On Monday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee released their version of the Economic Development Bond Bill, referred to as the Mass Leads Act (S.2856).

Their $2.444 billion economic development plan prioritizes investments in life sciences, climatetech, and other industries - including the creative sector. The Senate's Economic Development Bond Bill includes $50 million for the Cultural Facilities Fund. Thanks to leadership from members of the Senate, there are three amendments filed that, if adopted, would include Creative Sector Legislative Agenda priorities.

STRENGTHEN THE CREATIVE SECTOR

Senator John Cronin (D-Lunenburg) filed Amendment #114, “Downtown Vitality,” to include the Downtown Vitality Act H.228/S.130, An Act to promote downtown vitality, is another legislative priority in this session's Creative Sector Legislative Agenda. The Downtown Vitality Act would establish a fund to support staffing and operations of cultural districts, business improvement districts, main street associations, and parking benefit districts in Gateway Cities and other low-income communities. The Downtown Vitality Act received a favorable report from the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses.

****UPDATE: THE CULTURAL EQUITY IN TOURISM ACT AMENDMENT****

As of 7/11 at 2:30 PM, Amendment #146 was withdrawn. That means we will will stop advocating to state senators to co-sponsor the amendment at this time. Senator Jacob Oliveira (D-Ludlow) filed Amendment #146, "Cultural Equity in Tourism," modeled after H.3244/S.2194, An Act creating a program to increase cultural equity in tourism promotion. Amendment #146 would establish a grant program within the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism to support tourism marketing and promotional expenses for arts and cultural organizations and prioritize amplifying the stories of historically marginalized or underrepresented cultures. By increasing local and regional tourism to more culturally diverse spaces and events, Massachusetts can support economic vitality for everyone.

****UPDATE: THE CREATIVE SPACE PRESERVATION ACT AMENDMENT****

As of 7/11 at 11AM, Amendment #269 was withdrawn. That means we will will stop advocating to state senators to co-sponsor the amendment at this time. 
Senator Liz Miranda (D-Boston) filed Amendment #269, “Stabilizing Space for the Creative Economy,” to include the Creative Space Preservation Act in the final economic development package. H.3241/S.530, An Act to preserve space for the creative economy or the “Creative Space Preservation Act,” is one of five bills included in the 2023-2024 Creative Sector Legislative Agenda. This bill would create a defined property restriction for creative maker space and performance or exhibition space. It would also allow cities and towns to establish trust funds to hold assets and property for the creation and preservation of creative spaces, giving them more tools to keep artists in their communities. The Creative Space Preservation Act was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development earlier this year.

HELP BUILD SUPPORT IN THE SENATE FOR THESE AMENDMENTS

A crucial part of the legislative process is gathering co-sponsors for amendments. The more co-sponsors an amendment has, the better its chances are for inclusion in the final version of the bill. Use our easy form to personalize and send a note to your state senator asking them to co-sponsor these three amendments. 

PRO TIPS

• Personalized messages stand out: We created a template email you can use to share your support but please take a moment to add your personal experiences (why you believe in a stronger creative sector, how these issues affect you and your community, etc).
• Keep your communications pleasant and professional.
• Legislators and their staff are busy - especially when a bill is being debated. If you hear back from your state senator, its always a good idea to thank them for their response.