Democratic Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has released a strategic plan for her office. The former Boston city councilor is the first Black woman to serve as the commonwealth’s top lawyer and law enforcement officer after her victory in the 2022 election. In the new plan that extends through 2027, Campbell lays out five goals that range from cracking down on corruption in state government and responding to regional equity issues to bolstering youth services and addressing healthcare gaps. The AG broke down her strategy with WAMC, starting with the first goal: advancing economic opportunity and consumer justice.
CAMPBELL: We know that the number one issue that folks are talking about is affordability and economics. It's too expensive to live in Massachusetts, healthcare is too expensive, your groceries are too expensive. And so, we wanted to make sure our strategic plan was responsive to that, but also to stress that we have significant tools in the office in terms of consumer protections, and that we're going to use those tools to put money back into the pockets of workers and our residents, and also think about ways to use our tools to advance economic opportunities for everyone, and to make sure that people have the opportunity to grow their wealth. And there's a lot that we can do in that regard. So, excited to do that in partnership with residents, and of course, community stakeholders.
WAMC: So, what's that going to look like? Who are you going to use those tools on to achieve those goals?
So, for example, if there are folks and companies targeting residents or bringing about scams- And we're seeing a lot in the housing context, folks literally trying to steal people's homes from underneath them through different types of mortgage products that are designed to take the wealth out of someone's home or to take their home from them. So, significant scams in this regard, there's a lot that we can do to hold folks accountable with respect to that. We're the statutory rate payer for the commonwealth when it comes to utilities, and so that means making sure we're advocating all the time for utility rates to be affordable and reasonable for constituents. So, we're doing work every day to put money back into the pockets of folks, and in the housing context, doing even more work, to not only protect folks against scams and discrimination, but to even think about how we use other tools in the office, including our grant making tool, to help folks access homeownership opportunities and so much more.
From your vantage point, systemically, what are the major barriers in Massachusetts to folks being able to find equitable treatment in the marketplace?
Some is just companies and bad actors, right? Not every company or private institution is a bad actor, but there are some, and there's some who obviously want to skirt the rules, or avoid them entirely, in order to gain a profit. And so, we have a unique role to protect consumers and to make sure that companies are following our laws. And I'll give you one example- We had a recent settlement with Rent-A-Center, a major company that exists in several communities across the commonwealth, where folks get products from, and what they were doing was illegally harassing constituents who fell behind on some of their payments and were- The consumer was trying to make the payment, and they were harassing them with phone calls, in some instances, taking out criminal complaints against constituents and consumers, all in violation of our debt collection laws. And so, we won a nearly $9 million settlement against this company. So, we're going to do the same for others that take advantage of our consumers to make sure that the marketplace is fair, and frankly, the playing field is level for all companies.
The second goal of your plan is about protecting and promoting public health and safety throughout Massachusetts, and you draw attention specifically to health care access and environmental health. Break that down for us- What is that second goal? And what is it going to look like on the ground?
So, we wanted to make it clear that the office, of course, has a robust criminal bureau and portfolio. We are taking drugs and guns off the street every single day, that work has not slowed down. But we recognize that there is an opportunity to do it through public health lens. Public safety is public health, public health is public safety. What we mean by that is, everyone has the right to be safe in their communities. But what we're finding, that doesn't just mean law enforcement showing up, of course, to do their jobs effectively- It’s looking at the social determinants of health which usually drive crime and violence in certain communities. So, access to healthcare, really important, including behavioral health services, environmentally safe communities- So, that means taking on climate change and making sure folks have access to clean water. All of these are connected to our public safety work. And so, we wanted to stress that in the strategic plan, and want folks to know that we're going to look at these issues also through a public health lens.
One question that is before Massachusetts is that of safe consumption sites. We've seen the state, at least in preliminary reports, acknowledge the effectiveness and the life saving measures that safe consumption sites can offer folks. Do you foresee your office weighing into that conversation as it pertains to the ongoing opioid epidemic?
Well, I’m saying nothing's off the table when it comes to this epidemic. We are obviously in the weeds, and securing settlements from major companies that push profit over the safety and health of our constituents that we serve every day. So, we are getting monies in the millions from these companies and directing it to our trust fund at the state level to make sure that municipalities all across the commonwealth have the resources to bring about greater treatment and recovery services, for example, for folks who are struggling, and to support families who have lost folks to this epidemic and this crisis. And so, nothing's off the table. We will continue to remain in touch with the Department of Public Health and others as we do this work. So, more to come on that.
The third goal is about youth in Massachusetts, as your office put it, protecting and strengthening the health safety and wellbeing of Massachusetts youth. Break that down for us- How exactly is your office going to accomplish that goal?
