Massachusetts State Senate bill S.2134, authored by Senator Jamie Eldridge (D - Middlesex and Worcester), will create "a permanent commission on the status of people who practice Islam consisting of 11 persons as follows: 2 persons appointed by the governor; 1 person appointed by the attorney general; 1 person appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 person appointed by the president of the senate; 2 persons appointed by the state secretary; 2 persons appointed by the senate chair of the Massachusetts general court’s joint committee on racial equity, civil rights, and inclusion; and 2 persons appointed by the house chair of the Massachusetts general court’s joint committee on racial equity, civil rights, and inclusion. Members of the commission shall reside in the commonwealth who have demonstrated a commitment to the Muslim American community. Members shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 268A as they apply to special state employees."

According to the language of the bill the commission would be: "...a resource to the Commonwealth on issues affecting American Muslim communities."

State Senator Michael Moore (D - Second Worcester) is one of the bill's petitioners. He spoke with Spectrum News about what the legislation entails. "So this commission merely corresponds with other commissions we have. We had an Anti-Semitism Commission for the Jewish community that issued a report last year that talked about the effects and how we've seen an increase in Anti-Semitism and the ways that we should try to address it. It's really so we can have a better understanding of their community, how we can try to address any issues that they may be impacting them. It's also to address what is the claim of Islamophobia, so fears of the Muslim community."

Moore continued by saying a committee of this type would not be a first, "We've had the Asian-American Commission. We've had an African-American Commission. We've had commissions dealing with LGBTQ issues. So this is not something that's unique to them. It's not changing the Constitution. It's not instituting Sharia law."

The proposed legislation has faced criticism. Republican candidate for Massachusetts Governor Brian Shortsleeve posted, "Democrats just advanced a bill to create a permanent state commission that prioritizes Muslims for government jobs. Hiring by religion isn’t inclusion but discrimination, and it’s blatantly unconstitutional."

The bill currently sits in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The full text of the bill and it's path so far can be seen here.