There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.
Several bills received unanimous or near-unanimous approval in the Senate as far back as April 2019 and are still stuck in the House Ways and Means Committee, which has not acted on them and has not sent them to the full House for debate and a vote.
“The bills remain under review,” was the brief response from Catherine Williams, communications director for House Speaker Bob DeLeo when Beacon Hill Roll Call asked for a comment on the up to 18-month delay in acting on these bills.
Despite repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call, no one in House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz’s office responded to the request for a statement.
Here are the bills and how local senators voted on them:
On April 25, 2019, the Senate, 39 to 1, approved and sent to the House a bill that would allow for residents to choose a third gender option, “X,” in lieu of “male” or “female” on an application for a driver’s license, learner’s permit, identification card or liquor purchase identification card. No documentation would be required for the person to choose the “X” option.
“People know what gender they are,” said the bill’s sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton. “This bill simply allows their official documents to match how they self-identify. It directs the commonwealth to allow gender identification and IDs as diverse as our people. Our current binary options are overly restrictive and have created a situation where the government is infringing on people’s right to self-identify.
“I have been working closely with House colleagues looking to advance the bill for vote in the House,” Comerford continued. “The Legislature has a crowded agenda between now and the end of the session, and the need to act on police reform, health care, economic development and other issues is urgent. But I remain hopeful that this bill can make it. I would urge supporters of the bill to contact their representative and urge them to make this one of their priorities.”
“This bill is anti-science,” said Massachusetts Family Institute President Andrew Beckwith. “Our Massachusetts driver’s license correctly lists ‘sex,’ an objective reflection of one’s actual genetic makeup, XX or XY. There is no sex that is ‘X.’ Changing sex to ‘gender identity,’ which consists of an ‘internal sense of self’ or ‘feelings’ is not a reliable or objectively verifiable characteristic and so renders an official government identification document confusing or, if needed by law enforcement or emergency medical attention, dangerous. The driver’s license should list facts, not feelings.”
Former Sen. Donald Humason, who is now the mayor of Westfield, was the lone vote against the bill. He did not respond to repeated attempts by Beacon Hill Roll Call for comment on his vote.
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Anne Gobi — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
On April 25, 2019, the Senate, 39 to 0, approved and sent to the House a bill designed to make roads safer and decrease fatalities.
The proposal requires bicyclists at night to use both a red rear light and a red rear reflector. Current law requires only a red light or a red reflector. Current law and the new law both require a white light in the front.
The bill classifies several groups, including pedestrians, utility workers and cyclists, as “vulnerable road users.”
The measure requires the operator of a motor vehicle that is passing a vulnerable user to maintain a distance of at least three feet when traveling at 30 miles per hour or less and an additional foot of space for every 10 miles per hour above 30 miles per hour. Current law only requires motor vehicle operators to pass at “a safe distance and at a reasonable and proper speed.”
Another provision requires a vehicle that is overtaking a vulnerable user or other vehicle to use all or part of an adjacent lane, crossing the centerline if necessary, when it cannot pass at a safe distance in the same lane and only when it is safe to do so. The legislation also requires certain large vehicles or trailers that are purchased or leased by the state to be equipped with lateral protective devices, convex mirrors and cross-over mirrors.
“I’m proud to be among the many co-sponsors of this bill because the need to make our roads safer, particularly for cyclists and pedestrians, is terribly urgent,” said Rep. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge. “Every crash and every fatality is a policy failure, so I’m hopeful we can advance the thoughtful policies contained in this legislation as soon as possible.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Anne Gobi — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
On July 25, 2019, the Senate, 39 to 0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would ban the marriage of anyone under the age of 18. Current law allows minors to get married if they have parental consent.
“It’s about time Massachusetts ended child marriage, a human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives and benefits no one other than child rapists,” said Fraidy Reiss, founder and executive director of Unchained At Last, the group behind the ban. “Pennsylvania and Minnesota figured out how to eliminate child marriage during this pandemic. Massachusetts can and must do the same.”
“I learned that child marriages were happening in Massachusetts when I was being interviewed by a journalist in 2016,” said co-sponsor Rep. Kay Khan, D-Newton. “Following the publication of that article, I was determined to learn more and connected with national organizations working on the issue. From there, Sen. Harriette Chandler and I filed companion bills in the House and Senate to end child marriage in Massachusetts. Child marriage in our state is more prevalent than people realize. For instance, according to the Massachusetts court case database, a total of nine marriage of minor cases were filed in the Probate and Family Court since January of 2020.”
“There are many conference committee reports still pending and the ever-so-important fiscal year 2021 budget,” Khan continued. “We are hopeful once those important items are addressed by the Legislature, we will be able to continue our advocacy on this bill.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Anne Gobi — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
On Sept. 19, 2019, the Senate, 38 to 0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would ban 11 toxic flame retardants from children’s products, bedding, carpeting and residential upholstered furniture sold or manufactured in Massachusetts, except for inventory already manufactured before Aug. 31, 2020. Another provision requires the Department of Environmental Protection to review, at least every three years, chemical flame retardants used in these products and include them on the list of prohibited chemical flame retardants that are documented to pose a health risk. Violators would be fined up to $1,000 for a first offense, and up to $5,000 for a second and subsequent offense.
