ACTIONS FOR DECEMBER 2024

ACTION # 1: Tell your MoCs: December recess isn’t a vacation—it’s accountability time.

Contact: Elizabeth Warren, Springfield; 1550 Main Street, Suite 406, Springfield, MA 01103

Phone: (413) 788-2690

Contact: Ed Markey, Springfield; 1550 Main Street; Suite 406; Springfield, MA 01103

Phone: (413) 785-4610

Contact: Jim McGovern, 94 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060

Phone: (413) 341-8700

Script: Hi, I’m a constituent from [ZIP]. Would you please tell me when Sen./Rep. [NAME] is holding town hall meetings during the December recess? If no meetings are planned, say: It’s an important part of [NAME]’s job to meet with constituents in their home districts, and I have questions I’d like to ask [them]. Will you take my information to let me know when they hold the next town hall? If meetings are planned, ask: Would you give me the location and details? Will there be an opportunity to ask questions? Thank you.

ACTION #2: Oppose Threats to Non-profit Tax-exempt Status

Note: Please protect free speech and nonprofit advocacy by opposing this legislation. This bill has a high chance of passing if we don’t speak up together.

Contact: Your two senators Elizabeth Warren (413) 788-2690 and Ed Markey (413) 785-4610

Script: Hello, I’m from [ZIP] calling about a bill called Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act that recently passed in the House (H.R. 9495). This dangerous and unconstitutional bill would give the Treasury Secretary unilateral authority to label any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” without evidence. It threatens nonprofits that express dissent, putting them at risk of retaliation and removal of their tax-exempt status. I join with Amnesty International, NAACP, and ACLU in urging Senator [NAME] to vote NO on H.R. 9495. Thank you.

ACTION #3: President Biden must act now to safeguard the rights of aspiring Americans.

Contact: President Biden via the White House contact form.

[https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/share/]

Script: Hello, I’m reaching out from [STATE] because there’s still time to protect the programs and policies you promised. Please take immediate action to protect the rights of those seeking citizenship in the U.S. by: Finalizing regulations that sustain American businesses and help DACA recipients, such as the H-1B and H-2 modernization rules and the temporary final rule 89 FR 24628. Extending countries’ Temporary Protected Status designations slated to expire in the next year. Making the domestic visa renewal program permanent so essential employees don’t need to travel overseas to complete processing.

Bonus: Ask your two senators and one House representative to encourage President Biden to act now in defense of aspiring Americans’ rights.

ACTION #4: Call or write to Gov. Healey (617) 725-4005

Call for a special session of the General Court as soon as possible: Call on the Legislature to reconvene in person for a special session in December to address the critical threat posed by Trump’s policies.

Create a State-Funded Legal Defense Fund: Establish a legal fund to defend our state’s progressive policies against Trump’s administration. This fund should support legal battles on issues like people's safety, reproductive healthcare, environmental protection, and civil rights.

Form Compacts with Like-Minded States: Please establish a regional compact with other neighboring blue trifecta states and also join the “Governors Safeguarding Democracy,” to create a united front showing that our values cannot be undermined by Trump’s administration.

Adopt “Race-to-the-Top” Standards: Lead the way with bold policies to continue to strengthen our labor, immigrant and voting rights, accelerate our clean energy transition, and address the cost of living. These policies not only benefit our residents but also set a national example, demonstrating that our state will stand firm against Trump’s regressive policies.

Utilize State Contracts and Investments to Support Our Values: Use our state’s economic influence to promote civil rights, environmental responsibility, and fair labor practices. By prioritizing companies that align with progressive values and refusing contracts with those that support Trump’s harmful policies, our state can send a powerful message of resistance.

ACTION #5: Call Senators and Representatives

 Sen. Comerford (413) 367-4656; Sen. Velis (413) 572-3920; Rep. Domb (413) 335-1362; Rep. Blais (413) 362-9453:  Rep. Saunders (413) 252-9775; Rep. Sabadosa (413) 270-1166

Urge your state legislators to come back into session to do the following:

Guarantee that Massachusetts resources are used for state priorities, not federal immigration enforcement, by ending the state Department of Corrections’ 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and ensuring that state and local police will not inquire about immigration status (as found in S.1510 / H.2288 and S.997 / H.1401)

End ICE detention in Massachusetts and prohibit the deputization of local officials to act as ICE agents (as found in S.1510 / H.2288 and S.997 / H.1401)

Protect access to courts by prohibiting police and court officials from initiating contact with ICE about a person’s pending release from police or court custody, except at the end of a sentence of incarceration (as found in S.1510 / H.2288)

Ensure the safety and well-being of the residents of the Commonwealth and those traveling from other states for reproductive care bCall the Office of Governor Maura Healey and LG Kim Driscoll at (617) 725-4005 and ask them both to support $10 million in a future supplemental budget, and share how this change will affect your farm or household.y shoring up privacy rights and banning the purchase and sale of personal cell phone location data.

ACTION #6: Help HIP program - Call the Office of Governor Maura Healey and LG Kim Driscoll at (617) 725-4005 and ask them both to support $10 million in a future supplemental budget, and share how this change will affect your farm or household.

HIP, the Healthy Incentives Program, is an essential state program that provides nutritious food for low-income households AND a vital income stream for local farms and markets. Thousands of people across the Commonwealth rely on HIP every week, year-round, to access locally grown produce for their families, and hundreds of farmers have shaped their business plans, staff training practices, outreach, and crop production so that they can serve their low-income neighbors through HIP.

Beginning December first, Massachusetts cut HIP benefits from a cap of $80/month, depending on household size, to $20/month for all households. This is the result of HIP having received only $15 million in the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget, despite estimates that the program needed $25 million to be fully funded for the whole year. The most vulnerable members of our communities have had their grocery budgets cut, and farmers are already seeing significant loss of sales and customers.

https://www.buylocalfood.org/get-involved/policy-and-action/call-to-action-funding-for-hip/