2023-2024 Legislative Session

Across the country, fundamental freedoms are at stake: from near-total abortion bans to the criminalization of trans people to endemic voter suppression. We’re proud that Massachusetts has charted a different course, passing best-in-the-nation abortion protections, safeguards for gender-affirming care providers, and major voting reforms. Together, we’re making the Commonwealth a safer, more just, and more welcoming place for all. 

But challenges remain. Bay Staters won’t feel at home in our democracy and our society until we can live our full lives and be our full selves—when we can seek medical care, drive to work, go about our daily lives without fear of surveillance, false arrest, or needless criminalization. We won’t feel at home while we face unjust and unnecessary economic roadblocks. We won’t feel at home if we cannot equitably access our local government. 

We need a civil liberties approach to the challenges that hold people back. It's a daunting task, but there are clear steps that lawmakers can take to build on recent progress.  

Here are the ACLU of Massachusetts’ priorities for the 2023-2024 legislative session: 

Increase Participatory Democracy

Safeguard Our Digital Privacy

Respect Personal Autonomy & Ensure Reproductive Health Access

Create Pathways to Economic Opportunity

Strengthen Civil Rights & Racial Justice

Adopt a Public Health Approach to Substance Use 

Reduce Harms of Incarceration

Enhance Youth Justice

Download 2023-2024 Legislative Priorities 

Increase Participatory Democracy

Our democracy works best when everyone can participate. All Bay Staters should feel empowered to contribute and shape their own communities within a dynamic and responsive democratic system.

Safeguard Our Digital Privacy

As technology advances, it’s important to ensure that the law keeps pace. Bay Staters’ civil rights should protect them in the digital world, too.

Respect Personal Autonomy & Ensure Reproductive Health Access

The decision about whether, when, or how to become a parent is one of the most important life decisions we make. We should all be able to make that decision without barriers or political inference.

Create Pathways to Economic Opportunity

Opportunity should not be allocated according to race or income. It's time to remove unjust and unnecessary economic roadblocks, so people have more opportunities to live, work, and prosper.

Strengthen Civil Rights & Racial Justice

Too often, police officers and other government actors act without checks and balances. We need commonsense legal frameworks to guarantee civil rights and secure racial justice.

Adopt a Public Health Approach to Substance Use

Public health crises require public health solutions. Investing in public health over punishment saves lives and strengthens communities.

Reduce Harms of Incarceration

Incarceration separates families and creates lifelong barriers to employment, housing, and other necessities. Massachusetts should address the scale and harm of our state’s incarceration system.

Enhance Youth Justice

Criminalizing young people causes serious social and emotional damage, and it harms prospects for success in the future. Instead, young people deserve services and support.