Press Room

In the face of escalating threats from a hostile federal government and other states, today the Massachusetts Senate released legislation to fortify protections for reproductive and gender-affirming health care providers, patients, and advocates across the Commonwealth.

Building on our past efforts to support genocide education and guard against hate-based attacks, our chambers are each committing $5 million in state funds, $10 million in total, to support the Holocaust Museum Boston, an institution that will serve as a powerful reminder of the atrocities perpetrated because of prejudice, the importance of resisting hate in every form, and the power of democratic institutions to fight back against bigotry and dehumanization.

In 2023 the Massachusetts Legislature passed, and Governor Healey signed into law, a historic tax relief bill aimed at lowering costs for working families, homeowners, renters and the Commonwealth’s seniors, among others. Residents can expect to see the effects of this tax relief package as they file their taxes for tax year 2024.

In response to federal actions under the second Trump Administration that threaten critical programs and institutions, the Massachusetts Senate is launching RESPONSE 2025, a coordinated effort to protect residents, defend the Commonwealth’s values, and lead Massachusetts through a potentially difficult time.

Today, Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka announced that busts of women’s rights leader and presidential advisor Abigail Adams, as well as freedom fighter Elizabeth Freeman, the first enslaved woman to successfully sue for her freedom in the United States of America, will be commissioned and placed in the Massachusetts Senate Chamber.

Today, the Massachusetts Legislature passed legislation to extend the hybrid public meeting option, allowing cities and towns to offer remote participation through June 2027. The extension applies to public bodies and representative town meetings.

Today Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland) released the following statement regarding an agreement on the extension of remote and hybrid meetings for public bodies in Massachusetts

Today, the Legislature passed a $425 million supplemental budget to support emergency housing assistance for unhoused families across the Commonwealth.