A petition relative to tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten (HD1677)
Co-filed with: Rep. Patrick Kearney, this bill establishes a Universal Full-Day Kindergarten Trust Fund to provide financial aid to school districts. This financial aid is for the implementation and maintenance of tuition-free full-day kindergarten programs. School committees may request reimbursement for up to full cost of implementing and maintaining these programs.
An Act to advance fairness, integrity, and excellence in higher education admissions policies (HD2861)
Filed with Companion Bill Filer Sen. Pavel Payano, this bill addresses higher education admissions practices that result in unfair, discriminatory, and anti-meritocratic outcomes that are empirically proven to be heavily weighted in favor of admitting wealthy and white applicants. It establishes a regulatory scheme by which higher education institutions can voluntarily terminate (a) their preference for admitting legacy students, (b) their preference for admitting students related to donors to the institution, and (c) early decision policies, or instead pay a public service fee that is calculated based on the institution's endowment per students. The public service fee is then deposited into a trust whose funds are distributed to community colleges in the commonwealth. The attorney general is vested with the authority to enforce the provisions of this bill.
An Act establishing a pathway to net zero buildings (HD136)
Buildings are responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in the Commonwealth. Ten years ago, Massachusetts adopted a Stretch Energy Code, an appendix to the base building code which allows municipalities to build more energy-efficient buildings community-wide and is an important step to becoming a Green Community. In 2021, the legislature passed climate legislation that created a separate, municipal opt-in net zero stretch code. This bill builds off of that work by further defining "net zero buildings" as buildings which are highly energy efficient, disallow fossil fuel applications, and rely on renewable sources of energy; ensuring the stretch code continues to be updated on the 3-year national code cycle; allowing for new technologies to be incorporated as they become more affordable and readily available; bringing all Green Communities into net zero stretch code by 2025 and the rest of the state by 2028; and amending the Board of Building Regulation and Standards (BBRS) mission to include climate, public health, and equity.
An Act authorizing the Town of Concord to establish a fee for checkout bags (HD284)
Co-filed with Rep. Carmine Gentile, this home rule petition would allow Concord to establish a checkout bag fee at retail stores.
An Act advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities (HD131)
Filed with Companion Bill Filer Sen. Jamie Eldridge, this bill enhances the distribution of benefits and burdens of the clean energy transition by ensuring that communities served by municipal utilities meet the same clean energy portfolio standards as the rest of the Commonwealth. In order to support Environmental Justice communities, low- and middle-income residents, and the elderly who are served by municipal utilities as they transition to clean energy, the bill also establishes a $50 million Municipal Utility Equity and Innovation Fund.
An Act to improve outdoor lighting, conserve energy, and increase dark-sky visibility (HD2747)
Co-filed with Rep. Sean Garballey, this bill would promote energy-efficient lighting practices throughout the Commonwealth by requiring municipal- and state-funded projects to use fully-shielded exterior lighting in new or replacement installations, requiring these installations to use lower correlated color temperatures, establishing maximum illumination thresholds, requiring MassDOT to review and update its criteria for roadway lighting, requiring Mass DPU to establish reduced-rate tariffs for low-wattage LED streetlights and for streetlights that are dimmed or turned off during the night.
An Act to prohibit the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure for new construction in the town of Concord (HD4023)
Co-filed with Rep Carmine Gentile, this home rule petition will prohibit the issuance of building permits for any new on-site fossil fuel infrastructure in the town of Concord. This includes any piping for coal, oil, natural gas or other fuel hydrocarbons, including synthetic equivalents, or other fossil fuels that are in a building, in connection with a building, or otherwise within the property lines of a premises, extending from a supply tank or from the point of delivery behind a gas meter.
An Act relative to funding water infrastructure and addressing economic target areas (HD2595)
Through this bill, DEP, in consultation with the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, will create an initiative to specifically work with municipalities with economic target areas in addressing their water infrastructure needs. The initiative shall include direct outreach to municipalities for purposes of assisting with the development of strategies to coordinate and plan for the upgrading of water infrastructure resources. This bill was co-filed with Rep. Sean Garballey.
An Act relative to ranked choice voting in the Town of Concord (HD293)
Co-filed with Rep. Carmine Gentile, this home rule petition would allow the Town of Concord to implement ranked choice voting in local elections.
An Act clarifying the role of governor’s councillor on the ballot (HD3521)
Filed with Companion Bill Filer Sen. Michael Barrett, this bill aims to clarify the description of governor’s councillor on the ballot.
