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Legislative Priorities

Formal Session Wrap Up: Priorities Passed and Next Steps

On August 27, 2024, the MAPC Government Affairs Team hosted a virtual conversation focused on MAPC's victories in the 2023-2024 legislative session, where other policies landed, and how those in attendance could help to get priority bills back on the move before 2025.

The Government Affairs team works to promote smart growth goals at the local, regional, state, and federal levels.

MAPC actively promotes its legislative agenda by working with members of the Legislature on a number of key initiatives. MAPC's priorities come from a variety of policy areas, with a focus on sustainable development initiatives and municipal relief measures to help cities and towns continue to provide quality services with efficiency. MAPC’s legislative priorities are grounded in MetroCommon 2050, Greater Boston’s regional land use and policy plan to make the region more equitable, more prosperous, and more sustainable. Policy changes are one of the core tactics to make this plan a reality. 

The team works in collaboration with the MAPC Legislative Committee to develop action items and to advocate on behalf of the members of our regional community. The Committee includes municipal leaders from cities and towns in the MAPC region as well as members of advocacy organizations we work with closely.

Additionally, MAPC is a government research organization.  It’s many research studies and publications are widely relied upon by lawmakers and other research organizations.

Questions?

For more information about MAPC's legislative and budget priorities or the MAPC Legislative Committee, contact Government Affairs Director Leah Robins at 617-933-0710 or [email protected].

Send an advocacy letter

District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) Advocacy:

Shannon Community Safety Grant Advocacy:

Permanent Remote and Hybrid Meetings Advocacy:

MAPC and our municipalities have been deeply grateful to the Legislature for the pandemic era provisions that allow for remote, hybrid, or in-person meeting flexibilities during the pandemic, but these provisions are set to expire on March 31, 2025.

Take Action: Contact your legislators today and urge them to pass a permanent, flexible, open meeting law that will allow municipalities and public bodies to meet in the way that best supports the members and residents.

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Legislative Priorities

Each session, with guidance from the Legislative Committee, Executive Committee, and regional partners, MAPC develops legislative priorities for the Agency. Throughout the session, MAPC takes positions on additional bills with authorization from our Executive Committee. Jump-to each legislative priority category area below by clicking on them. For more information on the categories, please visit MAPC's MetroCommon 2050 site.

MAPC is advocating for the passage of the following legislative priorities during the 2022-2023 session. Please contact a Government Affairs staff member for more information and how to get involved.

Legislative Priorities

Priorities on the Move

Legislative Priorities

Top Priorities

Legislative Priorities

Fiscal and Budget Priorities

State Budget

Federal Budget

Legislative Priorities

Fostering Maker and Exhibition Spaces

Legislative Priorities

Inclusive Growth and Mobility

The policy recommendations focus on investing and expanding our public and active transportation systems in order to support more affordable, reliable, and safer connections to jobs and homes. Reinforcing this direction is the need to use both requirements and incentives to steer new development to places with access to public transportation and the infrastructure to support new growth, and away from critical natural and cultural resources that cannot be replaced. This includes better access to parks and open space, support for public art, artists, and historic preservation, and human-scaled design. Our 2050 Inclusive Growth and Mobility vision.

Legislative Priorities

Homes for Everyone

Our legislative policies focus on producing more multifamily, energy-efficient, and affordable homes in downtowns and close to public transportation (also known as smart-growth locations). Deeper subsidies and support for first-generation homebuyers, especially for BIPOC households, are needed. Much stronger interventions to minimize displacement and discrimination in the housing markets, and especially renter protections, must be prioritized. Our 2050 Homes for Everyone vision

Legislative Priorities

Climate Change and Resilience

We’ll need to increase renewable energy production and energy efficiency dramatically – and quickly – while ensuring access and affordability for Environmental Justice (EJ) populations. We must implement microgrids, energy storage, and reduce peak demand. Electric and gas utility markets will need to support greater decentralized generation, better and more expanded transmission, and much higher levels of renewable energy. We will need resources for deep energy retrofits and higher performance standards for both new construction and renovation of existing buildings. Furthermore, public and personal transportation will need to turn sharply toward an electric future that does not aggravate congestion or sprawl.  Our 2050 climate change, mitigation, and resiliency vision

