An Act relative to smoking cessation agents

This legislation allows a licensed pharmacist to dispense smoking cessation agents. Before dispensing smoking cessation agents, a pharmacist shall complete a training program approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, which shall include but not be limited to proper documentation, quality assurance, and referral to additional services, including appropriate recommendation that the patient follow-up with a medical practitioner.

An Act to further clear titles to real property affected by technical irregularities in recorded instruments

This legislation would expand the provisions of MGL ch.184 s.24 to cure defects in property titles from common technical drafting and execution problems. The expansion of the type of entities that hold title to properties has led to many more drafting and technical errors in relevant documents, including deeds and mortgages. As a result, owners are forced to reconcile these defects through land court, which is difficult and time consuming. The language would statutorily cure many of the most common types of technical, non-substantive errors.

An Act allowing for the deduction of business interest

The legislation decouples Massachusetts from the new limitations on interest expense deductibility under IRC §163(j). This action maintains the status quo for this particular corporate tax policy and does not represent a tax break. Decoupling reestablishes the tax treatment of interest expense that existed prior to the enactment of federal tax reform. It enables Massachusetts to continue to compete with other states that have already chosen to decouple or have more favorable tax regimes than Massachusetts. Decoupling would prevent a corporate tax increase, stop a hike in the cost of capital and ensure that Massachusetts remains competitive for investment.

An Act relative to police training in appropriate interactions with persons on the autism spectrum and other intellectual and developmental disabilities

Police reform legislation passed last session included critical training requirements for law enforcement personnel concerning how they interact with individuals on the autism spectrum. However, the training did not extend to corrections officers, who are also responsible for the custody of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities on a daily basis. This training is currently only done for new officers.

This legislation would provide training for interactions with individuals on the autism spectrum for all law enforcement officers — making our communities safer for all.

An Act relative to hospital profit and fairness

Healthcare costs are skyrocketing. One issue contributing to the rise of healthcare costs is that the salaries paid to CEOs do not in any way reflect the quality of care, patient outcomes, or community benefits.

This legislation requires hospitals receiving public money to disclose financial assets and assess fees on publicly funded hospitals that compensate executives more than 100 times more than other employees. These fees will fund a Medicaid Reimbursement Enhancement Fund, which will increase Medicaid reimbursements to eligible hospitals.

An Act extending the civil statute of limitations for child abuse

In 2015, the Massachusetts Legislature extended the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse so that victims in Massachusetts now have at least 35 years after their 18th birthday (53 years of age) to file civil actions against their abusers and at least 7 years (up to 35 years depending on the date the harm occurred) from their 18th birthday to file civil actions against those whose negligence contributed to the abuse.

This legislation would extend this new, longer statute of limitations to cover non-sexual child abuse, giving victims more time to hold their abusers accountable.

An Act protecting safety net access for Massachusetts residents

This legislation would require strict benchmarks be met before closing or moving community service offices, including:

  • At least 120 days for legislators, local leaders, and the community to comment

  • Detailed data, proposals, and plans for how the closure or relocating of the office affects the community and how low-income and underserved residents will be able to access the next closest location

An Act relative to public safety on private college and university campuses

This legislation allows for police officers employed by private colleges in universities to be eligible to obtain a Massachusetts Police Identification Card, which is currently used as a basic ID across law enforcement departments. This is especially important for a number of urban campus departments who regularly assist municipal departments for large scale events, including the Boston Marathon or various parades. It also allows these officers to carry tasers, under the same regulations as other police officers.

An Act relative to custom-built heavy duty vehicles sold in the Commonwealth

This narrow legislation applies the language of the original Right-to-Repair law, passed in 2013, to the newly adopted Right-to-Repair Telematics law.

The requirements of the original 2013 law applied to heavy-duty vehicles, but the legislature expressly excluded those heavy-duty vehicles that were built to custom specifications – an acknowledgment of the unique and different realities of that aspect of the commercial vehicle manufacturing industry. With regard to the Right-to-Repair amendments that passed in November 2020, while heavy-duty vehicles were included in the law's new telematics requirements, the “built to custom specifications” language was omitted.

The bill adds a provision that mirrors the language of the original law, and inserts the following exception to the telematics requirement: "including heavy duty vehicles that are not heavy duty vehicles built to custom specifications sold in the commonwealth for commercial purposes."

An Act relative to life cycle costs for long term pavement solutions

This legislation requires the Department of Transportation to study the long-term cost-effectiveness of pavement alternatives, specifically concrete for use in transportation projects. The language also requires that MassDOT conduct 4 demonstration projects annually that test different pavement designs, and analyze the results.

These results will be reported by MassDOT, and include comparisons of long-term costs, reduction of noise, friction, and ride quality.

An Act relative to completing police reform by providing equity to state-employed and special authority law enforcement officers in the Commonwealth

This legislation addresses the inequality of not treating all police officers the same in terms of injuries, heart disease presumptions, and retirement by extending the same statutory protections to police officers appointed by the University of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Port Authority, and campuses of the state universities and community colleges.

An Act relative to the alignment of the University of Massachusetts police

This bill moves the University of Massachusetts police officers into Group 4 for purposes of the retirement system. These officers are expected to perform at the same level as municipal police across the Commonwealth. They receive the same training and wield the same powers, rights, and responsibilities, yet are entitled to a fraction of the retirement benefits. This has lasting detrimental effects on the University’s police force, which experiences a high rate of turnover, with many citing the lack of benefits as a primary reason for departure.