Friday, April 4th Legislative & Public Health Updates
- hannanur3
- Apr 7
- 9 min read
Dear friends,
I am writing to you today with legislative and public health updates.
Table of Contents
Legislative Updates
Public Health Updates
A Glimpse at the Past Week
Services and Resources
As Tax Day approaches next Tuesday, April 15, I encourage you to utilize resources like findyourfunds.org. Created by the Healthy Families Tax Credits Coalition, it details several helpful resources, including:
Ways to file your taxes for free
Types of tax credits you may be eligible for
Information for immigrants, including those with ITINs
Locations of nearby tax clinics and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, sites, which offer free tax and tax return preparation to those who qualify, including people with low incomes, people with disabilities, and people with limited English fluency.
Tomorrow, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Boston Common, Indivisible Massachusetts and Swing Left Greater Boston are organizing a “Hands Off” protest as part of a coordinated effort across the nation to push back on the Trump administration’s hateful agenda.
We have seen an unprecedented number of executive orders; the financial markets dropping in significant ways that will impact people's livelihoods and retirements; and dramatic shifts in the funding of federal grants impacting our health care, economy, public health infrastructure, life sciences, and education. The intentional effort of chaos to wear us down is a strategy. I will keep you informed and share opportunities for us to come together as a community.
Legislative Updates
On Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Public Health held its first hearing on bills before the Committee. We had the opportunity to hear testimony on 10 bills pertaining to emergency medical services, professional licensure and scope of practice, and end-of-life options.
One of the bills heard was An Act requiring automated external defibrillators at sporting events, a bill I filed with Representative Russell Holmes. The bill will require facilities such as stadiums, sports centers, and gymnasiums to equip their premises with at least one AED and have a trained employee or authorized volunteer on-site during sporting activities. Additionally, clearly marked placards will be required to indicate the locations of the AEDs. This bill was filed after the tragic loss of Preston Settles, and I’m working with his parents — Darryl Settles and Dr. Lisa Owens — to ensure that similar tragedies can be prevented.
We also heard almost four hours of testimony on An Act relative to end-of-life options. The bill would allow a mentally capable, terminally ill adult the option to request and self-ingest prescription medication to peacefully end their suffering if it becomes unbearable. The bill includes strict eligibility requirements and more than a dozen safeguards that would make it the most comprehensive and strictest law in the country, including a requirement that two healthcare providers certify that a patient has a prognosis of six months or less to live, and makes it a crime to coerce a terminally ill person into using medical aid in dying. This is my third session hearing this bill as Chair, and I appreciate everyone who came to the hearing to share their personal stories and connections to this issue.
Thank you to everyone who testified on all of these important bills.
Public Health Updates
FDA Postpones Full Approval of Novavax’s COVID-19 Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has postponed the full approval of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, which is the only non-mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine currently available. Unlike the mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, Novavax's vaccine uses a protein-based formulation, representing a more traditional method of vaccine production. It has been accessible to the public under an FDA-granted emergency use authorization for several years. Full approval of the Novavax vaccine would have allowed for wider distribution and could have encouraged more people, particularly those hesitant to trust mRNA-based vaccines, to receive the seasonal COVID-19 vaccine. However, the FDA missed the April 1 deadline for a decision and has stated that it needs more information before granting full approval for Novavax.
Massachusetts DPH Announces New WIC Pilot Program
On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced that participants in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition program can now use their benefits for online ordering through Walmart. For the first time, participants can shop online for WIC-approved foods, which can be picked up in-store or delivered from 48 Walmart locations across Massachusetts. This new pilot program makes WIC benefits more accessible, expanding upon federal guidelines that previously required WIC recipients to make in-person grocery purchases at certain stores. Massachusetts is one of the few states granted waivers and federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement this online ordering initiative.
Trump Administration Pulls Millions in Title X Funding from Planned Parenthood
This week, nine Planned Parenthood state affiliates received notices that Title X family planning funding is being "temporarily withheld." Title X, enacted in 1970, was created to provide comprehensive family planning and preventive health services for low-income families. The notices cited potential violations of President Trump's executive orders, which include newly implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The Administration claims that Planned Parenthood "overtly encourages illegal aliens to receive care" and points to their "commitment to Black communities" as evidence of non-compliance. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has given Planned Parenthood ten days to demonstrate compliance with the Trump Administration's executive orders. If they do not provide sufficient evidence, HHS will revoke the grants.
Over $100 Million in Unspent Federal COVID Relief Funding for Schools Cut by Trump Administration
The Trump Administration has canceled $106 million in residual COVID-19 school relief funds that Massachusetts schools were expecting to have until March 2026 to spend. When these funds were revoked, a new deadline of March 31, 2025, was issued—well before states were notified about the funding being withdrawn. The affected federal funding primarily comprises public school relief funds known as ESSER funds (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief), part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). ARPA allocated $1.8 billion in ESSER money to Massachusetts schools. Springfield and New Bedford have the highest amounts of unspent ESSER funds, with about $47 million and $15 million remaining, respectively. Eighteen other school districts have also been impacted, including Fitchburg, Everett, Revere, and Boston.
Sweeping Layoffs Begin Across the Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began sending out dismissal notices as part of the Trump Administration's plan to terminate 10,000 employees, equivalent to a quarter of the HHS staff. These notices came just days after Trump signed an executive order to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights and a week after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan to reimagine the department. Among other things, the plan would create a new office called the Administration for a Healthy America that would consolidate community health and addiction services funds. So far, 7,400 roles have been eliminated, with about 3,500 jobs at the Food and Drug Administration, 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,200 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cut.