Legislative Priorities

Equity of Wealth and Health

The policy recommendations particularly in Enable Wealth Creation and Intergenerational Wealth Transfer and Reverse the Rising Rate of Chronic Diseases, particularly among Populations Experiencing Health Inequities will help our region, and the Commonwealth as a whole, to center racial and economic equity as the fundamental focus of recovery and rebuilding. Our policy agenda invests in BIPOC and low-income communities that have faced long-lasting systematic racism and economic exclusion and who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  Our 2050 Equity of Wealth and Health vision

Legislative Priorities

Dynamic and Representative Government

Our recommendations for strengthening our local and regional governments include greater collaboration and representation across governments and with institutional and private sector partners. We would like to see more flexibility and joint decision-making to raise funds from regional sources to address regional challenges. And by making government more accessible and a more rewarding experience, new generations of workers and volunteers of all backgrounds will be more likely to work for and participate in their municipal and regional governments. Our 2050 Dynamic and Representative Government vision

Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA)

MARPA is a coalition of the 13 Regional Planning Agencies (RPAs) throughout the Commonwealth, including MAPC, that aims to strengthen regionalization and municipal collaboration throughout Massachusetts. MARPA meets monthly and hosts an annual conference at varying locations around the state. For more information, contact a member of MAPC’s Government Affairs staff.

Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA)

T4MA is a diverse coalition of organizations working together to create safe, convenient, and affordable transportation for everyone. T4MA, of which MAPC is a member, advocates for transportation funds to be spent fairly and responsibly, for transportation decisions that are transparent and accountable, and to ensure that our transportation network has sufficient resources to meet tomorrow’s needs all throughout the Commonwealth. 

Metro Mayors Coalition (MMC)

MMC is a group of cities in towns in the urban core of Metro Boston whose leaders gather to exchange information and create solutions for common problems. The municipal leaders in this group represent more than 1.4 million constituents. The MMC is 16 cities and towns including Arlington, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Melrose, Medford, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Watertown and Winthrop. MAPC facilitates and staff the work of the MMC. 

The North Shore Coalition

The North Shore Coalition is a group of 18 cities and towns on the North Shore, facilitated by MAPC staff. The Coalition is a voluntary forum where municipal leaders share information and solutions to common problems particular to the North Shore region. The municipal officials in this group represent nearly 400,000 residents from Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Manchester-by-the-sea, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, and Wenham. 

Image is a photo of the members of MAPC's Legislative Committee at an event in 2018.

Meeting Schedule

All meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at MAPC’s offices, 60 Temple Place in Boston.

Membership

Chair
Keith Bergman

Gubernatorial Appointees
Robert Cohen
Sam Wong

Subregions

Imaikalani Aiu, MWRC
Julie Barry, NSTF
Rachel Benson, SWAP
Keith Bergman, Chair*, MAGIC
Buzz Constable, MAGIC
Jen Constable, SSC
Heather Gasper, ICC
Lou Gitto, TRIC
Sandra Hackman, MAGIC
Diego Huezo, ICC
Steve Magoon, ICC
Steve Olanoff, TRIC
Ellen Quinn, ICC
Alyssa Ring, ICC
Brian Szekely, NSPC
Charlie Ticostsky, MAGIC
Paul Yorkis, SWAP 

MAPC | Government Affairs Team

National Coalitions

National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) provides advocacy, education, research, and training for the nation’s regional development organizations. The association and its members promote regional strategies, partnerships, and solutions to strengthen the economic competitiveness and quality of life across America’s local communities. nado.org

National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) serves as the national voice for regionalism by advocating for regional cooperation as the most effective way to address a variety of community planning and development opportunities and issues. NARC’s member organizations are composed of multiple local governments that work together to serve American communities large and small and urban and rural. narc.org

Transportation for America (T4A) is an alliance of elected, business and civic leaders from communities across the country, united to ensure that states and the federal government step up to invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions. These are the investments that hold the key to our future economic prosperity. t4america.org

Smart Growth America advocates for people who want to live and work in great neighborhoods. Smart Growth America believes smart growth solutions support thriving businesses and jobs, provide more options for how people get around and make it more affordable to live near work and the grocery store. Smart Growth America works with communities to fight sprawl and save money. smartgrowthamerica.org