On Wednesday May 10, the Parity on Board coalition, led by YW Boston, came together at the Massachusetts State House and virtually to support the consideration of H.3095/S.2029: An act to promote diversity on public boards and commissions at the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Hearing. 

Legislative hearings are a common occurrence at the State House. Once bills are filed and assigned to their related committees, the public has a chance to submit official testimony in support of or in opposition to a bill being considered. Then, the bill can be voted favorably out of the committee to move on in the legislature or not.  

The hearing started with the State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah Goldberg coming to the table in Gardner Auditorium and reading her testimony in support of the Parity on Board bill.  

“Simply stated – organizations that have more women and more people of color are more reflective of their customers and their constituents and are more creative, more innovative, more successful and more profitable.”  -State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah Goldberg

Many legislators dedicated their time and voice to support this legislation. After Treasurer Goldberg, the Committee heard from Senator Liz Miranda, Representative Dawne Shand, and Representative Tram Nguyen – all lead sponsors of the bill.  

Also testifying in support of this bill were Representatives Pat Haddad and Mike Connolly. The Parity on Board coalition showed up in person, remotely, and online to show their support of the bill. 

Kat Cline, Director of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, spoke to the importance of this bill as a priority for her board and members. Beth Boland, Vice Chair of the Litigation Department and Chair of the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Group at Foley & Lardner LLP, who worked with the coalition to rewrite the bill and analyze its constitutionality spoke to the importance of data collection and disclosure for equity, pointing out that “We cannot change what we do not know.” 

Although some members of the coalition could not testify during the day, they were able to submit testimony via the committee staff.  

Evelyn Murphy, former Lt. Governor of the Commonwealth, former Secretary of Environmental Affairs and former Secretary of Economic Affairs wrote in about her experience in Massachusetts government and how representation impacts the communities we serve: 

Appointees to boards and commissions have significant responsibilities in policy setting, priorities, and oversight. I know from personal experience the impact of appointing three women commissioners of color to the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) in the late 1970s. Until that time, every Associate Commissioner had been a white man. The MDC was responsible not only for the water and sewer services of metro Boston, but also, managing many recreational facilities and open spaces throughout Boston. These facilities were a principal source of recreation for many families of color. Yet these families had had little to no influence on decisions about opening and closing times and dates of swimming pools, basketball courts, ice skating, etc. Those new associate commissioners whose families, friends, neighbors, and communities used these facilities contributed greatly to policies and programs that benefited families who used MDC facilities. 

Celia Johnston Blue, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition spoke to how, in Massachusetts, “our diversity is our strength”:  

Achieving parity is more than simply achieving equal representation. It’s about empowering the voices of all constituents to achieve responsible leadership, optimal decision-making, and good governing. Boards and commissions are responsible for key decisions and policymaking across the Commonwealth. As such, it is imperative that women, particularly women of color, are in these key decision-making leadership positions. ‘We the people’… represents the collective voices of all citizens within our governed body. 

The coalition is proud of the all-around support for this crucial bill inside and outside of the hearing and is looking forward to continuing to work with the legislature to have this bill voted favorable and pass during this legislative session. 

As our President and CEO Beth Chandler said to the Committee Chairs, “Massachusetts leadership has made progress, but has failed to adequately embody all the valuable voices of our Commonwealth. We must take swift and purposeful action now to make our boards and commissions better in order to make our communities better. Better representation means better governance.”  

Want to support this bill? Reach out to your legislators and ask them to urge the committee to vote An act to promote diversity on public boards and commissions favorably out of committee! Visit www.parityonboard.org to learn more.