Motor vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles and electronic devices are exempt from this law as are any previously owned products that contain a retardant.
The House and Senate approved the bill at the end of the 2018 legislative session, but Gov. Charlie Baker did not sign it.
“Massachusetts can be a leader in this area, but the specifics of the bill that emerged during the last hours of the legislative session limit its potential effectiveness,” Baker wrote to legislators. “A deliberative process involving all stakeholders and an implementation schedule that takes into account the realities of manufacturing and distribution practices are key components to any legislation. I look forward to working with the bill sponsors and stakeholders on a revised form of this legislation.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Anne Gobi — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
On Nov. 14, 2019, the Senate, 40 to 0, approved and sent to the House the PACT Act aimed at addressing the high and rapidly increasing costs of prescription drugs in Massachusetts. A key provision provides immediate price relief for insulin used by one in 10 people living with diabetes who must take it daily or risk major health problems. The measure limits out-of-pocket spending for insulin by eliminating deductibles and coinsurance and capping copays at $25 per month. Rising insulin prices have resulted in some people paying out-of-pocket costs of $1,000 or more per year, leading to some patients decreasing their insulin dose or not taking it at all.
Other provisions include requiring pharmaceutical companies to notify the state of new drugs coming to market, and of significant price increases for existing drugs; disclosing the proposed value of certain drugs if manufacturers don’t take meaningful steps to lower costs; and several transparency and accountability mandates.
“Pharmaceutical costs are one of the most important issues in health care affordability,” said Sen. Jim Welch, D-Springfield, the sponsor of the original version of the bill. “I am glad that (my bill) was the building block for the PACT Act. While it remains in the House Committee on Ways and Means, I, along with the Senate leadership, continue to advocate for its passage this session.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Anne Gobi — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
The House and Senate approved and Gov. Baker signed into law a $31 million unemployment package that would provide $1,800 each to an estimated 17,000 Massachusetts workers who were previously ineligible for the $1,800 under the Trump Administration’s Lost Wages Assistance program because they collect under $100 per week in state unemployment assistance, the minimum amount a worker could be earning to collect the federally funded $1,800. The $1,800 is comprised of $300 per week for six weeks.
The bill would give additional state unemployment benefits to each of these workers to boost their benefits to the minimum $100. For example, a claimant who was receiving $90 per week from the state would be given an additional retroactive $10 per week and then he or she would be eligible for the $1,800.
“The passage of this legislation is a small way to restore equity to the distribution of federal funds,” said Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton. “No one should miss out on $1,800 in federal dollars simply because they are $8 or $18, or $28 shy of an arbitrary threshold imposed only on those who earn the least. Massachusetts has taken a step toward righting a wrong that was cruel and punitive for those who need the government’s help the most right now.”
The Senate approved and sent to the House a bill that would require all health insurance companies to cover all forms of treatment of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), including the use of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy.
The bill’s sponsor Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, said children suffering from PANDAS and PANS often cannot attend school for extended periods of time and their home life is very disrupted.
“It is also not unusual for multiple siblings in a single household to be affected, presumably due to the combination of close exposure to infectious agents and shared genetic backgrounds,” Lewis noted. “Emergency room visits are often needed due to sudden aggressive behaviors and psychiatric hospitalization may be required for severely afflicted children.”
“Mild to moderate cases of PANDAS and PANS can usually be treated successfully with antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy, or other medications,” Lewis continued. “But, some children fail to improve with these conventional treatments and require IVIG therapy, which has been recommended since 2017 in guidelines prepared by the PANS Research Consortium. Unfortunately, not all health insurers in the commonwealth will cover IVIG treatment. This forces families to endure insurance denials, appeals and financial burdens on top of everything else they are already dealing with. This is simply cruel and wrong.”
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) issued an order that requires all Massachusetts gas companies to hire an independent consultant and issue a report to the DPU by March 1, 2022 on ways that the companies can help the state meet its goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while simultaneously safeguarding ratepayer interests and ensuring safe, reliable and cost-effective natural gas service.
The House and Senate have approved different versions of a climate change bill. Both bills include the reduction to net-zero by 2050. A conference committee is working on a compromise version to send to the governor.
Gov. Baker announced $5.9 million in grants to address urgent food insecurity for residents across the state affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 47 grants are aimed at funding critical investments in technology, equipment, capacity and other assistance to help local food producers.
“As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to build on our efforts to secure a resilient, diverse local food supply chain so Massachusetts residents maintain access to fresh, healthy food,” said Gov. Baker. “With this fourth round of grants, we will have awarded a total of $17.7 million, making critical investments in our local food infrastructure and ensuring a secure supply of food as residents across the commonwealth adjust to the impacts of this unprecedented public health challenge.”