Dear Friend,
SONIA
As we approach three months of this State of Emergency—and an uncertain summer— I wanted to give you an update on the past few weeks, and share with you my priorities for the month ahead.
First, some good news:
- On May 28, the Legislature passed a comprehensive data/health disparities billthat will help us sustain a spotlight on the deep disparities of this crisis and better address them. The legislation requires rigorous, time-sensitive data to be collected and reported out on a number of demographic and socioeconomic factors, and—critically—takes the next step, requiring the development of specific actions to respond to COVID-19 inequities. Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of an equitable recovery, and this law is a strong step towards providing that.
- Boston Public School families (and many other families across Massachusetts) are now eligible for Pandemic-EBT.No application is required; families will receive their P-EBT cards in the mail. These cards contain $28.50 in benefits per student per week, and can be used to buy groceries at any store that accepts SNAP. More information on Pandemic-EBT is here. A WAY TO HELP: If your family is receiving a P-EBT card but you fee you don’t need it, please contact your kids’ school or a neighborhood mutual aid group to find out how you can help others in need.
- Recreational marijuana shops have begun operating again through curbside pick-up. This is welcome news: last month, I testified at a hearing that these shops are able to operate in safe, controlled ways (exceeding safety standards on their peers in the alcohol industry) and their reopening would allow them to meet the needs of many, including veterans who can’t receive medical marijuana cards through the VA, and bring in some much-needed tax revenue for the state and municipal governments.
Here’s what I’m fighting for in the weeks ahead:
- Vote by mail:I’m proud to co-sponsor 2654 (filed by Senator Rausch and Rep. Madaro), which would create an automatic vote-by-mail system for our elections in September and November. The bill would also provide PPE for poll workers and make Election Day a permanent holiday, important steps to lower barriers to ballot access. I’m also supportive of H.4737 (filed by Rep. Moran and Rep. Lawn), another bill to expand vote by mail that many of you contacted me about. Thank you for weighing in! We need to put plans in motion now to ensure every Massachusetts voter can safely take part in our elections come fall.
- Legislation to protect our immigrant communities: A few weeks ago, I was turned away at the door of the Bristol County Correctional Facility’s immigrant detention center, when I went for an unannounced visit in the wake of a violent incident there the night before. I will continue to press for both safe, humane, and accountable conditions in these detention centers and for release of non-violent detainees. But there is so much more we can and must do to mitigate the disproportionate burdens immigrants and their families are facing amid this pandemic. I wrote about some of the actions we can take—including strengthening our safety net and passing long-overdue legislation.
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This session, we have the opportunity to pass the Safe Communities Act and the Work and Family Mobility Act, two bills I’m deeply proud to co-sponsor. The Safe Communities Act would ensure that immigrants do not face questions about their immigration status when seeking help from local law enforcement or institutions. The Work and Family Mobility Act would allow drivers licenses to be issued to any qualified driver, regardless of immigration status. These bills were pending prior to the pandemic, but our current crisis has shown how important these protections are for public health and public safety. Families should never have to face a choice between staying safe and staying together.
- Emergency funding in the short term for COVID-correlated needs (like the spike in gun violence) and protecting funding for core needs (like education, housing, substance abuse treatment) in the FY21 budget for the coming year.
- More on this coming soon, as the budget-writing process for the coming fiscal year becomes clear under new the state’s “new normal.” But colleagues and I have already been sounding the alarm about the need for fast violence intervention funding, given the sharp increase in shootingsBoston has experienced in the last two months. And I am speaking out about the need both for federal aid to prevent drastic cuts to core state functions, and for taxation of companies making windfall profits during this pandemic, in order to forestall cuts worse than we saw during the Great Recession.
Finally, a few quick public health and safety notes:
If you get a call from the MA COVID Team, or from a number starting with 833 or 857, please pick up! Contact tracing is one of the best tools we have to contain the virus and flatten the curve, but it requires buy-in from everyone to keep our communities safe. If you’ve been diagnosed with or exposed to coronavirus, the COVID Team will be reaching out to help get you connected to the supports you need.
If you encounter unsafe working conditions during the re-opening (which you might witness as either a worker or customer), report them to the Attorney General’s Office here.
And, as always, please keep reaching out! I’m so grateful for all the observations, concerns, and advocacy you’ve shared with me. Thank you for everything you’re doing to care for your communities during these incredibly difficult times, and please know that my office is here if you need help.
Saludos,`
Sonia Chang-Díaz
State Senator, Second Suffolk District