Massachusetts may be the home of American democracy, but it is also the community we call home—and I take the responsibility to protect our community—and its residents—very seriously.
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This week the Massachusetts Senate passed two bills expanding services that must be covered by health insurers in the state. One requires that insurers provide coverage for the treatment of Down syndrome through speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and applied behavior analysis services. The other requires insurers provide coverage for diagnostic examinations for breast cancer.
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Today the Massachusetts Senate passed a supplemental budget closing out Fiscal Year 2024, fulfilling the state’s obligations to critical programs and services used by residents statewide
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An Act relative to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act would simplify custody jurisdiction laws and bring Massachusetts into conformity with other states around the country. By so doing, the Commonwealth would be creating a more streamlined process for families going through challenging times while supporting the safety and well-being of children who find themselves in custody challenges.
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Today, the Massachusetts Senate will take up legislation to simplify and modernize child custody jurisdiction laws in the Commonwealth.
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Massachusetts State Senators today celebrated the official launch of MassEducate, universal tuition-free community college for Massachusetts. Senate members joined the Healey-Driscoll administration and higher education leaders to officially launch the program at an event at Massachusetts Bay Community College in Framingham.
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Today the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to ensure families can foster a child regardless of the breed of dog in the foster home.
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A delegation from the Massachusetts Senate today joined a roundtable of Worcester’s early education and care leaders to discuss the impact of the historic $1.5 billion investment made in the sector in the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget.
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On Thursday September 26, the Massachusetts Senate will take up legislation to ensure families can foster a child regardless of the breed of dog in the foster home.
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Today the Massachusetts Senate gave final passage to compromise legislation adding 225 new alcohol licenses for the City of Boston over the next three years.. The licenses would be distributed across 13 Boston zip codes, expanding equity for restaurant owners in historically underrepresented parts of the city and boosting economic opportunity in communities of color that have been systemically excluded for decades.
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The Massachusetts State Senate announced today that Kathryn A. Bethea-Rivera, Ph.D., has been hired as the new Human Resources Manager of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Senate.
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Today the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to rename the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) to MassAbility, a change that will define the agency’s role in supporting residents with disabilities live independently.
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Today, the Massachusetts Legislature passed sweeping reforms to the long-term care and assisted living sectors, taking a powerful step towards delivering high quality and safe care for older residents across the Commonwealth.
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Today, The Massachusetts Legislature passed a comprehensive maternal health bill which creates a state licensure pathway for midwives and lactation consultants, encourages the creation of more freestanding birth centers, establishes a grant program to address maternal mental health and substance use disorder, and expands the statewide universal postpartum home visiting program. This legislation also mandates that insurers provide coverage for postpartum depression and major depressive disorder screenings for perinatal individuals.
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The Massachusetts Legislature has passed the Affordable Homes Act, the largest housing investment in Massachusetts history and a powerful first step in tackling the state’s housing affordability crisis.
The legislation authorizes $5.16 billion in bond authorizations and tax credits to spur housing production in Massachusetts, while implementing sweeping policy initiatives to facilitate the development of affordable housing and preserve public housing in Massachusetts.
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The Massachusetts Legislature has passed An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Service Members and Veterans (HERO Act), legislation designed to boost support for hundreds of thousands of individuals across the state who have served in the United States military, including nearly 30,000 women veterans and thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans.
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The Massachusetts Legislature today passed An Act to ensure legal parentage equality, extending the full rights of parentage to LGBTQ+ families and families created via assisted reproduction.
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Today the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation expanding support for residents coping with substance use disorder to stem the toll of an opioid crisis that takes thousands of lives each year.
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Today the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed legislation to strengthen access to physical and mental health care for pregnant people and new parents in Massachusetts, an expansion of support systems that is intended to keep parents and newborns healthy as they are welcomed into the world.
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