An Act relative to crumbling concrete foundations

This bill would establish a crumbling concrete relief fund to be used by Bay Staters whose homes are affected by the presence of pyrrhotite. Pyrrhotite, a naturally occurring iron sulfide mineral that expands when exposed to water and oxygen, can cause concrete to crack, disintegrate, and fail. The bill also establishes a working group to make recommendations for regulatory and legislative changes necessary to comprehensively address the remediation of residential property foundations that have deteriorated due to the presence of pyrite or pyrrhotite.

This mineral makes its way into the aggregate used to make concrete and has been the root cause for the concrete foundations of residences to fail prematurely. The average cost to replace a residential home foundation is between $60,000 and $400,000. This bill is intended to ensure that the homeowner is not responsible for the costs associated with a deteriorating foundation due to the presence of pyrrhotite.

An Act to promote safety, efficiency and accountability in transportation projects through public inspections

This legislation requires that public employees perform construction inspections on all surface transportation projects receiving state or federal funding. This will save the Commonwealth money since private sector engineers are paid at a much higher rate than public construction inspectors. But more importantly, this legislation provides a much-needed checks and balances system on private construction projects. 

An Act relative to crumbling concrete prevention and protection

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 to allow temporary door-locking devices in public buildings

This bill provides a fast and effective solution to an unfortunately ever-increasing risk to widespread public safety: mass shootings. This bill would require the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to update building regulations that currently prevent the use of certain door-locking devices. These devices have the potential to greatly improve the security of schools and other public buildings as well as better equip these spaces to more effectively provide adequate protection in these all-too-common events. 

While other states and international building codes have been updated in ways that allow these devices, Massachusetts’ regulations have lagged behind, preventing the instillation in several municipalities in Massachusetts. Today, thousands of individuals annually, including children and seniors, are forced to witness gun violence or events of mass destruction whether in their schools, their communities, or their homes. These events have lasting impacts on their survivors and, in some instances, the only barrier between them and danger is a non-substantial barricade.

An Act relative to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

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

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

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.   

An Act relative to the creation of the Massachusetts Public Safety Building Authority

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. 

The need for a Public Safety Building Authority is widespread and evident throughout Massachusetts. The State Auditor’s 2021 report on public infrastructure in Western Massachusetts highlighted and recommended the urgent need for the creation of a Municipal and Public Safety Building Authority. Findings make it clear this issue impacts both urban and rural communities alike. The creation of the PSBA would provide a direct economic stimulus, enhancing local economic productivity and efficiency. Failing to invest in infrastructure, as indicated by the American Society of Civil Engineers, could cost the national economy trillions of dollars. By addressing this need, the PSBA promotes economic growth and stability within Massachusetts. 

An Act prohibiting state and municipal contracts for the purchase and installation of artificial turf fields

The bill would ban state and local governments from using public funds to install artificial turf containing zinc, plastic, or intentionally added PFAs on public playing surfaces. The legislation is aimed to promote the use of crumb rubber as an alternative, which was found to be best for both public health and the environment.

A recent federal, multi-agency research initiative examining sport players’ chemical exposure on synthetic turf fields using crumb rubber infill found there was no difference in exposure to certain chemicals, metals, or air emissions among players regardless of whether the playing field was synthetic with crumb rubber infill or grass. This study provided credible evidence that recycled rubber for turf fields is a win for public health, as well as the environment.

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

This bill is purposefully narrow in scope and simply applies the language of the original Right-to-Repair law, passed in 2013, to the adopted Right-to-Repair Telematics law. The requirements of the original 2013 law apply to heavy-duty vehicles, however, heavy-duty vehicles were not included in the Right-to-Repair amendments that passed in November 2020. The stated issue with custom-built heavy duty vehicles is their unique component assembly, which is not the case with vertically integrated companies such as passenger car manufacturers. To address this matter, the proposed bill simply adds a provision that mirrors the language of the original law to include heavy duty vehicles that are built to custom specifications and sold in the commonwealth for commercial purposes. 

An Act relative to timely public payments for work not included in original construction contracts

This bill mirrors language that is already in Massachusetts statutes to enable the process of ‘prompt pay’ for private construction work to help contractors and subcontractors receive payment from public awarding authorities in a timely fashion for work that was not included in the original contract. Currently, the law does not set a timeframe for when an awarding agency must accept or reject charges for work outside the original contract, which prevents the contractor or subcontractor from being able to even bill for it — let alone receive payment.  

The goal of the prompt pay law, which was enacted in 2010 and has worked well since then is simple: to keep the payment process moving so that funds flow as they should on construction projects, and prompt payment becomes routine business practice.

An Act relative to smart meters

This legislation establishes ratepayer rights which include requiring utility companies to provide ratepayers with a choice of the type of utility meters to be installed and operated on their places of residence or business, the ability to retain and operate an “electromechanical analog meter” on an ongoing basis at no cost, and the right to replacement of a wireless meter with a non-transmitting electromechanical meter at no cost.