I am, of course, the Attorney General, but I'm also a mother of two young boys, and every time I'm engaging with parents or caregivers or folks who play a guardianship role for a young person, or school administrators, teachers, educators, behavioral health specialists, you name it, everyone agrees that our young people are struggling in many ways. One is, just, it's more difficult for them to realize their dreams, because the affordability issues we talk about in the commonwealth affect them too. It seems more difficult for them to be able to reach their goals. And so, we're talking enforcement of child labor laws, which is really important. We have young people going to work and not getting paid, making sure we're also talking about affordability as it concerns them. Student loan debt is a big issue that we're taking on. And then the behavioral health crisis. There is a mental health epidemic in Massachusetts, in this country, and so we're using every tool we can to expand access to behavioral health services through our healthcare division. And we're holding folks accountable. We have a lawsuit against Meta and Instagram, we think they have played a significant role in the uptick in anxiety and depression we're seeing with our young people, especially young girls. So, that's actively proceeding as well. So, we wanted to prioritize our young people, but in addition to just prioritizing them in words, prioritize them in action. So, folks will see in the strategic plan real investment in how we protect our young people, and we're going to treat them like we do everybody else in making sure that they also get the tools and resources they need to be successful.
Two years ago in Pittsfield, the city that I'm sitting in right now, there was a tragedy in our community where a young man facing a mental health crisis was shot to death by police in Pittsfield. There was a lot of conversation about what it means to bring more mental health resources to the fore when it comes to issues around that, around emergency services in Massachusetts. Will your office be weighing in at all into conversations like that about alternative emergency services that would take the onus of mental health crises off of the police and on to other services?
Absolutely. And I will just stress, it also ties into not only protecting our young people and residents generally, but also the public health and public safety framing We have a state police unit within the office that I oversee that does remarkable work every day. We work with local law enforcement, federal authorities all the time to protect our constituents. And we all agree that when you are engaging with someone who is in crisis, usually law enforcement is not in the best position and given the resources to deal with that. We know there are some municipalities in the commonwealth that have resources to bring to bear when it comes to behavioral health teams that support law enforcement, either within those departments or separately. Not every municipality has that. So, I think this is not just work in our office, it has to be work that we do with the governor and the administration, [Executive Office of Public Safety and Security] as well and others, but it's actually top of the list- Including training of our law enforcement, and there's a direct role we can play there too.
The fourth goal on your plan concerns corruption in Massachusetts government, holding the powerful to account to quote your press release. Break that down for us- What exactly does that mean? And do you have anyone in mind when you talk about that?
We heard loud and clear – and I say we, it wasn't just me on the campaign trail, but also members of my team – that public corruption exists in Massachusetts, and people had different examples of what that look looked like for them, and they wanted an AG’s office that would prioritize those matters and really enforce the idea and the principle that no one is above the law. And we made that crystal clear that we're going to take on those matters. Whether you're an elected official or not, it doesn't matter. We're going to enforce the law equitably for everybody. We expect our constituents to follow the law, no one is above it, and that also means looking at governmental agencies that may be either abusing their power or misappropriating funds. There's a role that we have to play there- Or changing policy and practice. This is criminal legal reform. We're actively looking at our wrongful conviction statutes, people who are wrongfully accused, or sentenced, I should say, and later found to be innocent. There's work that we are doing actively in that space. So, there's a lot under this umbrella, but it's, I think, very responsive to what we heard on the ground and from constituents.
Would that focus be on the Massachusetts State Police at all? We had earlier this year yet another example of troopers within that agency abusing their power, in this case involving CDL licenses in a bribery scheme.
Absolutely. No one is above the law. In this particular case and some other matters, it is the US Attorney's office that is taking the lead, and there's some involvement from our office in different ways, including holding agencies accountable for some of those CDL licensure issues. So, we will always do our part in holding everyone accountable. And we hold ourselves to the highest standard. If you're in government, if you're a public official, it is, should be the norm that you operate with a sense of integrity. And we expect that from everyone who does this work on behalf of constituents, and, frankly, who do this work paid by public resources. So, we want to make sure we're holding everyone accountable and protecting the resources of our commonwealth.
The fifth goal is about expanding the range of your office, the Attorney General's office in Massachusetts, to work effectively throughout Massachusetts. Again, I'm speaking to you from Western Massachusetts, where concerns about regional equity and a lack of state presence and funding tends to dominate local conversation. Can you break down that fifth goal to us and how it will relate to Western Massachusetts, where that that sense of inequity tends to hold considerable strength?
It's a great question, and regional equity is- First and foremost, we lay out in the plan the values that we are going to lead or sort of informed the work as we do the work, and that includes dignity and doing it with a sense of empathy and compassion, but also equity. And that means regional equity. I spent a lot of time in Berkshire County, not only with the local elected officials there, with community-based organizations, youth-based organizations, and I heard loud and clear from folks in the western part of the state – and we often have to remind folks that Worcester is not the western part of the state, but it is as far as Berkshire County – that we're not only going to continue to show up there and I personally will continue to show up there and already have, we're also going to resource the work out there. And I'll give you one example. Our maternal health grant that we put out last year, $1.5 million to close a disparity that still exists when it comes to maternal health. And we funded organizations all across the state as far as Berkshire County, and have been intentional and making sure that counties in the western part of the state are not left out and left behind, that the people who live there are not left out and left behind. We’ll do the same in our housing work, looking at manufactured housing, looking at our rural communities and what faces them. So, we set that as a goal and a priority because we absolutely understand the concerns that people have around regional equity, and that we hear that loud and clear and we're going to not just listen to them, but we're going to take action to address them.
