Rep. Natalie Higgins

Maddy summaryHD 1760 amends Massachusetts law to clarify definitions related to sexual assault by law enforcement officers. It defines "control" to include supervising minors in training, interacting with suspects during investigations, or implying arrest power, and defines "coercion" to include threats of harm, schemes causing fear, or abuse of legal processes. The bill requires all law enforcement agencies to create and publicly post policies within 180 days prohibiting officers from engaging in sexual contact with suspects in prostitution investigations. These policies must specifically ban such conduct during active investigations. The bill directly affects law enforcement agencies and officers interacting with suspects.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a Climate & Community Resilience Fund to support climate adaptation and mitigation projects in low-income and environmental justice communities. The fund, administered by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, will be financed through property insurance fees, state appropriations, bond revenues, and other public/private sources. A new advisory board - requiring diverse community representation, including staff from grassroots organizations - will guide fund allocations and ensure projects prioritize equitable outcomes. Annual public reports will track fund spending, with specific requirements to document allocations to low-income communities and evaluate the fund's effectiveness.

Maddy summaryHD 3264 requires healthcare providers to give patients or their authorized representatives complete medical records within 15 business days of a written request. The bill mandates that records must be provided in language the patient can understand, including diagnoses, treatments, and prognoses (Section 17a). Providers must supply full copies of health records (like lab results or prescriptions) or just the portion related to a specific condition the patient specifies, with patient consent allowing a summary instead (Section 17b). Providers may exclude written health speculations but must include all information needed for informed consent.

Maddy summaryHD 4176 allows municipalities with existing artificial fluoridation programs to end them through a local ordinance. This requires a petition signed by at least ten registered voters presented to the local legislative body (like a City Council or Town Meeting). The bill also permits water officials to suspend fluoridation immediately if they determine it poses risks to consumers, workers, infrastructure, or the environment. It directly affects towns, cities, or districts currently operating artificial water fluoridation programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits public schools from selling or providing competitive foods containing seven specific artificial dyes (including Blue 1, Red 40, and Yellow 5) on school grounds during school hours - defined as from midnight before school starts until 30 minutes after the school day ends. The ban applies to all public school competitive foods and non-sweetened carbonated water, effective December 31, 2028. Schools may still sell non-compliant foods off-campus, more than 30 minutes after the school day ends, or at designated events like fundraisers. The law directly affects public school food vendors and students by restricting access to foods containing these dyes during the school day.

Maddy summaryHD 3139 requires schools and healthcare providers to implement education programs focused on preventing sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and related seizure-related deaths. It mandates training for school staff on recognizing seizures and emergency response protocols, while promoting public awareness campaigns about epilepsy safety. The bill directly affects students, families, and school personnel by improving seizure management practices in educational settings. This legislation aims to reduce preventable deaths through concrete, evidence-based education and preparedness measures.

Maddy summaryHD 1535 establishes statewide limits on the number of patients a registered nurse can care for at one time in hospitals, affecting all hospital units including emergency departments, maternity care, pediatric units, and psychiatric care. The Department of Public Health will create specific ratio limits through regulations, requiring hospitals to submit compliance plans if violations occur and imposing civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation. The law also prohibits retaliation against nurses who report violations and mandates public hearings before regulations are finalized. These changes apply to all hospitals providing 24/7 inpatient care, including teaching hospitals like UMass Medical School.

Maddy summaryThis bill standardizes food date labels to reduce waste by requiring two specific phrases: "best if used by" for quality dates (indicating declining quality but still safe consumption) and "use by" for safety dates (indicating when food may become unsafe). It applies to ready-to-eat products like poultry, meat, eggs, and certain processed foods under federal jurisdiction, requiring manufacturers and retailers to use these uniform labels instead of ambiguous terms like "sell by" or "expiration." The Commissioner of Public Health will establish criteria for high-risk products and update them every four years, with implementation required two years after the law takes effect. This change aims to prevent consumers from discarding safe food due to confusion over labels while maintaining safety restrictions for high-risk items.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 3385) requires publicly-traded corporations that pay taxes in the state to submit annual reports detailing their tax payments. The state secretary must create a searchable online database making all submitted reports publicly accessible, including a list of corporations that failed to file. Reports for any tax year become publicly available only after the first day of the third calendar year following that tax year. The law removes previous requirements to hide taxpayer names and addresses from these reports and allows the state to charge for copies of the database or individual reports. It directly affects all publicly-traded corporations subject to state corporate taxation.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how funds from the state disaster relief and resiliency trust fund are allocated. It redirects 70% of the funds to the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund (down from 90%), 10% each to the State Retiree Benefits Trust Fund, the Commonwealth's Pension Liability Fund, and a newly established Disaster Relief and Resiliency Trust Fund. The new trust fund, created under Section 2HHHHHH of Chapter 29, will receive 10% of these funds annually. The bill directly affects state fund management and establishes a dedicated account for disaster relief and resilience efforts.