2020 Press
Op-ed: States need stimulus — and we need it now
The Hill • December 19, 2020
State budgets, like spending plans everywhere, tend to be dry documents devoid of tantalizing headlines. But they are, fundamentally, where values meet action — a blueprint of how our representative democracy is going to support the people, ideas and initiatives that need us most. Read op-ed.
Police reform bill historic but just a beginning
Boston Globe • December 1, 2020
History is being made here in Massachusetts on police reform. And while it may be less than some wanted, it surely qualifies as the top-to-bottom change in the way policing is done and in the way police are held accountable that thousands took to the streets last summer to demand. Read more.
Equity Concerns Spark Discussion About School Year
State House News Service • October 19, 2020
As policymakers think about ways to address learning disruptions students are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, one potential tool that got attention during a Boston College webinar Thursday was the concept of restructuring the academic calendar. Read more.
Senate President Spilka & Rep. Lewis Want Ashland Repairs Completed & Post Office Re-Opened
Framingham Source • September 24, 2020
Today, Senate President Karen Spilka and State Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis have written a letter to the Congresswoman Katherine Clark and Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey & Elizbaeth Warren seeking a speedy cleanup of the post office and its reopening at 205 Main Street. Read more.
Audio: Checking in with the Senate President
Takeout Podcast - State House News Service • August 06, 2020
Senate President Karen Spilka checks in with Katie Lannan of the State House News Service about the Legislature's ongoing work as formal sessions extend past July 31, with major bills in the negotiation process and a budget still on the to-do list. Listen here.
Spilka Makes Case for substance over process
Commonwealth Magazine • June 29, 2020
In a wide-ranging interview on the CommonWealth Codcast, Senate President Karen Spilka kept returning to the theme of substance over process when it comes to legislation dealing with the state’s many pressing needs. Read and listen here.
Op-ed: Telehealth is working, let’s keep it that way
Commonwealth Magazine • June 20, 2020
COVID-19 HAS HAD a devastating impact on our lives, our healthcare system, and our economy, but one silver lining has been the immediate and dramatic expansion of telehealth services. We’d be foolish not to seize this opportunity to ensure that telehealth access remains a part of routine medical care in the Commonwealth long after the pandemic is over. Read op-ed.
Spilka: Justice bills will require sprint and marathon
Gloucester Daily Times • June 15, 2020
Pursuing racial justice legislation will require lawmakers to engage in "both a sprint and a marathon," according to Senate President Karen Spilka. Read article. Read article.
Senators: More fed aid needed to ‘weather this crisis’
MetroWest Daily News • May 31, 2020
State Senate President Karen Spilka said Friday that federal aid proved crucial to preserving government services in past recessions. Read article.
Salute to heroes: Massachusetts virtual Memorial Day tribute
WCVB • May 20, 2020
Participants in the virtual ceremony include Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Secretary of Veterans Services Francisco Ureña, Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs Co-Chairs Senator Walter F. Timility and Representative Linda Dean Campbell. Watch Tribute.
MA Senate President Karen Spilka On Reopening The Economy
WGBH News ‘Morning Edition’ • May 20, 2020
WGBH Morning Edition host Joe Mathieu spoke with Senate President Karen Spilka to get her thoughts on the reopening process and how the pandemic is affecting legislation. Listen here.
Old machine in closed Franklin factory now producing PPE gowns
Boston 25 News • May 15, 2020
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka was among the dignitaries watching the new PPE gowns roll out of the die cutter. Watch video.
Interview: Senate President Spilka at MatTek in Ashland
WACA-TV • May 12, 2020
Jon Fetherston interviews Senate President Spilka for WACA-TV following a tour of MatTek Life Sciences, a company producing personal protective equipment. Watch interview.
Spilka: Extent of Reopening Hinges on Child Care Availability
State House News Service • May 10, 2020
Transportation and child care, including summer camps, are key pieces of the "infrastructure" necessary for Massachusetts to reopen its economy, Senate President Karen Spilka said. Read article.
