ACTION: hearing for the downtown vitality act

Written By Kelsey Rode

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Picture in the background shows a downtown landscape

HEARING SCHEDULED

On Monday, October 30th, 2023 at 10 AM, the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses is holding a hybrid hearing at the State House in Room B-2. One of the bills scheduled for a hearing on Monday is the Downtown Vitality Act.

The Downtown Vitality Act (H.228/S.130) is scheduled for a hearing on

Monday, October 30th, 2023

The Downtown Vitality Act (H.228/S.130) would establish the Downtown Vitality Fund and dedicate 5% of revenues from online sales in Massachusetts 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.

Now’s the time for advocates to share their support!

THREE WAYS TO TAKE ACTION

  • One of the best things you can do to support this bill is testify in-person or virtually on October 30th. Both in-person and virtual attendees must register to testify by Friday, October 27th at 5 PM. Attendees testifying virtually will be emailed a link the day before the hearing to join via Microsoft Teams. 

    Sign up to testify HERE.

    Things to consider when testifying:

    If you miss the deadline for registering to testify, you can still go to the State House on the 30th and sign up to speak in person. Time permitting, the Chairs will call on individuals who sign up to testify on the day of the hearing.

    Individuals testifying orally will have 3 minutes to speak. Those who will be testifying on more than one bill must adhere to the 3 minute time limit as well. 

    If you would like to testify as a panel, indicate that on the registration form.

    ADA Accommodations:

    If you have accessibility needs, please complete THIS FORM.

  • Whether you’re available to testify or not, we strongly encourage you to submit written testimony to the committee sharing your support. You can submit written testimony by emailing the Committee’s Researcher at jack.mackinnon@mahouse.gov.

  • Building support in the House and Senate is a crucial part of advocacy.

    You can look up your State Representative and State Senator here.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP!

Our team put together a list of resources to help you share your support for the Downtown Vitality Act. Here’s a quick list:

MASSCreative also put together a guide to help you feel confident in preparing for the hearing and testifying. You can find the guide HERE.


Have questions on whether your nonprofit organization can advocate on bills? We have a guide for that, too! You can find the guide for Nonprofit Organizations & Advocacy HERE.

Resources
A Guide To Hearing And Giving Testimony

An important part of the governing process is public hearings. These occur on all levels of government (Federal, State, and Local). Understanding the hearing process and how you can participate will make you a more effective advocate for a more equitable and inclusive creative sector.

INSIDE THE STATE BUDGETING PROCESS

Maintaining and increasing public investment in the creative community requires constant and broad grassroots activism throughout the annual budget process.

NonProfit Organizations & Advocacy

There is a lot of misinformation on what a nonprofit can and cannot do when it comes to advocating for its interests and the needs of the communities they serve. Check out our Nonprofits and Advocacy Resource on how your organization effectively and confidently advocate for a more equitable and inclusive creative sector of all residents in the Commonwealth.

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In this webinar, we took time to honor Juneteenth and Pride Month, and talked about the status of arts education funding and voting protections.

6/12/20 - POLICY & ACTION UPDATE WEBINAR

In this webinar, we discussed mapping our roles in a social change ecosystem, talked about proposed legislation to address COVID-19 voting options, the 2020 Census, and reviewed federal and state supports for the creative sector.

6/5/20 - policy & action update webinars

In this webinar, we had a community conversation about mapping our social change roles during times of crisis.

News
MOAC CULTURAL INVESTMENT GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Last week, MOAC for the City of Boston announced that they are establishing a $10M multi-year Cultural Investment Grant funded through local ARPA appropriations.

Creative Sector Advocates Request $5 Per Resident in Healey’s FY24 Proposal

“Budgets are a reflection of our priorities: what we choose to spend public funds on is in direct relationship to what we value. The creative sector plays a crucial role in the vibrancy of our cities and towns. Artists, creative workers, and cultural organizations strengthen our connections to each other and our communities.” said Emily Ruddock, Executive Director of MASSCreative

Kelsey Rode
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