Press Room

As the school year begins for students across Massachusetts, Senate leaders are applauding newly codified protections for K-12 students who are English language learners. These protections were enacted in response to the Trump Administration's rollback of protections for students who are learning English. 

The Massachusetts Legislature yesterday passed a bill to distribute $1.2 billion among cities and towns to maintain and repair roads and bridges across the state. The funding, derived from bonding, will expand the Chapter 90 program and help address transportation related improvements, road and bridge repairs, and the impacts of climate change on local infrastructure.

Today, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill known as the healthcare Shield Act 2.0, a bill that will fortify protections for those seeking and providing reproductive and gender-affirming care in the Commonwealth. The bill, S.2543, which was approved by both the Senate and House chambers on a bipartisan basis, continues the Legislature’s track record of ensuring patients are able to make decisions regarding their own health care.

The Massachusetts State Legislature today passed a $259 million supplemental budget, S.2575, that provides midyear funding for ongoing state priorities and includes important provisions to protect students, strengthen the Massachusetts public defense system, and fund vital services for residents.

The Massachusetts Senate today passed legislation to create cell phone-free schools across the Commonwealth. By requiring school districts to prohibit student cell phone use during the school day, the bill aims to boost focus, improve mental health, and foster healthier learning environments.

Today, Senator Cindy F. Friedman, Chair of the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy, and Representative Michael S. Day, House Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following statement after reaching an agreement on final language for S.2543/H.4294, An Act strengthening health care protections in the Commonwealth.

As part of an agreement on the mid-year supplemental budget (S.2540), the Legislature has included a provision addressing the public defense system for those unable to afford their own legal representation that upholds trust in the justice system and the Constitution’s guarantee to due process.

An Act to promote student learning and mental health seeks to keep students’ eyes on their classwork and instructors and away from their cell phones. By removing personal cell phone use from the classroom, Massachusetts public schools will be places where students can focus on learning. Reasonable exceptions to the rule will safeguard students who need their phone for treating medical conditions, for an individualized education plan (IEP), or to accommodate a disability. Details of the Senate bill are outlined below.