On April 16th, Convention of States Massachusetts held its 2024 We the People Rally Day in Boston. The group of 40 patriots had a great day meeting with legislators, delivering COS packets, hearing from some great speakers, and even getting a tour of the capitol from their amazing primary sponsor!
Volunteers Bill Matheson, Steven Tribastone, and Lois Alimonti spoke from the grassroots perspective.
Primary sponsor Representative Steven Xiarhos spoke about his job as a state representative, his involvement with the COS resolution, the importance of citizen action, and the unique challenges Massachusetts faces legislatively with COS. He encouraged the team to continue their hard work despite these challenges and expressed his continued support of the movement.
The team also heard from Geoff Diehl, former state representative, and one of the Massachusetts commissioners at the 2023 Convention of States simulation. Senator Rick Santorum, who was unable to attend, created a pre-recorded video for the event in which he offered his support and encouraged legislators to act. As a fun extra, the team got to learn about the history of the Pilgrims from Leo and Nancy Martin of the Jenney Museum in Plymouth.
After the speeches, the team split up into groups to deliver packets to their legislators that contained COS information and the number of petition signers in their district. Legislative Liaison Mark Marshall did a fabulous job organizing everyone for this task. Because of these packets, the team was able to schedule a meeting with a legislator.
During the rally, the team had four meetings with legislators. They met with Representative Dylan Fernandes, Assistant Senate Majority Whip Julian Cyr, and Senator William Brownsberger's chief of staff.
There was also a joint meeting with primary sponsor Xiarhos and House Minority Leader Bradley Jones. In their meetings, the team educated the legislators on COS and Article V, discussed current COS happenings in the state along with their current legislative goals, and had some meaningful conversations about the 34 | Ready Model Commissioner Legislation.
A highlight of the day was a tour of the capitol from Rep. Xiarhos. This special tour provided the team with an inside view of the capitol, allowing everyone the opportunity to visit the House and Senate chambers and see the capitol's inner workings. The tour also allowed more legislators and staff to see the team and experience the passionate people who are a part of the COS movement. The tour grew the team's relationship with their sponsor and allowed everyone the chance to get to know him better. The team is grateful for their tour and is excited to continue working alongside Rep. Xiarhos.
COS Massachusetts still has its set of challenges. One of these challenges is obtaining the support of Democrats. Despite Convention of States being bipartisan this task is still quite difficult. The team has begun presenting the 34 | Ready Model Commissioner legislation as a way to handle this. So far it has been helpful and will hopefully lead to further support in the long run.
Despite varying challenges, COS has still been very successful in Massachusetts over the past months. In addition to the rally day, there have been committee hearings, public testimony on COS, and a vote moving the resolution out of committee. The team is still awaiting a House floor vote.
Regardless of what happens with this vote, the team has still accomplished some great work! The 2024 We the People Rally Day is yet another example of the great things happening with COS in Massachusetts.
This successful rally day wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible volunteers who organized it! Getting to Boston isn’t an easy ordeal, with traffic, parking, and the fact that most of the team doesn’t live nearby. This didn’t stop the amazing group from showing up! The commitment of everyone involved in the COS movement is incredible.
