Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Board of Registration in Midwifery within the Department of Public Health to oversee the licensing and regulation of midwives in the state. The board will consist of eight appointed members, including licensed midwives with significant experience, a physician, a nurse-midwife, and a public representative, with specific requirements for members to address racial disparities in maternal health. Additionally, the legislation establishes a new Board of Allied Health Professions that includes representatives from various health fields such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and lactation consulting. The bill also expands the legal definition of "licensed midwife" to allow them to issue prescriptions and grants local health agencies the authority to conduct in-depth reviews of fetal and infant deaths to improve community health services.
Rep. Simon Cataldo
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Board of Registration in Midwifery within the Department of Public Health to oversee and regulate the practice of midwifery in the state. The board will consist of nine appointed members, including licensed midwives, obstetricians, and a public representative, with a specific requirement to consider racial disparities in maternal health during appointments. Additionally, the legislation expands the definition of who can prescribe medication to include licensed midwives and establishes a program for postpartum depression screenings for state employees. It also updates various state laws to formally recognize and define the roles of certified nurse-midwives and licensed midwives across different departments.
Maddy summaryThis law establishes a mandatory educational diversion program in Massachusetts for minors charged with specific offenses related to possessing or sharing sexual images, commonly known as sexting. The Attorney General will lead the creation of this program in collaboration with various state agencies and community groups, focusing on informing youth about legal penalties, social consequences, and the risks of online image sharing. If a child is charged with these offenses, the court will typically pause legal proceedings to require the completion of this program instead of immediate prosecution, unless the district attorney objects. Successful completion of the program allows the case to be dismissed, while failure to participate results in the case being restored for standard legal processing. Additionally, the bill expands the legal definition of abuse to include "coercive control" and requires schools to teach media literacy skills using materials from the new diversion program.
By Representative Cataldo of Concord, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Simon Cataldo for legislation to establish a sick leave bank for Paul M. Letendre, an employee of the Department of Correction. Public Service.
By Representatives Kushmerek of Fitchburg and Garballey of Arlington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2353) of Michael P. Kushmerek, Sean Garballey and others relative to the equality of wage and recruitment of the State Police. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
By Representative Cahill of Lynn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2297) of Daniel Cahill for legislation to establish a violence prevention trust fund. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to prohibit the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in new pet shops in Massachusetts. It achieves this by amending state laws to ban licensed pet shops from selling or offering these specific animals for adoption. The legislation directly affects businesses that operate as new pet shops and would prevent them from acting as sources for these pets. By restricting sales in this manner, the bill aims to reduce the number of animals sold in commercial settings.
Senate, 13, 2024 -- The committee on Environment and Natural Resources, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 549) of Patrick M. O'Connor, Adam Scanlon, Jack Patrick Lewis, Michael O. Moore and other members of the General Court for legislation to ban the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in new pet shops; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 550) of Patrick M. O'Connor, Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., Steven S. Howitt, John F. Keenan and other members of the General Court for legislation banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet shops; and (accompanied by bill, House, No. 826) of Natalie M. Higgins, Kimberly N. Ferguson and others for legislation to further regulate the retail sale of certain domestic animals in new pet shops, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2820).
By Representatives Cataldo of Concord and Arciero of Westford, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 7B) of Simon Cataldo and James Arciero relative to exempting the position of deputy fire chief of the town of Chelmsford from the provisions of the civil service law. Public Service.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a comprehensive educational diversion program to address the legal and social consequences of adolescents sharing sexual images, commonly known as sexting. It requires the Attorney General to create this curriculum in collaboration with state education and youth services departments, which will be used to divert minors from court proceedings if they are charged with related offenses. The program also mandates that schools integrate media literacy instruction using the same materials to help students understand the risks of online image sharing. Additionally, the legislation expands the legal definition of abuse to include coercive control and increases fines for certain offenses.