Maddy summaryThis bill expands health insurance coverage in Massachusetts to include specialized mental health treatments for individuals with serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbances. It requires student health plans and state employee insurance to cover Coordinated Specialty Care for first-time psychosis cases and Assertive Community Treatment for ongoing support, defining these services as team-based, evidence-based programs. The legislation also mandates that payment for these services use a bundled model rather than paying separately for each visit and removes functional impairment as a requirement for receiving care. Additionally, the bill establishes a credentialing process to ensure that all members of the multidisciplinary treatment teams are properly qualified to provide these services.
Rep. Mike Connolly
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law to require Medicaid to cover doula services for eligible pregnant and postpartum individuals. It defines doula services as non-medical physical, emotional, and informational support provided during pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and up to one year after birth or pregnancy loss. The coverage includes continuous labor support, home visits, assistance with appointments, and help connecting families to community resources. By adding this specific provision to Chapter 118E of the General Laws, the legislation ensures that state-funded health care plans include these supportive services for qualifying beneficiaries.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a special citizens commission to investigate how Massachusetts can transition away from nuclear weapons production toward green technologies that address climate change. The commission will examine the state's current dependence on nuclear weapons-related jobs and investments, then propose financial and legal strategies to shift those resources to climate-focused industries while identifying necessary federal assistance. The eleven-member panel will be appointed by state officials and a coalition of peace and environmental groups, with strict rules ensuring no current employees of nuclear facilities serve on the group.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new state fund called the Racially Inclusive Curriculum Trust Fund to support schools in developing and implementing racially inclusive educational materials. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would manage the fund, which can be financed through state appropriations, interest, and private donations, and the money would not be subject to annual budget cuts. The legislation authorizes the department to use these funds for creating curriculum frameworks, providing professional development training for teachers, and issuing grants to public schools and districts. Additionally, the bill establishes a specific grant program that requires applicants to demonstrate how their proposed curriculum can be replicated across other districts.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires student health insurance plans in Massachusetts to cover specific mental health treatments, including coordinated specialty care and assertive community treatment. It also mandates that state employee insurance plans provide these same services for individuals experiencing psychosis or serious mental illness, ensuring there is no limit on the number of visits a patient can make. To support these changes, the legislation establishes a bundled payment system where providers receive a single payment for a team of services rather than billing separately for each interaction, and it removes the requirement for patients to prove disability before receiving care. Finally, the bill updates rules to allow all members of a multidisciplinary mental health team to be credentialed by insurers if the team's licensed leader is already approved.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law to require Medicaid coverage for doula services, which provide non-medical physical, emotional, and informational support to individuals during pregnancy, labor, and the year following childbirth or pregnancy loss. The legislation mandates that the state cover continuous labor support and at least six doula visits, including two postpartum visits, without requiring prior authorization, while also ensuring access for eligible individuals regardless of immigration status. Additionally, the bill establishes a Doula Advisory Committee composed of practicing doulas and community members with personal perinatal experiences to oversee the program and ensure diverse representation.
Maddy summaryThis Massachusetts bill establishes a framework to ensure that a specific percentage of total healthcare spending is directed toward primary care services. It requires the state commission to set annual spending targets for primary care, starting at 8% of total healthcare costs in 2026 and increasing to 12% by 2028, with a floor of 12% and a ceiling of 15% for future years. To enforce these goals, the law mandates public hearings where officials must compare actual spending against these targets and investigate factors driving cost growth within the healthcare system. The legislation directly affects healthcare providers, payer organizations, and the state commission by creating new definitions and spending benchmarks they must track and report.
By Representative Connolly of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2480) of Mike Connolly and others relative to the divestment of state pension funds from nuclear weapons. Public Service.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires developers of energy facilities in Massachusetts to create a detailed preliminary project statement before submitting construction petitions. The statement must analyze public health, environmental, and climate impacts on communities within five miles of the proposed site and explicitly identify any environmental justice populations in that area. Additionally, the bill mandates that applicants describe reasonable alternative locations for the project to ensure a thorough evaluation of potential risks and benefits. These measures aim to improve the siting process by ensuring that local communities are better informed about how energy projects might affect their health and environment.
By Representative Vitolo of Brookline, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Tommy Vitolo, Samantha Montaño and Francisco E. Paulino relative to electrical load aggregation programs. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.