Sen. Becca Rausch

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 Massachusetts agencies assisting older adults to include information about the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in their services. Specifically, it mandates that state-funded long-term care facilities provide pre-admission counseling that discusses community-based options like PACE, while also offering this counseling to those paying privately. Additionally, the law directs state officials to study whether Medicaid providers can deliver this counseling and to report annually on how many people receive these services and how many are diverted from institutional care to community programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends state law to allow Massachusetts towns and cities to pass local ordinances requiring new buildings and major renovations to be all-electric, meaning they cannot use natural gas, heating oil, or propane for heating, cooling, or cooking. The legislation defines "all-electric" as systems that rely on electricity or geothermal energy for these purposes while excluding fossil fuel infrastructure, with specific exceptions for vehicle fueling, mechanic shops, and emergency backup power. By giving municipalities the authority to mandate these standards, the bill aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by shifting energy use away from fossil fuels in residential, commercial, and public structures. The rules apply to construction projects and major renovations where building permit applications are submitted on or after January 1, 2022.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to update Massachusetts home care regulations to include individuals diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. The change applies to people of any age who meet the standard eligibility requirements for home care services. By mandating that relevant agencies issue necessary rules, the legislation ensures that these specific patients can access home care programs without age restrictions.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a state program to help Massachusetts school districts afford zero-emission school buses by covering the price difference between these new vehicles and traditional diesel buses. The Department of Energy Resources will manage the initiative, which includes funding for purchasing buses and installing necessary charging infrastructure. Priority for funding will be given to communities with lower median incomes or higher rates of childhood asthma, and the state will also set up a centralized contract for schools to buy or lease these buses. The law requires the department to publish application details annually and report data on grants issued and environmental benefits achieved.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts education law to establish strict privacy protections for student and educator data collected by websites, apps, and services used for school purposes. It defines "covered information" broadly to include sensitive details like biometric data, search history, and health records, while also clarifying what constitutes anonymous "aggregated data." The legislation outlines specific requirements for how schools must handle this information, including rules on data sharing, security measures, and the destruction of records when they are no longer needed.

Maddy summaryThis bill prevents utility companies from passing the costs of building new interstate gas pipelines onto residential and business customers. It achieves this by amending state law to ban the approval of gas purchase contracts that require new infrastructure construction if those costs would be recovered from ratepayers. The legislation directly affects utility providers and the consumers who pay for their services by restricting how they can finance pipeline expansions.

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 expands the Fossil Fuel Free demonstration project in Massachusetts to allow more cities and towns to participate. To qualify, local governments must first meet specific housing requirements, such as achieving a 10 percent affordability threshold under Chapter 40B or approving zoning that permits multi-family housing without age restrictions. The legislation aims to increase housing production by ensuring that participating municipalities have addressed affordability and density goals before accessing the project. Cities that already met the affordability threshold as of December 21, 2020, are automatically considered to have satisfied these new conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill aims to regulate utility pricing in Massachusetts by limiting how much electricity rates can rise and requiring stricter oversight of proposed changes. It directly affects electric distribution companies and their customers by capping annual rate increases to match the inflation rate and mandating a 60-day public notice period before any rate hikes take effect. The legislation also requires the state department to hold public hearings on proposed rate changes and gives officials the power to suspend these changes pending review. Additionally, the bill authorizes the creation of performance-based rates that tie utility compensation to service quality standards, such as outage frequency and customer satisfaction, while excluding marketing costs from rate calculations.