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Page 12 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Thursday, July 3, 2025 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives' and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of June 23-27. APPROVE JOINT RULES FOR 20252026 SESSION (S 2545) House 157-3, Senate 40-0, approved a package of joint House-Senate rules under which the House and Senate will operate in the 2025-2026 session. Provisions include increasing from 3 days to 10 days the advance notice that must be given before a committee hearing is held; allowing the public to participate remotely in committee hearings; posting on the Legislature’s website the attendance record of each legislator at hearings of his or her committees and how each individual senator or representative voted on the bills acted upon by the committee. Other provisions include requiring committees to produce and post on the Legislature’s website plain-language summaries of all bills in time for their hearings; requiring committees to adopt rules making written testimony submitted to the committee to be made publicly available; requiring committees to report out bills by the first Wednesday in December of the first year of the 2-year session; allowing the Legislature to meet in formal session after July 31 in the second year of the legislative session to take up only reports of conference committees formed on or before July 31, appropriation bills filed after July 31 and gubernatorial vetoes or amendments; requiring that the public be allowed to attend the first meeting of any conference committee that is working on hammering out a compromise version when the House and Senate approve different versions of a bill; and requiring a minimum of 24 hours between when a conference committee report is filed and legislators are asked to vote on it. “These critical reforms are representative of the House’s strong commitment to the pursuit of a more accessible and efficient Legislature that is responsive to the concerns of our constituents,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “We remain focused on the all-important responsibility of bettering the General Court as an institution, a goal that I know so many of my colleagues are committed to.” “I’m proud of the contributions the Senate has made to this comprehensive joint rules agreement that will welcome the public into our day-today work in a much more transparent and accessible way, while adjusting the legislative calendar and workflow to better reflect how we operate today,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “Our best work on behalf of the people of Massachusetts happens when more voices are at the table, and these reforms are a positive step toward that goal.” “I am proud to have helped lead the effort, on behalf of the Senate, to reach an agreement on the Legislature's joint rules, which reflects our shared commitment to transparency and increased public participation,” said Senate Majority Leader Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “This is a meaningful step forward, made possible through close collaboration between the Senate and the House, and I am optimistic these reforms will bring greater clarity, accountability and momentum to the work ahead.” “These updates to the joint rules will streamline legislative work to aid efficiency and allow for more public involvement in the process,” said Rep. Bill Galvin (D-Canton), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Rules. “Our constituents are increasingly engaging in the legislative process online and expect ample access to information on the progress of bills. These changes make information more accessible to the public on the legislative website in real time and provide more opportunities for residents to be involved.” Reps. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) and Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick) were the only two legislators to vote against the rules package. Neither one responded to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them to explain why they opposed the package. “These rules reforms are a welcome and potentially valuable step in making the Legislature's procedures more timely, accessible, and transparent,” said Peter Enrich a member of the steering committee of The Coalition to Reform Our Legislature (CROL). “It is gratifying to see this responsiveness of the Legislature to the criticism and demands for reform coming from frustrated citizens and organizations. At the same time, it is important to recognize that these rules changes are at best a small, first step in rebuilding an effective, accountable and transparent Legislature, where legislators are more responsive to the citizens who elect them than to the legislative leaders who presently dominate the system.” “What an exciting first step toward basic standards of a transparent and democratic Legislature,” said Aaron Singer producer and director of “Shadows on the Hill,” an upcoming documentary that he says asks why common-sense bills don’t pass the Massachusetts Legislature. “If leadership is serious about reform, they'll need to address the loyalty stipends, top-down committee appointments and lack of an independent research service. When 85 percent of the House votes with the speaker 100 percent of the time in 2024, it's clear: the real boss is the guy controlling their pay, power and access to information. “These new rules should be the beginning, not the end, of democratic reforms,” said Progressive Mass Policy Director Jonathan Cohn. “That we have them at all is a credit to years of advocacy and popular education, the landslide win of Question 1 on the ballot last year and the willingness of candidates to make Beacon Hill’s inertia and lack of transparency a key issue. There is more to do, such as structural reforms like fixing a stipend system that centralizes power or the deeper work of changing the culture of Beacon Hill in a way that encourages legislators to be more willing to speak out, stand out and not settle for inertia and small wins. But today, we celebrate.” (A “Yes” vote is for the new joint rules. A “No” vote is against them.) Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes Sen. Jason Lewis Yes REPRODUCTIVE AND TRANSGENDER CARE PROTECTIONS (S 2538) Senate 37-3 approved and sent to the House legislation that would strengthen health care protections in the Bay State. The bill is designed to fortify protections for people seeking and providing reproductive and transgender care. The legislation would prohibit state agencies and law enforcement from cooperating with other states or federal investigations into legally protected reproductive or transgender health care provided in Massachusetts. Under the bill, businesses that manage electronic health information would similarly be limited in sharing patient data connected to these services. Other provisions would allow prescriptions to be issued with the name of a healthcare practice rather than an individual practitioner; exclude certain reproductive and gender-affirming medications from the state’s drug monitoring programs; limit third-party access to related medical records; enhance license protections for attorneys and anyone providing reproductive or transgender health care services; and forbid insurance companies from discriminating against or penalizing providers who offer reproductive and transgender health services. “As we face new, more unpredictable threats from a hostile federal government that is targeting those engaged in care