Press Room

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means announced a $3.66 billion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending bill to address COVID-19 recovery needs and build an equitable future for the Commonwealth. The Senate Ways and Means ARPA bill reflects the shared priorities of the Senate and recommends several thoughtfully targeted investments in health care, housing, environment, economic recovery and workforce development, while addressing economic and racial inequality and helping the communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Massachusetts State Senate passed S.2560, An Act establishing senatorial districts. This bill, and the redistricting map it describes, doubles the number of majority-minority Senate districts, from three to six.

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The Massachusetts State Senate passed An Act concerning genocide education to provide education to middle and high school students on the history of genocide and to promote the teaching of human rights issues.

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The Massachusetts Senate passed An Act relative to military spouse-licensure portability, education and enrollment of dependents, or SPEED Act, to support military families who relocate to the Commonwealth by providing career stability for the spouses of service members and quality education for their children.

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State Senate President Karen E. Spilka, in partnership with Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital program, and local community leaders, co-hosted the statewide organization’s first Veteran Suicide Prevention roundtable in MetroWest. Founded in 2009 and based in Boston, Home Base has provided mental healthcare and support services to more than 25,000 Veterans and members of their families at no cost to patients.

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The Massachusetts State Senate passed S.2545, An Act fostering voter opportunities, trust, equity and security (the VOTES Act). This comprehensive voting reform bill permanently codifies the popular mail-in and early voting options used in Massachusetts in 2020. The bill would also enact same-day voter registration, increase ballot access for service members serving overseas, and make a series of other improvements to the Commonwealth’s election administration process.

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The Massachusetts State Senate took final action to override a series of gubernatorial vetoes on the state budget for fiscal year 2022. In restoring key provisions of the budget, the Senate will ensure that a greater portion of the Commonwealth’s vulnerable populations receive vital support from the state, that long-term studies of poverty and higher education affordability are carried out, and that regional transit authorities are sufficiently funded to emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic, along with other items.

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The Massachusetts State Senate unveiled S.2545, An Act fostering voter opportunities, trust, equity and security (the VOTES Act). This comprehensive voting reform bill, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (D-Newton), would permanently codify the popular mail-in and early voting options used in Massachusetts in 2020. The bill would also enact same-day voter registration and make a series of other improvements to the Commonwealth’s election administration process.

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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.

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A 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.

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The 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.

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The 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.

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The 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.

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Next 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.

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The 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.

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The 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.

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The 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.

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The 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.

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The Massachusetts State Senate passed legislation to invest $300 million in municipal transportation projects and selected statewide transportation infrastructure projects.

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Today, 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.

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