Marjorie Decker

Marjorie Decker
Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 25th Middlesex district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 7, 2013
Preceded byAlice Wolf
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBahij Bandar
Children2
Parent(s)Catherine Curley Decker
Tim Decker [1]
ResidenceCambridge, Massachusetts
Alma materUniversity of Massachusetts (B.A.)
University of Massachusetts (M.P.A)
Harvard University (M.A.)
OccupationLegislator

Marjorie C. Decker is an American politician serving as the State Representative for the 25th Middlesex district in the Massachusetts General Court.[2] She is also co-chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health. Since 2016, she has also been employed by the class action law firm Berman Tabacco.[3]

As of 2024, she is facing a primary challenge from Evan MacKay, a graduate student at Harvard University.

Early life and education

Decker was born and raised in North Cambridge, Massachusetts and is a third generation Cantabrigian. Her father was a disabled Vietnam war veteran. She grew up in public housing in Cambridgeport, and graduated from high school at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in social thought and political economy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an MPA from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a Master of Science from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University in 2007.[citation needed]

Political Career

She served seven consecutive terms on the Cambridge City Council in Cambridge, Massachusetts[4] from 1999 to 2013 and was the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Cambridge City Council, at served as Vice Mayor from 2004-2006.[5]

In 2012, she was elected state representative to the Massachusetts legislature.[6] She is the co-chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health.[7]

H. 4773 Maternal Health Bill

As lead House negotiator[8], Decker developed legislation to create resources on maternal health, which was signed by the Governor in August 2024.[9] The maternal health bill expands access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital births, and bill mandates insurance coverage for midwifery services while expanding MassHealth coverage to services for pregnancy and post-partum care. The bill also regulates freestanding birth centers, and mandates postpartum depression screenings and data collection on pregnancy loss.[10]

Police Accountability Legislation

In 2018, Decker co-authored legislation aimed at closing a loophole in Massachusetts law to ensure that police officers cannot claim consensual sexual conduct with individuals in their custody. The proposal seeks to eliminate ambiguity regarding consent in such situations, which would align state law with zero-tolerance federal policies. This initiative followed high-profile cases where officers were accused of sexual misconduct.[11]

Opposition to public committee votes

Decker has opposed making the committee roll call votes of Massachusetts legislators publicly accessible, despite a non-binding ballot showing her district being overwhelming in support.[12] She voted against bills in 2018,[13] 2019[14] [Roll call vote], and 2021[15] [Roll call vote] aimed to amend the Massachusetts House rules to allow public access to the outcomes of committee votes.

In 2022, a non-binding ballot question was presented to voters in her district, asking whether their representative should support changes to House rules to make each legislator's committee vote available on the Legislature's website. 94.2% of voters in Decker's district supported the measure.

Notable Criticisms and Disputes

Memorial Drive closure controversy

In 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) expanded Riverbend Park along Memorial Drive in Cambridge to include Saturdays.[16] After considerable public debate and a Cambridge City Council vote in support of expanded hours,[17] the DCR limited the park space to Sundays only in April 2023, prompting disappointment from some residents.[18] In June 2023, Decker emailed constituents, stating, "I have not ever publicly or privately advocated against Saturday closings."[19]

However, emails released as part of a Freedom of Information Act request in July 2023 appeared to contradict this account. In a March 25 email, Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, noted a "falling out" between Decker and fellow Representative Mike Connolly, who supported the extended closures. Tepper twice described Decker as "staunchly opposed" to the Saturday closures and indicated that Decker had "reiterated her position that she was opposed to the park and hoped that none of her colleagues would attempt to force this on her district."[20]

This incident was covered in multiple episodes of a Cambridge Community Television program 'What's that about?'.[1][2][3] Following these revelations, Decker publicly denied the claims, stating on X (formerly Twitter): "The email from Secretary Tepper does not, and never has, reflect my current position or any position I have articulated in the past. The fact is that I have never stated any personal opposition to closure of Memorial Drive on Saturdays."[21]

Vote against banning nondisclosure agreements

In 2018, Decker testified against an amendment which would have banned of all nondisclosure agreements in the House. In what was described as "a heated back-and-forth" with now-State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, Decker applauded DiZoglio's courage while opposing her push to ban all nondisclosure agreements, which would make the legislature more transparent.

Cake punching incident

In 1998, while serving as an aide to City Councillor Alice Wolf, Decker punched a congratulatory cake intended for City Councillor Katherine Triantafillou, after the latter’s anticipated election as mayor was derailed by two councillors switching their votes to Councillor Frank Duehay. This disruption led to Cambridge Police officers being called to the scene.[22]

Personal life

Decker lives with her husband, and two children in Cambridge.

Since 2016, she has worked for the class action law firm Berman Tabacco, which paid her over $100,000 annually.[3] Decker has not commented on the nature of the employment since it was revealed through a public records request in 2024,[3] brushing off criticism about the second job and explaining that she is producing sufficiently for her constituents.[4] Decker's opponents have cited the employment as a potential conflict of interest.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Obituary: Timothy J. Decker" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, April 17, 2012
  2. ^ Galvin, William Francis. "Return of Votes For Massachusetts State Election 2012" (PDF). Boston Globe. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Flannelly, Sean (2024-08-19). "Between state rep salary and pay at law firm, Decker's take-home is highest in delegation". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  4. ^ Cambridge, City of. "Cambridge City Council Members". Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Vote Smart | Facts For All". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  6. ^ Levy, Marc, "Decker wins (unofficial) 84 percent in state rep primary; it's Rogers in the 24th, Curtatone as register", Cambridge Day, Thursday, September 6, 2012
  7. ^ Kunitz, Allison (2024-06-26). "State House Unanimously Approves Maternal Health Bill". The Boston Globe.
  8. ^ "Maternal health bill headed to Healey's desk". Greenfield Recorder. 2024-08-18. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  9. ^ Kunitz, Allison (2024-06-26). "State House Unanimously Approves Maternal Health Bill". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ "Bill H.4773". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  11. ^ "Bill would bar police from claiming sexual contact with anyone in custody is consensual". Boston Globe. 2018-03-25. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  12. ^ "PD43+ » 2022 - 25th Middlesex District - Question 6Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of changes to the applicable House of Representative rules to make each Legislator?s vote in that body?s Legislative committees publicly available on the Legislature?s website?". PD43+. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  13. ^ "Order H.2019". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  14. ^ "Order H.2019". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  15. ^ "Order H.68". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  16. ^ Levine, Julia (2024-02-06). "Opponents of Riverbend Park meet in Riverside with state official, demanding support on traffic". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  17. ^ "POR 2023 #33 That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate departments and agencies to ensure the continuation of Riverbend Park closures on Saturdays and Sundays. - Cambridge City, MA". cambridgema.iqm2.com. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  18. ^ "It's Official: State 'Conservation' Agency Will Reduce Park Access to Bring Back Motor Vehicle Traffic - Streetsblog Massachusetts". mass.streetsblog.org. 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  19. ^ Gajda, Mike (2023-07-26). "Release of document trove about Riverbend Park raises questions on Decker account, DCR decision". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  20. ^ "Mass DCR / Riverbend Park 2023". MuckRock. 2023-04-03. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  21. ^ https://x.com/MarjorieDecker/status/1684245083304996878. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. ^ "Cambridge City Council Notes". rwinters.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  23. ^ MacKay, Evan (2024-08-24). "Challenger for State House seat on 'revelations about Rep. Marjorie Decker's second job'". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
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