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Prisoner Advocates Oppose Pay-to-Stay Amendments in State Budget Proposals

27 May 2010 - 1:43pm | superuser
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/State House - Outraged at the recent passage of Mass. House Budget Amendment 26, 50 local advocates for prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families held a rally and press conference opposite the State House steps on Tuesday. The amendment would allow county jails to charge prisoners $5 a day out of their canteen fund to defray some of the costs of their incarceration - in addition to other smaller fees. The Senate will be voting shortly on 3 similar amendments.

Green Justice Coalition Report Calls for Mass. Green Jobs to Be Good Jobs

22 March 2010 - 12:00am | superuser
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/State House - Over 75 people gathered in State House Room 437 on Tuesday for a press conference called by the Green Justice Coalition - the Massachusetts affiliate of the Apollo Alliance - to announce the release of a new report, "An Industry at the Crossroads: Energy Efficiency Employment in Massachusetts." According to its mission statement, the Apollo Alliance is a "coalition of labor, business, environmental, and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolut

Mass. Undocumented Immigrant Students Continue Fight for In-State Tuition Bill Despite Conservative Opposition

6 February 2010 - 12:00am | superuser
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/State House - In the face of continued conservative resistance to immigration reform proposals nationwide, over 100 undocumented immigrant students and allies attended the Wednesday January 27th hearing of the Mass. legislature's Joint Committee on Higher Education in State House Hearing Room B-2 in support of "An Act Relative to Equal Access to Higher Education and Generating Revenue for the Commonwealth" (S. 603/H. 1175).

Advocates Push CORI Reform Bill in House After Recent Senate Victory

1 February 2010 - 12:00am | superuser
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/State House - After successfully pushing a reform bill through the Mass. Senate last year, over 125 advocates of changes to the state Criminal Offender Record Information system held a rally in State House Hearing Room B-2 Wednesday before lobbying key legislators that can help move the House version of the bill towards passage this year. The event was organized by the Commonwealth CORI Coalition - which represents over 90 organizations in support of CORI reform.

Advocates Lobby Legislature to Restore Health Care Funds for 30 000 Mass. Immigrants to the 2010 Budget

10 July 2009 - 11:17pm | superuser
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/State House - Over 75 people representing immigrant, labor and health advocacy organizations spilled out into the hallway during a packed State House press conference where a campaign was launched Wednesday to restore funds for health benefits for 30,000 immigrants covered by the Commonwealth Care program in the 2010 Massachusetts budget.

Commonwealth CORI Coalition Calls for Reform, Menino Agrees It's a "No Brainer"

2 July 2009 - 6:14pm | Jesse K-S
by Jesse Kirdahy-Scalia

BOSTON/State House - Mayor Thomas Menino joined other state officials Tuesday to voice support for CORI reform at a press conference held by Commonwealth CORI Coalition (CCC), a statewide coalition of more than 60 community organizations, labor unions and faith-based groups. CCC contends that Massachusetts' CORI system is broken and is promoting a CORI reform bill that they say would reduce criminal recidivism and joblessness.

66 Workplace Deaths Commorated at Somber Workers' Memorial Day Event at the State House

1 May 2009 - 2:16am | superuser
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/State House - Over 200 labor and community activists gathered in front of the State House Steps on Tuesday to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day - the annual state holiday that honors all workers killed on the job over the previous year. The event was organized by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.

Immigrant Children Deliver Postcards to the Governor's Office; Call for Just and Humane Immigration Policies

19 December 2008 - 2:24am | jpramas
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/Beacon Hill - Seeking "more just and humane immigration polices," over a dozen children of new immigrant families joined with 30 representatives of immigrant and faith-based community organizations on Tuesday under the banner of the pro-immigrant coalition Welcoming Massachusetts to present specially-prepared giant postcards asking for support for their cause from Gov. Deval Patrick (D - Massachusetts) and President-Elect Barack Obama (D).

CORI Bill Stalls in House Ways and Means Advocates Vow Rematch

1 August 2008 - 4:39pm | jpramas
by Jason Pramas

BOSTON/Beacon Hill - The hopes of advocates for the passage of a criminal justice bill (House Bill 5004 "An Act to Improve Certain Criminal Justice Matters") that would have reformed the controversial Criminal Records Information System were dashed this week when the House Ways and Means Committee failed to report the bill out favorably for a vote on the House floor. With the current 2 year session of the Massachusetts legislature now essentially over, the bill will have to be refiled for the next session later this year.

CORI Marchers Welcomed by State House Rally

23 May 2008 - 11:32am | jpramas
by Angela Caputo-Papastamos and Jason Pramas (Staff)

BOSTON/Beacon Hill - After marching for 5 days from Worcester to Boston for reform of the Criminal Offender Record Inquiry system in Massachusetts, a group of over a dozen ex-prisoners and supporters led by members of Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement was received by a lively 250-person rally in front of the State House yesterday. Allies from labor, community and religious groups from across the Commonwealth were on hand.

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