Posts in In the News
Post-Dobbs landscape prompts Massachusetts lawmakers to revisit archaic, anti-LGBTQ+ laws

The Massachusetts Senate last week unanimously passed the bill, which would remove outdated laws against "sodomy," "night walking" and "unnatural acts." … "We need to take off the books archaic laws that, in theory, could become enforceable if the Supreme Court moves further right," says Sen. William Brownsberger, who sponsored this bill with Sen. Julian Cyr.

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Senate Votes To Ban Declawing Cats, Remove "Archaic" Laws, Protect Real Estate Appraisals

Senators moved as a unit on Thursday, unanimously passing a trio of bills early in the busy seven-month stretch at the end of the legislative session. The Senate unanimously approved bills to prohibit inhumane cat declawing (S 2552), require real estate appraisers licensed (S 2550), and remove so-called “archaic laws” from state statute (S 2551).

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‘We’ve been fighting so hard’: Senate passes bill to address wheelchair repairs that can drag on for months

Wheelchair users took a victory lap at the State House on Thursday after the state Senate passed legislation to address a national crisis, chronic delays of months or longer for even the most basic repairs to chairs.

“We’ve been fighting so hard just to get here,” said Pamela Daly, of Charlestown, after the Senate vote. “They’re simple mechanical problems or they’re simple parts that need to be ordered. This is not rocket science.”

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Fentanyl Test Strips, Wheelchair Repairs Up For Early 2024 Senate Action

Senators on Tuesday teed up the three bills to debate at their Thursday session: to protect people who administer or use fentanyl test strips from criminal liability (S 2458), expand wheelchair warranty protections for people with disabilities (S 152), and require new guidance on how police officers should interact with people with autism (S 2204).

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Dems return to Beacon Hill in force, pass stalled spending bill

In the Senate, the optics were very different, illustrated by the joint press conference after the final vote held by Senate President Karen Spilka, the chamber’s top Democrat, and Sen. Bruce Tarr of Gloucester, the chamber’s top Republican…

…Spilka made clear that she didn’t agree with Republicans who wanted the spending bill debated in a formal session. Indeed, she said the bill was already debated in formal sessions and everyone knew what was in it.

But Spilka was happy to give Tarr the symbolic motion he wanted because her goal with the spending bill was more concrete. “We got it done,” she said.

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