2019 Spring Statecom Proposals

Please enter proposals for 2019 Spring Statecom meeting below.

Key Dates

  • Mar 9 Proposals Deadline (four weeks before meeting).
  • Apr 3  09:00 AM: Comments and Vetting close 
  • Apr 4  09:00 AM: Amendments Due
  • Apr 5 09:00 PM: Rankings Close

Please enter, below, your proposals, including

Proposal Header and Preamble

  • proposal title: short version
  • proposal sponsor/shepherd
    • proposer serves as floor manager and shepherd
    • all proposals require a co-sponsor
    • click on Will Co-Sponsor button to co-sponsor
  • contact info for floor manager
  • committees from which you are requesting review and feedback
  • explanatory background 
  • proposal summary
  • financial impact
  • implementation: who will do what, when, where and how?

Proposal Header and Preamble:

A Clarified Process for Appointing people to GPUS Committees

Short title: GPUS Appointment Procedure

Sponsor: Joshua Gerloff, Secretary and Statecom member, MDVR

Contact Info: [email protected], 978-335-6650

Co-sponsor: Dan Kontoff, Statecom member

Shephard: Joshua Gerloff

Vetting Committee: Adcom

Background: Each state party must have a clearly defined process for appointing delegates to GPUS committees. The Green-Rainbow Party does not have that. How does one apply for appointment? Is there a timeline for submittal? Does your appointment expire and who needs to keep track of that? Etc.

Proposal summary: The Applicant for GRP Appointment to GPUS Committee or other external organization will fill out an application and submit at any time by posting to the StateCom business list. (Any StateCom member can post such an application at the request of the applicant.)  If less than two weeks have elapsed between submission and meeting, the application will be taken up at the next StateCom meeting/telecon. Applicant is required to attend the Statecom meeting to answer questions. Or if they can not attend in person, they can call in for a telephone interview. If consensus is not reached, a majority vote is required to approve their appointment.

Notice of appointments should go to the GP Secretary and to the committee co-chairs.  The notice should include the start month and end month of the appointment. If a state party appoints more than their allotted seats, they should say which member they want to drop.   Appointments can be no more than two years. The Secretary will notify delegates of the expiration of their term 1-2 months before the end of that term, or at the State Committee quarterly meeting before their term expiration.

Financial impact: none.

Implementation: Joshua will update the GRP Secretaries Handbook with these new responsibilities. Josh will create a post / web page / etc informing the GRP membership of this procedure with links to GPUS Committees page https://gpus.org/committees/ and an invitation to serve. Josh will set up a calendar page (or something) on the GRP website which will automatically notify future GRP Secretaries of waning appointments.

Official response from submitted

Statecom has approved the GPUS Appointment Procedure Proposal with a friendly amendment: that the application be welcoming

Thank you so much for your thoughtful consideration and input.

I will be implementing the necessary work in the coming days.

Joshua Gerloff

GRP Secretary

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Join Efforts to Draft a ‘Green New Deal for Massachusetts’.

Short Title: #GND4MA

Sponsor: Brian Cady 617-943-2853 briancady413yahoocom

Vetting committees: Legislative Comm(vetted by vote), Adcom,

Background: Led by 350-MA, the existing effort strives to draw Environmental Justice and Labor forces into co-operation with 350-MA in drafting a bill to transform Massachusetts infrastructure to become carbon neutral by 2030 while making opportunity in society more fairly available. 350-MA seeks input from multiple diverse stakeholders. This is an opening the GRP can use for good. We can help preserve the ‘Green’ part of this GND, by preventing dilution of the core concepts brought to USA politics by the GPUS and Jill Stein. Already Mike Pascucci and Brian Cady have verbally explored the possibility of collaboration with 350-MA’s Suzette Abbot, Julie Taberman and David Klafter.

350-MA: "...A Green New Deal must bring together the needs and hopes of many groups:  climate groups, environmental justice groups, labor unions, low income and frontline groups, Indigenous tribes, youth, faith groups and more. A first step will therefore be for 350 Mass to connect with key partners, frontline groups, and others, and work to help bring together a coalition, which will shape a Massachusetts Green New Deal. " https://350mass.betterfutureproject.org/road-to-ma-gnd

Financial Impact: Miscellaneous Office Supplies, say $20 cost to GRP. Implementation: Legislative committee member Brian Cady will pursue in league with the rest of LegisComm by meeting with 350-MA Boston node people, then pursue meeting and working with state-level 350-MA policy-makers working on GND4MA.

