Rep. Michelle Badger

Maddy summaryThis bill amends multiple health insurance laws to expand access to midwifery services and clarify coverage for pregnancy care. It updates definitions in chapters 32A, 118E, 175, 176A, 176B, and 176G to include "licensed certified professional midwives" alongside existing providers and removes language restricting coverage for "abortion or abortion-related care" in insurance plans. The changes require health insurers, health plans, and Medicaid managed care organizations to comply with these updated coverage standards. The bill directly affects health insurance plans subject to these chapters, ensuring broader access to midwifery services and removing prior exclusions for abortion-related care within pregnancy coverage.

Maddy summaryHD 2762 updates definitions and procedures for protecting people with disabilities in Massachusetts. It clarifies "abuse" to include specific acts like withholding adaptive aids or certain physical force (defined as "abuse per se"), and redefines key terms like "disabled person" (ages 18-59 with intellectual, developmental, or other disabling conditions requiring daily assistance). The bill also revises the Disabled Persons Protection Commission to have 3 appointed members (instead of more) and requires it to create a special investigative unit for abuse reports involving criminal conduct. Additionally, it strengthens privacy protections by limiting disclosure of personally identifiable information in investigations.

Maddy summarySD 2607 creates a special commission to study why electricity delivery costs are high in Massachusetts. The commission, including energy officials, consumer advocates, utility representatives, and business leaders, will examine factors driving up costs, compare Massachusetts to states with lower rates, and analyze future trends. It will propose specific policies and potential legislation to reduce delivery charges and prevent future increases. The commission must submit its findings and recommendations by December 31, 2025, to legislative leaders. This study directly affects Massachusetts residents through potential future policy changes to lower electricity costs.

Maddy summaryH 4611 requires public facilities across Massachusetts to provide free disposable menstrual products (like tampons and sanitary napkins) to menstruating individuals. It mandates this in all government-owned buildings, public colleges, shelters, schools, and correctional facilities. Products must be available in accessible restroom locations without stigmatizing the user. The law applies to all entities listed in the bill, including schools, shelters, and jails, ensuring no-cost access in designated areas. It does not cover private businesses or general public spaces outside these specified settings.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Massachusetts law enforcement agencies to create and maintain formal support programs for officers involved in critical incidents - such as line-of-duty deaths, life-threatening injuries, or traumatic events affecting officers or their families. The programs must include pre-incident training, immediate safety protocols, confidential mental health services (including telehealth), peer support, and return-to-duty guidelines. Agencies must review and update these programs at least every two years. The policy directly affects law enforcement officers, their families, and significant others by mandating accessible, structured support following traumatic incidents.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Fund to honor officers who died while serving. It directly affects law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty and their families by creating a dedicated fund for memorial purposes. The key provision authorizes the fund to support the creation and maintenance of a permanent memorial site or tribute within the state. The legislation focuses on honoring fallen officers through a formal, state-supported memorial initiative.

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies and streamlines site plan review processes for municipal zoning. It defines key terms like "bulk and height of structures" (using architectural features such as offsets and setbacks) and prohibits zoning rules from regulating building aesthetics. The bill requires performance standards for site plans (e.g., traffic, safety, parking) to be objective, publicly available, and limited to zoning ordinance requirements. It sets a 90-day timeline for municipalities to approve or deny site plans and bans conditions exceeding zoning regulations or imposing off-site restrictions unrelated to direct project impacts. This directly affects municipalities, developers, and local planning boards managing land development projects.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new assessment system for streaming entertainment companies using public rights-of-way in Massachusetts. It requires companies earning over $250,000 annually in the state to pay an assessment based on their gross revenues, with rates set annually by a new advisory board. The collected funds aim to maintain previous revenue levels for community media facilities (PEG access facilities), which provide public, educational, and government programming. The bill directly affects streaming operators, not end-users, and establishes a structured process for collecting payments while prohibiting rate regulation of these services.

Maddy summaryHD 3502 requires health care employers (including hospitals, teaching hospitals, certain correctional facilities, and other specific health care settings) to create and maintain workplace violence prevention programs. Each year, employers must conduct risk assessments with employee input, develop written prevention plans covering training and reporting systems, designate a senior manager for crisis response, and submit annual incident reports to the state. The law prohibits retaliation against employees who report safety concerns and imposes fines of up to $2,000 per violation for non-compliance. These programs aim to protect employees, emergency medical personnel, and others working in health care facilities from violence risks.

Maddy summaryHD 2370 creates a legal privilege protecting confidential communications between Massachusetts employees and their labor unions during representation matters. It directly affects employees seeking union assistance, current union members, and union representatives by shielding discussions about organizing, grievances, bargaining, or workplace issues from forced disclosure. The bill establishes new protections in Massachusetts General Laws (Section 20P), covering communications between employees and unions, employees and union attorneys, and internal union deliberations. Exceptions include communications related to crimes/fraud, breach of duty claims, or documented evidence where a union rep is an attesting witness. This privilege applies across all relevant labor laws governing unions (chapters 150A, 150E, and 161A).