An Act building a more accessible Massachusetts

This legislation updates state disability regulations that have fallen behind federal standards in the past decade. The key action this bill takes to make Massachusetts more accessible is by making changes to the Architectural Access Board (AAB), a state-level board that develops and enforces regulations designed to make public buildings accessible to, functional for, and safe for use by persons with disabilities.

If passed, this bill will add an additional member of the disability advocacy community to the AAB. It also extends the AAB’s regulatory authority to employee areas of public buildings, expands its authority to spaces around buildings like parking lots and sidewalks, and aligns the body’s definition of “public building” with ADA regulations.

Previously, much of the language of this bill was included in the House version of the 2022 Economic Development bill, but was later dropped as part of the process to pass a narrow bill during informal session.

An Act relative to chemicals in food packaging

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.

8 states have already passed bans on consumer products manufactured with PFAS.

An Act improving child eye care

This legislation implements recommendations of the Children’s Vision Report, released in 2021 by the Childhood Vision and Eye Health Commission.

If passed, this legislation would create a comprehensive system to track children’s eye care — including screenings, follow-up appointments, and treatments — whether the interaction happened at a school or a doctor’s office.

The legislation would also establish an advisory committee comprised of eye care experts and stakeholders to make recommendations to improve how we deliver eye care to children.

An Act establishing a PFAS Research and Development Public Safety Fund

This legislation would create a dedicated fund to support programs and grants related to researching, developing, and purchasing PFAS-free firefighter gear.

PFAS, or Polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class designation that includes nearly 10,000 chemicals used to make everyday items waterproof, fire-resistant, or non-stick. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in products ranging from cookware to firefighting equipment 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.

An Act relative to hormonal contraceptives

This legislation would allow a registered pharmacist to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptive patches and self-administered oral hormonal contraceptives. This law would apply to people older than 18 without a previous prescription from a primary care practitioner or women’s health care practitioner, and people under the age of 18 if the person has a previous prescription from a primary care practitioner or women’s health care practitioner.

An Act establishing a bill of rights for survivors of sexual assault and related purposes

This bill establishes an assurance of certain rights for survivors of sexual assault. It includes the right to consult with a sexual assault counselor and the ability to have a supporter present during medical or physical examinations, or during interviews with law enforcement, prosecutors, or defense attorneys. It codifies the confidentiality of communications between a survivor and sexual assault counselors despite the presence of a third party. It also governs the collection of sexual assault evidence, barring medical providers from charging the survivor for the examination and alerting the survivor to emergency contraceptive options. The bill sets standards for the right to counsel, maintenance of evidence, and commonsense limitations on how that evidence could be used to prosecute survivors.

An Act relative to improving outcomes for sudden cardiac arrest

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.

An Act to protect individuals with disabilities in MassHealth day habilitation programs

In 2020, the legislature passed Senator Moore’s Nicky’s Law, a law that established a registry to track caretakers found to have abused individuals with disabilities and prevent them from working with vulnerable populations. This legislation would build on Nicky’s Law by extending its protection — based on substantiated findings of abuse by the Disabled Persons Protection Commission (DPPC) — to day habilitation programs contracted by MassHealth.

An Act establishing a standing commission on operating under the influence and impaired driving

This legislation was filed in conjunction with the Cannabis Control Commission, to help the Commonwealth better address the effects of impaired driving. While the mission of the Commission would extend to all impaired driving, it includes specific directives regarding the challenges of legalized marijuana. The Commission is directed to study the emerging scientific and medical tests, as well as consider the civil liberties of the driver, the socio-economic impacts of the testing, and the admissibility of evidence in court proceedings.

An Act to prohibit inappropriate use of the health care cost growth benchmark

The Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark was established in 2012 to help control the growth of total health care expenditures across all payers, but was not intended to act as a spending cap. However, insurance carriers have used the benchmark as a defacto cap on reimbursement across providers.

This legislation inserts a new limitation on the health insurance statute prohibiting the use of the benchmark in health insurance contracts with providers.

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 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.