Video & Transcript Research : 'race scapegoating'

Page 3 of 163
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Session (Part I) Mar 19th, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Ferguson brushed the legislature side and joined the 1918 race for governor anyway.
  • of race, ethnicity, or gender? Those are the intended goals of the act, yes.
  • to teach all students of any race.
  • But you cannot promote it. based on race, color, or ethnicity. That's what it is.
  • But race has always been a factor. Discrimination has always been present.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Ways and Means Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am

Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm going to try and boat race through about four different items and provide additional written testimony
  • I'm going to try and boat race through about four different items and provide additional written testimony
  • This crisis cuts across every group of students and families by income, race, ethnicity, language ability
  • We shouldn't be scapegoating immigrants.
  • We shouldn't be scapegoating immigrants, and we need to be very clear that all these changes, these things
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

01/21/2026 - House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

Transcript Highlights:
  • That's not oversight, that's scapegoating.
  • It matters not what his religion, his race, his color.
  • The threshold was lowered, and so more races were going to recount because the races were close.
  • The threshold was lowered, and so more races were going to recount because the races were close.
  • We never objected to having to recount more races.
Summary: The committee met to hear several measures, beginning with HCM 2001 and HCM 2002, both memorials urging Congress to review and potentially designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations. Supporters argued the groups have documented ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood’s stated goal of undermining Western civilization, citing the Holy Land Foundation case, FBI concerns, and testimony from national-security advocates. Opponents, including CAIR representatives, Muslim community members, and civil-rights advocates, said the memorials relied on guilt by association, would stigmatize Muslims, and lacked a factual or legal basis; they emphasized CAIR’s civil-rights work and warned of First Amendment concerns and community harm. After extensive debate and questions about the relationship between national and Arizona CAIR entities, the committee approved HCM 2001 and HCM 2002 on 4-3 votes, with members on both sides explaining their votes at length. Supporters framed the measures as simple requests to Congress based on existing federal findings, while opponents called them political theater and discriminatory. The committee then recessed briefly. When the committee returned, it heard HB 2009, which would prohibit committees primarily organized to influence constitutional amendments from accepting foreign national contributions and require donor verification and disclosure of out-of-state funding. The sponsor said the bill is meant to help voters understand outside influence on Arizona constitutional initiatives and suggested it could be broadened to all ballot measures. The bill passed 4-3. The committee then took up HCR 2001, a proposed constitutional amendment on elections that would limit voting to U.S. citizens, ban foreign contributions to candidate and ballot measure campaigns, require government-issued ID, and adjust early voting and mail-ballot rules. A late amendment clarified that the citizenship requirement applies to primary, general, and municipal elections, set early voting to end the Friday before an election, and refined mail-ballot rules while preserving federal overseas military voting requirements. The sponsor argued the measure would make Arizona elections more secure and efficient, while critics said it would create barriers and longer lines. The transcript cuts off during sponsor questioning on the amendment and ballot-access provisions.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

EDN Info Briefing - Mon Jan 13, 2025 @ 2:00 PM HST

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • And so there has been some frustration on our side that the Legislature is being scapegoated as to why
  • And so there has been some frustration on our side that the Legislature is being scapegoated as to why
  • And so there has been some frustration on our side that the Legislature is being scapegoated as to why
  • And so there has been some frustration on our side that the Legislature is being scapegoated as to why
  • There has been some frustration on our side that the Legislature is being scapegoated as to why some
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The Committee on Education held an informational/budget briefing with presentations from the State Library System, the School Facilities Authority, and the Department of Education. The chair opened the meeting by outlining the order of presentations and noting that members would hold questions until after all three agencies had testified. The discussion focused on each agency’s priorities for the upcoming biennium and their budget requests. State Librarian Stacy Aldridge described library usage and services, emphasizing strong demand for physical and digital materials, internet and Wi-Fi access, programs, Kanopy streaming, and PressReader. She highlighted digital literacy classes, RFID self-check and smart shelving improvements, and the role of libraries as community hubs. The library’s budget request included an additional $1.2 million for security guards, $48.484 million for FY 26-27 to support popup libraries during temporary closures and other needs, $500,000 for repair and maintenance, $2 million for Kap planning and design, and $25 million each year for lump-sum capital funding. Mallerie Fujitani said the lump-sum funding is needed to keep roughly 50 projects moving and to avoid delays in construction. School Facilities Authority Executive Director Ricky Fujitani explained the agency’s startup history and its programs for preschools, Central Maui schools, and workforce housing. He said the authority is using standardized, prefabricated, programmatic approaches to speed delivery and improve maintainability, citing prior preschool renovations as a successful model. He reported that of $389 million appropriated, $106 million was released, with $81 million for preschools, $20 million for Central Maui schools, and $5 million for workforce housing; he also noted the workforce housing program was reduced after Maui fire-related reallocations. He said the pilot workforce housing site at Mililani High School has been awarded and pointed to University of Hawaiʻi student housing projects as a model. Superintendent Hayashi then began the Department of Education presentation, introducing DOE leadership and outlining the department’s mission to support academic achievement, character development, and student well-being. He noted the department serves more than 152,000 students in 258 public schools and employs over 42,000 people, with nearly 54% of students facing significant challenges. He framed the budget request around the department’s strategic plan to prepare graduates for college, careers, or military service. The transcript ends during the DOE presentation, before any committee votes or formal actions are taken.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Floor Session May 11th, 2026

California House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • including the Jewish community, which also understands the painful consequences of exclusion, scapegoating
  • about Lunar New Year, but most of us have never heard about Duanwu Jie, also better known as the boat racing
  • Today, the festival is widely known for its dragon boat races, where teams paddle in unison to the beat
  • about Lunar New Year, but most of us have never heard about Duan Wu Jia, also better known as boat racing
  • Today, the festival is widely known for its dragon boat races, where teams paddle unison to the beat
Summary: The Assembly met in session after a quorum call and opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a ceremonial observance for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Members from multiple caucuses spoke in support of House Resolution 107, which designates May as AAPI Heritage Month, emphasizing the community’s contributions, resilience, and the need to confront discrimination and hate. The resolution was adopted, and the chamber then recognized 13 honorees for the 2026 AAPI Heritage Month celebration, highlighting leaders in education, business, labor, media, cultural preservation, and public service. After guest introductions, the Assembly took up a series of bills. Measures discussed included HOA reserve funding for common interest developments (AB 2050), professional review requirements for lawsuits against design professionals (AB 2106), direct home delivery of enteral formula (AB 1794), expanded CalWORKs-related support for student parents (AB 1829), longer insurance moratoriums for wildfire survivors (AB 2038), election cybersecurity (AB 2281), medical privacy protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care (AB 2448), water district board compensation (AB 2568), county public contract change-order authority (AB 1658), and several other education, health, and licensing bills. Most measures passed with broad support; AB 2050 passed 44-6, AB 2038 passed 45-8, AB 2448 passed 49-13, and AB 1658 passed 61-2, while several others passed unanimously or near-unanimously. The Assembly also adopted AJR 29, a resolution opposing a federal executive order affecting vote-by-mail and affirming California’s mail voting system. The resolution prompted extended debate over election integrity, voter access, and federal versus state authority, with supporters arguing mail voting is secure and accessible and opponents calling for stronger voter list maintenance and verification. The resolution passed 47-13. In addition, ACR 141 and ACR 123 were adopted by voice vote after co-author roll calls, and the chamber continued or passed on numerous other file items as it worked through the daily file.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Floor Session - part 2 Apr 25th, 2025

