Who we are
The Division of Legislation and Government Affairs is:
Director
Maryanne Bray
Associate Directors
Myra Badillo, Region 1 Community Organizer
Sandy Ellis, Region 2 Community Organizer
Lisa Field, Region 3 Community Organizer
Karen Burkart, Region 4 Community Organizer
Brian Moloney, Region 5 Community Organizer
Megan Collins, Political Organizer
Division Assistant
Martha Campbell
The Division of Legislation and Government Affairs is a team focusing on legislative and political action at the local, state and federal level. Members of the Division are registered lobbyists who work on behalf of MNA members. Numerous issues decided by elected officials as well as state and federal agencies affect the work MNA nurses and healthcare professionals do in their practice and the care patients receive. Government officials are also influential in their communities. The Division works to connect MNA members with their elected leaders and ensure the voices of frontline healthcare providers are heard in the halls of Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill.
What we do
The MNA initiates and promotes legislation to improve patient safety, worker safety and healthcare access as well as protecting and advancing the cause of labor at the state and federal levels. This includes drafting legislation included in the MNA’s official legislative agenda as well as all supplemental materials. The Division works to advance this legislative agenda as well as partner with coalitions working towards the same or similar goals. The Division also monitors legislation introduced both in Massachusetts and Washington, DC. In Massachusetts alone, over 10,000 bills were filed last legislative session and as many as 1,000 could deal with healthcare or labor issues. Despite the high number of bills filed, less than 1% will likely become law at the end of a two year session.
MNA PAC and Political Action
Political action is part of legislative advocacy. The Massachusetts Nurses PAC is the political action committee for the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the Division staffs the PAC and works with MNA members to support candidates who support the objectives and policy positions of the MNA. The MNA PAC is governed by an elected Board of MNA members and helps to elect candidates who support patient safety, the nursing profession and our legislative agenda, mobilizes the MNA membership to take political action, and helps nurses and healthcare professionals to have a stronger voice in shaping public policy.
Working with MNA Members
The Division facilitates meetings between MNA members, legislators and government officials, prepares members to provide testimony before Committees, Commissions and Task Forces, organizes collective actions, such as a bi-annual Day of Advocacy and community rallies, supports bargaining unit contract campaigns and works to involve MNA members in local, state and federal political action.
