August 2020: 2019-2020 PM Senate Scorecard


1	PM Score #	Keyword	Description	Roll Call #	Bill #	Amdt	Date	Bill or Amendment Title	Prog Pos	# of Y	# of N	Keyword	PM Score #	Progressive Platform Plank	Final Result in Senate: Progressive Position was

2	1s	Good Govt; Transparency	191.1s: Good Govt; Transparency Vote was on increasing the notice for hearings from 48 hours to 72 hours and requiring the posting of recorded votes taken in committee online. (PM Score 191.1s: Roll Call #3, Bill S9, Amdt. 1, 1/31/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	3	S9	1	1/31/2019	Improved Access to Records	YES	39	0	Good Govt; Transparency	1s	Good Government & Strong Democracy	advanced
3	2s	Good Govt; Transparency	191.2s: Environment Vote was on providing representatives more notice when a Conference Committee produces a final bill for legislators to vote on (i.e., moving up the deadline from 8 pm to 5 pm the night before). (PM Score 191.2s: Roll Call #5, Bill S9, Amdt. 3, 1/31/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	5	S9	3	1/31/2019	Conference Committee Reports	YES	8	31	Good Govt; Transparency	2s	Good Government & Strong Democracy	defeated
4	3s	LBTQ Rights	191.3s LGBTQ Rights Vote was a conservative attempt to get the conversion therapy ban ruled unconstitutional. The ban, which passed, would prohibit licensed mental health professionals from “practicing” on minors the damaging and homophobic/transphobic fraud of “conversion therapy,” which has the goal of “changing” a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity of a minor. (PM Score 191.3s: Roll Call #15, Bill S2189, Amdt., 3/28/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	15	S2189		3/28/2019	Constitutionality of Banning Conversion Therapy	NO	6	32	LBTQ Rights	3s	All Means All	advanced
5	4s	Poverty	191.4s: TAFDC Reforms Vote was on a proposal from Republican Governor Charlie Baker to make the adoption of a more stringent calculation of benefits (counting a parent's Supplemental Security Income in determining their children's eligibility for welfare benefits) a precondition of lifting the punitive "cap on kids." (PM Score 191.4s: Roll Call #18, Bill S2186, Amdt. 1, 3/28/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	18	S2186	1	3/28/2019	TAFDC Reforms	NO	6	31	Poverty	4s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
6	5s	Reproductive Justice	191.5s: Family Planning Vote was on making up to $8 million available for family planning clinics in Massachusetts at risk of losing federal funding under a new Trump administration rule that cuts support for providers that offer abortion services. (PM Score 191.5s: Roll Call #20, Bill H3638, 3/28/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	20	H3638		3/28/2019	Family Planning	YES	35	5	Reproductive Justice	5s	All Means All	advanced
7	6s	Poverty	191.6s Lifting the cap on kids (override) Vote was on overriding the Governor’s veto on a bill to eliminate a punitive welfare policy that denies benefits to children who were born while a family is receiving state assistance. MA is one of the only states to still do this. (PM Score 191.6s: Roll Call #21, Bill H3594, 4/25/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	21	H3594		4/25/2019	Lifting the cap on kids (override)	YES	37	3	Poverty	6s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
8	7s	LGBTQ Rights	191.7s: LGBTQ Rights Vote was on establishing a gender-neutral identity option for Massachusetts licenses, a recognition that some individuals may not identify as either male or female. (PM Score 191.7s: Roll Call #22, Bill S2203, 4/25/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	22	S2203		4/25/2019	An Act relative to gender identity on Massachusetts identification	YES	39	1	LGBTQ Rights	7s	All Means All	advanced
9	8s	Revenue; Education; Transportation	191.8s: Revenue; Education; Transportation Vote was on redundantly requiring the money from the Fair Share amendment to be spent on education and transportation, a conservative attempt to push anti-tax and anti-spending framing. (PM Score 191.8s: Roll Call #67, Bill H86, Amdt. 1, 6/12/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	67	H86	1	6/12/2019	Ensuring that Funds Appropriated are in Addition to and Not In Lieu of Funds Already Appropriated for Such Purposes	NO	6	33	Revenue; Education; Transportation	8s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
10	9s	Revenue; Education; Transportation	191.9s: Revenue; Education; Transportation Vote was on creating a corporate tax carveout in the Fair Share amendment. 9 (PM Score 191.s: Roll Call #68, Bill H86, Amdt. 3, 6/12/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	68	H86	3	6/12/2019	Exempting S corporations	NO	6	33	Revenue; Education; Transportation	9s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
11	10s	Revenue; Education; Transportation	191.10s: Revenue; Education; Transportation Vote was on attempting to enable future Legislatures to set the surtax in the Fair Share amendment below 4% -- or even negate it entirely. (PM Score 191.10s: Roll Call #69, Bill H86, Amdt. 4, 6/12/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	69	H86	4	6/12/2019	Not more than 4%	NO	6	33	Revenue; Education; Transportation	10s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