 

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Living Wage Proposal

Sponsor: Jed Stamas, Pioneer Valley Chapter, jstamas at gmail dot com Co-sponsor: seeking Introduced March 9, 2019 Vetting Sought: Platform, CDLC, LegisComm, Adcom Background: As of Jan. 1, 2019, Massachusetts minimum wage law sets the minimum wage for non-tipped workers at $12.00/hour, and for tipped workers at $4.35/hour. Under current law, the non-tipped minimum wage will be increased in steps of +$0.75/hour yearly, until reaching $15.00/hour on Jan. 1, 2023. The tipped minimum wage will reach $6.75 on Jan.1, 2023, increased in steps of +$0.60/hour yearly. Summary: The Green-Rainbow party believes all workers deserve a living wage. We are concerned that when these yearly minimum wage increases are implemented, some workers are being left behind. These workers deserve wage increases as well. For example, consider two workers with the same job, one who makes $12.00/hour (person A), and another worker who has already received an experience-based raise to $12.75/hour (person B). On Jan. 1, 2020, person A's wage will be raised to $12.75/hour. But under current law, employers are under no obligation to raise worker B's wage, effectively eliminating their hard-earned raise. We propose that current law be amended to include +$0.75/hour wage increases for all workers earning less than $14.25/hour on Jan. 1 of each year. Under our proposal, person B's minimum wage would increase to $13.50/hour on Jan. 1, 2020, to $14.25/hour on Jan. 1, 2021, and reach $15.00/hour on Jan. 1, 2022. All tipped employees receiving less than $6.75/hour would receive +$0.60/hour yearly wage increases, up to $6.75/hour. Cost: No cost to the GRP. Implementation: CommComm will explain this in a blog entry and quarter-sheet handout. CDLC will review the laws proposed.

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Indexing Policies and Resolutions

SPONSORS: Josh Gerloff, Matthew Andrews VETTING COMMITTEES: Administrative Committee FLOOR MANAGER: Matthew Andrews SHEPHERD: Matthew Andrews SUMMARY: Any new policies or resolutions of the Green-Rainbow Party should be compiled in a single list online with an index of links so that they can be quickly found. BACKGROUND: In order to make the GRP more accessible to new members, and to preserve work done in the past, one top priority should be indexing any policies or resolutions that currently apply to our political agenda or operations. Currently, many of these resolutions only exist in the minutes of past meetings. There's no way to know what exists or where to find things. Members with many years of experience may remember these resolutions passing at meetings and can refer to them. But depending on the memory of a few senior members is neither reliable nor democratic. Newer members are beholden to the experience and knowledge of veteran members without knowing what came before. Solutions to perenial challenges are forgotten. Implimenting this proposal is a matter of transparency, preservation, and accessibility. TEXT OF PROPOSAL: A new webpage shall be added to our website titled “Index of Current Policies.” It shall be linked to from the current “State Committee” and “Structure of the GRP” pages. A temporary Indexing Committee made up of the secretary and several veteran members knowledgable of past resolutions will be formed. This committee will be tasked with creating a list of all current policies and resolutions on this webpage. Each entry will link to the full text, complete with any amendments incorporated. Each entry will be marked with the date created, updated (and expiring, if applicable) as well as the decision making body that took action. The committee may choose to add explanatory sub-titles if deemed necessary for clarity. The Indexing Committee shall create a list of any policies and resolutions that appear to be out of date or no longer functional. This list shall be submitted to StateCom for renewal or expiration. After a State Convention or State Committee meeting, the Shepherd of a proposal will assist the Secretary to ensure that the approved final text is posted to the Index of Current Policies webpage. Policies and resolutions that are amended will likewise be updated to their most current form. The list will be formatted in an orderly manner, like a bibliography. Text must be formatted in a way that is accessible, printable, and easy to read. Policies and resolutions that refer to other documents will be hyperlinked for easy reference. The Secretary may delegate and supervise the task of updating the webpage to a volunteer with access to NationBuilder. IMPLEMENTATION: This proposal is best implemented by a small committee familiar with GRP policies and resolutions. AdCom will be responsible for making sure the temporary Indexing Committee is making progress to complete the initial set up. Once the page is created and caught up with listing existing policies and resolutions, the Indexing Committee may be disbanded by AdCom. It will require a little extra work from the Secretary to make sure this page continues to be maintained after each meeting. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: None. REFERENCES AND ATTACHMENTS: None

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