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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MA: Human Rights/Racial Justice

An analysis of eight U.S. cities found that between 21% and 38% of 911 calls are related to mental health, substance use, homelessness and other quality-of-life concerns, all matters advocates said could be better addressed by people other than police. (Adobe Stock)
MA Considers Unarmed Response Units for Mental Health 911 Calls

Community groups in Massachusetts are calling for an end to armed police response to mental health-related 911 calls. The majority of calls are for …

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Rates of severe maternal morbidity for people with disabilities -- including intellectual, vision, and mobility-related disabilities -- were found to be significantly higher between 2011 and 2020 than those for people without disabilities, according to the Department of Public Health. (Adobe Stock)
Report Shows Steep Decline in MA Maternal Health

Racial and gender inequities in Massachusetts have contributed to a steep decline in maternal health, according to a new report. The Department of …

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Researchers say access to driver's licenses helps ensure the health of immigrants and other communities. California, for example, saw an 18% increase in registered organ donors the year it started licensing drivers without status. (Adobe Stock)
Undocumented Immigrants in MA Allowed License to Drive

Undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts are now able to apply for a driver's license regardless of their immigration status. The Work and Family …

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The federal civil rights complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights states that nearly 70% of Harvard's donor-related and legacy applicants are white, and they receive a substantial admissions boost based on their status. (Adobe Stock)
Civil Rights Complaint Challenges Practice of Harvard Legacy Admissions

Following the Supreme Court's decision to end race-based affirmative action, a Boston-based civil rights group is working to end the practice of …

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The cost of free public higher education for Massachusetts has been estimated to be between $1 billion and $1.6 billion per yearm but advocates note that increased public higher education spending also leads to increased tax revenues and savings in state spending programs. (Adobe Stock)
Higher Ed Advocates: Cherish Act Could Help Counter Supreme Court Decisions

Education advocates in Massachusetts say state lawmakers could help counter the Supreme Court's recent decisions to end affirmative action and student…

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Research shows children who live in households that receive the Earned Income Tax Credit have better school performance, greater college enrollment and increased work and income in adulthood. (Adobe Stock)
Advocates Push for 'Tax Fairness' with Expanded Child Tax Credits

As Massachusetts lawmakers work to finalize tax-relief measures, advocates for low-income families are calling for an expansion of tax credits proven …

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Democratic lawmakers are calling for term limits to ensure each president has the opportunity to appoint the same number of Supreme Court justices each term, in an effort to make the high court more democratically representative. (Adobe Stock)
MA Lawmakers Call for Expansion of U.S. Supreme Court

Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress are calling for an expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court due to what they said are "ethical lapses" and "partisan …

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Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., says police brutality is a crisis plaguing Black and brown communities. Despite comprising only 13% of the U.S. population, Black people accounted for 26% of those killed by police in 2022, according to the nonprofit Mapping Police Violence. (Office of Rep. Pressley)
MA Lawmakers Aim to End Qualified Immunity, Let People Sue Police

Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress have reintroduced legislation which would allow people to sue police officers and other state and local government…

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The U.S. military has released 1.2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since the War on Terror began in 2001, despite military leaders citing climate change as a national security threat. (WRL)<br />
War Tax Resisters Redirect Money Towards Peace

Tax Day is quickly approaching April 18 but some Massachusetts residents will resist paying their federal taxes as a war protest. War tax resistance…

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Health care advocates fear restrictions on abortion medication could be especially harmful to African American women, who are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (ACLU Mass.)
MA Lawmakers Vow to Protect Abortion Medication Access

Massachusetts lawmakers are vowing to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone, after two competing rulings by federal judges has left access …

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New data found for the third year in a row, the number of overall white supremacist propaganda incidents on U.S. college campuses dropped from 232 in 2021 to 219 in 2022, the lowest since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking campus incidents in 2017. (Adobe Stock)
White Supremacist Gatherings, Incidents Hit All-Time High in New England

Incidents involving white supremacist propaganda reached an all-time high last year in the U.S., including a dramatic surge of incidents across New …

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Nearly 60% of Massachusetts' incarcerated population is Black - but Black residents make up less than 20% of the Commonwealth's population, according to the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Bills Aim to Restore Vote for People Incarcerated for Felony Convictions

Lawmakers in the Commonwealth are considering legislation to restore voting rights for people incarcerated on felony convictions. One bill would …

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