Massachusetts Cabo Verdean Commission Votes to Create Four Working Subcommittees

BOSTON — June 8, 2026 — Massachusetts' Joint Committee on the Cabo Verdean Cultural Center voted unanimously June 8 to establish four formal subcommittees — Communications and Outreach, Survey and Data Collection, Organizational Development, and History and Culture — setting a June 22 deadline for commissioner assignments. Senator Liz Miranda, returning from a trip to Cabo Verde, drove the expansion from three to four panels, arguing that the region's deep Cape Verdean history warranted its own dedicated body separate from arts and culture, and flagged ethics concerns about legislators serving on a fundraising committee, prompting the renaming of that panel. The commission also learned that a $125,000 budget amendment Miranda sponsored in the FY27 Senate budget was partially adopted but remains in conference committee, with access to funds expected by early fall if the governor signs it. A provision that would have allowed the commission to fill its one current vacancy at any point was stripped and must be pursued through a supplemental budget or other vehicle. The commission's next meeting is July 13, and commissioners are expected to attend a private session with Cabo Verde President Jose Neves on June 12 in Boston.