Rep. Steve Owens

By Representative Fluker Oakley of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2325) of Brandy Fluker Oakley and others for legislation to maximize out-of-cell time and opportunities for incarcerated people to attend education, training, employment, and other programs. Public Safety and Homeland Security.

By Representative Uyterhoeven of Somerville, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2960) of Erika Uyterhoeven and others for legislation to raise the estate tax threshold. Revenue.

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 Barber of Somerville and Uyterhoeven of Somerville, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2708) of Christine P. Barber, Erika Uyterhoeven and others relative to further regulating the inclusion of federal gross income in the calculation of the taxation of corporations and to create progressive revenue. Revenue.

By Representative Keefe of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2856) of Mary S. Keefe and others relative to corporate tax rates. Revenue.

By Representative Connolly of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2743) of Mike Connolly and others relative to establishing a tiered corporate minimum tax. Revenue.

By Representative Capano of Lynn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2725) of Peter Capano and others relative to requiring public disclosures by publicly-traded corporate taxpayers. Revenue.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts state law to formally include embodied carbon - the greenhouse gas emissions from building materials and construction processes - in the state's climate policy. It requires the creation of an Embodied Carbon Advisory Board composed of engineers, architects, industry representatives, and public officials to guide efforts in this area. The Department of Energy Resources, working with the board, must assess current industry knowledge, recommend training and certifications, and develop best practice guidelines for measuring and reducing these emissions in buildings and infrastructure.

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.