12	11s	Revenue; Education; Transportation	191.11s: Revenue; Education; Transportation Vote was on attempting to enable future Legislatures to set the surtax in the Fair Share amendment below 4% -- or even negate it entirely. (PM Score 191.11s: Roll Call #70, Bill H86, Amdt. 6, 6/12/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	70	H86	6	6/12/2019	Flexible Fair Share Amendment to allow future changes in rate without constitutional amendment	NO	6	33	Revenue; Education; Transportation	11s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
13	12s	Revenue; Education; Transportation	191.12s: Revenue; Education; Transportation Vote was on lessening or negating the surtax—and requiring that every surtax on millionaires be matched with a tax cut. (PM Score 191.12s: Roll Call #71, Bill H86, Amdt. 8, 6/12/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	71	H86	8	6/12/2019	Reducing the regressivity of the Fair Share Amendment by reducing rates of lower income taxpayers	NO	6	33	Revenue; Education; Transportation	12s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
14	13s	Revenue; Education; Transportation	191.13s: Revenue; Education; Transportation Vote was on redundantly requiring the money from the Fair Share amendment to be spent on education and transportation, a conservative attempt to push anti-tax and anti-spending framing. (PM Score 191.13s: Roll Call #72, Bill H86, Amdt. 11, 6/12/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	72	H86	11	6/12/2019	Education and Transportation Trust Fund	NO	6	33	Revenue; Education; Transportation	13s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
15	14s	Revenue; Education; Transportation	191.14s: Revenue; Education; Transportation Vote was on advancing the Fair Share amendment, a 4% surtax on income above $1 million to fund education and transportation reinvestment, to the 2022 ballot. (PM Score 191.14s: Roll Call #73, Bill H86, 6/12/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	73	H86		6/12/2019	Advancing the Fair Share Amendment	YES	35	5	Revenue; Education; Transportation	14s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
16	15s	Labor Rights	191.15s: Labor Rights Vote was on enabling bosses to prevent public sector workers from hosting union meetings at the office. (PM Score 191.15s: Roll Call #75, Bill S2273, Amdt. 4, 6/27/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	75	S2273	4	6/27/2019	Prior Coordination for the Use of Government Facilities and Buildings	NO	6	32	Labor Rights	15s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
17	16s	Labor Rights	191.16s: Labor Rights Vote was on an amendment to make it more difficult for public sector workers to communicate while trying to form or operating a union. (PM Score 191.16s: Roll Call #77, Bill S2273, Amdt. 6, 6/27/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	77	S2273	6	6/27/2019	Employee Information	NO	6	32	Labor Rights	16s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
18	17s	Labor Rights	191.17s: Labor Rights Vote was on an amendment from Governor Charlie Baker to the Janus bill to make it more difficult for public sector workers to organize a union. (PM Score 191.17s: Roll Call #85, Bill H3854, Gov Amdt., 6/27/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	86	H3854	Gov Amendment	6/27/2019	Governor's Amendment	NO	5	34	Labor Rights	17s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
19	18s	Public Education	191.18s: Public Education Vote was on increasing the frequency of reviews of the education funding formula from every 10 years to every 5 years so that it never gets too out-of-date. (PM Score 191.18s: Roll Call #98, Bill S2350, Amdt. 7, 10/3/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	98	S2350	7	10/3/2019	Review of the foundation budget	YES	14	24	Public Education	18s	Shared Prosperity	defeated
20	19s	Public Education	191.19s: Public Education Vote was on increasing community and educator involvement in school districts' plans to reduce disparities -- and requires charter schools to create such plans as well. (PM Score 191.19s: Roll Call #101, Bill S2350, Amdt. 17, 10/3/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	101	S2350	17	10/3/2019	Targeted Improvement Plans	YES	39	0	Public Education	19s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
21	20s	Public Education	191.20s: Public Education Vote was on requiring a study of the impact of this regressive tax law on municipalities' ability to provide a high-quality education to all students. (PM Score 191.20s: Roll Call #102, Bill S2350, Amdt. 27, 10/3/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	102	S2350	27	10/3/2019	Analyze impact of Proposition 2 ½	YES	34	4	Public Education	20s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
