Press Releases & Statements

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bills to bring Massachusetts laws into the 21st century by removing offensive language from state statute and repealing outdated, unconstitutional laws that hamper civil rights.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, 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:

Today, the Massachusetts Senate passed the An Act strengthening health care protections in the Commonwealth—otherwise known as the Shield Act 2.0—legislation that would fortify protections for those seeking and providing reproductive and transgender care. 

The Massachusetts Legislature today adopted joint rules that will make lawmaking more efficient, transparent and accessible to the public while adjusting the legislative calendar to allow more time to get meaningful policy accomplished.

Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem and House Majority Leader Michael Moran announced on June 23, 2025, that they reached an agreement on joint legislative rules for the 194th General Court of Massachusetts.

Today, House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano and Senate President Karen E. Spilka issued the following statement regarding the conference committee on joint legislative rules: 

Today, the Massachusetts Legislature approved $1.39 billion in new investments in public transportation and public education across the Commonwealth. The supplemental budget—funded by surplus revenue from the Fair Share surtax on incomes over $1 million, allocates $716 million for transportation and $593.5 million for education at every level.

Saturday, August 9, 2025, and Sunday, August 10, 2025, are the official dates of Massachusetts’ annual sales tax holiday thanks to actions taken by the Massachusetts Legislature today. During the holiday, the state’s 6.25 per cent sales tax is suspended for most retail items priced under $2,500.