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I appreciate the correction and should have asked for the race. I'm actually asking... A desk.
  • they're truly dear to a lot of you, you have to understand that the way these things begin is by scapegoating
  • resources to ensure public safety and could result in disparate treatment of people based on their race
  • We believe that it should not matter what your socioeconomic status is, what your race is, how powerful
MN
Transcript Highlights:
  • Um, and should have asked for the race.
  • and deciding uh begin is by scapegoating and deciding uh who<01:37:06.320> are<01:37:06.480><
  • disperate treatment of people based on disperate treatment of people based on their<01:42:33.920> race
  • ,<01:42:34.560> ethnicity,<01:42:35.440> and<01:42:35.679> national their race
  • We believe that it should not matter what your socioeconomic status is, what your race is, how powerful
Keywords: 1183, house
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Appropriations Feb 12th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • It will waste millions of taxpayer dollars on top of the millions already wasted on scapegoating immigrants
  • We ask that you stop scapegoating vulnerable families, children and students for the failed economic
  • Senators, we were sent here to solve real problems, not make ourselves look tough by scapegoating and
Keywords: 999, senate, all
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Judiciary (02/19/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • History has shown us what happens when political groups start scapegoating others to gain power.
  • He won all the races because his body was just better adapted for swimming than anyone else.
  • He won all the races because his body was just better adapted for swimming than anyone else.
  • He won all the races because his body was just better adapted for swimming than anyone else.
  • He won all the races because his body was just better adapted for swimming than anyone else.
Keywords: 928, house, all
Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, which Rep. Jim Kofalt said is the same language as last year’s HB 396, vetoed by the governor. He described the bill as allowing, but not requiring, separation by biological sex in three areas: bathrooms and locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions. Kofalt argued the bill would give local school boards and other policymakers discretion to set practical rules, citing concerns about safety, privacy, and a Milford incident involving a biological male in girls’ locker rooms. Committee members pressed him on the lack of a definition of “biological sex,” and he said he did not think one was necessary because males and females are commonly understood. He also said the bill was meant to address situations where outside groups threaten lawsuits and leave local boards with no latitude. Testimony then split sharply. Supporters, including Executive Counselor Karen Hill and several others, said HB 148 would roll back anti-discrimination protections, contradict New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” values, and harm transgender and non-binary people. Opponents described the bill as discriminatory and unnecessary, arguing that existing bathroom and sports policies already work and that the bill would invite harassment, invasive enforcement, and legal conflict. Several speakers, including trans residents and parents of trans children, said they had used public restrooms without incident and warned that enforcement would be impractical or abusive. One supporter argued the bill was needed to protect girls’ privacy and safety and cited school sports disputes and a concern about a sex offender at a game as examples of why sex-segregated rules should be restored. Committee members asked questions about how biological sex would be defined, whether the bill was responding to real incidents in New Hampshire, and how any restrictions would be enforced. Kofalt said he was aware of issues in several school districts and at the State House, but did not have detailed documentation for every case. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided; the chair instead moved through public testimony under a strict two-minute limit and noted that follow-up questions would be limited so the committee could hear multiple bills that day.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

Senate Judiciary (05/06/2025)

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • So this is, um, first of all, I think there's a lot of scapegoating of the trans community.
  • So this is, um, first of all, I think there's a lot of scapegoating of the trans community.
  • <03:15:05.840> of<03:15:06.000> the there's a lot of scapegoating of the there's a
  • lot of scapegoating of the trans<03:15:06.560> community.
  • My older one lost a lot of races to her friend Libby, who was four days younger.
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Ways and Means Committee 4/13/26

Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's scapegoating. It's common. We've seen it throughout history, but it's incredibly dangerous.
  • The fact that we cannot have a shared prosperity if we're scapegoating and counting out large swaths
  • cannot have a shared prosperity<01:28:27.360> if<01:28:27.520> we're<01:28:27.640> scapegoating
  • <01:28:28.880> and prosperity if we're scapegoating and prosperity if we're scapegoating and
Keywords: 1183, house
Summary: The committee met to approve the April 7, 2026 minutes and then held a hearing on the economic impact of Operation Metro Surge and related ICE enforcement activity. Testifiers described broad effects on cities, small businesses, workers, and schools, and several speakers voiced support for House File 4477, which would create a targeted state relief program for affected businesses and communities. Metro Cities said member cities reported unexpected burdens on public safety, public works, emergency management, and other local services, and its board adopted a policy supporting state assistance for those costs. Northstar Policy Action presented data arguing the operation contributed to higher unemployment, reduced hours, lost wages, and business losses, including a reported $106 million in lost wages from reduced hours and an estimated $18 million per week in taxpayer costs. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the city incurred nearly $1 million in direct costs and estimated small businesses lost about $16 million per week, with major drops in foot traffic and sales, especially among immigrant-owned neighborhood businesses. Other testimony emphasized impacts outside the metro area and on specific communities. Georgia Gallardo of Kerkhoven Cattle Butcher said rural small businesses also suffered, citing reduced sales and weekend traffic. The Minnesota Council of Latino Affairs reported that Latino-owned businesses support thousands of jobs and have seen sales declines of 40% to 90%, while WomenVenture and the Minnesota CDFI Coalition said CDFIs were seeing urgent demand for flexible relief and described businesses delaying hiring, reducing hours, or pausing expansion. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruly said federal agents’ conduct during the surge undermined trust, created public safety concerns, and led to overtime and other local costs, while also noting he supports federal immigration enforcement in principle. Fridley Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Lewis said the district lost 112 students since December, still had 72 not returned, and had to rapidly create a virtual learning option for students who did not feel safe attending in person. Across the hearing, witnesses argued the disruption was statewide, not limited to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and that state relief was needed to prevent business closures, job losses, and longer-term damage to communities.
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee 2/25/25 - Part 1

Public Safety Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Make no mistake: this narrative is designed to distract, divide, and dehumanize while scapegoating some
  • Make no mistake: this narrative is designed to distract, divide, and dehumanize while scapegoating some
  • Make no mistake: this narrative is designed to distract, divide, and dehumanize while scapegoating some
  • <01:14:11.760> some<01:14:11.920> of dehumanize while scapegoating some of dehumanize
  • while scapegoating some of the<01:14:12.120> most<01:14:12.360> vulnerable<01:14:12.800
Keywords: 1183, house
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Thursday, June 12, 2025)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • administration is scapegoating administration is scapegoating immigrants.<00:37:13.119> So
  • NPR and PBS have continued to have an ideological bias promoting things like critical race theory and
  • He was integral in the establishment of Browns Mill Battlefield Historic Site, and he raced with his
  • <06:51:02.638> with<06:51:02.798> his Historic Site and he raced with his Historic
  • Site and he raced with his grandchildren<06:51:03.520> on<06:51:03.760> John<06:51:04.000
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Appropriations Feb 12th, 2025

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • It will waste millions of taxpayer dollars on top of the millions already wasted on scapegoating immigrants
  • We ask that you stop scapegoating vulnerable families, children, and students for the failed economic
  • Senators, we were sent here to solve real problems, not make ourselves look tough by scapegoating and
Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee took up SB 2-C, a major immigration enforcement bill sponsored by Senator Gruters and co-introduced by Senator Fine. Gruters described the measure as a broad crackdown on illegal immigration that would replace a single immigration officer with a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, create a $250 million grant program for local law enforcement, fund additional Department of Agriculture interdiction staff and facilities, expand pretrial detention for certain unauthorized immigrants, increase criminal penalties, require more cooperation with ICE, and eliminate in-state tuition eligibility for undocumented students. He and supporters framed the bill as a way to support law enforcement, deter illegal immigration, and align Florida with federal enforcement efforts. Committee questioning focused heavily on the bill’s education, detention, and enforcement provisions. Senators pressed Gruters and Fine on why the bill did not address employer sanctions or E-Verify, whether the tuition changes would affect students who had grown up in Florida, how sanctuary-policy enforcement would work, and whether the bill would create practical burdens for prosecutors, jails, and local officials. Gruters said he was open to working on E-Verify in regular session but not to amending this bill, and Fine argued the tuition repeal would apply to undocumented students who had qualified under existing law. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri testified in support, saying ICE bed capacity was still insufficient and that county jails needed more resources to honor detainers. Mark Schlachman of FSU Law offered historical context, noting prior state-federal cooperation efforts and warning of unintended consequences, while several public witnesses opposed the bill as unconstitutional, costly, and harmful to immigrant families and the economy. Opponents from the Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU of Florida, Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, Florida Policy Institute, AFL-CIO, and immigrant advocacy groups argued the bill would invite litigation, encourage racial profiling, harm the workforce and higher education, and punish law-abiding immigrants and their families. They emphasized that immigration is a federal matter, that K-12 education must be provided regardless of status, and that removing in-state tuition would reduce access to college and hurt Florida’s economy. Some speakers urged the committee to grandfather current students if the tuition waiver is repealed. The meeting ended with continued public testimony and no final vote reflected in the transcript provided.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

