Press Room

Today, Senator Michael J. Rodrigues, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, and Aaron Michlewitz, Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, issued the following statement regarding a partial supplemental budget bill to be reported out of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Next week, the Massachusetts Senate will take up three pieces of legislation to create legal protections for people who administer fentanyl testing equipment, protect day habilitation participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and help lower rental car costs in the Commonwealth.

An Act relative to fentanyl test strips ensures that people in Massachusetts can use key testing materials to determine whether a substance contains fentanyl or its related synthetic opioids.

An Act to update Nicky’s Law ensures that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are equally protected from abuse at MassHealth day habilitation services as they are in other care settings.

An Act relative to affordable car rentals brings the rental car industry in Massachusetts onto the same playing field as the vast majority of other states and promotes continued access to affordable rentals.

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.