(BOSTON 2/24/2025) — Today, Second Worcester District Senator Michael Moore announced his legislative agenda for the 194th term of the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. With over 100 bills filed this session, Senator Moore seeks to address some of the most critical issues facing Bay Staters – bringing down the increased cost of living, thoughtfully regulating rapidly advancing technologies like Artificial Intelligence, advancing public safety and cybersecurity initiatives statewide, and more.
“I could not be more pleased to share the agenda that my team and I have been working on for the past several months in preparation for this new legislative term. My agenda, made up of over 100 bills, lays out the roadmap for how I will spend the next two years fighting to make the Second Worcester District and the Commonwealth a more affordable, safer, and more prosperous place,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “I am incredibly honored to already be winning support from my colleagues on a number of my bills, and I look forward to shepherding these priorities though the legislative process.”
Senator Moore’s slate of policy proposals include a combination of brand new bills written to address the needs of his district as well as bills being re-filed after falling short of the finish line in prior legislative terms, but all are created in collaboration with constituents, advocates, and community leaders. This wide-ranging agenda can broadly be placed into six categories, including public health, economic development, public safety, education, local affairs, and infrastructure. A few highlights from each category can be found below.
Public Health
An Act relative to chemicals in food packaging – SD.102
This legislation would ban the sale or use of packaging that is manufactured with PFAS, chemicals that can linger in the body for decades and are known to have significant human health risks.
PFAS, or Polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class designation that includes nearly 10,000 chemicals used to make everyday items waterproof, stain resistant, or non-stick. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in products ranging from cookware to furniture to children’s toys, despite posing dangerous health risks. Even at low levels, the toxicity of PFAS chemicals can be devastating — increasing the risk of cancer, immunosuppression, birth defects, colitis, and other diseases. Compounding these dangers is the persistent nature of PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down in the environment.
This legislation was included in the omnibus PFAs legislation proposed by the Joint Committee on Public Health during the 193rd legislation and is based off of legislation that passed in Washington State and Maine in recent years. Additionally, 11 states have already passed bans on some consumer products manufactured with PFAS.
An Act building a more accessible Massachusetts – SD.105
This bill would make changes to state regulations regarding the accessible infrastructure of residences and workplaces. Specifically, the legislation updates state disability regulations that have fallen behind federal standards and rewrites long outdated statutes that limit opportunity for individuals with disabilities in their search for both housing and employment. Those with disabilities are entitled to the same opportunities as those who are able-bodied; nonetheless, it is common for many to miss out on a potential housing unit or professional position due to inaccessible infrastructure.
An Act relative to the use of artificial intelligence and other software tools in healthcare decision-making – SD.268
Modeled after a California law, this legislation ensures that decisions about medical treatments are made by our health care providers, not solely determined by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms used by health insurers. While the bill does not prohibit the use of AI in assisting with decision making, it includes protections against bias and errors in the decision making process.
An Act relative to improving outcomes for sudden cardiac arrest – SD.103
This bill updates the existing Emergency 911 system to improve outcomes for individuals suffering sudden cardiac arrest (SAC). The Commonwealth’s 911 system responds to about 10 victims a day, but the survival rate is nearly ten times lower than in other parts of the country.
The legislation:
Requires that all dispatchers that provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions be trained in telephone-CPR
Adds a physician with a specialty in emergency medicine and a regional EMS expert to the State 911 Commission
Establishes a registry of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) accessible by 911 operators to make them easier to locate in an emergency
Adds Sudden Cardiac Arrest to the list of reportable diseases, allowing the Commonwealth to collect improved data on these incidents.
Economic Development
An Act relative to surveillance pricing in grocery stores – SD.587
This bill prohibits suggesting items or adjusting the prices of any item in a food store based directly or indirectly on the biometric data of individuals collected on the premises of a store.
An Act relative to preventing algorithmic rent fixing in the rental housing market – SD.1203
This bill addresses an emerging issue where a software service could enable rent fixing in our rental marketplace by setting prices for multiple rental units. If approved, this policy would ban this practice.
The Attorney General is currently in litigation with entities who have allegedly engaged in this type of scheme: AG Campbell Joins Justice Department in Suing RealPage, Large Landlords, for Anticompetitive Algorithmic Pricing Scheme that Harms Renters.
