MAKE ADOPTION BY FAMILY MEMBERS EASIER

By Bob Katzen

Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a bill that would repeal a current law which prohibits adoption of children by family members including older siblings, aunts and uncles. The proposal would allow these family members, with the permission of the county probate courts, to legally adopt their family members. Current law only allows these family members to apply to become a guardian. Continue reading MAKE ADOPTION BY FAMILY MEMBERS EASIER

REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES (RMV) PROMOTES ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION –

By Bob Katzen

The RMV is encouraging people to register to become organ and tissue donors. Anyone with a Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card or are planning to secure one of these credentials can conveniently sign up to be donors at no cost online at Mass.Gov/RMV Massachusetts — Continue reading REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES (RMV) PROMOTES ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION –

PRESERVE OPEN SPACE (S 2820)

By Bob Katzen

The Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would place into state law a current state policy regulation designed to ensure preservation of open space lands protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution by ensuring there be no net loss of conservation land when a city, town or the state acquires conservation space and uses it to build on or develop. Continue reading PRESERVE OPEN SPACE (S 2820)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

By Bob Katzen

The Senate 11-28, rejected an amendment that would convene a Building Justice With Jobs Task Force to establish the Building Justice With Jobs Plan – a statewide strategy to retrofit and electrify 1 million residential homes over the next ten years and to implement a comprehensive strategy that extends targeted financial resources for homes located in environmental justice communities. Continue reading ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

CLEAN ENERGY AND REDUCED EMISSIONS

By Bob Katzen

The Senate 37-3 approved a bill that would expand the clean energy industry and reduce emissions from the transportation and building sectors across the state with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

Provisions include providing creating a $100 million Clean Energy Investment Fund, $100 million to incentivize adoption of electric vehicles and $50 million to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations; requiring all new vehicles sold to produce zero emissions beginning in 2035; requiring the MBTA to purchase or lease only zero-emission buses starting in 2028 and to convert its entire fleet by 2040; increasing from $2,500 to $3,500 rebates for drivers who purchase electric vehicles; requiring the state to prepare a report on the estimated cost of converting school buses to zero-emission vehicles; and updating the procurement process for new offshore wind energy investments.
Continue reading CLEAN ENERGY AND REDUCED EMISSIONS