22	21s	Public Education	191.21s: Public Education Vote was on a regressive amendment to steer a greater percentage of total education spending toward more affluent districts. (PM Score 191.21s: Roll Call #105, Bill S2350, Amdt. 6, 10/3/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	105	S2350	6	10/3/2019	Minimum per pupil aid to $100	NO	11	27	Public Education	21s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
23	22s	Public Education	191.22s: Public Education Vote was on updating the outdated education funding formula and investing $1.5 billion in additional money in our public schools, especially for the neediest students. (PM Score 191.22s: Roll Call #107, Bill S2350, 10/3/2019, Progressive Position: YES)	107	S2350		10/3/2019	Student Opportunity Act	YES	37	0	Public Education	22s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
24	23s	Public Health	191.23s: Public Health Vote was on removing the ban on menthol cigarettes from the underlying bill banning flavored e-cigarettes and tobacco products. (PM Score 191.23s: Roll Call #135, Bill S2407, Amdt. 7, 11/20/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	135	S2407	7	11/20/2019	Continuity of Sales	NO	11	27	Public Health	23s	Shared Prosperity	advanced
25	24s	Environmental Protection	191.24s: Environmental Protection Vote was on the House version of the plastic bag ban, which would have allowed retailers to use thicker single-use plastic bags and eliminated the fee for other single-use bags. (PM Score 191.24s: Roll Call #147, Bill S.2410, Amdt. 6, 11/20/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	147	S2410	26	11/20/2019	(Not) Reducing Plastic Bag Consumption	NO	13	26	Environmental Protection	24s	Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	advanced
26	25s	Environmental Protection	191.25s: Environmental Protection Vote was on nullifying the enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic bags and levying a small fee on other single-use bags. (PM Score 191.25s: Roll Call #148, Bill S.2410, Amdt. 7, 11/20/2019, Progressive Position: NO)	148	S2410	116	11/20/2019	Small Retailer Exemption	NO	12	27	Environmental Protection	25s	Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	advanced
27	26s	Good Govt; Transparency	191.26s: Good Government; Transparency Legislator signed the "Voters Deserve to Know" transparency pledge committing to publish their committee votes online and to stand for recorded votes when their colleages request so for amendments or bills the legislator has co-sponsored. (PM Score 191.26s; Progressive Position: YES)					Transparency Pledge	YES	2	38	Good Govt; Transparency	26s	Good Government & Strong Democracy	n/a
28	27s	LGBTQ Rights, Education, Consent	191.27s: LGBTQ Rights, Education, Consent Vote was to ensure that Massachusetts schools that offer sex education use an age-appropriate, medically accurate, and LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum (PM Score 191.27s; Progressive Position: YES)	157	S2459		1/16/2020	Healthy Youth Act	YES	33	2	LGBTQ Rights, Education, Consent	27s		advanced
29	28s	Climate	191.28s: Climate Vote was to require the executive office of energy and environmental affairs to conduct an annual report on the costs of the underlying bill, which would set efficiency standards for a range of products. The amendment was an attempt to falsely portral such measures as costly and to overburden an underfunded regulatory agency. (PM Score 191.28s; Progressive Position: NO)	165	S2478	5	1/30/2020	Burdening the EOEA	NO	30	7	Climate	28s	Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	defeated
30	29s	Climate	191.29s: Climate Vote was to set energy and water efficiency standards for new faucets, showerheads, commercial dishwashers and ovens, and a dozen other products. (PM Score 191.28s; Progressive Position: YES)	166	S2478		1/30/2020	An Act relative to Energy Savings Efficiency (Energy SAVE)	YES	35	2	Climate	29s	Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	advanced
31	30s	Climate	191.30s: Climate Vote was to require the MBTA to purchase only zero-emissions vehicles after 2030, direct it to start purchasing zero-emission replacement vehicles in the interim. and require i to have a zero-emissions fleet by 2040. (PM Score 191.30s; Progressive Position: YES)	172	S2476		1/30/2020	An Act to accelerate the transition of cars, trucks and buses to carbon-free power	YES	35	2	Climate	30s	Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	advanced
32	31s	Climate	191.31s: Climate Vote was on an amendment that sought to paint the newly created Climate Policy Commission as a shady and secret bureaucracy when it would, in fact, be subject to the same standards as similar agencies. (PM Score 191.31s; Progressive Position: NO)	161	S2477	93	1/30/2020	Climate Policy Commission	NO	8	29	Climate		Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	defeated
33	32s	Climate	191.32s: Climate Vote was to subject all regulations created by the Climate Policy Commission to legislative approval, creating a different standard for the agency and slowing down climate policymaking. (PM Score 191.32s; Progressive Position: NO)	170	S2477	55	1/30/2020	Cost of Compliance	NO	7	30	Climate		Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	defeated
