Senate Unveils Pharmaceutical Access, Cost and Transparency (PACT) Act 2022
The Massachusetts Senate unveiled An Act relative to Pharmaceutical Access, Cost and Transparency (PACT Act 2022), comprehensive pharmaceutical cost control legislation aimed at addressing the rapidly increasing costs of prescription drugs. By connecting the need for greater drug price transparency with policies to improve oversight for the pharmaceutical industry, the legislation puts the Senate at the forefront of the state’s efforts to tackle rapidly increasing prescription drug costs. It will also reduce drug costs for patients and lower health care costs overall.
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Senate Passes Bill to Increase Access to COVID-19 Testing, Vaccines, and Masks
The Massachusetts State Senate passed a $76 million plan to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and its variants by providing residents with greater access to tests, vaccines, and masks, prioritizing communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as frontline workers.
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Senate Unanimously Passes Homeless ID and Relative Adoption Bills
The Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed legislation to make state identification more accessible to people experiencing homelessness, as well as legislation to allow adoption by close relatives, which is currently prohibited under state law.
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Bill To Stabilize Supply of Egg and Pork Products Signed into Law
Following action by House and Senate lawmakers earlier this week, a bill to ensure a more secure egg and pork supply chain in the state, was signed into law Wednesday. The legislation updates Massachusetts’ farm animal welfare standards passed by voters in 2016 to align with other states.
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Statement on the COVID-19 Omicron Variant
We must act aggressively to mitigate the impact and spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant across Massachusetts and prioritize protecting our most vulnerable residents, workers, and communities disparately impacted by the pandemic.
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Legislature passes American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), FY21 Surplus Spending Bill
The Massachusetts Legislature advanced a $4 billion bill to the governor’s desk that directs federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) surplus funding to assist the Commonwealth’s ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on making equitable investments and prioritizing communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the legislation delivers targeted supports to workers and businesses, and the critical sectors of housing, health care, mental and behavioral health, climate preparedness, education, and workforce development.
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Legislature passes Genocide Education bill
The Massachusetts Legislature 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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Senate Passes Mental Health ABC Act 2.0
The Massachusetts Senate passed the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0: Addressing Barriers to Care (ABC), comprehensive legislation to continue the process of reforming the way mental health care is delivered in Massachusetts, with the goal of ensuring that people get the mental health care they need when they need it. This legislation comes at a time when the Massachusetts State Senate is making landmark investments in mental and behavioral health, including $400 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to transform the behavioral health sector, with $122 million dedicated to recruiting and retaining nearly 2,000 behavioral professionals.
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Senate Prioritizes Veterans’ Services in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding
Today, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a $3.82 billion blueprint to invest funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to meet the urgent needs of the Commonwealth’s ongoing recovery. The bill includes increased investments for veteran services and supports that target housing security, transportation and mental and behavioral health care, among other areas.
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Senate Passes American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Spending Bill
The Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed a $3.82 billion bill that directs federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to assist the Commonwealth’s ongoing recovery, with a particular focus on making equitable investments and ensuring that communities disproportionately impact by the COVID-19 pandemic are prioritized. Using this framework, the bill delivers targeted, transformational supports to critical sectors such as health care, mental and behavioral health, housing security, environment, and workforce development.
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Senate Approves Nero's Law
The Massachusetts State Senate unanimously approved An Act allowing humane transportation of K9 partners, also known as Nero’s Law, ensuring law enforcement officers’ K-9 partners receive life-saving medical attention and transport if injured in the line of duty.
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Senate Unveils Mental Health ABC Act 2.0: Addressing Barriers to Care
The Massachusetts Senate unveiled its Mental Health ABC Act 2.0: Addressing Barriers to Care (ABC) (S2572), comprehensive legislation to continue the process of reforming the way mental health care is delivered in Massachusetts, with the goal of ensuring that people get the mental health care they need when they need it. This legislation comes at a time when the Massachusetts State Senate is making landmark investments in mental and behavioral health, including $400 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to transform the behavioral health sector, with $122 million dedicated to recruiting and retaining nearly 2,000 behavioral professionals.
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Senate Ways and Means Releases American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Spending Bill
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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Senate Pass Redistricting Legislation
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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Senate advances Genocide Education Bill
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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Senate Passes SPEED Act to Support Military Families Relocating to Massachusetts
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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Senate President Karen Spilka Co-hosts Mental Health Roundtable for Veterans
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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Senate Passes Landmark Voting Reform Legislation
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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Senate Overrides Governor’s Vetoes on FY22 Budget Provisions
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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Senate Set to Consider Landmark Voting Reform Bill
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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