March 25, 2025 Meeting Minutes

Meeting started at 6:10 p.m.

Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker gave an overview of issues he is working on. Currently, there’s a great challenge for law enforcement officials to build trust among immigrant communities. For example, many victims of domestic violence are afraid to ask for help for fear getting detained by ICE. He’s also seen a big spike in elderly fraud schemes, which often involve seniors being lured to use bitcoin machines in convenience stories.

The membership committee is seeking new members to work on tasks such as training new ward chairs and recruiting new members. April 7 is next meeting at 5:00 online.

New Business

Caucus will be held on April 14 to vote for delegates from each ward to attend state party platform convention on September 13 in Springfield.

Bruce Cohen spoke about transparency reforms of the legislative process that are currently being taken up by a conference committee. As Sen. Joan Lovely is a member of the committee, he urged committee members to contact Lovely to urge her to support the following key reforms.

• Adopt Senate language that would increase notice for committee hearings from 72 hours to 5 days.

  
  

• Adopt Senate language that would require hearing testimony be published on the legislature’s website.

  
  

• Adopt Senate language that would make legislators’ committee votes public.

  
  

• Adopt House language that prior to a vote, committee members will receive a document clearly indicating what changes are being proposed to a bill, which will be made publicly available.

  
  

• Endorse Senate language that would make the first meeting of a conference committee open to the public.

Upcoming Protests

Massachusetts Nurses Association is holding a picket line in support of nurses on March 26 at at 4:00 p.m. at Beverly Hospital.

Peoples Day protest against the Trump Administration is taking place on April 5 at 11:00 a.m. at Boston Common bandstand.

Next meeting is May 29 at 6:00 p.m.

Meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.

Minutes taken by Bruce Cohen, Secretary.