The Landscape
The impact of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s passing reverberated through the weekend, from outside the Court and in Congress through the campaign trail at to the State House.
With the Roe v. Wade in very real jeopardy, Massachusetts activists are renewing their push for the Legislature to pass the ROE Act to codify the right to abortion. The long-stalled bill would also improve access and end the complicated judicial bypass system to secure health services that disproportionally impact low-income women and women of color. The deadline to report the ROE Act out of committee has been extended to November 12 – but it remains an open question of whether legislators will come back into session and act.
In addition to the ROE Act, several important bills remain in conference committee, including the police accountability and reform, transportation infostructure, climate change and the FY21 state budget. Over the weekend, Speaker Robert DeLeo discussed possibly tackling campus sexual assault and the ongoing debate over childcare accessibility and access continues.
The News
- Massachusetts no longer has the highest unemployment rate in the country
- In an unprecedented move, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court wades into the police reform debate
- The plight of adjunct professors has been exasperated by COVID
- The CDC says COVID-19 is airborne and spread by aerosols, warns of badly ventilated spaces
- Air quality and ventilation issues trip up school reopening’s across Massachusetts
SILVER LINING:
SPREAD THE WORD: Massachusetts’ deadline to register to vote is October 24, 2020.