Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, July 31, 2026 DIDOMENICO | FROM PAGE 1 important pieces of legislation I filed so that we can address poverty head on, support health care workers, and empower more people to bike safely across our state,” said Senator DiDomenico. “The bond funding I got authorized for local projects has the potential to support my district’s cities in critical infrastructure improvement plans that will benefit residents in our communities and beyond. This package will do so much for our economy, small businesses, and residents across my district, and I look forward to fighting for all this language in the conference committee.” The bill also surges the production of new housing units through automatic two-family zoning across Massachusetts, creates safety rules for fast electric scooters and e-bikes and invests $100M in immediate support for scientific research programs at public higher education institutions. With $575.4M in authorizations, the bill is poised to grow quality jobs in the Commonwealth, support innovation and improve the quality of life for workers and families. The bill prioritizes bonding investments to boost every aspect of the Massachusetts economy, including: • $100M to support and promote economic growth and job creation in the defense sector • $75M to support the development and application of AI • $25M to support downtown and main street vitality in Massachusetts towns and cities, in addition to $2.5M to help convert vacant storefronts into pop-up opportunities for new small businesses • $25M for research and development of robotics technology • $20M to support construction of early stage and highgrowth business ventures • $20M to support community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and small businesses • $25M to support arts, culture and the creative economy, building on recent successes of the Massachusetts tourism and cultural sector. The legislation requires major AI developers — known as large frontier developers — to account for their AI models’ risk of critical safety incidents by setting frameworks to avoid potential catastrophes. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) would be empowered to bring civil lawsuits against major AI developers if they violate these new safety requirements. The bill would create unprecedented levels of new housing units in Massachusetts by allowing two-family homes on all residentially zoned lots, subject to reasonable local limitations. Supporting the Massachusetts economy’s workers and their families, the bill goes further to boost the state’s housing stock by creating an easier process for converting commercial properties into residential units and requiring timely review processes for housing construction projects. Recent e-bike and electric scooter technology has moved beyond older state laws into unregulated territory. This bill accounts for these developments by creating new safety standards that keep young children off these devices, some of which can speed at 30 miles per hour, and banning mopeds and similar devices from bike lanes and shared use paths. Scientific research drives a significant part of the Massachusetts economy. With federal research funding under threat, the legislation invests an immediate $100M in bridge funding for public higher education institutions to help maintain the pace of scientific discovery and retain talented graduate and post-doctorate workers. Over the course of two days of debate, the Senate built on the underlying bill by adopting amendments in critical areas related to responsible technological advancement, the hospitality industry and vibrant business districts and the ability for certain professions to work across state lines. Safety in technological innovation • Stopping Cryptocurrency ATM Misuse (Amendment 374): responds to the use of cryptocurrency kiosks as tools in predatory scams by fully banning the operation of such kiosks in Massachusetts. In recent years scammers have directed older adults to use crypto kiosks to send money, which is often not recoverable when the fraud is discovered, leading some seniors to lose their entire life savings. • Frontier AI Risk Reports and Independent Verification (Amendment 471): verifies that large AI developers are complying with new safety requirements by requiring independent, third-party safety audits; requires large AI companies to undergo in-depth, independent safety testing every four months to identify any residual catastrophic risks. • Protecting Against CSAM (Amendment 94): criminalizes the creation, possession or sharing of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in response to new AI technology and computer programs capable of generating synthetic images that are indistinguishable from real photos. Penalties for sharing such images go up to 10 years imprisonment. Creating or prompting synthetic CSAM is punishable by up to five years in prison, or 10 years if the image depicts a real child. • Responsible Robotics (Amendment 118): ensures responsible use of robotics technology; prohibits the possession, operation, manufacture or sale of robots that are equipped with weapons — including firearms, chemical agents, weaponized lasers and explosives; prohibits the use of a robotic device to criminally harass or physically restrain another person. Violations are punishable by up to five years in prison. The language includes a waiver process for defense companies and contractors, an exemption for the military and a process for law enforcement to use weaponized robots to destroy or diffuse bombs, with a proper warrant. The “Fun Agenda” • No Soccer No Party (Amendment 595): convenes a working group to study the feasibility of a future international soccer tournament to be held in Massachusetts. The group — organized under the Office of International Trade and Investment — would study potential dates, venues, operational needs and funding sources and would coordinate with representatives of participating countries, including the United States, Scotland and nations with a significant diaspora in Massachusetts. • Making music affordable by reining in predatory ticket scalping (Amendment 20): Institutes a 110 per cent cap on prices charged by ticket resale platforms for music concert tickets. • Happy Hour (Amendment 78): gives cities and towns the option of reestablishing “happy hour” discounted alcohol sales policies, boosting bars, restaurants and other licensed establishments. Municipalities would regulate happy hours by local ordinance. • Conviviality Districts (Amendment 309): builds on the success of a historic summer by permanently allowing cities and towns to permit public alcohol consumption in designated outdoor districts. Municipalities would be able to adopt the local-option districts for areas, such as streets and parks, with the requirement that drinks be purchased from licensed establishments within the designated area. • Public Arts and Entertainment Microgrant Program (Amendment 354): authorizes $1M for a new grant program to boost the cultural and economic vitality of downtown areas, commercial areas, cultural districts, gathering places and nightlife destinations. The Mass Cultural Council would distribute the microgrants to support public arts, performances and programming. • Cultivating Agritourism Across Massachusetts (Amendment 70): authorizes $5M for grants to support local farms, agriculture and small businesses through agritourism. • Massport Liquor License Flexibility (Amendment 441): allows bars and restaurants at Boston Logan International Airport to continue serving alcohol as long as flights are arriving and departing from the airport. Networking jobs across state lines • Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (Amendment 11): increases access to psychology services by adding Massachusetts to an interstate compact that recognizes the licensure of psychologists in other participating states; allows licensed psychologists from those states to practice via telehealth across state lines. • Social Work Licensure Compact (Amendment 222): supports Massachusetts social workers by joining surrounding states in the social work licensure compact, ensuring they can continue to care for patients in other states. • Establishing a Physical Therapy Compact (Amendment 402): bolsters the physical therapy workforce by working toward the creation of an interstate compact, which would allow licensed physical therapists and assistants to practice across participating state lines. Fostering a strong local and regional economy • Juvenile Jurisdiction (Amendment 495): raises the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include residents who are 18 years old. The “raise the age” initiative has proven to decrease crime, increase public safety and improve economic outcomes by allowing emerging adults who are 18 years old — typically a high school senior — to be tried as juveniles instead of adults for certain crimes. • Requiring Automated Criminal Record Sealing (Amendment 511): automates and expedites the process of sealing criminal records, ensuring that eligible people are able to move forward without bureaucratic delays. • Affordable Homeownership Pilot (Amendment 46): supports the development and construction of permanently affordable homeownership units by aiding the creation of a pilot program; authorizes $2.5M to fund the creation of units for low- and moderate-income households, including units within mixed-use developments. • Municipal Tax Relief (Amendment 554): gives cities and towns the option of providing enhanced tax relief in the form of a rebate to lowerand middle-income taxpayers who already receive the residential tax exemption; creates DIDOMENICO | SEE PAGE 9
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