Dear ,
We’re living in a terrifying time, and while many of us feel powerless under the barrage of attacks inflicted by Trump and his henchmen in DC, I grapple with this question every day: what can we do in Massachusetts or at the local level? How do we take action to not only save, but also strengthen our democracy? This is why transparency is so foundational and I’m thrilled to share our win for transparency in the State House. Until now it has been the broken link that severely limited pathways for people like you to advocate and fight for our voices to be heard and acted on in the State House. In this newsletter, I’ll share: - Details of our win for transparency
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How we won and what comes next
- Passing legislation I filed to end real estate brokers fees (and the first on-time budget in many years)
Or you can also watch a brief 1 minute video with me and Rep. Tara Hong! |
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Transparency wins:
Committee votes are public and on the website. For most of my lifetime, the vast majority of the votes taken in the State House were not visible to you. Now you will see how we vote on all of the bills in committee.
Testimony for or against legislation are public and on the website. Prior to this, the public did not know who was pushing for or against bills and which special interests were being represented or what happened to bills with the most grassroots support. This will include protections for exceptions on testimony involving sensitive information (such as testimony by survivors of violence).
Hearings with advance notice and attendance. Previously, we only had 72 hours' notice before a hearing; now, we will have 10 days. Attendance by legislators will also be taken. At many hearings during my first term, I was one of a tiny handful of legislators in attendance. Since this rule change, every hearing has already had full attendance by state reps.
Reforms to prevent the end-of-session logjam. Once a bill has a hearing, we will have 90 days until the committee takes action on the bill. This change helps legislators and advocates move more strategically. In the past, we had 7,000 bills filed and it wasn’t clear when to push on which issue. Now we know when a bill receives a hearing, it’s vital for our voices to be heard by committee members. We also will be able to take votes on nearly complete bills after we recess during election time.
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How we got here and where we go next:
During Trump’s first presidency, I, like many of you, was dismayed that Massachusetts didn’t pass any bills to protect immigrants or had slow-walked fully funding public schools. This is what drove me to commit my life to advocacy, to co-found Act on Mass, and to serve as your State Representative. I co-founded Act on Mass to change the underlying rules and norms that maintain the status quo that leaves you all in the dark.
It was clear then as it is now that we legislators cannot fight in isolation and win. And the lack of transparency and accessibility prevents effective inside-outside campaigns and organizing from even taking place in the Massachusetts State House. Somervillians have made it clear that transparency and good government are important to us, which is why so many of you have organized on these issues and why you elected me to have me as your co-conspirator, working closely together to deliver on the things that we care about.
That's why I organized legislators (inside) and built a coalition of climate, labor, and community organizations (outside), who organized advocacy sessions with over 100 legislators one-on-one. Our collective demand was to remove barriers and ensure a more open House.
This blueprint is how we win. All of our biggest victories for reproductive justice, immigrant rights, and funding for our schools and public transportation necessitated all of our participation through inside-outside organizing. And on the flip side, we lose immensely when you all are not present and we legislators are left with inside-only leverage. I’m so grateful for all of the legislators, electeds, coalition members, and thousands of voters who fought hard for these campaigns.
That’s why Rep. Tara Hong and I are organizing a State House power building session on Tuesday July 22nd 6pm to 8pm. We are going to facilitate a strategy session on how to most effectively leverage these transparency wins so that we can advocate for the changes we all need. The event will be at the Somerville Central Library (79 Highland Ave, Somerville) first floor conference room please RSVP here.
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Ending real estate broker fees:
Surviving as a renter in Massachusetts is outrageously expensive. In addition to skyrocketing rents and the challenging search to even find a rental, moving from one rental to another most often requires thousands of dollars upfront. And to add insult to injury, even after finally finding an apartment, many renters are forced to pay the broker fees of the realtor whom a landlord hired. It is through listening to so many of you and strategizing together that we decided one improvement to the housing crisis would be to eradicate forced brokers fees.
This predatory practice will end with the passage of a bill I filed with Rep. Tackey Chan to end real estate broker fees.
If a landlord wishes to hire a realtor to assist them in finding a tenant, they have every right to do so and will have to pay for the service they hired. This makes sense because in every other transaction in our lives, if you want a service, you cannot offload the cost of that service to someone who doesn’t benefit from it nor asked for that service. I want to thank all the housing advocates, renters, legislators, and municipal electeds from Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston for their advocacy in helping get this bill across the finish line. You all made the difference. Thank you! |
Event updates on Beacon Hill and in Somerville Testimony in Favor of the new Somerville Charter
Last week I joined Sen. Jehlen, Rep. Barber, and Rep. Connolly to testify in favor of the new proposed charter for Somerville! Thank you to all the residents who have worked for years to update the charter and helped shape it into what we see today! |
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Firefighter Memorial Sunday
It is always a privilege to attend Firefighter Memorial Sunday, to honor Somerville firefighters who gave their lives protecting our city. This year was the 51st Anniversary of the tragic Arrow Paper Fire where two firefighters, Joseph Reilly and Robert Brickley, heroically gave their lives in the line of duty. |
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Emergency Rally in Solidarity with SEIU California President David Huerta SEIU California President David Huerta who was assaulted, injured, and detained while advocating for immigrant workers in the most recent ICE raids in Los Angeles. From Massachusetts to California, we must take a stand against Trump's cruel & unlawful mass deportation agenda that is tearing our communities apart and stand up for workers everywhere! Thank you to everyone who came out to stand in solidarity with Massachusetts AFL CIO, SEIU509, SEUI Local 888, SEIU 1199, Boston Teachers Union and so many others! |
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Congresswoman Pressley’s Roundtable Discussion on Immigration Thank you Congresswoman Pressley for hosting a roundtable discussion on the Trump administration's unlawful immigration tactics and their harmful impact on our communities. Thanks to all the immigrant justice advocates, local leaders, impacted families, and elected leaders that came out today to participate.
We are who we are because of immigrants and the recent surge in ICE abductions is another way for the Trump administration to sow fear and chaos in our communities. We must stand together to push back against these inhumane tactics. |
AANHPI Heritage Month Celebration
Last month at the State House, I joined Governor Healey and the AAPI Caucus to recognize artists from the AANHPI community in Massachusetts. Thanks to all the artists and performers including the Lowell Angkor Dance Troupe and Worcester’s Sun Lion Dance Team! |
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Memorial Day Parade
Thank you to all the veterans, family members, and City of Somerville staff who helped us honor those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice this Memorial Day. |
As always, it is a joy and honor to serve you in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas! |
Yours in service and solidarity, Erika |
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Committee to Elect Erika Uyterhoeven
11 Wesley Park
Somerville, MA 02144
United States Campaign website: www.ElectErika.com |
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