An Act establishing a commission on automated decision-making by government in the commonwealth (HD2261)
Co-filed with Rep. Sean Garballey, this bill establishes a commission within the Office of Technology Services and Security for the purpose of studying and making recommendations relative to the use by the Commonwealth of automated decision systems that may affect human welfare, including but not limited to the legal rights and privileges of individuals. The commission shall evaluate government use of automated decision systems in the Commonwealth and make recommendations to the legislature regarding appropriate regulations, limits, standards and safeguards.
An Act relative to rates for workers providing supports and services for individuals with disabilities (HD3286)
Co-filed with Rep. Sean Garballey, this bill aims to improve pay and benefits for workers who provide support and services for individuals with disabilities to be consistent with other positions in the Commonwealth with similar responsibilities.
An Act protecting warehouse workers (HD3709)
Co-filed with Rep. Sean Garballey, this bill defines responsibilities of warehouse workers, such as quotas and work speeds, and requires that employers maintain and preserve records of these responsibilities. Allows employees to bring an action for injunctive relief to obtain compliance by the employer.
An Act relative to tax relief for low-income seniors (HD113)
Co-filed with Rep. Adam Scanlon, this bill exempts any citizen over the age of 65, whose annual income is at or below the federal poverty guideline, from the motor vehicle excise tax on one vehicle owned and registered for personal use.
An Act relative to tax relief for low-income veterans (HD114)
Co-filed with Rep. Adam Scanlon, this bill exempts any veteran, whose annual income is at or below the federal poverty guideline, from the motor vehicle excise tax on one registered vehicle owned or leased for personal use.
An Act creating a local option property tax cap for low-income seniors (HD115)
Co-filed with Rep. Adam Scanlon, this bill allows any city or town to impose a cap on property taxes for low-income seniors. Cities and towns may choose to impose a property tax cap for homeowners aged 65+ as long as single filers income is $50,000 or less or married filers income is $60,000 or less and assets (not including primary residence and 1 motor vehicle) are $75,000 or less.
An Act providing for diaper changing stations in public buildings and accommodations (HD581)
Co-filed with Rep. Steve Owens, this bill requires that all public buildings have at least one baby changing station accessible to any caretaker with appropriate signage near the entrance.
An Act to create the American Revolution anniversary public safety and operations fund (HD1066)
This bill establishes the 250th American Revolution Anniversary Public Safety and Operations Fund of an amount no greater than $1,000,000 to provide support to the towns of Lexington and Concord for state- and federal-level security protections and operational support pertaining to the commemorative events of the 250th American Revolution Anniversary to occur throughout 2025 and 2026. This bill was co-filed with Rep. Michelle Ciccolo and Companion Bill Filer Sen. Michael Barrett.
An Act regarding district court jurisdiction of threats to use deadly weapons, explosives, chemical or biological agents, or other devices or substances capable of causing death, serious bodily injury or substantial property damage. (HD1694)
Under current law, there is little room for prosecutorial discretion regarding sentencing for threats to use deadly weapons, explosives, and other substances. This act would enable prosecutors to have flexibility and discretion in sentencing.
An Act relative to the establishment of and payments into an opioid stewardship fund. (HD1692)
Naloxone is a critical tool in addressing opioids-related death, however, not every person can access naloxone due to cost. This bill establishes the Naloxone Co-Pay Assistance Program to improve access to naloxone, or other federally approved overdose-related life saving drugs, by supplementing the cost of insurance copayments so that the cost is obtaining Naloxone is significantly reduced for individuals. To support the Co-Pay Assistance Program, the bill creates the Opioid Stewardship Fund, a mechanism for ensuring pharmaceutical companies foot the bill to addiction, rather than individuals and consumers. This bill was co-filed with Rep. Kat Donaghue and Companion Bill Filer Sen. Jason Lewis.
An Act to eliminate asset limits for homeless shelters (HD1378)
Currently, to access homeless shelters, individuals must fall below a certain asset limit. However, this does not account for assets that are not actually usable income. This bill eliminates that asset limit to ensure that anyone in hard times is able to access homeless shelters as long as they meet the other criteria for entry. This bill was filed with Companion Bill Filer Sen. Jamie Eldridge.
An Act establishing an affordable housing building permit surcharge in the Town of Concord (HD3749)
Co-filed with Rep. Carmine Gentile, this home rule petition would establish an affordable housing building permit surcharge in the Town of Concord that may be assessed by the town on any project that exceeds a minimum construction value as determined by the Select Board.
An Act establishing a real estate transfer fee upon the transfer of property in the town of Concord (HD3764)
Co-filed with Rep. Carmine Gentile, this home rule petition would establish a real estate transfer fee of 1 percent on any sale amount in excess of the first $1,000,000. These fees shall be deposited into the Concord Municipal Affordable Housing Trust.
