This year we are focusing on the following legislative actions:

House 486 “An Act Relative to Enhancing English Opportunities for All Students in the Commonwealth."

This bill requires that school districts compile and report data regarding English language learners to the Department of Education, and requires that all school districts provide at least one program for limited English proficient students.

Description:

The current system, which does not offer English language learners the appropriate resources and support for success, is failing our youth. Data compiled over the last four years demonstrates that the present system for teaching Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in Massachusetts is failing at a disproportionately high rate. Not only do LEP students make up the highest percentage of high school dropouts, but the MCAS disparity between LEP students and their native English speaking peers is rising dramatically. MCAS results from the Class of 2008 show that while 95% of native English speaking students earned their Competency Determination (CD), only 57% of LEP students and 65% of former LEP students earned it.  This statistic means that 35% of students who have completed an LEP program and have been determined to have “age-appropriate basic fluency in English” are not achieving their CD. The failure of our LEP students to learn English has damaging repercussions.

House 1175 - Promoting Equality in Massachusetts’s Institutions of Higher Education

This bill will allow students who attended high school in the state for three or more years, and who graduated from a high school in Massachusetts, to receive in-state tuition at all public institutions of higher education in the state.

Description:

Every year, due to outdated residency standards, many Massachusetts high school graduates are unable to pursue their dreams of higher education because they are barred from receiving the same in-state tuition rates as their peers. Out-of-state tuition rates can be up to five times more expensive than in-state rates, and this differential in tuition rates can makes it impossible for students to attend an institution for which they were already accepted. Because they have worked hard and excelled at our Massachusetts high schools, these students, despite their lack of permanent residency, have earned the right to attend college at the same tuition rate as their peers. This bill will ensure that all students who have earned the opportunity to reach their full potential through education will be able to do so without having to bare any unwarranted or unfair financial burdens.

House 1232 - “An Act to protect tenants in foreclosed properties from evictions.”

This bill protects tenants from being evicted simply because the ownership of a building has changed.

Description:

The growing economic crisis and foreclosures in the Commonwealth are taking a toll, not only on home owners, but on renters as well. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, about 40 percent of people facing eviction from foreclosure in the United States are renters. Currently, Massachusetts laws provide tenants whose landlord’s property has been foreclosed some protection from immediate eviction, but not enough. If a property is foreclosed and the lender or new owner does not want any current tenants, the tenant is entitled to at least 30 days written notice before their lease can be terminated. However, given the number of foreclosures in the Commonwealth, and the current economic times, it can still prove extremely difficult for victims of foreclosure-related evictions to find new, affordable residences for themselves and their families. H.1232 would allow renters who are being evicted through no fault of their own to remain in their homes. Specifically, H.1232 would make it unlawful to evict tenants of a foreclosed property simply because the building’s ownership has changed, and calls for individual sanctions for each unlawful eviction attempt.