An Act relative to apprenticeship programs – SD.96
These bills would create robust apprenticeship programs at all general contractors and subcontractors who are awarded a state contract by requiring them to participate in an apprentice training program compliant with state and federal law — shaping the next generation of trade workers.
An Act relative to responsibly reducing emissions in the transportation sector – SD.137
This bill would delay the implementation of the Heavy-Duty Omnibus and Advance Clean Truck act until July 1, 2027, to more closely align with the vehicle model year sales cycle. The bill also mandates all of the Commonwealth’s purchases and leases, effective July 1, 2025, be for electric medium-heavy duty vehicles.
Public Safety
An Act establishing the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act – SD.267
This bill establishes comprehensive data privacy protections for Massachusetts residents. The bill, modeled after federal legislation, establishes strong data minimization requirements, prohibits the sale of sensitive data, stops targeting advertising to minors, and requires data brokers register with the Commonwealth.
An Act relative to the ownership of pets by convicted animal abusers – SD.134
This bill would prevent individuals who are convicted of animal abuse from owning animals for at least 5 years. This legislation would protect vulnerable pets from individuals convicted of serious animal cruelty offenses including mutilation, torture, and dogfighting. State law already bans these offenders from working with animals at their place of work but does not prevent access to animals in their home. These are serious violations of criminal law and indicate an unquestioned failure to meet the basic responsibilities that we require of pet owners.
An Act relative to AI-generated child sexual abuse material – SD.678
This bill updates our child sexual abuse material (CSAM) laws to clarify that they apply to CSAM that is created in whole or part by digital methods, including use of artificial intelligence and image generation models.
An Act relative to the use of unmanned aerial systems – SD.106
This bill was crafted in partnership with the ACLU of Massachusetts and would establish common sense guardrails for the use of unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones. Specifically, the bill requires government drones be authorized by public safety personnel and the community, requires law enforcement to procure a warrant for drone surveillance in regard to a criminal investigation, and includes clear exemptions for emergency scenarios.
Education
An Act establishing a college tuition tax deduction – SD.123
This bill aims to alleviate some of the burden of tuition payments on students and families who pay tuition to a Massachusetts public college or university to make obtaining a higher education more affordable and accessible. Higher education costs have skyrocketed over the past few decades, driving students into crushing debt while pursuing a degree. This legislation allows students to deduct up to 50% of tuition and fee payments.
An Act to close the achievement gap by addressing disparities in children’s vision – SD.591
The bill is based on the 2021 Report of the Childhood Vision and Eye Health Commission and would implement its recommendations by creating a computerized registry of children’s vision screening eye care and a children’s vision and eye health advisory council within the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This council would establish recommendations for improved children’s vision and eye health to facilitate short and long-term vision and eye health goals. The legislation also expands the current requirement for a recent eye exam for children entering kindergarten to those entering pre-school. Further, it would apply the requirement for an eye exam to also include private schools.
An Act relative to advanced placement examinations – SD.84
Currently, standards for accepting AP credits vary widely in Massachusetts’ public higher education system, with no guarantee that the substantial time, energy, and money invested into these courses will translate into college credits. This legislation requires all public higher education institutions to develop and adopt written policies and procedures to accept scores of 3, 4, and 5 on all advanced placement examinations to satisfy degree requirements. It also requires that these policies be published on university and college websites.
This bill is modeled after similar legislation signed into law in 36 states aimed to help more students get an early start on college.
An Act assisting low-income students success through work-study – SD.86
This bill would establish a Career Pathways Work Study Trust Fund to help subsidize the costs of work-studies for students enrolled in the Commonwealth’s community colleges. The Trust Fund would also help support an education opportunity coordinator through the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. The trust fund will also help fund internships that would otherwise be unpaid, and thus inaccessible to students who have families that rely on their income to get by.
Local Affairs
An Act protecting safety net access for Massachusetts residents – SD.68
In March 2020, the Worcester office for the Department of Transitional Assistance moved to a new location on the southeast side of the city of Worcester. Prior to the move, the office was located in downtown Worcester – a central location for the region’s residents and easily accessible by many forms of public transportation. While the move provided the needed new space, the new location created significant challenges for those who rely on the office, including single parents, families with small children, and low-income residents – many of whom do not have reliable access to a car.
