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.
Read MoreToday the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed legislation to modernize laws that protect children and families going through child custody proceedings.
Read MoreToday, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed the Debt Collection Fairness Act to protect consumers and keep people from being pushed into financial ruin if they are sued for financial debt. The new law would make debt collection practices fairer, protect wages, and make clear that no person can be imprisoned for unpaid consumer debt.
Read MoreToday, 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreToday, Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano released the following statement regarding the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget agreement:
Read MoreToday, 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreSenate 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.
Read MoreToday, House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano and Senate President Karen E. Spilka issued the following statement regarding the conference committee on joint legislative rules:
Read MoreToday, 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.
Read MoreToday, Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka issued the following statement on the apparent assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and the shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman
Read MoreSaturday, 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.
Read MoreToday the Massachusetts Senate gave final approval to a bill that would mark an annual Tourette Syndrome Awareness Day in Massachusetts. Once signed into law by the Governor the first observance will be set for this Saturday, June 7, 2025.
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