A Glimpse at the Past Week
I was honored to be asked to be part of a panel to speak to social work students by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Massachusetts on Monday alongside my friend and colleague Senator Sal DiDomenico, Betsy Gwin of Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, and Aleah Tillotson, a Master of Social Work student at Salem State University. Social workers are on the frontlines assisting our most vulnerable populations and have a deep understanding of ways to combat poverty in the Commonwealth.
I was honored to share with social work students from across our Commonwealth how proud I am to lead anti-poverty work that seeks to provide agency and dignity to those living in deep poverty. Since 2017, I have been filing An Act to lift kids out of deep poverty alongside Senator DiDomenico. This legislation would raise Temporary Aid for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC) cash assistance grants to 50% of the federal poverty line, then index them to inflation to ensure families never fall into deep poverty.
I attended the Trans Day of Visibility event at the State House on Monday. At a time when the existence of our trans neighbors is under attack, we must continue to defend access to gender-affirming care, especially for trans youth. I am proud to be part of a Legislature that took several important steps during the first Trump Administration to codify trans protections amidst the threat of other states taking legal action against gender-affirming care providers in Massachusetts.
Last session, I worked with my colleague Chairwoman Mindy Domb to pass legislation enabling folks to utilize the gender-neutral “X” marker on driver’s licenses and birth certificates. This important policy ensures that important state documents contain gender-affirming demarcations for trans and non-binary folks.
Thank you to the LGBTQ+ Caucus, including Public Health Committee Vice Chair Julian Cyr, for hosting this event, and to Lieutenant Governor Driscoll for affirming the Healey Administration’s commitment to trans people in Massachusetts.
To the trans community: We see you — this week and every week — and will continue to stand with you against the deluge of hateful and transphobic executive orders meant to overwhelm us into inaction.
I was invited to be a guest speaker at the New England College of Optometry (NECO) by the American Optometric Association Students Association. I spoke to future optometrists about the importance of advocacy and getting involved in the legislative process, particularly at a time when the Trump Administration is wreaking havoc on our federal and state healthcare systems. The students I addressed are the future of primary and preventative care in the Commonwealth and beyond, and I appreciate their willingness to learn how to apply their medical expertise to legislative advocacy.
On Tuesday, I spoke at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Massachusetts Advocacy Day. This year’s theme was focused on resisting disengagement and inspiring action, which is incredibly relevant due to the unprecedented times we are in. We already know the toll that this Administration has taken on many, and we can only anticipate that the suffering will continue to grow. Our immigrant and LGBTQ communities, in particular, will continue to endure traumas and attacks on their identities. While the continued deluge of unlawful executive actions can understandably lead to disengagement, I emphasized the importance of self-care so that we can maintain our commitment to organizing and taking action in support of our values.
I was honored to highlight a few of my bills that NAMI Mass has chosen as their legislative priorities for this session:
An Act for supportive care for serious mental illness (H.1135)
This bill would require commercial insurers to cover Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) for psychosis treatment
An Act improving the health insurance prior authorization process (H.1136)
This bill would require prior authorization to be valid for the duration of treatment, or at least one year, and establishes a 24-hour response time for urgently needed care
An Act reducing emergency department boarding (H.2198)
This bill would forbid the involuntary hold of someone in an ED for more than 72 hours and ensure that anyone held longer than 48 hours be referred for legal presentation
An Act ending unnecessary hospitalizations (H.2199)
This bill would require involuntary hospitalization only after all other community treatment options have been exhausted, including Mobile Crisis Intervention and Community Behavioral Health Centers
An Act preserving access to treatment for patients with serious mental illnesses (H.1128)
This bill would forbid the use of prior authorization or step therapy for drugs treating serious mental illness by both private insurers and MassHealth
An Act transferring Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Mental Health (H.3313)
This bill would transfer jurisdiction over Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Mental Health
An Act relative to ensuring quality mental health services in state correctional facilities (H.2201)
This bill would transfer the administration of mental health services in prisons and jails from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Mental Health
Harvard Law student attorneys and constituents who work with the Prison Legal Assistance Project stopped by my office on Thursday to advocate for automatic CORI-sealing legislation. They shared with me stories of clients who had been blocked from career, educational, and housing opportunities because of decades-old offenses that remained on their records. I am a proud co-sponsor of the bill, An Act requiring clean slate automated record sealing, and will continue to work with the lead filers to advance this important legislation.
Cambridge Public Health Helpline Supports Residents with COVID-19
To speak with someone, call the confidential COVID-19 Hotline at 617-933-0797. Learn more here.
Intimate Partner Abuse Prevention Helpline
This initiative is designed to prevent intimate partner violence by fostering accountability and change in people who harm or may harm their partner. You can find more information at 10to10helpline.org or by calling 877-898-3411.
SafeSpot Overdose Prevention Helpline
SafeSpot is a virtual spotting/overdose detection service for people who use drugs. Learn more at safe-spot.me or access it by calling 800-972-0590.
Alzheimer's Association Helpline
The Alzheimer’s Association is a nonprofit that provides support, research, and care for Alzheimer’s and dementia with a 24/7 for caregivers and patients. More information is available at alz.org, or by calling 800-272-3900.
De Novo Center for Justice and Healing
De Novo is a Cambridge-based nonprofit that provides free civil legal assistance and affordable psychological counseling to people with low incomes. You can learn more about their services at denovo.org.
MassLegalHelp.org is a resource to help Massachusetts residents learn about their legal rights. The website does not offer legal advice or answer individual questions but has a page about options for finding a lawyer. It does provide resources for those facing legal issues, such as a landlord refusing to make repairs, appealing the denial of SNAP benefits, and questions about getting a CORI sealed.
As always, please contact me with questions or concerns at Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov.
Sincerely,
Marjorie