Spilka on passing legislation during outbreak, potential for remote voting
Boston 25 News • May 1, 2020
Watch interview here.
Bloomberg Baystate Business: Senate President Spilka
Bloomberg Radio News • April 30, 2020
Senate President Karen Spilka discusses the Senate’s response to COVID-19, state budget, transportation, mental health legislation and more with Bloomberg Radio hosts Tom Moroney and Joe Shortsleeve. Listen here.
Pandemic opens policy opportunities, Spilka says
WWLP-TV • April 28, 2020
Endorsing the idea of a “phased in” reopening of the state’s economy, Senate President Karen Spilka told business leaders on Tuesday that the COVID-19 pandemic could present opportunities to begin repairing transportation infrastructure and to elevate as a priority early education and child care. Read article.
Mass. Senate president hopes major bills can still get to governor
Boston Business Journal • April 27, 2020
Senate-backed bills addressing climate change, prescription drugs and mental health are among the items on a pandemic-disrupted legislative agenda that Senate President Karen Spilka still wants to get over the finish line this session, along with a fiscal 2021 state budget and an $18 billion transportation borrowing bill the House approved in early March. Read Article.
As Crisis Unfolds, Spilka Backs Diversity Task Force
State House News Service • April 13, 2020
Senate President Karen Spilka supports an idea the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus put forward last week with the goal of keeping an eye toward health disparities as the state grapples with COVID-1. Read Article.
Senate President Karen Spilka Updates Community on Senate Actions To Confront COVID-19
MyFM1013 • March 24, 2020
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka addresses the community with State Senate updates. Listen here.
Mass. House, Senate working on housing ‘safety net’ bill
The Salem News • March 23, 2020
Massachusetts lawmakers are preparing to advance a bill Monday to allow municipalities to postpone local elections and drafting separate legislation that promises a "crucial safety net" to protect renters and homeowners from the growing ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read article.
Spilka: Mental Health Bill Lays Foundation for Parity In Care
Boston Public Radio - WGBH News • February 25, 2020
Senate President Karen Spilka joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to outline the bill, which she says brings the state closer to a 20-year-old state law requiring parity. Listen here.
Senate passes ‘historic’ bill to boost mental health care access
MetroWest Daily News • February 13, 2020
“This is a really big first step. I’d call it landmark. This is so many years, decades in the making,” Senate President Karen Spilka said following the legislation’s passage. “This bill will lay the foundation. It’s the first step in hopefully many steps we will be taking over the next few sessions to start correcting and fixing what has been a broken system for so many people.”. Read article.
Sweeping mental health care bill unveiled
The Daily News of Newburyport • February 10, 2020
Each making a deeply personal case for improving access to mental health care, Senate President Karen Spilka and Sen. Julian Cyr helped roll out a significant reform bill Thursday that seeks to improve access to care by identifying gaps in the mental health system, enforcing equity laws and requiring insurance coverage for many emergency services. Read article.
Senate to Vote On Sweeping Climate Change Bill
Commonwealth Magazine • January 23, 2020
“This is a race against time. Climate change is changing not only Massachusetts and the United States, it is changing the face of the planet. The planet’s survival is at stake.” Read Article.
Senate President Karen Spilka: ‘We Don’t Have the Luxury of Waiting’ To Take Action on Climate Change
WGBH News • January 23, 2020
Spilka: We don't have the luxury of waiting, so we need to be intentional and strategic. So we are amending the Global Warming Solutions Act to take bold action [and] lay out the steps to have net zero emissions by 2050. It's possible. Audio
$3.4 Million MassWorks Grant Will Rebuild Framingham Intersection
Framingham Patch • January 08, 2020
The grant, announced Wednesday by state Sen. Karen Spilka, will rebuild the intersection of Edgell and Edmands roads. Read article.
Here’s what Massachusetts political leaders are resolving to do in 2020
The Boston Globe • January 01, 2020
Senate President Spilka: “To get people talking — really talking — about the need for mental health care to be fully integrated into our health care system…” Read article.