Easthampton council endorses Protect Act and Medicare-for-All resolutions

The Easthampton City Council on April 8 adopted two separate resolutions urging the Massachusetts Legislature to act on two high-profile state bills: the Protect Act (HD5316 / colloquially the Protect Act) and legislation to establish single-payer health care in the Commonwealth (House Bill H1405 and Senate Bill S860).

Protect Act: Councelor Kaam Jamro Mcuade introduced the Protect Act resolution and councilors read the measure’s key provisions into the record: it would bar federal immigration officers from making civil arrests in state courthouses, require detainees be provided information on legal counsel in their native language, mandate notification to attorneys when clients are transferred, and prohibit new 287(g) agreements. Councilors expressed urgency and named recent high-profile detainee deaths as part of the rationale. “I am in full support of this resolution,” Vice President Jadzik said during debate, and the motion passed on roll call.

Medicare-for-All resolution: Councelor Tamara Smith read a resolution endorsing state legislation to create a single-payer system in Massachusetts, citing economic analyses the resolution summarized that projected statewide savings and estimated municipal savings for Easthampton. Testimony in public comment had included calls to adopt such a position. Council debate noted local budget implications and philosophical support; one councilor said she supported a public option but needed additional statistics and did not vote in favor. The council approved the resolution by roll call.

What’s next: Both council endorsements are nonbinding requests to state leaders; the clerk will transmit copies of the resolutions to Easthampton’s state legislative delegation and the governor’s office. The Protect Act’s passage in the Senate and the governor’s signature would be required to enact the measures contained in that resolution; Medicare-for-All would require major state-level statutory restructuring.