntary do-not-sell list

H. 2399 An Act relative to a voluntary do-not-sell list for firearms purchases

It’s important to give willing residents the option to advance gun safety in their communities. This bill will address that gap in current gun safety laws.

If passed, this bill would:

• Require the Department of Criminal Justice to establish a voluntary do not sell list, which would prohibit the purchase, rental, lease, borrowing, possession, and carrying of firearms to any individual who enrolls in the list

• Allow any person 18 years or older to apply in writing to the Department to request voluntary enrollment into the list, and allow those enrolled to apply in writing to request removal

• Require that any person enrolled into the list cannot be removed until 21 days after the Department receives the application for renewal

• Require that the Department create a public awareness campaign to increase knowledge of this option

Establish Peer-Run Respite Centers Throughout the Commonwealth

H. 3602 An Act establishing peer-run respite centers throughout the Commonwealth

This bill would establish 14 peer respite centers throughout the state, which include voluntary, trauma-informed, short-term services provided to adults in a home-like environment, focusing on recovery, resiliency, and wellness. These spaces should be safe for individuals experiencing emotional or mental distress to address the social isolation and lack of social connectedness people feel.