Dear Caucus Members, Colleagues, and Partners,

While August was a quieter month at the State House, it offered the Caucus a valuable opportunity to take our mission beyond Beacon Hill and highlight our priorities on the national stage.

At the National Conference of State Legislators Summit, hosted in Boston, which drew more than 9,000 attendees, we partnered with the Women’s Legislative Network and Women in Government to co-host a Women’s Refresh Lounge—a welcoming space with specialty coffee, professional headshots, and opportunities for connection.

Our members and Executive Director engaged with women legislators and staff from around the nation, sharing ideas and building meaningful networks. We were also proud to celebrate our 50th Anniversary at a reception and toast alongside women leaders from across the country.

We value your ideas, feedback, and partnership—please don’t hesitate to connect with our Executive Director, Seble Alemu.

Sincerely,
Senator Robyn Kennedy & Representative Christine Barber 
MCWL Co-Chairs  

An Act relative to a livable wage for human service workers

• Filed as H.223 by Rep. Domb and S.130 by Sen. Friedman, it is currently assigned to the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities. 

• The Executive Office of Health and Human Services has released a report on the pay gap between state-employed and community-based nonprofit human service workers, supporting the goals this Act aims to achieve.

An Act to increase access to disposable menstrual products

• Filed as H.2483 by Rep. Barber, Rep. Livingstone, and S.1549 by Sen. Jehlen, the bill is currently before the Joint Committee on Public Health and received a hearing on June 11, 2025; the Caucus has submitted written testimony.

• S.1549 became S.2546 and has advanced to Senate Ways and Means.

An Act to reduce incidence and death from pancreatic cancer

• Filed as H.2432 by Rep. Kane and Rep.Gentile, and as S.1484 by Sen. Comerford, the bill was heard before the Joint Committee on Public Health on June 11, 2025; the Caucus submitted a written testimony.

• H.2432 was reported favorably and referred to the Committee on Health Care Financing.

An Act to establish a perinatal behavioral health care workforce trust fund

• Filed as H.2208 by Rep. Fluker-Reid and as S.1411 by Sen.Miranda, the bill was heard before the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery on July 18. 2025; the Caucus submitted a written testimony.

An Act relative to gender-neutral language in Elections Law

• Filed as H.804 by Rep. Blais, the bill was heard before the Joint Committee on Election Law on June 17th, 2025; the Caucus submitted a written testimony.

Members of the Women’s Caucus testifying in support of their bills at hearings.

Endorsed Legislation

We are also pleased to share that several Caucus-endorsed bills advanced in the legislative process this month.

An Act designating September as PCOS Awareness Month (H.3392 Rep. Montaño & S.2173 Sen. Miranda)

• The Senate bill was reported favorably and referred to the Committee on Senate Rules.

• The House bill was reported favorably and referred to the Committee on House Steering, Policy, and Scheduling.

An Act to increase access to nurse-midwifery services (H.1127 Rep. Fluker-Reid, Rep. Decker & S.697 Sen. Crighton)

• House accompanied a new draft, H.4334.

An Act relative to patient access to biomarker testing to provide appropriate therapy (H.1227 Rep. Kilcoyne and S.809 Sen. Oliveira)

• The House bill was redrafted as H.4339, then reported favorably and referred to the Committee on Health Care Financing.

In addition to the reception, our Caucus co-hosted the Women’s Recharge Lounge, furthering its mission to empower women in government. The lounge offered a welcoming space for female-identifying legislators and staff to pause, recharge, and connect with colleagues. Guests enjoyed complimentary coffee, snacks, and the opportunity to sit for professional headshots throughout the day.

MCWL’s presence at the NCSL Legislative Summit highlighted its leadership as one of the nation’s longest-standing bipartisan, bicameral women’s caucuses. It reaffirmed its enduring commitment to empowering, celebrating, and advancing women in public service.

• August was Intersectionality Awareness Month, and we recognized that gender-based discrimination is often intensified by other identities, such as race, age, class, disability, religion, level of education, sexual orientation, and more.

• The Women's Caucus commemorated Women's Equality Day at the Boston Gardens on August 26, 2025.

• Women are vital to our communities and economy, which is why we support policies that expand economic opportunity and remove barriers. This month, we celebrate Single Working Women’s Day while also highlighting the alarming national trend of Black women leaving the workforce in unprecedented numbers, and pay disparities persist for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHIP) women.

• Our Executive Director, Seble Alemu, joined the sponsors of the Caucus-endorsed bill, An Act relative to the creation of an endometriosis task force (H.2527, Rep. Sabadosa, Rep. Hendricks & S.1564, Sen. Kennedy), at a WooSox game for a special on-field recognition in honor of Endometriosis Awareness.

• The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) invites all women-identifying individuals in Massachusetts to participate in the Post-COVID Survey.