Keyword search: legislation
By SAMUEL GELINAS
BOSTON — Less than three months after voters rejected a ballot measure to legalize certain natural psychedelic substances and introduce therapeutic care, legislators have filed 10 bills at the start of this legislative session hoping to push the cause forward.
By EMILEE KLEIN
SPRINGFIELD — Most Massachusetts farmworkers whose hard work puts food on the dinner tables for Massachusetts families have difficulty affording the produce they pick and process.
By ALEXA LEWIS
During the last election cycle, voters in nearly a dozen legislative districts voted in favor of a nonbinding ballot question instructing their state representative to support a single-payer health care system in the state.
By EMILEE KLEIN, ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL and DOMENIC POLI
Supporting K-12 public education, confronting climate change, and protecting health care and reproductive care are among the priorities this year for the legislative delegation representing Franklin County.
By CHRIS LARABEE
BOSTON — New legislation filed by state Rep. Natalie Blais seeks the development of minimum statewide quality standards for private wells, as well as the expansion of a financial assistance program for residents trying to remediate wells contaminated by so-called “forever chemicals,” or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
By SCOTT MERZBACH
NORTHAMPTON — Expectant mothers prescribed medication for substance use disorders can seek prenatal care without risk of being reported to the state’s Department of Children and Families, under the omnibus opioid bill signed into law this week.That...
By ZICHANG LIU
In an era where communication is no longer confined to one medium, Massachusetts’ wiretap law remains frozen in time, a 56-year-old statute that doesn’t entirely fit into the realities of today’s digital landscape, raising questions for lawmakers,...
By ADA DENENFELD KELLY
While the recent passage of a new clean energy law leaves details of implementation to be solidified over the next 15 months before it takes effect, Mass Audubon’s director of legislative and government affairs is feeling hopeful about one aspect...
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
Gov. Maura Healey signed the Statewide Accelerated Public Health for Every Community (SAPHE 2.0) bill in late November on the coattails of a $4 billion economic development bond bill. Now roughly four years in the making, local health officials say...
By MARA MELLITS
Expanding access to methadone, a medication used to fight opioid addiction, is imperative in the effort to curb the nation’s substance use disorder epidemic, regional officials say.Their comments come in response to a recent study published by the...
By ALISON KUZNITZ
BOSTON — Tobacco and nicotine products would eventually become banned in Massachusetts, under a regulatory trajectory that a trio of lawmakers hope will become law next session.Sen. Jason Lewis and Reps. Tommy Vitolo and Kate Lipper-Garabedian...
By EMILEE KLEIN
In a “People’s Town Hall” that attracted more than 300 attendees from 25 cities and towns across the region, state Sen. Jo Comerford reminded her “bosses” — the people — that they are the force behind democracy and to make their voices heard as the...
By ZICHANG LIU
BOSTON — A day ahead of World Pancreatic Cancer Day, which fell on Nov. 21, lawmakers and advocates gathered to bring hope to a promising bill aimed at improving survival rates and treatments for pancreatic cancer patients.Pancreatic cancer ranks as...
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
ASHFIELD — The new law giving property owners the by-right ability to construct accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on residential properties that already have a principal dwelling has prompted town officials across the state to review their own bylaws...
By ALEXA LEWIS
AMHERST — “Growing up poor, all I’ve ever wanted was financial freedom,” said Beatrice Rogers, a third-year psychology and holistic health major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. But that freedom might be far away for Rogers, whose college...
By ALISON KUZNITZ
BOSTON — Maternal health legislation is heading to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.The conference committee report (H 4999), which emerged from negotiations Wednesday, won House and Senate approval during sparsely attended informal sessions Thursday.“It’s...
By ALISON KUZNITZ
Massachusetts is about to get a new law to shield firefighters from toxic chemicals contained in their protective equipment and eventually phase out the use of PFAS that’s been linked to cancer.Gov. Maura Healey announced Wednesday her plans to sign...
By EMILEE KLEIN
On Nov. 15, 2022, thousands of Taylor Swift fans glued one eye to the clock and the other eye to their computer screen, counting the seconds until their one-in-a-lifetime chance to see the artist’s cumulative career on stage in the United States’ leg...
By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN
Towns across Franklin County have signed letters in support of a paint recycling bill that advocates say could save municipalities money and help protect the environment.Bernardston, Northfield, Montague, Deerfield, Sunderland and Hawley have signed...
By SAM DRYSDALE
The Senate will dig into a massive economic development package Thursday after top Democrats on Monday morning released their own vision for how Massachusetts should pursue job and economic growth opportunities.The Senate’s bill (S 2856) authorizes...
By SCOTT MERZBACH
A Senate-passed bill featuring a streamlined approach to permitting and siting solar and energy storage projects in Massachusetts, with a consolidated permit for approving clean energy infrastructure instead of multiple local, regional and state...
By using this site, you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience, measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users
Copyright © 2016 to 2025 by Newspapers of Massachusetts, Inc. All rights reserved.