Volume 50 – Report No. 22 • May 26-30, 2025
Copyright © 2025 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved. By Bob Katzen.
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Our Legislators in the House and Senate for Somerville:

Rep. Christine Barber
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Thirty-fourth Middlesex. – Consisting of all precincts in wards 4 and 5, precinct 1 of ward 7, and precinct 2 of ward 8, of the city of Medford, precincts 1 and 2 of ward 4, and all precincts of ward 7, of the city of Somerville, both in the county of Middlesex.
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Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Twenty-seventh Middlesex. – Consisting of precinct 3 of ward 2, all precincts of ward 3, precinct 3 of ward 4, and all precincts of wards 5 and 6, of the city of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex.
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Rep. Mike Connolly
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Twenty-sixth Middlesex. – Consisting of all precincts of ward 1, precinct 1 of ward 2, precincts 1 and 2 of ward 3, and precinct 1 of ward 6, of the city of Cambridge, and all precincts of ward 1 and precincts 1 and 2 of ward 2, of the city of Somerville, both in the county of Middlesex.
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Sen. Patricia Jehlen
DISTRICT REPRESENTED: Second Middlesex. – Consisting of the cities of Cambridge, wards 9 to 11, inclusive, Medford and Somerville, and the town of Winchester, precincts 4 to 7, inclusive, in the county of Middlesex.
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THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on the only roll call from the week of May 26-30. There were no roll calls in the House last week.

$189.6 MILLION FOR CHILDCARE (S 2521)

Senate 39-0, approved, House approved on a voice vote without a roll call, and Gov. Maura Healey signed into law a $189.6 fiscal 2025 supplemental budget that provides $95.6 million for the Department of Children and Families and Department of Transitional Assistance-related childcare, and another $94 million for income-eligible childcare.

Supporters said the additional funding is necessary because of the difficulty of advance funding, with precision, these childcare accounts that are “caseload driven.”

“For our early education and care providers, without the authorization of such spending, our providers will not receive their scheduled June childcare financial assistance that’s due them,” said Senate Ways and Means Chair Sen Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport).

“Passing this supplemental budget ensures families across Massachusetts continue to receive the affordable, high-quality childcare they depend on,” said Sen. Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth). “Investing in early education and care isn’t just about helping children thrive — it’s about supporting working parents and building a stronger economy.”

The Senate approved the bill as Rodrigues was showing visiting New Bedford fourth graders around the Senate chamber. “Just like that, we spent $189 million,” Rodrigues told them.

(A “Yes” vote is for the $189.6 million for childcare.)

Sen. Patricia Jehlen           Yes

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ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

CONTAGIOUS DISEASES AND POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL (H 2961) – The Public Service Committee held a hearing on a bill that would provide that police, fire and EMT personnel making claims for death, disability or medical services from contagious diseases – who did not evidence any such condition at the time of entry into service – will be presumed to have acquired these contagious conditions in the line of duty.  If it can be shown that non-service-connected risk factors accidents, or hazards caused such incapacity, the presumption can be rebutted.

The list of diseases includes COVID-19, Hepatitis A, B or C, TB, HIV and other conditions found by the Commissioner of Public Health to have a statistically significant correlation with police, fire or emergency medical service.

The bill would expand current law which establishes that disability or death of public safety personnel resulting from certain conditions of cancer, as well as disease of the lungs/respiratory tract, is presumed to be caused in the line of duty.

Co-sponsor Rep. Greg Schwartz (D-Newton) said that as a physician he understands the increased risk these public service workers face of contracting infectious diseases. “We ask our first responders to engage with the public in situations that often carry increased risk of personal harm to the responder,” said Schwartz. “They perform invaluable, often lifesaving, service to strangers in the line of duty. It is the least we can do to acknowledge the risk to themselves that they take on to serve others in times of need, and we should support them when that service likely is the cause of disease, disability or death.”

PTSD AND POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL (S 1821) – Another bill before the Public Service Committee would require that the disability or death of police, fire or various other public safety personnel resulting from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is presumed to have been suffered in the line of duty.

 “This legislation is needed to safeguard the health and well-being of our public safety personnel who are on the front lines daily to protect their community members,” said Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett). “Thanking these public servants is not enough. We need to put action behind our words and make real improvements by passing bills … which would support those dealing with PTSD and reduce stigma around mental health.”

4-DAY WORK WEEK PILOT PROGRAM (S 1330) – The Labor and Workforce Development Committee held a hearing on legislation that would create a voluntary 4-day work week pilot program in the Bay State. Participating employers would transition employees to a 4-day work week without any reduction in pay, status or benefits. Private employers that complete at least one year in the pilot program and meet reporting requirements, may qualify for state tax credits. Public employers can participate but are not eligible for tax credits. 