that is legally protected under Massachusetts law, we must again stand up to defend our autonomy and the rights of Massachusetts residents,” said Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington). “The passage of the [the bill] upholds the Senate’s commitment to always keep the health and safety of Massachusetts residents at the forefront of our work.” “With today’s vote, Massachusetts is reinforcing its legacy of safeguarding abortion care despite ever-evolving and escalating efforts from a hostile federal administration to empower anti-abortion extremists and undermine access to reproductive health care and our fundamental right to bodily autonomy nationwide,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now. “Abortion and gender-affirming care providers and patients are under escalating attacks, facing lawsuits, harassment and intimidation by hostile states around the country,” said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Massachusetts has long recognized that access to these forms of health care is essential – for our health, our families and our bodily autonomy. This legislation builds on our state's already-strong shield law protections in a time of tremendous urgency.” "This bill is looking to solve a problem that doesn't exist and in doing so actually creates problems,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton), one of only three senators to vote against the bill. “For example, the bill prevents the disclosure of health information when requested by other states even during criminal investigations. If a child is raped by a family member and then trafficked to Massachusetts for abortion services, this bill would allow the commonwealth of Massachusetts to prohibit outside agencies from obtaining any information that may be germane to a criminal investigation. The bill also calls into question parental rights and custodial issues regarding minors from out of state who are seeking healthcare services unbeknownst to their parents." Sens. Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton) and Pater Durant (R-Spencer), the only other members who voted against the proposal, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them to explain why they opposed the legislation. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote Is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis Yes REGULATE DOCUMENTS REQUESTS (S 2538) Senate 5-34, rejected an amendment that would require the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations related to document requests made by other states and the federal government and maintain a database of the requests. The amendment would also require HHS to provide a record of the requests to the House and Senate Clerks. “The top priority we should all have is the safety of our friends, family and neighbors” said Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) who voted for the amendment. “I will continue to work to ensure that the rights and protections that these individuals have are safeguarded by the Legislature and that everyone has access to their right to proper healthcare without interference from other states or legislative bodies.” Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), the sponsor of the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to explain why he proposed the amendment. “I voted against [the amendment] because, while I agreed with the intent [of the amendment], I didn’t believe it could be implemented without a lot of further research to make it possible to implement as written,” said Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington). “Having not spoken with HHS, we couldn’t do that in time to redraft it.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote Is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis No ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL GOV. HEALEY SIGNS $1.3 BILLION FOR TRANSPORTATION AND EDUCATION PACKAGE (H 4227) - Gov. Maura Healey signed into law a $1.3 billion fiscal 2025 supplemental budget that uses funds generated from the surtax imposed on taxpayers’ earnings of more than $1 million annually, to fund $593 million for education-related projects and $716 million for transportation-related ones. The surtax was created by voters in November 2022 when they voted for a constitutional amendment, dubbed by supporters as the “Fair Share Amendment,” that allows a graduated income tax in Massachusetts and imposes an additional 4 percent income tax, in addition to the flat 5 percent one, on taxpayers’ earnings of more than $1 million annually. A total of $535 million of the $716 million for transportation will be used for various MBTA projects. Other provisions include $80 million for Chapter 90 aid to ensure every city and town receives funding to maintain local roads and bridges; $16.4 million for municipally owned small bridges and culverts; $7 million for the improvement and maintenance of unpaved roads; and $5 million for transportation improvements associated with the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. The $593 million for education includes $248 million for special education; $115 million for public higher education infrastructure investments; $25 million for tutoring to support accelerated literacy growth and success for students in kindergarten through grade 3; $10 million for English Language Learning Programs; $10 million to support the Holocaust Museum in Boston; and $10 million for grants to eligible local school districts for clean energy infrastructure improvements and upgrades. “I proposed this bill to address two of the most critical needs we have as a state – transportation and education,” said Gov. Healey. “For decades, our transportation system has been underinvested in, and Massachusetts residents and businesses have been paying the price. We’re delivering an historic infusion of funding to upgrade roads and bridges and finally stabilize the finances at the T. We’re also expanding access to the programs that have been proven to support students and help them recover from the learning losses they suffered due to the pandemic, like tutoring and career and technical education.” “As the school year comes to a close, educators and families can head into summer break knowing that significant funding is coming their way that delivers the support they need for special education, childcare and tutoring,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. “At the same time, we’re ushering in a new era of modern, reliable transportation across Massachusetts. We look forward to continuing to build on the progress we’ve been making on transportation and education across the state.” “Ensuring that every Massachusetts resident has access to a safe and reliable public transportation system, and that every student in the commonwealth receives a high-quality education, are two of the most fundamental responsibilities that we have as elected officials,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “The investments being made in this supplemental budget are representative of the commonwealth’s continued focus on meeting those responsibilities.” “No matter where you live in Massachusetts, you deserve reliable transportation and an education that opens doors to opportunities,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “This funding moves us closer to a commonwealth where everyone has access to both. At a time when the federal government’s commitment to safe transit and strong public education is BHRC| SEE PAGE 13

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