Rep. Sam Montaño

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Massachusetts transportation planning to align with climate goals by mandating that regional transportation plans and projects meet greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction targets. It establishes a process for assessing emissions and VMT impacts of transportation projects, including requiring mitigation measures like transit expansions, active transportation infrastructure, or land-use changes to offset emissions. The Department of Transportation must publish these assessments online and ensure mitigation efforts are localized to affected communities or underserved areas. The bill directly affects metropolitan planning organizations, state agencies, and project developers by making compliance with emissions and VMT targets a condition for approving transportation plans and projects.

Maddy summaryHD 631 creates a 1-year pilot program for fare-free bus service on all MBTA bus routes and Regional Transit Authority (RTA) routes in Massachusetts, effective by December 31, 2026. The bill requires MBTA to include at least 10 priority routes (including specific connections to rail stations and high-ridership routes from 2020) and RTAs to include at least one high-ridership route. It establishes advisory groups for both programs with diverse members (including transit staff, disability advocates, environmental justice representatives, and community voices) to track impacts on ridership, equity, system efficiency, and costs. The groups must report findings quarterly to oversight boards and submit a final report after the pilot concludes.

Maddy summaryH 1954 would provide legal representation to eligible immigrants and refugees facing deportation who cannot afford an attorney. The bill directs state funding to establish a program connecting these individuals with qualified legal aid providers. It specifically targets people in removal proceedings who lack access to counsel due to financial barriers. This creates a concrete system for fairer immigration court outcomes without altering federal immigration law.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits Massachusetts state and local government agencies (including police departments, sheriff's offices, and correctional facilities) from entering new agreements with federal immigration authorities for immigration enforcement or detention. It also requires all existing agreements of this type to end within 30 days (for enforcement agreements) or 90 days (for detention agreements) after the law takes effect. The Attorney General can enforce the law by seeking court orders to stop violations. The bill directly affects how Massachusetts law enforcement interacts with federal immigration authorities regarding detention and enforcement.

Maddy summaryHD 522 increases unemployment insurance benefits for low-wage workers in Massachusetts. It changes how weekly benefits are calculated, setting a minimum of 20% of the average weekly wage for all covered workers (or 75% of the individual’s wage, whichever is lower), while capping the maximum at 57.5% of the average wage. The bill also reduces the maximum total benefits from 30 times the weekly rate to 26 times, but only if unemployment stays below 5.1% across all 10 Massachusetts metro areas for 10 months. Crucially, it ensures individuals cannot lose benefits if the unemployment threshold isn’t met during their benefit year.

Maddy summaryHD 3165 establishes a $25 per hour minimum wage for care workers in home care agencies and social service programs, with annual inflation adjustments based on the U.S. Department of Labor's CPI index. The bill directly affects home care workers and social service program providers by requiring agencies to pay this enhanced wage. Key provisions mandate that state payment rates for these services must fully cover the cost of this higher wage, adjusted annually for inflation. This policy change ensures care workers' compensation keeps pace with living costs while requiring rate adjustments to providers' reimbursement.

Maddy summaryHD 1367 amends unemployment compensation rules for workers affected by labor disputes. It states that workers lose benefits for 30 days if unemployment stems from a labor dispute, unless the employer hires a permanent replacement (which must be certified as permanent). Key exceptions include disputes over unmet contract terms or laws on wages/hours, workers unemployed during contract negotiations (benefits until strike begins), and workers not recalled within one week after a dispute ends. The bill also clarifies that lockouts cannot deny benefits if workers are ready to work under existing terms, unless the lockout responds to union-caused property damage despite employer safety efforts. (HD 1367, An Act relative to unemployment compensation and labor disputes)

Maddy summaryThis bill declares free public higher education a right for Massachusetts residents. It creates a state grant program covering tuition and mandatory fees at public colleges, universities, and vocational programs for eligible students. Eligibility requires graduating from a Massachusetts high school (or equivalent) after three years of attendance, or qualifying for in-state tuition under federal rules. The grants supplement, but do not replace, existing federal aid like Pell Grants and state scholarships, with no restrictions on academic programs.

By Representative Fluker-Reid of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 237) of Brandy Fluker-Reid, Samantha Montaño and Daniel Cahill that the Executive Office of Health and Human Services be authorized to establish a direct care worker medication administration program registry. Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the sale in Massachusetts of cosmetics (including products like shampoo and deodorant) if the manufacturer knew or should have known that animal testing was conducted on the product or its ingredients after the law takes effect. It directly affects manufacturers and suppliers selling cosmetics within Massachusetts, requiring them to ensure their products were not tested on animals after the effective date. Key exceptions include cosmetics required by federal/state agencies for safety (with strict justification), products tested before the law, and ingredients already sold in the state prior to the effective date. The Attorney General can enforce the law by seeking injunctions or fines up to $5,000 for first violations, while protecting trade secrets during investigations. The law takes effect six months after passage.