Bill > S1080

This bill establishes the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, a nine-member body appointed by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women from a pool of Hampden County residents. The commission will conduct ongoing studies on issues affecting women in Hampden County, report its findings and recommendations annually to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, and members will serve three-year terms as volunteers. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women will consult with women's organizations when making appointments, seeking nominations through a widely distributed open application process, and ensuring the appointed members are diverse and represent various towns within Hampden County. The Hampden County commission will elect its own officers, meet at least four times a year, and will have the authority to utilize volunteer services, recommend policies to state and local agencies, enact bylaws, hold public meetings and hearings, and take other necessary actions to fulfill its purpose.