Spilka, joined by the Senate’s top budget writer, the Senate chair of the Legislature’s higher education committee, and several community college presidents, said the report, which pegs the annual cost of such an effort at $170 million, moves the state “one step closer to that vision of free community college for all.”
Read MoreAs the state pursues federal funds, the legislation could make $750 million in state funding available over the next three years, as well as $50 million in matching funds for local and regional government-led projects seeking federal funding.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Senate has unanimously passed a bill that will provide protections for drivers with autism when dealing with law enforcement.
Read MoreMassachusetts could soon become the latest state to legalize small strips of paper for detecting whether street drugs contain fentanyl, the fast-acting and highly potent synthetic opioid driving the overdose crisis.
Read MoreWheelchair 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.”
Read MoreSenators 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).
Read MoreSenate President Karen Spilka says she wants to “hit the ground running in 2024,” with a focus on bills that will make the state a more affordable place to live, work and raise a family. Here’s a look at some of the top items on her agenda.
Read MoreSenate President Spilka delivers remarks during the signing ceremony for the Governor’s Economic Development Plan.
Read MoreSenate President Spilka joins the families of Massachusetts’ servicemembers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, for a moving and somber annual tradition.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read More“This bill will ensure that when folks go to the pharmacy counter, they are going to pay less for their medications that they need to maintain their quality of life,” said Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland. “It is a lifesaving bill.”
Read MoreThe measure, dubbed the PACT Act 3.0, targets drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers. They have been the subject of intense debates in statehouses and Congress, as lawmakers’ attempts to make life-saving drugs more accessible and affordable collided with the interests of some of the most deep-pocketed and influential industries in the country.
Read MoreThis time around, the legislation will feature new language aimed at reducing or eliminating cost burdens for Bay Staters with conditions like heart disease, asthma and diabetes, a push Senate President Karen Spilka forecast when she signaled plans to bring the bill to the floor before Thanksgiving.
Read MoreSpilka said the state Senate recently passed a bill that targets reducing the co-pay residents face while paying for prescription drugs that treat illnesses such as asthma and high blood pressure, which impacts lower-income residents at a higher rate.
Read MoreAnd last week, the upper chamber quickly passed a bill aimed at closing gender and demographic wage gaps. Jehlen thanked Spilka for prioritizing these issues that primarily affect women and LGBTQ+ folks, again pointing to the power of having a woman leading the chamber.
Read MoreSenate President, Senator Cyr, and Senator Jehlen stand with advocates after the passage of a menstrual equity bill in the Senate.
Read More“I don’t say that very often for bills coming through the Legislature, but this one is simple,” said Senate President Karen Spilka at a press conference following the Senate vote. “If we truly believe in equality for women and menstruating people, then making period products accessible is something that we absolutely need to do.”
Read MoreMassachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka joins Radio Boston to talk about the benefits and address the pushback.
Read MoreSenate President Spilka makes remarks alongside Governor Healey and Speaker Mariano, after tax relief is signed into law.
Read MoreThe culmination of more than a year of work by the Legislature, this law strikes the critically important balance of providing tangible, permanent financial relief for Massachusetts families, seniors, and businesses, while ensuring that robust state funding for the Commonwealth’s most vital programs and institutions will continue.
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