S/C on County and Regional Government Apr 14th, 2025

S/C on County & Regional Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • encouraging suspicion not on behavior but on perceived immigration status, which is often tied to someone's race
  • More scapegoating. Immigration enforcement is not a side issue.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

State Affairs (Part II) May 15th, 2025

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Add explicit language preventing content removal based solely on race, sex, ethnicity, gender identity
  • It's about scapegoating and persecution.
  • Real safety for women and girls comes from addressing the root causes of violence, not scapegoating others
Summary: The committee took up House Bill 186, which would require social media platforms to verify users are 18 or older before allowing account creation. Invited witnesses in support, including Mary Elizabeth Castle and David Dunmoyer, argued the bill would protect children from harmful algorithms, addictive design, bullying, sexual exploitation, and mental health harms, and emphasized parental rights and the idea that minors should not enter binding contracts with platforms. Committee members questioned them about how algorithms work, whether parents could realistically monitor content, and whether the bill would still allow educational use; the witnesses said the bill was narrowly aimed at harmful social media use and not educational content. Public testimony on HB 186 was largely in opposition, though several student witnesses said they supported the bill’s goals but wanted the age lowered to 16 or the bill amended to allow parental consent or joint accounts. Opponents argued the bill would be ineffective because teens could bypass age checks, would cut off access to educational tools, school communications, recruiting and NIL opportunities, and would burden free speech and privacy. Some witnesses also said social media helps teens with mental health, community, and creative or professional opportunities, while others warned the bill could disproportionately harm disabled and marginalized users. After public testimony closed, HB 186 was left pending. The committee then heard House Bill 5138, which Chairman Hughes said would respond to a court ruling limiting the Attorney General’s authority to prosecute election crimes unless invited by local prosecutors by changing the statute to require AG prosecution. Public testimony on HB 5138 was brief and opposed by at least one witness who argued it would further erode local control and expand state preemption. The bill was left pending after testimony. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 3225, a library bill aimed at keeping sexually explicit books and materials out of children’s sections in municipal libraries and requiring age verification for checkout, including digital access, with parental consent and other revisions added in the House. Supporters said the bill would protect children from explicit material and keep such content in adult sections, while opponents argued it would amount to censorship, be costly and difficult to implement, and could be used to target LGBTQ+ or other marginalized content. Library workers, parents, students, and advocates testified that existing library sections already separate age-appropriate materials and that the bill could reduce access to books, burden libraries, and infringe on parental choice and free expression.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Motion to bring up HF3405 on House Floor 2/19/26

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • So they thought if they demonized and scapegoated our beloved Somali American neighbors effectively enough
  • didn't know we would actually move toward each other, that we would look across our differences, across race
  • across our that we would look across our differences, differences, differences, across<00:53:13.599> race
  • and<00:53:14.160> religious<00:53:14.640> and<00:53:14.960> class across race
  • and religious and class across race and religious and class differences, differences, differences, and
Keywords: 1183, house
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Floor Session May 11th, 2026

