193rd Session Legislation (Current)

(H.486) To safeguard student health and improve academic performance this bill seeks to create a special commission with representatives from  principal stakeholders so the Commonwealth can study how to delay secondary school start times with the least disruption possible. 

(H. 688) This bill would allow an individual who is eligible to vote to register as a voter by appearing in person at the polling place for the precinct in which the individual resides during the hours it is open for voting. 

(H.811) This legislation would narrow the list of acceptable pesticides for use on outdoor grounds of any school, childcare center, or school age childcare program in the Commonwealth. Only pesticides considered minimum risk by the EPA and those permitted for organic use will be allowed, except in the case of a health emergency when school officials could apply for a waiver. 

(H.812) This bill is intended to allow people to take mushrooms from any state parks, state forest recreation areas, and state reservations for personal use. It is modeled after a recent law passed in Connecticut with the addition of liability language to address possible concerns that granting a permit to collect mushrooms could expose the State to liability.   

(H.813/S.516) This legislation would create licensing restrictions on the use and sale of glyphosate in Massachusetts so that only persons properly licensed or authorized to apply pesticides could purchase and use it, or offer it for sale, supply or make available any pesticide that contains it. 

(H.814) This legislation would allow individual municipalities to further restrict the use of pesticides through a vote of their legislative body. Communities may adopt ordinances and by-laws that regulate, restrict or prohibit the use and application or disposal of pesticides within the city or town that are more stringent than the standards set forth by the state.

(H.815/S.588) This bill would place an outright ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as well as the collection, storage, treatment, or disposal of wastewater and other byproducts of fracking. Fracking's adverse environmental effects are well documented, and this bill would follow the lead of many other states that have banned the practice.

(H.1023/S.628) This bill would establish a state-funded matched savings account program that would assist low-income families with a 4-to-1 match when saving for college expenses, buying a home, starting a business, and other important goals.

(H.1195/S.755) This bill seeks to improve the rate setting process by increasing the transparency, consistency and accuracy of the methodology used to determine rates. It requires rates to reflect all operating costs incurred by providers and requires that new rates must be accompanied by reports filed with the legislature. 

(H.1265/S.823) This bill would provide public higher education to all Massachusetts residents free of tuition, fees, and student debt.

(H.1320/S.871) This bill seeks to encourage the establishment of housing cooperatives by creating a center for cooperatives to help the growth of and transition to cooperatives.  

(H.1522) This bill would implement an outcomes-based, technology-neutral framework for providing online legal material with the same level of trustworthiness traditionally provided by publication in a law book.

(H.3768) This resolution would have the State of Massachusetts officially call on Congress to overturn the disastrous 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision. 

(H.3819) This bill is a technical fix to the governing statute for the Citizen's Commission, which would allow for vacancies on the commission to be filled. The bill also modifies the guidelines for reporting and scope that were established under the 2018 measure to facilitate the creation of future reports.   

(H.3857) This bill allows employees of state universities to receive incentives for early retirement. 

(H.3886) This bill creates a uniform measurement system for electric vehicle charging. To promote equal cost, the charging stations will be required to make sales by energy use rather than time spent at a charging station. 

(H.4150) This legislation would designate 412,000 acres of forest and watershed lands controlled by DCR as parks and reserves, and establishes coordinated management guidelines for public forest lands in the state.