Legislative Summary
2009-2010 Session

The new legislative session has started on Beacon Hill. The biggest news was the major leadership change as House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi resigned to be replaced by Rep. Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop). Though anything can happen, this change represents a moderate shift at the position, with Speaker DeLeo being far less beholden to the homosexual special interests and being pro-life on abortion. However, he is a vocal supporter of expanded gambling.

MFI is entering this legislative year on the offense with the filing of the pro-family bills identified below. We also expect to be on the defense in opposing the anti-family bills that have been filed by our opponents. The bills have not yet been assigned numbers. Once they are assigned a number, we will include those numbers here, along with a direct link to the PDF text of the bill on the state's website. Until then, here is a summary of both:

OFFENSE

Despite a strong anti-family majority on Beacon Hill, MFI will continue to present pro-family legislation. Here are the top bills that MFI is sponsoring or supporting:

• Laura's Law (An Act Relative to a Woman's Right to Know) - MFI is partnering with Massachusetts Citizens for Life in championing this women's health bill. A woman considering abortion should be provided with the most accurate information available concerning the physical, psychological and emotional risks and complications associated with abortion. She should also be given a 24-hour waiting period between her request for an abortion and the scheduling of the procedure, offered an ultrasound of her preborn child, and informed of alternatives to abortion, as well as the services available should she decide to not abort the child.
  
  Any facility in which abortions are performed should be held to the same medical standards as other surgical offices. Women should be treated by an abortion provider under the same careful scrutiny of personnel, procedures and facilities that applies to other surgical providers.
  
  
• Student Religious Freedom (An Act Protecting the Religious Freedom of Students) - MFI has filed a bill protecting the religious freedom of students in schools. While students already have the right to express their religious beliefs in school, many teachers and administrators are uninformed or misinformed on these rights, confused about the so-called "separation of church and state." This law will codify the individual rights of students and compel the state to inform school districts of these rights.
  
  
• Opt-In for Sex Education (An Act Relative to Parental Notification and Consent) - MFI is supporting Rep. Brad Jones' updated parental notification and consent bill. This updated bill removes the word "primarily" (which provides a barn-door sized loophole) from the description of applicable content. It specifically adds "sexual orientation" to applicable content. It changes the policy from "opt out" to "opt in," allowing parents to sign their children up for elective sex education instead of having to take them out. It also provides a "conscience clause" for teachers and administrators to prevent them from being forced to participate in anything that violates their religious beliefs.
  
  
• Protecting Minors from Harmful Material (An Act Prohibiting the Display of Materials Harmful to Minors) - MFI has filed a bill to remove the blanket exemption for schools from the ban on disseminating matter harmful to minors.
  
  
• De-funding Planned Parenthood and Homosexual Programs - With state government facing massive budget shortfalls and making extensive cuts, MFI will educate legislators on the budget of Planned Parenthood, which is "flush with cash" according to the Wall Street Journal, and various pro-homosexual programs. We encourage eliminating related taxpayer funding.
  

DEFENSE

With neither Gov. Deval Patrick nor the majority of the state Legislature sharing our values, MFI will be playing defense against some extremely radical bills. These are not new battles, but our opponents are emboldened and will attempt to force these bills through:

• Transgender Rights/Hate Crimes (An Act relative to gender based discrimination and hate crimes) - The homosexual special interest groups have pledged once again to devote significant resources to a bill legitimizing transvestite or so-called "transgender" people. If adopted, this bill would allow virtually anyone, regardless of sex, to enter single-sex bathrooms and locker rooms. It would also add the vague term "gender identity or expression" to the hate crimes law.
  
  
• Comprehensive Sex Education (An Act relative to providing health education in schools) - Planned Parenthood and its pro-abortion allies will make another attempt to establish comprehensive health (read: sex) education from grades K-12 as part of the core curriculum required for graduation from Massachusetts public schools.
  
  
• Expanded Gambling (An Act Establishing Casinos in Massachusetts) - Tough economic times tend to increase the legislative appetite for expanded gambling, whether slot machines at racetracks or full-fledged casinos. Declining revenues, however, for Connecticut's casinos and the gambling industry in general should counter any calls for expansion. MFI will closely monitor the situation and oppose any effort to expand gambling in the Commonwealth.
  
  
• Abortion Without Parental Consent (An Act Relative to Consent and Counseling for Certain Minors) - Planned Parenthood has returned with their bill that would undermine parental rights and responsibilities by letting minors get an abortion without parental consent or even a judge's order. The bill would do this by expanding the categories of people allowed to speak for a minor seeking an abortion.