Under this legislation, strict benchmarks must 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 granting property tax exemptions to disabled veterans – SD.577
This bill is intended to support the group of Veterans who are most likely to struggle with property tax bills —senior veterans with permanent, service-connected disabilities — while limiting costs to the Commonwealth. The bill would create a new subsection in Massachusetts Law to allow disabled Veterans a property tax exemption equal to the percentage of the Veteran’s permanent, service-connected disability as determined by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. This language also requires the Commonwealth to reimburse municipalities for the amount of the tax which would otherwise have been collected.
An Act relative to local approval for charter schools – SD.590
When a new charter school opens in a community, every single student and their families are affected, whether they choose to attend or not. These schools siphon already limited tax dollars away from public schools, shifting the economics of these often-struggling institutions and forcing them to stretch the dollars they continue to receive even further. Too often, decisions about charter school expansion are made in rooms that are far removed from the local classrooms and students that will be affected most.
This bill returns the final say for charter school expansion back in the hands of our communities. The bill would require charter schools receive approval via either an elected school committee, a city/town council and the mayor for cities and towns without an elected school committee, and from voters at a town meeting in the towns where the charter school is expected to enroll students. If a charter school does not receive approval from the towns, they may still open though without receiving Chapter 70 or local funding.
An Act relative to the creation of the Massachusetts Public Safety Building Authority – SD.691
This bill creates a Massachusetts Public Safety Building Authority which would operate as an independent public authority in order to encourage and foster the thoughtful establishment and maintenance of public safety facility space in cities and towns across the Commonwealth. Additionally, the bill establishes a new fund to be known as the Public Safety Building Modernization and Reconstruction Trust Fund, to be financed by cannabis sales revenue.
Infrastructure
An Act relative to crumbling concrete prevention and protection – SD.266
This bill makes changes to existing statute and adds additional statutory provisions to provide greater protections against crumbling concrete. The crumbling concrete crisis has caused severe structural damage to homes across Massachusetts, leaving many families in financial and emotional crisis. These provisions are based on new information, knowledge, and technical expertise developed since the passage of the initial bill in October of 2023 by MassDOT and will create greater, more comprehensive protections and remedies for Commonwealth homeowners.
An Act relative to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence – SD.873
This wide-ranging bill establishes statewide cybersecurity training requirements for public employees, codifies the critical incident response team, updates the civil defense act for cybersecurity considers, establishes regulatory boards for cybersecurity and AI, and creates funds for innovation of IT systems.
An Act relative to the definition of fraud in public construction bid laws – SD.124
This legislation clarifies what constitutes fraud in the public bidding process and would improve the Office of the Attorney General’s ability to root out fraud and misrepresentation in the public bidding arena and ensure transparency and integrity. Currently, our public construction bid laws do not define fraud and the Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Fordyce v Town of Hanover narrowed the definition of fraud in the public bidding context. This narrowed definition now provides that only false statements that constitute fraud are those that cause actual harm to the awarding authority. This bill addresses this by making it clear that contractors who intentionally attempt to deceive awarding authorities cannot be awarded contracts.
An Act relative to transparency in private utility construction contracts – SD.129
This is a is a common-sense bill that would increase transparency and limit costs for certain state contracts. The bill requires that a company who wins a public bid for a private utility construction project disclose the bid and notify other bidders of the terms. This will increase competition and drive down costs while ensuring Massachusetts taxpayers have a full understanding of how their dollars are being spent.
“With Massachusetts at a crossroads in the face of uncertainties surrounding things like paradigm-shifting new technologies hitting the marketplace and the trajectory of the new presidential administration, I’d like to thank Team Moore for stepping up to meet this moment, as well as express my gratitude to my constituents and the tireless advocates who are standing up to fight for the issues they believe in. I am looking forward to continuing our collaboration as we move forward into the new term,” said Senator Moore.
The launch of this agenda follows a number of key policy wins for the Senator last session, including bills allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense hormonal birth control without an appointment, banning the use of toxic PFAS chemicals in firefighting gear, legalizing the use of school bus traffic safety cameras, protecting a buyer’s right to a home inspection, legally defining “coercive control” as abuse, and more being signed into law.
Senator Michael Moore’s full legislative agenda, along with short summaries of each of his 105 bills, can be found on his website here.
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