Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 51 – Report No. 24
June 8 – 12, 2026
Copyright © 2026 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call reports local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of June 8-12.
During the week of June 8-12, the House met for a total of 11 hours and four minutes and the Senate met for a total of eight hours and 49 minutes.
BANNING SCHOOL AND PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOKS AND MATERIALS (H 5489)- House 153-3, approved a bill that supporters said would protect people’s access to library materials and guard against politically motivated book bans in Bay State school libraries and public libraries. The bill requires local policies to be developed using nationally recognized library standards and lays out a process around challenges to library materials. The bill also protects librarians and school library professionals from retaliation.
The Senate has already approved a different version of the measure and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – Yes
Rep. Donald Wong – Yes
ELIMINATE LAW THAT PROTECTS EMPLOYEES FROM PROSECUTION (H 5489)- House 2-154, rejected an amendment striking a current law which prevents employees of schools, libraires and museums from being prosecuted for violating obscenity laws if the evidence proves that the defendant was acting in the course of his or her employment as an employee of those entities.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment which strikes the protection and therefore opposes the protection. A “No” vote is against the amendment and therefore supports the protection.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – No
Rep. Donald Wong – No
SAFETY FOR FIREFIGHTERS (H 5488)- House 156-0, approved and sent to the Senate legislation that would create a public database of violations of the state’s fire prevention laws and a public notification system to alert workers of violations.
The measure is designed to boost safety for firefighters and people conducting “hot work” including welding, plasma cutting and spark-producing construction. The proposed law has been ten years in the making and was first prompted by the March 2014 deaths of firefighters Edward Walsh and Michael Kennedy who perished while fighting a fire that was caused by welders, working without a city permit, on a building next door to the brownstone in which they died.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – Yes
Rep. Donald Wong- Yes
NO-COST CALLS FOR PRISONERS (H 5493)- House 28-128, rejected an amendment to a section of a $228 million fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget that provides $22.5 million to cover the additional costs associated with no cost calls for Massachusetts prisoners. The amendment would delay the distribution of this funding until the Secretary of Administration and Finance develops and presents a plan to keep the annual expenditure from this line item under $10 million.
(A “Yes” vote is for reducing the funding to $10 million. A “No” vote is against the $10 million reduction and favors the $22.5 million.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – No
Rep. Donald Wong – Yes
CHILD WELFARE (S 3111)- Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters say would guarantee certain basic rights for children in foster care related to their safety, education and health care. They argued that the measure safeguards the wellbeing of children, especially those in state care and foster care; increases access to community support for children at risk of court involvement; and strengthens the Office of the Child Advocate to support robust investigations into reports of harm or abuse to a child.
A key provision would expand the diversion of children dealing with behavior or attendance problems to Family Resource Centers (FRCs) instead of the court system. Supporters note that FRCs provide accessible, confidential support to children and families in crisis close to home and have proven successful in helping kids and teens stay in school, connecting families with services such as mental health or substance use treatment, housing aid and legal help.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
For more information and details on each bill, roll call attendance, and other relevant information, please visit the Wakefield Daily Item at www.localheadlinenews.com