Early data suggest Massachusetts’ experiment with free community college has been successful. Enrollment has shot up by more than 15,000 students, student retention has increased, and newly graduated students are now transferring to four-year universities.
Read MoreAn update to Massachusetts law reinforces students’ federally protected right to a public education regardless of immigration status or disability.
The new law also establishes standards for interpreters and translators, ensures English learners who are disabled have access to services, and prevents disabled students from being punished for behavior related to their disability.
Read MoreMassachusetts Democrats are fighting President Trump's federal government overhaul by passing laws preserving civil protections.
Read MoreState House and Senate leaders said Friday that they have reached an agreement on a spending plan for the fiscal year that begins Tuesday, a budget that will touch every part of state government from transportation to healthcare, but may ultimately be upended by an economic downturn or federal cuts to spending in Massachusetts.
Read MoreSpilka was asked about her recent proposal to make schools cellphone-free in an effort to eliminate distractions in the classroom, something Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has commented on as well, saying “we need to rain in the use of cell phones during the school day.
Read MoreKaren Spilka, who has served as President of the Massachusetts Senate since 2018, has helped pass legislation towards economic development, jobs creation, education, juvenile justice and services for the elderly and disabled communities.
Read MoreSenate President Karen Spilka addressed the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and discussed the Senate’s budget, the federal government, and policy proposals that the Senate will be exploring this session.
Read MoreMassachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka talks with NBC10 Boston about the current legislative session, uncertainty coming out of Washington, and how its influencing the way the Senate is going about the business of governing.
Read MoreMassachusetts will not “stand idly by” in the face of in-state fiscal uncertainty and broader instability at the federal level, Senate President Karen Spilka told the Daily News during an interview at her State House office that also touched on the Senate budget, legislative priorities and future goals.
Read More“Either by accident or design, women were left out of the building,” Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, said. “Women have played such a large role in Massachusetts history, but if you walk around the building, you would not think so. And that was pretty outrageous to me.”
Read MoreMassachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka issued a scathing denunciation of President Donald Trump Monday in a speech pegged to Trump’s first 100 days in office, saying she sees the United States entering a “dark chapter” that’s rendering the country unrecognizable.
Read MoreSenate President Karen Spilka demanded due process for immigrants and every resident during a speech from the floor of the Massachusetts Senate.
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A big slate of bills became law in the last session, and observers say that in the final analysis, Spilka got more of what she wanted than either House Speaker Ron Mariano or Governor Healey. (Spilka also made headlines by killing Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax proposal in December.) Community-college affordability, economic development, the Everett soccer stadium, universal school meals, wage equity, clean energy investment, and Boston liquor-license reform were among the bills passed by the Spilka-led Senate and ultimately signed into law.
Read More“This bill makes it very clear that the Massachusetts Senate will not back down when it comes to protecting our residents and defending our values,” Senate President Karen Spilka wrote in a statement announcing the bill. “Our residents — indeed all Americans — deserve the right to make their own health care decisions in consultation with their providers, and this bill protects the entire ecosystem that allows those decisions to take place.”
Read More“Let me be clear, not a single bill that attacks the hard-won rights of this community will ever make it through my door or the doors of the Massachusetts Senate,” Spilka said. “Massachusetts is not budging, will never budge. We will be here for you. We are not retreating. We are not compromising. Simply put, we are not going back.”
Read MoreSpilka on Thursday unveiled the latest iteration of her “HERstory” art installation, recognizing women with reputations as trailblazers and disrupters, from colonial spiritual leader Anne Hutchinson to astronaut and Needham native Suni Williams.
Read More“I have heard loud and clear from my colleagues, and the communities we represent, that hybrid meetings have increased access, engagement, and transparency in local government,” the Ashland Democrat said in a statement.
Read MoreWE WILL ‘ALWAYS’ RESIST — Senate President Karen Spilka wasn’t going to let President Donald Trump’s return to the White House rain on her Galentine’s Day soirée.
So, to kick off the event last night, “Senate President Karen Spilka” (played by drag queen TaDonna) opened with a “Drag Queen Story Hour,” reminding the sea of red-and-pink-clad women leaders from politics, business and philanthropy, that Massachusetts, “the birthplace of equal marriage and anti-discrimination legislation,” would “not change who we are,” as Gov. Maura Healey recently pledged.
Read MoreSenate President Karen Spilka sits with WBZ’s Jon Keller for a discussion about the economy, the state’s budget, and the state Auditor.
Read More“I think if this keeps up, we’ll be all walking around with neck braces from whiplash,” Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, quipped during a wide-ranging interview Thursday with MassLive in her office at the State House.
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