Kane’s “Women’s Rights History Trail” program passes House unanimously

Legislation filed by Shrewsbury State Representative Hannah Kane to highlight the struggle for women’s rights in Massachusetts passed the State House unanimously and is currently being considered by the State Senate.

House Bill 4555, titled “An Act relative to the creation of a women’s rights history trail,” asks the Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) to design and execute a program “designating properties and sites that are historically and thematically associated with the struggle for women’s rights and women’s suffrage” and to promote “education and awareness of the struggle for women’s rights in the commonwealth,” explained Kane’s office in a statement.

“I am humbled and proud to sponsor this legislation alongside my Westborough colleagues Rep. Danielle Gregoire and former Representative Carolyn Dykema, and would like to thank Speaker Mariano, Chair Michlewitz, Chair Fiola, and my colleagues in the Women’s Caucus for their steadfast support of this legislation,” stated Representative Kane. “This legislation ensures that the many women from our Commonwealth who contributed to the fabric of our nation and democracy are recognized, and their accomplishments preserved in our state’s history, so that their legacies may serve as inspiration for future generations of young women.”

The bill was engrossed by the House of Representatives on a vote of 154-0 on March 17, 2022.

Representative Kane stated that this is the third time the House has approved this legislation, which she filed with Representative Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough) and former Representative Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston). Kane’s office explained that during the 2019-2020 legislative session, the House approved the proposal “as both a stand-alone bill and as part of a larger Economic Development Bond Bill, but it was never acted on by the Senate.”

The Bill establishes a 13-member task force to solicit public input and make recommendations by January 1, 2023, regarding “appropriate sites, properties, and attractions to include in the program, with a focus on sites that are “historically and thematically associated with the struggle for women’s rights and women’s suffrage, are geographically diverse, and commemorate individuals who reflect racial, ethnic, cultural and economic diversity.”

According to Representative Kane, the task force will be composed of the Secretary of MassDOT; the Executive Director of MOTT; eight legislators, including the chairs of the Joint Committee on Travel and Tourism and the chairs of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators; the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and a representative selected by the organization; and a representative of the Massachusetts Historical Society.