Progressive Massachusetts' Legislative Platform

Progressive Dems of Massachusetts Action Agenda: Upcoming Bills

 

Progressive Massachusetts Legislative Profile and Score Card for Representative Saunders

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Progressive Massachusetts Letter to State Senate President and House Speaker, May 14, 2025

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Medicare For All:  (H.1405 /  S.860)​

• Title:  An Act establishing Medicare for all in Massachusetts

• Lead Sponsors: Reps. Lindsay Sabadosa & Margaret Scarsdale; Sen. Jamie Eldridge

• What It Does: Establishes a single-payer system, in which the state provides health care to all residents as a right

• Given attacks on Medicare and Medicaid by the Trump administration, Massachusetts needs a single-payer system now

• Mass-Care Info.

• Handout--Medicare for All Savigns by Town versus 2022 Town Referendum Votes

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Safe Communities Act (H.2580 / S.1681)

• Title: An Act to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents

• Lead Sponsors: Reps. Manny Cruz & Priscila Sousa; Sens. Jamie Eldridge & Liz Miranda

• What It Does: Limits local and state police
  collaboration with federal immigration agents, bars law enforcement, and Court personnel from inquiring about immigration status, protects access to justice in our courts, and ensures due process protection.

• MIRA Coalition Information

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Corporate Fair Share (H.3110 / S.2033)

• Title: An Act combating offshore tax avoidance 

• Lead Sponsors: Rep. Carlos González; Sens. Jason Lewis & Liz Miranda 

• What It Does: Makes large global mega-corporations pay the state’s existing corporate tax rate on a higher share of the excess profits they conceal in offshore tax havens. 

• Need this funding improvement to fund Project 2025 Initiative

• Raise Up Massachusetts Info

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Protect Trans Kids

• On 4/9/25, the MA House of Representatives passed a $1.3 billion budget bill that included a transgender sports ban (Amendment 81) —the first such measure to pass any legislative chamber in a blue state.  

• Amendment 81 reads:

• “No public school shall allow a male student athlete to participate on a girls’ sports team, nor shall a public school allow a female athlete to participate on a boys' sports team.

• Any school found not in compliance shall forfeit all games where an athlete of the opposite sex participated. The Superior Court shall have available all remedies at law or in equity. A party who brings an action to enforce this section and prevails shall be entitled to his or her costs and attorney’s fees." 

• Rather than voting to strike down  Amendment 81, Democrats advanced their own amendment (81.1), allowing the ban to go into effect only after its impacts are studied. They tried to frame the move as a “win” for transgender rights, but in fact, it was not.

• Sports bans have been introduced in nearly every state, and across the country — even in deep-blue legislatures — and Democrats have consistently voted in unified opposition. But, apparently, not in Massachusetts.

• On 4/10, HHS (under RFK) announced its plans to do just such a study:  The Trump Administration Is About To Release Its Own Anti-Trans, Junk-Science "Cass Review." 

• Amendments 81 and 81.1 have now been moved to the Senate for approval, and then both the House and Senate must agree on the final budget language.

• Background:  4/16/25 CAD Dispatch Action

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Immigrant Legal Defense Act (H.1954 / S.1127)

• Title: An Act ensuring access to equitable representation in immigration proceedings

• Lead Sponsors: Reps. Dave Rogers & Frank Moran; Sen. Adam Gomez

• What It Does:  Creates a funded program for legal defense of immigrants facing deportation proceedings, especially those in federal detention

• MIRA Coalition Fact Sheet

• Background: 4/2/25 CAD Dispatch Action

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Location Shield Act (H.86 / S.197)

• Title:  An Act to protect safety and privacy by stopping the sale of location data

• Lead Sponsors: Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian; Sen. Cindy Creem

• What It Does: Prohibits companies from selling cell phone location data

• ACLU Fact Sheet

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Put Gas in the Past  (H.3547 / S.2290)

• Title: An Act preventing gas expansion to protect climate, community health, and safety

• Lead Sponsors: Rep. Bud Williams & Adrianne Ramos; Sen. Adam Gomez

• What It Does: Prevents the expansion of gas infrastructure near Environmental Justice communities and requires gas companies and the Commonwealth to undergo planning for a just transition to green energy.

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Forest Protection - 3 Bills in the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Joint Committee

• H.953: An Act relative to forest protection

• H.952: An Act relative to watershed forest protection

• H. 1048: An Act relative to increased protection of wildlife management areas

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Solar Siting and the Dover Amendment (H.2312)

• Title: An Act Regarding Municipal Zoning Powers.

• This bill would finally remove the extremely outdated "solar exemption" from the Dover Amendment. Specifically, it will rescind Chapter 40A Section 3, paragraph 9, the 40-year-old law that limits municipalities' regulation of solar and lithium-ion batteries. 

• H.2312: Section 3 of Chapter 40A of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking the following language: "No zoning ordinance or by-law shall prohibit or unreasonably regulate the installation of solar energy systems or the building of structures that facilitate the collection of solar energy, except where necessary to protect the public health, safety or welfare."

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