Today, the Massachusetts Senate marked the first day of Women’s History month by unveiling a portrait of former First Lady Abigail Adams and putting out a public call for nominations for an influential woman to be the first honored with a permanent bust in the Senate Chamber. The nominations will be considered by a renewed Senate Art Committee, led by Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro).
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Senate on Thursday passed the Healthy Youth Act, which would ensure that Massachusetts public schools electing to teach sexual health education curriculum use age-appropriate, inclusive, medically accurate, and research-based information on sex, relationships, and consent.
Read MoreToday, a permanent bust of African American orator, writer, abolitionist, politician, and freedom fighter, Frederick Douglass, took its place among several of the United States’ foremost historical figures in the Massachusetts State Senate chamber.
Read MoreToday, with bipartisan support, the Massachusetts Senate passed An act to sensibly address firearm violence through effective reform—the SAFER Act—to increase firearm safety in the state without infringing on the rights of gun owners. Following a thorough debate amongst members on the Senate floor, the bill passed 37 to 3.
Read More“…Given the number of questions that were submitted this session, including competing versions of the same question, the House and Senate will act to establish a special joint committee tasked with reviewing the initiatives that is especially equipped to tackle the unique challenges presented by the legal and policy intricacies of the questions this year. The Legislature looks forward to a fair, balanced, and informed public process for the consideration of all initiative petitions.”
Read MoreToday, the Massachusetts Senate introduced the SAFER Act, comprehensive gun safety legislation to reform and modernize the state’s firearm laws, support the state’s public safety and public health infrastructure in mitigating gun violence, and strengthen accountability and oversight mechanisms for illegal gun activity.
Read MoreThanks to robust gun laws and investment in gun violence prevention, Massachusetts already has one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the nation. Senate bill S.2572, An act to sensibly address firearm violence through effective reform—the SAFER Act—builds on that strong foundation, updates state laws to reflect new technologies and trends, and makes the Commonwealth’s residents even safer without infringing on the rights of lawful gun owners.
Read MoreToday, the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to enhance consumer protections for residents receiving appraisals for their own real estate, or prospective real estate. S.2550—An Act providing consumers with equal protection for all real estate appraisals—would require that all real estate appraisals in the state be conducted exclusively by certified or licensed appraisers.
Read MoreToday, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed legislation to modernize the Commonwealth’s laws and strike outdated and non-inclusive statutes that are discriminatory against LGBTQ+ individuals in the state.
Read MoreToday, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed legislation that would prohibit declawing, tendonectomy, and similar procedures from being performed on cats in Massachusetts, except in cases of medical necessity to address a condition that jeopardizes a cat’s health—as determined by a licensed veterinarian.
Read MoreThe cost of childcare has been out of reach for working families for too long, and we can't fulfill our potential as a Commonwealth until we tackle this crisis from every angle. I'm proud of the leadership the Senate has shown on this issue, and we plan to once again pass a comprehensive early education and childcare bill this session.
Read MoreToday, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means favorably reported out S2482, An Act to provide for competitiveness and infrastructure investment in Massachusetts. This bill aims to take advantage of the substantial interest accrued from the Commonwealth’s stabilization fund, currently at historic levels, and leveraging that interest to secure the state’s fair share of federal funds.
Read More“This interim report lays out a plan for filling those jobs and making our state more competitive and equitable by removing a major financial barrier for our students, enabling them to complete a degree and stay in Massachusetts. I’m grateful to the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges for their tremendous work on this and I look forward to continuing on the path to deliver universal free community college,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland).
Read More"Today's legislation reported out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee directs the Healey Administration to use the interest from the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund to open doors to historic federal funding opportunities that will support projects across the state and save our state millions of dollars in the coming years," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "It means that we are putting our money to work—and putting it to work for a more affordable, equitable, and competitive Commonwealth."
Read More“We know two things in Massachusetts as facts: opioids take far too many lives in our state, and fentanyl test strips save them,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “By voting to legalize fentanyl test strips, the Senate is taking a commonsense action step to save lives in our state—and we know it works.”
Read More“Today’s action in the Senate would make a common-sense, meaningful, and positive change to how people with Autism Spectrum Disorder interact with members of our law enforcement community, bringing us closer to the ideals we strive for,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland).
Read More“Today the Senate took action to give individuals who use wheelchairs the protections they deserve,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “If a wheelchair breaks down, a user should be able to get it fixed and get back to their daily life as soon as possible, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts should have every user’s back.”
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Senate took final action on a supplemental budget designed to close out Fiscal Year 2023. The Senate’s supplemental budget totals $3.1 billion and contains several provisions to support the ongoing operations of programs and services that benefit the residents of the Commonwealth.
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