Press Releases & Statements
Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka joined Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, and Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper in celebrating the completion of the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) transmission line.
Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka joined Governor Healey in celebrating a provision in the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2025 closeout supplemental budget that protects federal workers in Massachusetts from evictions and foreclosures during a government shutdown.
Massachusetts residents deserve leaders who are pulling every lever possible to make it cheaper and easier to get care when they need it. Today, Governor Healey is doing exactly that — cutting through red tape to deliver the care people deserve.
Higher education boosts wages and improves quality of life for Massachusetts residents. Few investments are more important than those that help improve access to affordable and quality education, which is why I am proud that the Senate was able to deliver these resources. I applaud the Governor and her team for swiftly getting this funding to the students who need and deserve it.
The murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents in Minnesota is more than a tragic injustice — it is the direct result of the Trump Administration's dangerous, inhumane and anti-American policies. My heart is with Renee's family and friends as they deal with the loss of their loved one.
Today, Massachusetts legislative leaders and the Healey-Driscoll Administration stood together to commend the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism and its work to address antisemitic incidents and strengthen protections against discrimination and harassment.
As part of the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2025 closeout supplemental budget conference committee report, released by the Senate and House Ways and Committees today, Senator Karen Spilka is pleased to announce that a provision that allows for the transfer of key parcels of land from the state to the city of Framingham was included.
An Act to promote student learning and mental health seeks to keep students’ eyes on their classwork and instructors and away from their cell phones.
This week, Senate President Karen Spilka joined Senator Dylan Fernandes for a tour of key sites across the Plymouth and Barnstable District, spotlighting Fiscal Year 2026 budget investments in the region’s tourism economy and the preservation of care at the Pocasset Mental Health Center.
Today, the Massachusetts Senate passed An Act facilitating better interactions between police officers and persons with autism spectrum disorder, which would make permanent the ‘blue envelope’ program first advanced by the Senate early last year.
The Massachusetts Senate today passed two separate bills to bring Massachusetts laws into the 21st century by removing offensive language from state statute and repealing outdated, unconstitutional laws that hamper civil rights.
An Act dignifying individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities removes offensive terminology from state law and modernizes how the Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) refer to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
An Act facilitating better interactions between police officers and persons with autism spectrum disorder seeks to prevent miscommunication and promote better understanding during traffic stops that involve a person with autism spectrum disorder.
Today the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed legislation to modernize laws that protect children and families going through child custody proceedings.
Today, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed the Debt Collection Fairness Act to protect consumers and keep people from being pushed into financial ruin if they are sued for financial debt. The new law would make debt collection practices fairer, protect wages, and make clear that no person can be imprisoned for unpaid consumer debt.
Today, Senate President Karen E. Spilka and Senator Jason M. Lewis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, made the below statement regarding today's Joint Education Committee poll to advance legislation that would make Massachusetts schools cell phone-free. The legislation is a redraft incorporating seven Senate bills.
The Massachusetts Legislature today enacted a $61.01 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2026, a fiscally responsible plan that protects core services for the state’s most vulnerable residents, maintains critical investments, and positions the Commonwealth to confront the underlying budget challenges that are a result of federal funding uncertainty.
Today, Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano released the following statement regarding the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget agreement: