Our Saturday Scoop delivers breakdown and analysis of what's happening on Beacon Hill once a week to help you stay informed, tell your neighbors, and hold your representatives accountable.

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Sample call script:

#mapoli

Link to take action: actionnetwork.org/letters/ma-h...

"Massachusetts could render its 2030 climate commitments null and void under new sweeping legislation being fast-tracked by the House."

Read Commonwealth Beacon's coverage of this legislation:

This allows the legislature to pay lip service to certain issues without actually supporting them and misleads constituents.

Find out more at: actonmass.org/transparency/

Bonus definition: "consolidated away:"
A filed amendment may be marked as having been consolidated, but a close reading of the consolidated amendment reveals that the original amendment’s language has been changed or left out entirely.

Example from this week: 2026 Budget
This week, the legislature worked through some of the 1650+ amendments filed to the 2026 budget (H.4000), largely by consolidation. Consolidated amendments A, B, C, + D passed with few dissenting votes. Take a look:

Why do they matter?
Consolidated amendments do not receive an individual vote, leaving constituents unclear as to how their rep feels about their content. Reps are expected to vote “yes” on every consolidated amendment because the contents have been hand-picked by leadership.

When there are many amendments filed to a bill (like the annual budget), the Speaker and Ways & Means Chair combine them into a handful of mega “consolidated amendments.” The content of these mega amendments is decided behind closed doors. They are voted on as a complete bundle.

Now that the amendment is headed for a vote in the Senate, we need you to tell your Senator to stand up for trans rights.
Find your Senators here:
malegislature.gov/Search/FindM...

But let’s be clear: this is NOT ENOUGH. There is no reason Dems should be playing into Republican culture wars. House Democrats could have very easily voted “no” and killed this bill. Instead, they’ve showed us their unwillingness to stand up for trans residents.

In an apparent “response” to House Democrats folding to the Republican minority, the Senate announced a bill that would protect healthcare providers and attorneys who provide services to trans folks from federal audits.

Democratic reps are trying to claim that by burying the amendment in a study order, they are effectively shooting it down. But study order or not, what remains true is that Democratic reps FAILED to go on the record for trans rights by simply voting “no.”