Activists relieved to get campus assault bill to Baker
Katie Lannan
BOSTON - College students would be anonymously surveyed about their experiences with sexual misconduct on campus and would have access to new, confidential resources in the event of sexual assault, under a bill that s now on Gov. Charlie Baker s desk after a last-minute flurry of activity in the Legislature this week.
In a state rich with college campuses, versions of the bill have been filed since 2015, driven by student advocates and recent graduates who have been sharing their stories with lawmakers.
Supporters gathered on a Zoom call Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning as they watched the bill bounce back and forth between the House and the Senate in the final hours of the 2019-2020 legislative session, while the two branches exchanged amendments tweaking its wording.
I’m excited to report that the Legislature has approved the creation of a special commission to study the state of local news in Massachusetts and make some recommendations. This is an effort that has been two years in the making, and I’m looking forward to serving. Some background here. What follows is a press release from the co-sponsors, Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead, and Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Lynn.
Legislature Sends Journalism Commission to Governor’s Desk
Commission language included in Economic Development Package
BOSTON (1/8/2021) State Representative Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead) and State Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) announced Thursday the inclusion of their journalism commission legislation, An Act establishing a commission to study journalism in underserved communities, as part of the Economic Development bill that was passed by the legislature and sent to the Governor’s desk.
Rep. Seth Moulton dubs Capitol Building riot anarchy, a failed coup
It was the first time a mob seized control of the federal building in 211 years
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Congressman Seth Moulton characterized the hundreds of riotous Trump loyalists who swarmed the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday afternoon as “anarchy” and “an attempted domestic coup.” We are being told to shelter in place not because of a foreign terrorist attack but because of a domestic coup attempt, he wrote on Twitter as the rampaging crowd seized the nation s Capitol. I expected this as a U.S. Marine in Iraq. I never imagined it as a U.S. Congressman in America.
Farley-Bouvier Authors Bill to Combat Sexual Violence on Campuses
The Massachusetts Legislature has passed S.2979, An Act relative to sexual violence on higher education campuses. According to a press release, the bill was authored by State Representatives Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield) and Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead) and provides Massachusetts institutions of higher learning with the tools and training needed to prevent sexual violence and misconduct on campus.
Rape culture is alive and well on our campuses. Twenty percent, or one in five, young women are sexually assaulted at college, the great majority between Labor Day and Thanksgiving of their freshman or sophomore year… This bill, led by young people themselves, will go a long way in changing the culture, preventing sexual assault, and bringing justice for those impacted. ~ Farley-Bouvier
State Rep. Lori Ehrlich
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As the roller coaster ride of 2020 and an unprecedented legislative session come to an end, it is a good time to reflect as we begin to look forward.
It has certainly been a year of precedents, many I hope are never revisited, but beneath the political and public health headlines were also many inspiring stories of resilience: Heroic healthcare workers improvised without the equipment they needed, putting their very lives on the line to treat the sick and dying.
When the crisis passes, I hope we continue to say “thank you” to grocery store workers, first responders, waitstaff, delivery drivers, teachers, and many others who worked through such difficult times, many so everyone else could stay safely at home.