34	33s	Climate	191.33s: Climate Vote was on a comprehensive climate mitigation bill that set a statewide net-zero emissions limit for 2050, created an independent watchdog commission on climate policy, required the implementation of a carbon pricing scheme, and built equity into utility reform and household solar expansion, among other things. (PM Score 191.33s; Progressive Position: YES)	171	S2477		1/30/2020	An Act setting next-generation climate policy	YES	36	2	Climate		Sustaianble Infrastructure & Environmental Protection	advanced
35	34s	Civil LIberties	191.35s: Civil Liberties Vote was to expand the use of traffic cameras on school buses beyond what was laid out despite sureveillance concerns and to allow for privatization schemes that risk creating an incentive to seek excessive fines. (PM Score 191.35s; Progressive Position: YES)	185	S2553	2	2/20/2020	School Buses	NO	13	24	Civil Liberties	35s	All Means All
36	35s	Civil LIberties	191.35s: Civil Liberties Vote was to scale back implementation of a bill enabling cities and towns to install red light cameras, out of concern for expanding surveillance. (PM Score 191.35s; Progressive Position: YES)	186	S2553	17	2/20/2020	Pilot Program	YES	18	19	Civil Liberties	35s	All Means All	defeated
37	36s	Voting Rights, Democracy	191.36s: Voting Rights, Democracy Vote was to strenghten the protections for in-person voting in 2020, including a clear deadline for guidance from the Secretary of State and a requirement that municpalities create their own preparedness plans. (PM Score 191.36s; Progressive Position: YES)	196	S2755	24	6/16/2020	Guaranteeing Safe, Accessible, and Fair Elections For All	YES	16	23	Voting Rights, Democracy	36s	Good Government & Strong Democracy	defeated
38	37s	Voting Rights, Democracy	191.37s: Voting Rights, Democracy Vote was to streamline the vote-by-mail process by creating a standard form for absentee ballot requests and early-vote-by-mail requests. Such a change would reduce possible voter confusion and make the jobs of poll workers simpler. (PM Score 191.37s; Progressive Position: YES)	197	S2755	28	6/16/2020	Providing for a uniform early voting/absentee ballot	YES	14	25	Voting Rights, Democracy	37s	Good Government & Strong Democracy	defeated
39	38s	Voting Rights, Democracy	191.38s: Voting Rights, Democracy Vote was a conservative attempt to fear-monger about non-existent voter fraud by implying that counting ballots after 5 pm is somehow fraudulent. (PM Score 191.37s; Progressive Position: YES)	198	S2755	34	6/16/2020	Fear-mongering about voter fraud	NO	10	29	Voting Rights, Democracy	38s	Good Government & Strong Democracy	defeated
40	39s	Policing Reform	Vote was on requiring an unnecessary fiscal study of the bill to bog down implementation	217	S2800	117	7/13/2020	Implementation	NO	12	27	Police Reform	39s	All Means All	advanced
41	40s	Policing Reform	Vote was to strike the language creating a commission on the use of force in juvenile detention facilities	218	S2800	123	7/13/2020	County Correction and Juvenile Detention Officers Commission	NO	16	24	Police Reform	40s	All Means All	advanced
42	41s	Policing Reform	Vote was on clarifying and upholding the language reforming qualified immunity in the bill to remove any uncertainty about whether public officials remain indemnified	223	S2800	121	7/13/2020	Corrective Amendment	YES	26	14	Police Reform	41s	All Means All	advanced
43	42s	Policing Reform	Vote was on delaying the qualified immunity reforms in the bill for 180 days	225	S2800	137	7/14/2020	Special Commission to Study Qualified Immunity	NO	16	24	Police Reform	42s	All Means All	advanced
44	43s	Policing Reform	Vote was on replacing the Police Officer Standards and Accreditation Commission in the underlying bill with a weaker and non-independent one as proposed by Governor Charlie Baker	226	S2800	51	7/14/2020	POSAC	NO	10	29	Police Reform	43s	All Means All	advanced
45	44s	Policing Reform	Vote was on protecting students from having school officials wrongfully enter them into a gang database and risking their deportation	227	S2800	108	7/14/2020	Protecting Students from Profiling	YES	27	12	Police Reform	44s	All Means All	advanced
46	45s	Policing Reform	Vote was on making it harder to decertify law-breaking police officers	229	S2800	134	7/14/2020	Opportunity to Appeal	NO	16	24	Police Reform	45s	All Means All	advanced
47	46s	Policing Reform	Vote was on replacing the overly narrow definitin of a chokehold in the bill	230	S2800	58	7/14/2020	Clarifying the Definition of Choke Hold	YES	16	24	Police Reform	46s	All Means All	defeated
48	47s	Policing Reform	Vote was on weakening the already too weak language on chokeholds in the underlying bill	231	S2800	62	7/14/2020	Chokehold in Self-Defense	NO	3	36	Police Reform	47s	All Means All	advanced
49	48s	Policing Reform	Vote was on the Reform - Shift Build Act, which would create a Police officer Standards and Accreditation Commission, strenghten regulations on the use of force,reduce the school-to-prison pipeline, limit qualified immunity, and create a Justice Reinvestment Fund, among other steps.	233	S2800		7/14/2020	Reform / Shift / Build Act	YES	30	7	Police Reform	48s	All Means All	advanced