Following an increase in demand for COVID-19 testing in Massachusetts, an additional testing site will begin operations in Ashland, Massachusetts at the town’s Commuter Rail Station. The new testing site, a priority of Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka and State Representative Jack Patrick Lewis, will offer Massachusetts residents an additional option for testing at no cost to recipients.
Read MoreA healthy Commonwealth is key to emerging from this pandemic stronger than before. With COVID-19 still among us, having the ability to take personal time to recover if infected or to care for a loved one recovering from the virus is not available to everyone. Neither is taking time off to receive the lifesaving vaccine or booster or assist a loved one, including a child, in getting vaccinated.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Senate passed three bills that would provide students with age-appropriate, medically accurate and inclusive sex education; allow a non-binary option other than male or female on birth certificates and drivers licenses; and ensure that more children in Massachusetts have access to nutritious school meals. These bills all provide essential building blocks to ensuring a safe, healthy, inclusive and resilient Commonwealth.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Senate passed a bill to override Governor Charlie Baker’s vetoes on certain items in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget passed earlier this month. The actions taken by the Senate will ensure adequate funding for school districts, regional transit authorities (RTAs), and public and mental health supports, as well as the implementation of last year’s landmark police reform bill. Additionally, the bill includes measures to reinstate certain guidance relevant to state bodies such as the MBTA and prison facilities.
Read MoreThe evidence is overwhelming: receiving the COVID-19 vaccination is the best way to keep our residents safe, end the pandemic in Massachusetts, and ensure we can continue the process of building a robust and equitable economic recovery.
Read MoreNext month, almost a million children will return to Massachusetts K-12 public schools. Of these kids, nearly half will be under 12 years old and therefore ineligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to the classroom.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Senate passed a bill to override Governor Charlie Baker’s vetoes on certain items in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget passed earlier this month. The actions taken by the Senate will ensure adequate funding for school districts, regional transit authorities (RTAs), and public and mental health supports, as well as the implementation of last year’s landmark police reform bill.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Legislature passed a $261.6 million supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) that addresses time-sensitive deficiencies, extends expanded voting options, provides supports for the implementation of the 2020 landmark police reform law and makes investments to support the Commonwealth’s continued recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Legislature on Thursday passed a bill that will invest $350 million in municipal transportation and selected statewide transportation infrastructure projects, including $200 million for municipal roads and bridges through the chapter 90 program and $150 million to support statewide projects to address congestion, support electric vehicle infrastructure, prioritize bus infrastructure, and improve public transit.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts State Legislature on Friday unanimously passed a $48.07 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). This budget maintains fiscal responsibility, does not cut services, and makes targeted investments to address emerging needs, safeguard the health and wellness of the most vulnerable populations and ensure residents will benefit equitably as the state recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts State Senate passed legislation to invest $300 million in municipal transportation projects and selected statewide transportation infrastructure projects.
Read MoreToday, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a $261.6 million supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) to primarily address time-sensitive deficiencies, cover costs related to implementation of the 2020 landmark police reform law and make investments to support the Commonwealth’s continued recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to create a more secure egg supply chain and raise Massachusetts’ farm animal welfare standards to align with other states. The bill would upgrade Massachusetts’ egg production law to create predictability and certainty by mirroring the even stronger national United Egg Producers cage-free guidelines, which have been adopted by leading retailers, producers, and other states.
Read MoreThe Legislature will be rejecting the governor’s amendment to immediately spend $2.815 billion in available American Rescue Plan funds. Our actions this week will preserve the funds while allowing all parties to participate in the discussion and help make decisions about how to allocate these resources.
Read MoreThe Legislature has made clear its belief that appropriating American Rescue Plan funding must be done through a transparent and deliberative process.
Read MoreThe Legislature today adopted a joint resolution establishing August 14 and 15, 2021 as the state’s sales tax holiday. We invite all residents to go out and benefit from this opportunity as we incentivize investment in our businesses and continue the work of setting our economy on a path to post-pandemic recovery.
Read MoreToday, the House and Senate agreed to report out a conference committee bill, in-part, that temporarily extends and reinstates a slate of measures instituted in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 State of Emergency.
Read MoreToday, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a bill which would extend a slate of measures instituted in Massachusetts during the State of Emergency stemming from COVID-19. If signed into law, this bill would result in the included measures being temporarily extended beyond the State of Emergency’s expiration on June 15, 2021.
Read MoreAt a Joint Session of the Massachusetts Legislature, members of the House and Senate on Wednesday held a Constitutional Convention where they advanced an amendment to the state Constitution to provide greater investments in education and transportation funding.
Read MoreAfter a long and difficult fifteen months, the Commonwealth is poised to invest over $5.28 billion in American Rescue Plan funding. These funds are designed to address the profound needs of our communities, as well as provide the tools necessary to ensure a steady and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions.
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