UPDATE ON THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY BILLS AT THE MASS STATE HOUSE

These bills are currently before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.

The members of this committee can be found here:

https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J25/193

We have been told by the Committee that there will be a public hearing on October 3, 2023 at the State House. Room and time TBD.

We will keep you apprised of the details as soon as they are made available.

The House Bill, H2989, is being Sponsored by Rep Christine Barber (D), Somerville and the Senate Bill, S1976, is being sponsored by Sen Joanne Comerford (D), Northampton.

The bills are being cosponsored by:

Samantha Montaño (D) 15th Suffolk

Lindsay N. Sabadosa (D) 1st Hampshire

Rebecca L. Rausch (D) Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf (D) 17th Worcester

Christopher M. Markey (D) 9th Bristol

Steven Owens (D) 29th Middlesex

Vanna Howard (D) 17th Middlesex

Patricia A. Duffy (D) 5th Hampden

Erika Uyterhoeven (D) 27th Middlesex

Jack Patrick Lewis (D) 7th Middlesex

James J. O'Day (D) 14th Worcester

Jason M. Lewis (D) Fifth Middlesex

Michelle M. DuBois (D) 10th Plymouth

Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D) 2nd Berkshire

Jennifer Balinsky Armini (D) 8th Essex

Colleen M. Garry (D) 36th Middlesex

James B. Eldridge (D) Middlesex and Worcester

Natalie M. Higgins (D) 4th Worcester

David Paul Linsky (D) 5th Middlesex

Mindy Domb(D) 3rd Hampshire

Kay Khan(D) 11th Middlesex

Kenneth I. Gordon (D) 21st Middlesex

Manny Cruz (D) 7th Essex

Joan Meschino (D) 3rd Plymouth

Sally P. Kerans (D) 13th Essex

Mike Connolly (D) 26th Middlesex

Carol A. Doherty (D) 3rd Bristol

Chynah Tyler (D) 7th Suffolk

Michelle L. Ciccolo (D) 15th Middlesex

There has also been a filing for a ballot initiative for 2024 to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People Day.

More information on that ballot initiative can be found here:

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/ballot-initiatives-filed-for-the-2024-biennial-statewide-election-proposed-laws-and-2026-biennial-statewide-election-proposed-constitutional-amendments#23-41-an-initiative-petition-for-a-law-relative-to-the-establishment-of-an-indigenous-peoples-day-

The Ballot initiative must be approved by Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Then, if approved, the petitioner will have to obtain the necessary amount of signatures (over 100,000 "raw" signatures to obtain the required number of "certified" signatures) to put the petition on the ballot to be voted on.

The text of this ballot petition is identical to the text of the the two bills before the legislature. If passed by the voters, this ballot initiative would circumvent the legislature and replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

The people seeking to cancel Columbus Day are are using every tactic they can to make sure they erase our heritage and our holiday.

As you remember, last year, thanks to your calls and emails to the legislature, the IDP bills died in committee and it is our intention to do the best we can to see that these bills and ballot initiatives fail again this year.

We are committed to fighting the cancel culture movement that has unfairly seized upon Columbus as their scapegoat. These attacks are based upon lies and misinformation about his role in the history that followed the discovery of the New World.

We will continue educating people about Christopher Columbus so they can better understand that eliminating him from our history is unnecessary and hurtful to the Italian American community and to all Americans.

As we did last year, the IAA has taken the lead in monitoring these situations. We will keep you informed and we will let you know when and how to help.