Press Room

Today the Massachusetts Legislature approved crucial funding to support health insurance coverage for the 460,000 public employees, retirees, and dependents who access health care through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC).

The Legislature’s agreement to modernize the state’s cannabis laws strengthens oversight of the Commonwealth’s maturing cannabis industry by streamlining the agency that regulates cultivators, processors, and retailers.

Today, Senator Adam Gómez (D-Springfield) and Representative Daniel M. Donahue (D-Worcester), co-chairs of the conference committee on legislation to reform Massachusetts cannabis laws, made the following statement:

Next week, the Massachusetts Senate will debate a supplemental budget bill that spurs new multifamily housing construction, boosts the family medicine workforce, and eases strained municipal budgets with regionally equitable Fair Share investments.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) consolidated supplemental budget prioritizes municipal relief and regional equity, makes meaningful Fair Share investments in education and transportation, spurs housing development and mitigates near-term revenue impacts associated with federal tax changes. The details of the investments and provisions contained in the Committee’s supplemental budget are outlined below.

Today, the Massachusetts Senate passed the FARM Bill, agricultural legislation aimed at supporting Massachusetts’ 7,000 farms, making it easier for families to buy fresh and healthy food, and protecting the state’s food supply for the future.

The Massachusetts Senate passed legislation this week to help protect firefighters and construction workers from dangers that can arise from ‘hot work’ such as welding.

An Act fostering agricultural resilience in Massachusetts (the FARM Bill) would support farmers by codifying state agricultural investment programs, improving the resilience of the state’s food supply chain, removing barriers to supplemental income on farms, and helping families and children access healthy, local produce. The FARM Bill also looks to the future by mapping agricultural lands, encouraging the creation of urban agricultural sites, and preparing to train the farmers of tomorrow.