Join our 100th Anniversary committee
A New League project for educators grew out of our research on the struggle for women’s right to vote, that began in Northampton many decades before the formation of our League in 1922. There is a rich history of African-American women who lived in Florence and were leaders in the suffrage movement. Margie Riddle and Nancy Polan created the project, which invites local teachers (k-12+) to generate student projects based on our local history. The projects can highlight the long evolution of the struggle for voting rights, which continues on today. Read more…
Visit our Workshops: April 27 and May 11
April 27, Lilly Library, Florence, 10 a.m.-noon.
May 11, Bread Euphoria, Haydenville, 10 a.m.-noon
Write post cards to your legislators. Advocate for change in Boston and Washington. We provide all the necessary info on legislation, contacts for legislators, stamped post cards, and lively discussion. Bring laptops or phones if you want to call or send emails.
Moving toward Medicare for All in MA
Senator Jo Comerford answers questions about Medicare for All in the Hampshire Gazette. She is cosponsoring S683, An Act Establishing Medicare for All in MA. She explains how such a transformation will require careful planning, research and economic analysis. When implemented, estimated savings are billions of dollars for the Commonwealth.Senator Jo Comerford answers questions about Medicare for All
HR 1, For the People Act (Action 1) passed the House on 3/8/19. A big victory for the LWV! It’s time to implore the Senate to stop Mitch Mc Connell from blocking the vote in the Senate.Read more: Only One Roadblock on the Road to Reform: Mitch McConnell
Permanent authorization & funding for Land and Water Conservation Act (Action 3). Became law 3.12.19.
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (Action 4) passed the House! Requires background checks on all gun sales and transfers. Mitch McConnell is blocking the vote in the Senate.
ACTION 7: DOE: Do not roll back efficiency standards for light bulbs
Comment period ends May 3.About half of all light bulbs, the pear-shaped ones, already meet high efficiency standards and are L.E.D.s The L.E.D.s have saved consumers $billions. New standards for the other 50% of bulbs are due to begin in 2020. But the DOE wants to block the new standards, in order to carry on their mission to extract every last drop of oil and gas on the planet. Read more…
ACTION 6: Education Promise Act
S.238/H.586, An Act providing rightful opportunities and meaningful investment for successful and equitable education. Revises the Foundation Budget Formula, a cause championed by the LWV for many years. Read more…
ACTION 5: Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019
Restoring the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019, H.R.4, S 561, will strengthen democracy by ensuring that race is not a factor in determining who has access to the ballot box.” It “will restore sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court stripped in the Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013. Read more…
ACTION 2: Fund the Civics Project Trust Fund
Massachusetts passed the civic education law in 2018. No funds were appropriated for it. We must work to keep it from becoming an unfunded mandate.Contact your state Representative and Senator. Read more…