The Hampshire-Franklin County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls has a unique mission: identifying issues impacting women in their communities and advocating for legislation that could change their lives for the better.

Established in 2016, the commission dedicates its time to listening to community members, scouring newly introduced bills in the State House and elevating the voices of women, girls and non-binary individuals when it comes to making decisions in the Legislature. This year, they have identified a slate of legislative priorities that they believe will have a positive impact on their communities, such as harm reduction in the sex trade, bills supporting family caregiving and efforts to raise awareness around the effects of menopause.

“Commissioners are informed by their own lived experiences and observations as women and expressed needs in the community,” explained commission president Luzed Guzman Romano. “We act as a bridge between constituents, legislation, and our legislators.”

One observation made by the commission through their work was that, while about half of the state’s population will eventually go through menopause, or has already experienced it, there is limited awareness among health care providers, employers and the general population about how this change can impact someone’s daily life. Therefore, there is often a lack of support and understanding when symptoms arise.

The commission has identified a bill called An Act Pertaining to Women’s Health at Midlife and Public, Medical and Workplace Awareness of the Transitional Stage of Menopause and Related Chronic Conditions (H.2499), as a potential way to ameliorate this issue.

“It basically sheds light on an issue that we do not talk about at all,” said Guzman Romano, who added that menopause is a “very real, very present” part of women’s and non-binary individuals’ lives.

Olivia Laramie, another member of the commission, said that the issue of menopause arose in discussions in Hampshire and Franklin Counties because of the prevalence of people over the age of 50 in the region.

“It’s a health issue that impacts every single woman,” Laramie said. But because of the lack of awareness and discussion around menopause, “it just hits you out of nowhere,” she added.

Laramie explained that the bill advocates for more research around menopause, as well as initiatives to increase awareness in medical offices, workplaces and more.

The commission is also elevating two bills regarding caregiving — a responsibility that Guzman Romano said falls “along heavily gendered lines.”

The bills, An Act Supporting Family Caregivers (H.3159) and An Act Allowing Spouses to Serve as Caregivers (H.216), aim to lessen the strain that caring for a loved one can add on top of other responsibilities, such as child care, work and tasks in and out of the home.

If passed, An Act Supporting Family Caregivers would establish an advisory commission including a diverse range of voices that would provide insight on the needs and struggles experienced by those responsible for family caregiving. The commission’s support for this bill stemmed from their own conversations, during which several commissioners said that a large concern for them is how they could balance caring for their elderly parents with their other duties, according to Guzman Romano.

“We want to make sure that there is adequate support in place for an issue that is heavily gendered,” she said.

An Act Allowing Spouses to Serve as Caregivers would provide caregiving support in a different way, by allowing spouses to serve as paid caregivers under the MassHealth program. Guzman Romano explained that this would be helpful because it would not only expand the pool of caregivers available, but would also serve as recognition of the “invisible labor” performed most often by women in households.

“The bill recognizes the critical role spouses play in providing care for family members with disabilities or chronic illnesses,” explained Laramie. “By allowing spouses to be compensated for their caregiving efforts, the bill aims to alleviate financial burdens and support family caregivers.”

The commission is also focusing in on a bill called An Act to Promote the Health and Safety of People in the Sex Trade (H.1980), which would decriminalize sex work, allow for more resources to be put toward combating sex trafficking, expunge marijuana and prostitution-related charges and more.

“We are currently in a situation where women and the LGBTQ+ community are under increasing attack and threat of harm,” Laramie said. “Amongst other benefits, this bill would create a safer environment be able to report assault, reduce unnecessary encounters with the police, and allow for former sex workers to more easily secure other means of employment should they choose to.”

The commission has also selected a number of other legislative priorities for this session, such as bills ensuring educational rights for incarcerated youth, providing reproductive health care to incarcerated individuals, establishing a balanced sustainable development commission for the state, advancing health equity, and improving home care.

For more information about this regional commission, or the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women more broadly, visit masscsw.org.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.