9/19/24 - Transportation, housing, climate projects could benefit from up to $17.5 billion in investment - This legislation takes advantage of the interest accrued from the Commonwealth’s Stabilization Fund and leverages that interest to ensure the state receives the maximum possible share of federal funds. The Commonwealth’s Stabilization Fund has an all-time high balance of over $8 billion. It is currently estimated that Massachusetts could receive up to $17.5 billion through historic, once-in-a-generation federal funding opportunities.
|
8/29/24 - Bill increases oversight, allows for basic health services to be offered at assisted living residences, and boosts workforce for care of older adults in Massachusetts - The Massachusetts Legislature passed sweeping reforms to the long-term care and assisted living sectors, taking a powerful step towards delivering high quality and safe care for older residents across the Commonwealth.
|
8/2/24 - Bill increases benefits, modernizes services, and promotes inclusivity for Massachusetts veterans - The Massachusetts Legislature has passed An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Service Members and Veterans (HERO Act), legislation designed to boost support for hundreds of thousands of individuals across the state who have served in the United States military, including nearly 30,000 women veterans and thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans.
|
Legislature Passes Wage Equity Legislation7/24/24 - Bill boosts salary transparency, tackles unfair compensation for women and people of color - The legislation requires employers with 25 or more employees to disclose a salary range when posting a position and protects an employee’s right to ask their employer for the salary range for their position when applying for a job or seeking a promotion.
|
Legislature Passes Firearm Safety Reform Bill7/18/24 - Bill is the largest update to gun safety laws since 2014 - The Massachusetts Legislature passed a firearm safety reform bill that cracks down on the sale of ghost guns, strengthens the Commonwealth’s red flag laws, updates the definition of assault-style firearms, and limits the carrying of guns into polling places and government buildings while updating our current prohibition of guns in schools to include school transport.
|
7/17/24 - Bill to spur development and diversification of clean energy in Massachusetts - An Act accelerating a responsible, innovative and equitable clean energy transition overhauls outdated siting, permitting, and interconnection processes to empower the Commonwealth to deploy clean energy projects and infrastructure to meet its net-zero goals and create better outcomes for communities, clean energy companies, and utilities.
|
|
7/10/24 - Bill prohibits the sale of reproductive and gender affirming care location information from cellphones - The Massachusetts House of Representatives today passed legislation to protect the privacy of individuals seeking reproductive and gender affirming care by prohibiting the sale of cellphone data collected during visits to health care facilities in Massachusetts that offer those services.
|
6/27/24 - Bill reauthorizes life sciences initiative; invests in industries of the future - The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed an economic development bill that includes an array of investments and policy initiatives that aim to bolster support for workers and businesses, particularly in the life sciences, clean energy technology, and manufacturing industries, while retaining a larger focus on making Massachusetts more affordable and competitive. Funded at $3.4 billion in bond authorizations, with an additional $700 million worth of tax credits, the legislation strives to ensure that the Commonwealth is prepared to lead the innovation industries of the future.
|
6/20/24 - Bill expands access to midwifery care and out of hospital birth options - The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a comprehensive maternal health bill which creates a state licensure pathway for midwives and lactation consultants, encourages the creation of more freestanding birth centers, and mandates that certain health care professionals perform, and that health insurers provide, coverage for postpartum depression screenings.
|
Houses Passes Opioid Recovery Bill6/13/24 - Comprehensive bill seeks to prevent opioid-related overdose deaths - The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a wide-ranging opioid bill which covers the licensure of recovery coaches, makes opioid overdose reversal drugs more accessible, protects harm reduction providers, and removes barriers that new mothers in recovery face at the time they give birth.
|
House Passes Parentage Act6/12/24 - Bill updates parentage laws to reflect modern-day families - The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed “An Act to ensure legal parentage equality,” which updates the Commonwealth’s parentage laws to reflect modern-day families, including those with children born to LGBTQ+ families, and through methods such as assisted reproduction and surrogacy.
|
House Passes Housing Bond Bill6/5/24 - The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed “An Act relative to the Affordable Homes Act,” which includes $6.5 billion in bond authorizations, tax credits, and over 20 policy initiatives that promote housing production, facilitate the development of affordable housing, and preserve public housing in Massachusetts.
|
|
4/26/24 - Funding initiatives specific to the 14th Norfolk district and the towns of Wellesley, Weston, and Lincoln -
Chapter 70 and Unrestricted General Government Aid for school districts, funding for municipal projects, earmarks for various organizations in the 14th Norfolk District. |
Legislature Passes Chapter 90 Road Funding Authorization4/25/24 - Legislation provides cities and towns with reliable funding sources for local infrastructure investments -
Lincoln: $267,234 Wellesley: $815,683 Weston: $466,877 |
4/3/24 - Updates General Laws referencing people with disabilities - The House passed two bills that update the Massachusetts General Laws by removing out-of-date and offensive terms related to persons with disabilities, and renaming the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) as MassAbility. The language in the bill removes all variations of outdated terms and replaces these terms with current terminology such as “person with a disability” and “person with an intellectual disability.”
|
House Unanimously Passes Bill to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation, Enhance Protections for Survivors1/10/24 - Legislation addresses teen sexting and image-based sexual assault, coercive control, and extends the statute of limitations for certain domestic violence offenses.
|