190th Session Recap: Human Rights
190th Session Recap: Human Rights
H.1190 - An Act relative to abusive practices to change sexual orientation and gender identity in minors
- Jay was a co-sponsor and advocate for this bill.
- The bill prohibits health care providers (including but not limited to physician, psychologist, social worker, nurse, or allied mental health and human services professional, including marriage and family therapist, rehabilitation counselor, mental health counselor, or educational psychologist) from advertising for or engaging in efforts that attempt or purport to impose change on the sexual orientation or gender identity of a patient less than 18 years of age.
Outcome: This bill was passed by the House in June 2018 and by the Senate in the last moments of the legislative session on July 31, 2018. Jay hopes that it will receive final enactment in the informal sessions that will happen now until the start of next term.To read the full text of the House bill, click here.
S.2260 - An Act negating archaic statutes targeting young women (NASTY Women's Act)
- Jay was a co-sponsor and advocate for this bill.
- Strikes requirement that abortions performed after the thirteenth week of pregnancy be performed in a hospital (unconstitutional via Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438 (1972)).
- Repeals:
- Criminalization of adultery
- Criminalization of fornication
- Criminalization of procuring a miscarriage
- Criminalization of advertisement of abortion services
- Criminalization of selling or giving away instruments or drugs to cause abortion
- Removes restriction limiting contraception access to only married couples (unconstitutional via Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, 62 U.S. 416 (1983).).
Outcome: This bill passed in the House and Senate and was signed into law by the Governor.To read the full text of the bill, click here
H.1110 - An Act Establishing Three New Commissions on the Status of Women and Girls
- Jay voted in favor of this legislation.
- The Eastern Regional Commission will conduct an ongoing study of all women’s matters within those communities and report its findings annually to the Commission on the Status of Women. The Regional commission will recommend solutions to the identified problems.
- The Eastern Regional Commission consists of 9 people appointed by the Commission on the Status of Women from communities around Massachusetts.
Outcome: This bill passed in the House and Senate and was signed into law by the Governor.To read the full text of the bill, click here
H.36380 - An Act establishing the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- Jay was a co-sponsor and advocate for this bill.
- Adds pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions, including lactation and expressing breast milk, to the list of qualifiers employers cannot discriminate against
- Prevents employers from denying reasonable accommodations for pregnancy or pregnancy related conditions
- Prevents employer from refusing to hire a pregnant person because of the pregnancy or a pregnancy related condition
- Includes a non-exhaustive list of reasonable accommodations:
- More frequent/longer paid/unpaid breaks
- Time off to recover from childbirth (paid or unpaid)
- Seating
- Temporary transfer to a less strenuous position
- Job restructuring
- Light duty
- Private non-private space for expressing breast milk
- Assistance with manual labor
- Modified work schedules
Outcome:This bill passed in the House and Senate and was signed into law by the Governor.To read the full text of the bill, click here.