Jul 25, 2022
Healthcare, Public Health Advocates Join Growing Coalition Supporting Fair Share Amendment Tax on Million-Dollar Earners on November Ballot
BOSTON – The campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education, today announced the endorsement of seven public health organizations from across the state. The Fair Share Amendment is Question 1 on the November statewide ballot.
“Our coalition works to promote youth health, well-being, and health equity in our region, and nothing could be more important to those priorities than strong, well-funded public schools!” said Kat Allen, Coalition Coordinator for the Communities that Care Coalition of Franklin County and North Quabbin. “Question 1, the Fair Share Amendment, would be an absolute game-changer for public education in Massachusetts for years to come.”
The seven public health organizations collectively represent hundreds of healthcare workers, public health advocates and community leaders from across Massachusetts, and include statewide organizations as well as local groups from Allston-Brighton, Franklin County, Greater Lowell, and Greater Worcester.
“Passing the Fair Share Amendment will improve public health and racial justice across the Commonwealth,” said Carlene Pavlos, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association. “Public transit is a lifeline to jobs, education, healthy food, and medical care. By improving quality and accessibility to public transit services, Question 1 will improve access to these key drivers of health and health equity, while also improving air quality and reducing climate emissions.“
“The Allston Brighton Health Collaborative endorses the Fair Share Amendment, which is an opportunity for those who have benefited most from our transportation and education systems to equitably contribute to those systems,” said Anna Leslie, MPH, Director of the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative. “No matter your wealth, you benefit from the roads that get you where you need to go and the education that taught you and your friends and family. Question 1 is an opportunity to give back to those systems. Supporting and improving public health improves individual health; a rising tide lifts all boats. The Fair Share Amendment will help lift all of us!”
The public health organizations join more than 215 organizations and thousands of activists across the state who are working together to pass Question 1 on the ballot. The campaign previously announced support from 63 community organizing groups, 26 housing and community development organizations, 28 social service providers, and 15 faith-based groups. After years of grassroots advocacy, the state Legislature voted in June 2021 to place the Fair Share Amendment on the November 2022 statewide ballot, where it is now set to be decided on by the voters as Question 1.
The full list of endorsing public health organizations is below, and a full list of organizations that have endorsed Question 1 is available at fairsharema.com/endorsements.
Allston Brighton Health Collaborative
Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester (CHNA-8)
Greater Lowell Health Alliance
Health Resources in Action
Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity
Massachusetts Public Health Association
The Communities That Care Coalition of Franklin County and the North Quabbin
Background on Question 1: the Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million and require – in the state constitution – that the funds be spent only on transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Learn more and get involved at FairShareMA.com.
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The Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign is led by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions committed to building an economy that invests in families, gives everyone the opportunity to succeed, and creates broadly shared prosperity. Since our coalition came together in 2013, we have nearly doubled wages for hundreds of thousands of working people by winning two increases in the state’s minimum wage, won best-in-the-nation earned sick time and paid family and medical leave benefits for workers and their families, and started to build an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top.