Bringing Beacon Hill to You

During September, I testified in support of several of my bills, joined the Senate in passing a supplemental budget and the Data Privacy Act, and spent time with residents at a multitude of community events.

This month, formal sessions led to several bills passing in the Senate. 

On September 18, the Legislature enacted a supplemental budget. The bill prioritizes care for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable populations by supporting fiscally strained hospitals and community health centers. The funding agreement makes $199 million available for eligible high public payer acute care hospitals throughout Massachusetts. This approach maximizes federal financial reimbursements, stabilizes the Health Safety Net Trust Fund, and targets payments to hospitals to optimize the use of taxpayer dollars. This supplemental budget invests in the health of Commonwealth residents at a critical time given increasing uncertainty at the federal level. The Governor has signed this bill into law.  

Later that afternoon, we enacted a bill establishing September 1, 2026, as the statewide primary election day. A standard action taken by the Legislature, this ensures that local clerks are given the necessary time to send and process vote-by-mail ballots for residents and gives election officials the ability to meet a required federal timeline for sending ballots to military servicemembers and citizens overseas. 

The Senate also passed legislation that aims to bring the rental car industry in Massachusetts onto the same playing field as the majority of other states. We have been an outlier in requiring rental companies to shoulder the primary insurance for the cars they rent out to customers. The bill requires vehicle rental companies to maintain a liability policy up to the state’s minimum coverage requirements on a secondary, rather than primary, basis. Such companies would only be liable if the renter is uninsured or underinsured. This bill now goes to the House of Representatives. 



Building on a 2024 law, we passed a bill providing criminal and civil liability protections for those in the harm reduction community who provide or use fentanyl test strips in good faith. According to the Department of Public Health, nearly 400,000 fentanyl test strips were distributed in 2024, and fentanyl was present in 88.6% of opioid-related overdose deaths that year. This bill also goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration. 

We also passed legislation ensuring that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are equally protected from abuse at MassHealth day habilitation services as they are in other care settings. This updates a law that was designed to flag caretakers who were found to have seriously abused people with intellectual or developmental disabilities so that they cannot be hired in a similar position by another employer. This bill closes an unintended protection gap by expanding the list of employers covered by the Registry of Abusive Care Providers to include day habilitation service providers contracted by MassHealth.  

On September 25, the Legislature passed S.2608, An Act establishing the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act to ensure residents maintain privacy in today's digital era. None of us would let big companies snoop around our fridge, closet, or medicine cabinet. So, why let them scoop up our data and sell what they find? Companies should not be allowed to sell sensitive information like GPS location, biometrics, or healthcare details without consent. I appreciate my colleagues' work crafting this vital bill and was pleased to vote to pass it, especially since few other states have done so. The bill has been sent to the House of Representatives for its consideration. 

I chaired a recent hearing held by the Joint Committee on Election Laws, at which dozens of incarcerated people and advocates testified in support of S.524. This bill would restore voting rights to incarcerated residents of the Commonwealth. At the same hearing, the committee also received testimony on S.505 / H.834, An Act establishing same day voter registration. Many previously incarcerated people speaking on S.524 also spoke about this bill, noting that release dates and voter registration deadlines often do not align. Others emphasized the convenience and potential for increased voter turnout that same-day registration offers. The Committee also heard from people on more specific and local bills. I was especially impressed by young people from Somerville and Conway who testified in favor of allowing those aged 16 and older to vote in municipal elections. 

September was a busy month for hearings held by committees on which I serve. The Public Health, Public Service, Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, and Revenue committees all held hearings on several bills. I also testified on many of my bills this month, most of which relate to advancing public health initiatives.

At the Financial Services hearing on September 9, I testified on four of my bills, all centered around expanding and ensuring proper behavioral health treatment and making our health care system more responsive.  

S.772 would increase from 14 to 30 days the number of days for which insurers must provide coverage for addiction treatment.      

S.771 would ensure that addiction and mental illness treatment are both covered by insurance when patients receive a dual diagnosis.    

S.769 would require continuity of care for mental health treatment even if there has been a change in insurance coverage, no matter the cause.    

S.773 would expand access to mental health services by eliminating prior authorizations, expanding the types of facilities that could provide treatment, and aligning coverage requirements with reforms that have occurred over the past several years.  

On September 15, I testified at a Financial Services Committee hearing on S.768, which would create a special commission on affordable housing insurance. Massachusetts should follow New York and prohibit insurance companies from charging properties with affordable housing higher insurance premiums. 

At a Revenue Committee hearing on September 29, I testified on S.2020, which would increase the tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack. Studies have shown that making cigarettes more expensive would deter young people from smoking and encourage those already smoking to quit by making their deadly habit less affordable. 

I was honored to receive the Partner in Prevention Award from the Braintree Community Partnership, joining fellow recipients Patrick McDermott, Norfolk County Sheriff, Matthew Sisk, Assistant Deputy Superintendent for Rehabilitative Services, Leslie Lagos, Director of the Sun Will Rise Foundation, Ashley Mayerjak, Manager of Prevention, Manet Community Health Center, and Kathleen Mahoney, Regional Tobacco Inspector. 

Overdose prevention is crucial to fighting the opioid epidemic. We must continue to educate and support people, families, and communities to reduce overdose deaths. Thank you to the Braintree Community Partnership for its dedication to helping those who struggle with addiction. 

On September 26, I spoke on this same topic before hundreds of people on Boston Common at a recovery month celebration presented by the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR). Those in recovery committed to helping others is incredibly inspiring.  

In remembrance of September 11, 2001, I attended ceremonies in both the Town of Abington and the City of Quincy to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on that horrific day 24 years ago.  

Along with citizens and local officials, I attended Rockland Police Department’s appreciation day. Many thanks to Chief Zeoli and the members of the department for their great work. 

Later that day, I enjoyed music, one-act plays, and even an owl from Mass Audubon at “From Colonial to Contemporary: A Quincy Celebration,” a superb event put on by the Thalia Theater Troupe.  

The day had a delicious ending at the Houghs Neck Annual ChowdaFest.  



The next day, many others and I showed our support for the Braintree American Little League players and coaches. We celebrated the team’s accomplishments during the Rolling Rally Parade and then at Town Hall. Congratulations to all for an outstanding season and for representing Braintree so well on the national stage at the Little League World Series!

Later in the month, I had the opportunity to visit Snug Harbor Community School in Quincy. Joined by educators, climate advocates, and fellow elected officials, we witnessed firsthand the positive impact of the Green School Works initiative.  

This program, a collaboration between Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, helps K–12 public schools install and maintain clean energy infrastructure. All the upgrades contribute to a healthier, more sustainable learning environment.  

Quincy has a uniquely rich history, and this was showcased during Open Heritage Day. All in one day, I visited the Adams birthplaces, the Adams home known as the Old House at Peace Field, and the Josiah Quincy home, which Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de LaFayette once visited. So many simple homes that produced incredible leaders and visionaries all in the city that I too am proud to call home.   

I am hosting office hours through October. Please feel free to stop by with questions, comments, or just to chat about state issues. Details on the dates, times, and locations are as follows: