Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 49 – Report No. 52
December 23-27, 2024
Copyright © 2024 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.
During the week December 23-27, the House met for a total of four hours and 26 minutes and the Senate met for a total of four hours and one minute.
The 2024 legislative session ends on January 1. There was a flurry of activity on Beacon Hill last week as sponsors of dozens of bills attempted to get final approval on the measures from the House and Senate and have the bill sent to Gov. Maura Healey for her signature.
This week’s report includes several key bills that were acted on last week. None of the proposals have yet received final approval from both branches. The ones that do so before January 1 will be sent to Healey for her consideration. Any measures that don’t receive approval in both branches by January 1 are dead and would have to be refiled by their sponsors for consideration in 2025.
PROTECT CATS AND DOGS (S 2908) – The House approved legislation that would prohibit the sale or transfer of any puppies and kittens under eight weeks old. Violators would be fined $100 per animal.
When the animal is more than eight weeks old, the outright ban is lifted and replaced with a section that would prohibit the sale or transfer of any dogs or cats at specified outdoor locations, such as flea markets and roadsides. This prohibition would not apply to the transfer of a dog or cat by, or to, a shelter, animal control or animal rescue; or to the display of a dog or cat as part of a state or county fair exhibition, a 4-H program or similar exhibition or educational program. Violators would be fined $50 per animal for a first offense, $100 for a second offense and $300 for a third and subsequent offenses.
ID FOR LIQUOR PURCHASES (H 4131) – The Senate approved a House-approved bill that would allow alcohol-serving establishments to accept all out-of-state motor vehicle licenses and Global Entry cards issued by the United States Customs and Border Protection office, as valid proof of age and identification.
STUDENT ID CARDS AND SUICIDE LINE (S 3001)- The Senate approved a House-approved bill that would require that student ID cards include the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline phone numbers and text message numbers.
OPIOID CRISIS (H 5143) – Gov. Healey signed into law legislation that supporters say would expand non-opioid pain treatments; establish licenses for recovery coaches; support pregnant women and their children who have been exposed to substances; and vastly expand access to opioid-reversal drugs.
Other provisions mandate that all health plans cover opioid reversal drugs such as Naloxone and Narcan—without cost-sharing or prior authorization; require hospitals and substance use treatment facilities to educate patients on opioid reversal drugs and prescribe or dispense at least two doses to at-risk patients upon discharge; require pharmacies in areas with high incidences of overdoses to maintain a sufficient and consistent supply of opioid reversal drugs while also requiring them to stock both over the counter and prescription versions.
The bill includes several new insurance provisions, including a prohibition on life insurance companies from limiting or refusing coverage to a person solely because they obtained an opioid-reversal drug, and a prohibition on medical malpractice insurers from discriminating against health care practitioners who provide harm reduction services. The bill also updates requirements for insurance providers to ensure adequate coverage and access to pain management services including non-opioid treatments and expands access to non-opioid pain treatment by incorporating non-opioid alternatives into provider training.
INCREASE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN CONSTRUCTION – Gov. Healey signed an Executive Order to increase the participation of women and historically underrepresented groups in construction.
The Executive Order establishes a Diverse and Equitable Construction Workforce Participation Committee to facilitate interagency collaboration on this work. It also identifies and encourages best practices for state agencies to encourage equitable workforce participation in construction, such as utilizing registered apprentices, hiring local businesses and those with a record of hiring women and underrepresented groups, and encouraging contractors to provide supportive services like childcare. The committee will also work with state agencies on data collection to measure the workforce participation of women and underrepresented groups.
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.
