By Mr. Keenan, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1545) of John F. Keenan, Carmine L. Gentile, Richard J. Ross, Tackey Chan and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to commuter transit benefits. Revenue.
By Messrs. Kulik of Worthington and Honan of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2615) of Stephen Kulik and others for legislation to further regulate expenditures for mortgages from the Community Preservation Trust Fund. Revenue.
By Mr. Roy of Franklin, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1623) of Jeffrey N. Roy and others relative to commuter transit tax benefits. Revenue.
By Ms. Peisch of Wellesley, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2645) of Alice Hanlon Peisch for legislation to continue tax basis rules for property acquired from decedents. Revenue.
By Mr. Straus of Mattapoisett, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1892) of William M. Straus and others relative to requiring hands-free use of mobile telephones while operating a motor vehicle. Transportation.
By Mr. Rogers of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1038) of David M. Rogers and others relative to protecting pregnant workers from discrimination in the workplace. Labor and Workforce Development.
Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 871) strengthens equal access to Massachusetts public education for English learner students and their families. It directly affects schools, students, and parents by adding "immigration or citizenship status" to anti-discrimination protections, requiring qualified bilingual interpreters with specialized training, and mandating that student evaluations and assessments be conducted in the student's native language. The bill also prohibits schools from pressuring parents to decline English learner services for scheduling reasons and ensures IEP teams include experts on language acquisition when evaluating students with both language needs and disabilities. Key mechanisms include updated assessment requirements, interpreter standards, and explicit protections against coercive practices by school districts.
