The Top Three Testifiers of April 2023

With debates on legislation picking up these past few weeks, testimony from various individuals and organizations has as well. While we are still relatively early into the 2023-2024 session, we have already seen quite a lot of testimony. This week, we will be taking a look at some of the most recent committee hearings from April to check out what organizations have been the most politically active in Massachusetts politics. 

Due to the nature of democracy, hearings and testimony are essential in maintaining true representation of the people.. By allowing individuals to testify at these hearings, the government gives people a chance to elevate their voice and make their opinions heard. In order to underscore the importance of the testifications we’re reflecting on the three organizations who testified the most this April. As a part of this analysis, we will also be looking at what committees they testified at, for what bills, and what their stance was on said bills.

Massachusetts Municipal Association

The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) has testified on three separate occasions this month. They are a private, nonpartisan, and nonprofit organization representing the municipalities of the Commonwealth. They advocate for public policy in-line with the needs and desires of member municipalities. The MMA testifies primarily for or against legislation that could impact municipal operations, especially concerning funding. For example, they submitted  written testimony concerning HB108 (An Act Relative to Equity in the Cannabis Industry) which details how the cannabis industry will affect  municipalities.They also released written testimony on April 24th concerning the House Amendments to the Budget Bill (HB3900). These amendments surrounded unsurprising topics, such as unrestricted local aid (Amendment 1056), Ch. 70 aid, the state aid program for public schools, (Amendment 1314), as well as public health and transportation concerns. You can see their whole testimony and the amendments in question here. 

In this testimony they also discuss the Massachusetts Lottery, a subject that had been discussed prior, during their April 20th testimony for the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure (JCP) on HB255 and SB170 (An Act Establishing an Online Lottery). The lottery is of great importance for municipal funds, as it was established solely for financially supporting cities and towns, and is a form of unrestricted government aid. It is the largest revenue source for funding local aid. While some argued for an online lottery in order to keep the industry relevant and successful, the MMA urged caution for these bills, specifically against the use of iLottery proceeds going towards any programs not involved in local aid.

The League of Women Voters of Mass. (LWVMA)

The League of Women Voters of Mass (LWVMA) is another organization that testified three times this April. They are a nonpartisan nonprofit women-led organization that works to expand voting rights in Massachusetts, as well as the United States as a whole. Unlike other organizations on this list, they are the only ones to have submitted written testimony for all three of their testimonies instead of appearing in front of the committee. While they originally were founded to promote women enfranchisement they now represent all progressive movements, with a specific focus on women's rights. This April alone they have submitted testimony in support of SB646 and HB1137, two bills that are working to ensure access to full spectrum pregnancy care. Along with that testimony, they also submitted testimony for an April 26th hearing to the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, regarding SB508 and HB890 which are meant to respond to the pressing issue of invasive species. In this testimony, Carolyn Lee, the LWVMA Specialist on Natural Resources, lays out her support for this bill as well. Finally, they filed a third testimony for an April 24th debate that discussed HB26 and SB8, which would allow incarcerated individuals to vote in elections. Their testimony included support for these bills.

Attorney General’s Office

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) also testified three times in the month of April. The AGO is a state organization headed by Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. This organization aims to investigate and prosecute crime, protect consumers, and combat fraud within the Commonwealth. It is no surprise the AGO is so frequently seen at the State House, as one of their key roles is to propose and advocate for legislation that benefits public and state organizations. Attorney General Campbell testified on April 4th concerning HB3900, the House budget bill, regarding funds  for the Attorney General’s Office for the upcoming FY2024 budget. During her testimony she stated some of her goals with this budget,“ Justice when it comes to government accountability and ensuring a fair and transparent criminal, legal, and criminal justice system. We can and should do all of this so we can continue to build a more fair and a more just Massachusetts for all who live here”. The majority of her testimony broke down how her office would use the funds allotted from the budget to make the Commonwealth a more fair and just state.

The office also testified on April 10th in front of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs in favor of  HB648 and SB379 (An Act to Improve Quality and Oversight of Long-term Care). Attorney General Campbell testified in favor of these bills which would provide several resources for long-term care services.The AGO had also previously testified on April 4th before the Joint Committee of Financial Services in what was a listening and primarily introductory hearing, where no bills were discussed. 

 The option to testify before legislative bodies is incredibly important in maintaining our democracy and  promoting a greater understanding of what issues people and organizations deem important. This is especially interesting as the testimony given by the organizations mentioned above diverged significantly. 

 Looking forward to the rest of the session, we can continue to expect important testimony from many different organizations. While we often don’t consider testimony outside of their impact on the government, they can truly provide us a not widely explored avenue of the topics that are very important to organizations. Learning about them gives us better insight into the state of the Commonwealth. Keeping track of hearings to testify at can be daunting, but InstaTrac makes it easy. With each bill’s outlined history and a status bar, the progress of the bill is easily seen and kept track of. Additionally, with daily bill and amendment alerts, InstaTrac does the hard work of tracking for you! Never miss a blog post - and stay on top of what’s happening on Beacon Hill! Follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, or Instagram.