California House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • including the Jewish community, which also understands the painful consequences of exclusion, scapegoating
  • Lunar New Year, but most of us have never heard about Duan Wu Jie, also better known as the boat racing
  • Today, the The festival is widely known for its dragon boat races, where teams paddle in unison to the
Keywords: 988, house, all
Summary: The Assembly convened after initially lacking a quorum, completed the prayer and pledge, and then held a lengthy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month ceremony. Members from both parties and several caucuses spoke in support of HR 107, emphasizing AAPI contributions, resilience, and the need to oppose hate and discrimination. The resolution was adopted by voice vote, and the chamber then recognized 13 honorees for the 2026 observance, including community leaders, educators, advocates, business leaders, and cultural institutions. After guest introductions, the Assembly took up the Daily File and passed a series of measures, including AB 2050 on HOA reserve funding, AB 2106 on lawsuits involving licensed design professionals, AB 1794 on direct home delivery of enteral formula, AB 1829 on CalWORKs-related student aid, AB 2038 extending wildfire insurance moratorium protections, AB 2281 on election cybersecurity, AB 2448 on protecting sensitive medical information, AB 2568 on water district board compensation, and AB 1658 on county public contract change-order authority. Most of these bills passed with broad support, though AB 2050, AB 2038, and AB 2448 drew some no votes. The Assembly also adopted AJR 29, a resolution opposing a federal executive order affecting vote-by-mail and election administration, after a contentious floor debate over election trust, voter access, and decorum. Additional measures passed unanimously or near-unanimously, including AB 2125 on notice in water-rights adjudications, AB 2784 on State Bar fees, AB 1614 on e-bike passenger restrictions, AB 2503 on high school heat safety guidelines, AB 1703 on osteopathic title protections, AB 1920 on community college Promise eligibility, AB 1999 on veterinary workforce and animal shelter care, and ACR 123 recognizing Duan Wu Jie. The chamber then began consideration of ACR 189 designating May 2026 as Foster Youth Awareness Month, with supportive remarks from members, before the transcript cuts off.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • United States ruled that incarcerating American citizens en masse based on their race and ethnicity as
  • There's a lot of scapegoating going on when it comes to Columbus, and I understand why.
  • Give me 50 men and I would subdue the entire race.
  • Give me 50 men and I would subdue the entire race.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The hearing covered a wide range of bills, with substantial testimony on commemorative days and several local development measures. Early testimony focused on competing proposals about Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Senator Comerford and others supported redesignating the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, while several Italian American legislators and advocates opposed changing Columbus Day and instead urged a separate Indigenous Peoples’ Day on August 9 or another date. Committee members noted the long-running debate, discussed the state flag and motto review process, and emphasized that any changes would require legislation. No votes were taken during the hearing. The committee also heard strong support for a Fred Korematsu Day bill, with testimony from advocates, legal organizations, community leaders, and Korematsu’s daughter. Witnesses described Korematsu’s resistance to Japanese American incarceration during World War II, argued that his story remains relevant amid current immigration and civil liberties concerns, and said the designation would help educate students and the public. A separate bill to designate September as PCOS Awareness Month drew testimony from Senator Miranda and health advocates, who described the disorder’s prevalence, frequent misdiagnosis, fertility and pregnancy risks, and the value of public awareness and education. Other bills discussed included a Domestic Workers’ Rights Day proposal, supported by Representative Garcia and Representative Sousa, who spoke about the invisibility and vulnerability of domestic workers and the importance of recognizing their labor. The committee also heard support for a veteran suicide awareness and remembrance day, a Boston branch library and affordable housing project in Dorchester, and a Fall River waterfront redevelopment bill transferring land to the local redevelopment authority for a major mixed-use project. In addition, Senator Miranda testified in favor of a memorial portrait for former Representative Doris Bunty, highlighting her pioneering role in the legislature and Boston public housing. The hearing was hybrid and lengthy, with the chair repeatedly asking witnesses to be concise and noting that testimony would be public record.