Policy
FILE – The Massachusetts State House. AP Photo/Elise Amendola, file
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Legislature ended its formal 19-month session early Thursday morning, approving a housing bond bill but leaving other major pieces of legislation pending, including an economic development bill, a renewable energy bill and a hospital bill.
The legislature is now in informal session for the remainder of the year, during which a single lawmaker can block passage of any bill.
Here’s a look at some of the new laws and bills that remain unfinished:
ORIGIN
Massachusetts lawmakers approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey for her signature Wednesday a bill that would update the state’s parentage laws to include LGBTQ+ parents and families who use methods such as assisted reproduction and surrogacy.
The bill would eliminate one of the last vestiges of Massachusetts law that treats same-sex parents and those who engage in assisted reproduction differently from all other parents, its supporters say.
Parental rights include the ability to attend and make decisions at medical appointments, manage a child’s finances, participate in educational decisions, and provide permissions for a child’s travel.
SALARY TRANSPARENCY
Massachusetts businesses with more than 25 employees must disclose salary ranges when posting job openings, under a new bill Healey signed Wednesday, bringing the commonwealth into line with 10 other states that already require salary transparency.
The law also protects a worker’s right to ask his employer about the salary scale when applying for a job or seeking a promotion.
The attorney general’s office will also be empowered to impose fines or civil citations for violations of the law, and employees will receive protections against retaliation for asking about pay ranges when applying for a job or promotion.
HOUSING SET
One of the few major bills approved in the final hours of the session was a $5.2 billion housing bond program that Healey said was one of his priorities.
The bill would change zoning laws to make it easier for homeowners to create accessory dwelling units, sometimes called “granny flats,” and would authorize billions for the state’s affordable housing system.
Healey pushed for the bill as a way to address the state’s housing crisis, which has driven up costs for renters and prospective homeowners.
FIRST RESPONDERS INJURED
On Thursday, Healey said he signed a bill that would ensure first responders who are seriously injured in the line of duty receive full compensation until they retire. The bill applies to police officers, firefighters, public and municipal EMTs and licensed public and municipal health care professionals.
The law allows first responders who are unable to perform essential job duties because of a violent injury to receive a disability pension equal to 100% of their regular pay. This amount will be reduced to 80% when they reach mandatory retirement age.
A first responder is eligible if they have suffered a catastrophic, life-threatening or life-changing and permanent bodily injury due to a violent attack.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
One of the major bills that lawmakers failed to pass was an economic development package.
The bill would have helped pave the way for a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution in Everett and also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in another Healey priority: the state’s life sciences and climate technology sector.
An attempt to reinstate happy hours for restaurants, which have been banned since 1984, also failed.
HOSPITALS
Another bill that failed to reach Healey’s desk sought to address some of the issues raised after Steward Health Care announced its bankruptcy on May 6 and two days later said it planned to sell the 30 hospitals it operates.
The bill would have strengthened the state’s tools to protect the health care system by focusing on major players in the health care market, including providers, insurers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and for-profit investment firms, its supporters said.
The bill would also have expanded the authority of state agencies charged with measuring and containing health care costs.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Another bill that failed in the final hours was intended to help shore up the state’s reliance on renewable energy, in part by streamlining the state and local permitting process for projects that move the state away from fossil fuel use, its supporters said.
The Massachusetts Senate has approved its version of the bill, which it says would help the state meet its climate goals, including reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said the House version aims to increase clean energy supplies through new renewable energy projects, greater storage capacity and simplified permitting.
SUPERVISED INJECTION SITES
Another bill that failed to clear a final legislative hurdle would have authorized the creation of supervised injection sites where people could consume illegal drugs in the presence of staff trained to help reverse overdoses.
House Democratic Speaker Ronald Mariano on Tuesday accused the Senate of waiting until the penultimate day of the 19-month session to approve its version of the bill.