“Americans are overstressed and overworked,” said Sen. Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth). “The data shows that a 4-day work week creates a happier workforce, fuels company productivity and helps businesses attract top talent. This pilot program studies its efficacy in Massachusetts to determine whether the 4-day work week could benefit commonwealth employees and businesses.”

PAID PRENATAL LEAVE (S 1361) – Another proposal heard by the Labor and Workforce Development Committee would require employers to provide up to 24 hours of paid prenatal leave per year for pregnant individuals, and up to ten hours for their partners, to support attendance at medical appointments and related care. The proposal is modeled after a similar policy adopted in New York and aims to provide more flexibility for working families to access critical prenatal care.

“I sponsored this bill because expanding prenatal leave helps ensure healthier pregnancies and better birth outcomes,” said sponsor Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow). “When we give families the time they need for early care, we strengthen not just individual health but also public health and workplace stability.”

INSURANCE COMPANIES MUST NOTIFY DRIVERS (H 1200) – The Financial Services Committee held a hearing on legislation that would require insurance companies to provide a written notification to customers when the company charges a fee to process an electronic payment transaction for an automobile insurance policy.

“I filed this bill after hearing from a constituent who was being charged by their insurance company for making online payments and had never been notified that they would be subject to these fees,” said sponsor GOP Minority Leader Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading). “This is a pro-consumer bill that will help to ensure that insurance companies provide full disclosure to their policyholders on any additional fees they may assess for conducting these types of transactions.”

EXPIRED INSPECTION STICKERS (H 1195) – Another measure before the Financial Services Committee would remove an expired inspection sticker violation from being a moving violation, which add points to your driver’s record and sometimes surcharges, and instead make it a non-moving violation, with no points or surcharge.

“I filed this consumer-oriented bill to correct, what I feel, is an unfair insurance surcharge assessed to Massachusetts drivers,” said sponsor Rep. Steve Howitt (R-Seekonk).

FINANCIAL AID FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS – The Healey Administration is urging all students and families, particularly low-income families, to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2025-2026 college academic year. The federal form is required for students to be eligible for certain federal and state financial aid, including free community college and opportunities to attend the state’s public four-year universities without paying tuition and fees.

“Earlier this year, we visited high schools across Massachusetts for our Higher Education Financial Aid Road Show,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “The students we spoke with expressed overwhelming interest in going to college, but many said they were unaware of the historic levels of available state financial aid. Massachusetts has nearly $400 million in financial aid and we want students and families to know the first step to accessing this money is to complete the FAFSA.”

“Too many students leave money on the table by not completing the FAFSA, and the implications of that are significant,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “Accessing financial aid has an impact on whether a student attends the institution of their choice or attends college at all. College access, and the upward mobility that comes from a college degree, all start with applying for financial aid.”

Students and families can learn more about FAFSA by visiting Mass.Gov/FinancialAid which has links to free FAFSA.

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QUOTABLE QUOTES – LET THE 2026 RACE FOR GOVERNOR BEGIN

“Massachusetts means business. We need to support our entrepreneurs and companies, cut their costs and make it easier to do business in our state. That’s what we are doing by cutting red tape, simplifying regulations and saving thousands of businesses and business owners significant time and money so they can focus on what matters most – growing jobs and contributing to our economy.” — Gov. Maura Healey announcing that she is eliminating a series of regulations for the purpose of saving businesses and business owners time and money.

“Gov. Maura Healey has spent her days in the Corner Office devastating Massachusetts’ business environment and making life unaffordable for working people through her support for increased regulations, fees and taxes. As a result, Massachusetts is bleeding businesses, private sector jobs and workers, and is now dead last in the country in job growth.” — Brian Shortsleeve, candidate for the Republican nomination for governor.

“Gov. Healey’s so-called regulatory reform is nothing more than political theater. Any small business owner can see right through this. These symbolic tweaks won’t even begin to fix the hostile business climate, sky-high taxes, and runaway spending that are making Massachusetts unaffordable and unattractive to employers.” — Mike Kennealy, candidate for Republican nomination for governor.

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HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION?

Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of May 26-30, the House met for a total of four hours and 11 minutes while the Senate met for a total of three hours and 22 minutes.

Mon. May 26
No House session
No Senate session

Tues. May 27
House  11:01 a.m. to  1:33 p.m. 
Senate 11:32 a.m. to  1:30 p.m.

Wed. May 28
No House session
No Senate session

Thurs. May 29
House  11:01 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. 
Senate 11:20 a.m. to 12:44 p.m.

Fri. May 30
No House session
No Senate session

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Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com