Represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights, the proceeding was held July 17, 2025 on a motion for a preliminary preliminary injunction asking a federal court to block the Trump Administration’s attempts to strip sanctuary cities of federal funding because they refuse to be coerced into participating in the Administration’s mass deportation efforts. Continue reading UPDATE ON BALLANTYNE’S SUIT AGAINST TRUMP, ET AL. Hearing held on preliminary injunction over federal funding →

By Bob Katzen

“Early education and care programs play a vital role in supporting the foundation for infant and child mental health that will serve our students throughout their lives. We are pleased to provide this funding so that our early educators can access the resources they need to help young children learn about and manage their feelings, supporting healthy social and emotional development in their classroom and beyond.”
Continue reading This Week’s QUOTABLE QUOTES on Beacon Hill →

By Bob Katzen

Another measure before the Public Health Committee would prohibit any new for-profit acute-care hospitals from being established or licensed in the Bay State. Continue reading BAN NEW FOR-PROFIT HOSPITALS (S 1526) →

By Bob Katzen

The Public Health Committee held a hearing on a measure that would prohibit smoking in any motor vehicle in which there is a child who is required to be in a child passenger restraint. Under Massachusetts law, children must use a restraint until they are at least eight years old or at least 57 inches tall. The measure imposes a $100 fine on drivers who violate the smoking ban.
Continue reading BAN SMOKING IN CARS WITH CHILDREN (H 2443) →

William Latta Obituary
Obituary published on Legacy.com by Farmer & Dee Funeral Home on Jul. 18, 2025.
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William J. Latta, Sr.
Retired Tewksbury Police Officer
William J. “Bill” Latta, Sr., age 78, a resident of Tewksbury for over 70 years, passed away at Lowell General Hospital on Thursday, July 17, 2025. Continue reading Somerville/Medford Remembering William Latta →

By Bob Katzen

The Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure held a hearing on a proposal that would require establishments that serve alcohol to be consumed on the premises to, upon request, provide a lid with a customer’s drink. The measure also requires the establishment to post a notice, in a prominent and conspicuous location, informing patrons that lids are available. Continue reading DRINK SPIKING (S 293) →

By Bob Katzen

A bill that would establish a JOL Fund to provide financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who cannot afford to pay for driver education courses was heard by the Transportation Committee. Continue reading JUNIOR OPERATOR’S LICENSE (JOL) FUND (S 2415) →

By Bob Katzen

A bill heard by the Education Committee would prohibit any person admitted to any public school from being discriminated against, based on age, in obtaining the advantages, privileges and courses of study in that school. Continue reading PROHIBIT AGE DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS (H 662) →

By Bob Katzen

The Revenue Committee held a hearing on legislation that would allow cities and towns to implement a local option tax on owners of enclosed shopping malls that have less than 67 percent occupancy in their retail spaces for a continuous period of at least nine months and fails to convert a proportion of its property to other specified uses, to be determined by the city or town, for lease or sale. The measure also allows the city or town to determine the amount of any new tax.
Continue reading TAX ON ENCLOSED SHOPPING MALLS WITH SUBSTANTIAL AND PERSISTENT VACANCIES (H 3240) →

By Bob Katzen

Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would align Massachusetts with the other 49 states by adopting the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA).
Continue reading CHILD CUSTODY CASES (S 2550 →

By Bob Katzen

Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters said would protect consumers and keep people from being pushed into financial ruin if they are sued for financial debt. They said the new law would make debt collection practices fairer, protect wages and make clear that no person can be imprisoned for unpaid consumer debt. Continue reading DEBT COLLECTION (S 2537) →

By Bob Katzen

House 30-129, rejected an amendment that would expand current law which provides privacy protection for people receiving reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care. The amendment would expand current law by also protecting the privacy of the “refusal by any person to obtain reproductive health care services, gender-affirming health care services or any other preventative medical care on behalf of themselves or their minor children.” Continue reading EXPAND PRIVACYPROTECTION (H 4271) →

By Bob Katzen

House 130-29, approved legislation, dubbed by sponsors as the Shield Act, that supporters say would strengthen health care protections in the Bay State. The bill is designed to fortify protections for people seeking and providing reproductive and transgender care. The Senate has already approved a different version of the proposal and a House-Senate conference committee will eventually hammer out a compromise version of the measure. Continue reading REPRODUCTIVE AND TRANSGENDER CARE PROTECTIONS – THE SHIELD ACT (H 4271) →