Friday, June 27th Legislative & Public Health Updates
- hannanur3
- Jun 30
- 12 min read
Dear friends,
I am writing to you today with legislative, Cambridge, and public health updates. If you want even more updates, please follow me on Instagram @repdecker.
Table of Contents
Legislative Updates
Public Health Updates
A Glimpse at the Past Week
Cambridge Updates
Recent Press
Services and Resources
Legislative Updates
Hearings on Bills that I Filed
I am grateful to the Chairs of the Municipalities & Regional Government and Transportation Committees for holding legislative hearings this week on three of my bills:
An Act establishing a charter for the city of Cambridge (H.4156) is a home rule petition I filed on behalf of the City Council. It modernizes Cambridge’s city charter, which has not been substantially changed since its adoption in 1940, by updating its language; creating a regular charter review process; expanding and codifying review processes for the Council and City Manager; clarifying the role of the budget; refining government roles; and improving flexibility in the ranked choice voting system.
An Act further regulating procurements by the city of Cambridge (H.4157) is a home rule petition I filed on behalf of the City Council. It sets requirements for how the City of Cambridge seeks quotes and procurements for services and supplies over a certain amount.
An Act expanding truck safety requirements (H.3653), which I filed with Representative Steve Owens, would improve truck safety standards across Massachusetts by requiring certain large vehicles — especially those operated or contracted by government or utility entities — to be outfitted with equipment that reduces blind spots and prevents pedestrian or cyclist fatalities, starting in 2028.
Joint Rules
On Thursday, both the House and Senate adopted joint rules that will make lawmaking more efficient, transparent, and accessible to the public while adjusting the legislative calendar to allow more time to get meaningful policy accomplished. The rules include the following reforms:
Notice time for joint committee hearings will increase from 72 hours to 10 days. (As a Chair, I have always tried to give 14 days' notice.) Joint committees must also post a schedule of hearing dates within three weeks of committee appointments
Members of the public will be able to participate remotely in joint committee hearings, as will members of the Senate
House Members of a joint committee cannot participate remotely and must be physically present in the hearing room
Attendance of joint committee members at hearings posted with 10 days’ notice will be taken and available on the Legislature’s website, along with how each member votes on the bills before the committee
Joint committees will be required to report bills by the first Wednesday in December of the first year of session
House Chairs will be required to make a final report not later than 60 days after a matter is heard by the committee, but they may request an additional 30 days, at their discretion. Additional extensions must be approved by the House. House bills cannot be extended beyond the third Wednesday in March of the second year of the session
Joint committees will be required to produce plain-language summaries of all bills in time for their hearings, which will be posted to the General Court’s website
Joint committees will adopt rules making written testimony publicly available that will contain limitations on the sharing of testimony, including sensitive information that may jeopardize the health, wellness, or safety of the testifier or others (I have served as a Chair over the past 4 sessions, and I have always made testimony available to the public. The only exception has been if it is from a private individual who has requested to keep it within the committee because it contains sensitive information)
The first meeting of conference committees will be open to the public, and a minimum of 24 hours will be required between a conference committee report filing and a legislative vote.
If a conference committee report is filed after 8 p.m., it cannot be voted on until the second calendar day following the day on which it was filed
Public Health Committee Hearings
The Joint Committee on Public Health held two hearings on Monday and Wednesday, covering various topics including health equity, patient safety, workforce development, emergency medical services, and municipal public health. As Chair of the Committee, I share the responsibility of leading these hearings. I want to thank everyone who came to testify both in person and virtually, including those who submitted written testimony. I was moved by your bravery in sharing your stories and your commitment to advocating for change. These hearings help inform me and my staff as we review the over 400 bills before us and decide how to categorize and prioritize these issues.
Public Health Updates
Supreme Court Blocks Planned Parenthood from Receiving Medicaid Funds in South Carolina
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that states can block Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, from receiving Medicaid funds. The case was originally brought against South Carolina after a 2018 executive order from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster precluded abortion providers in the state from receiving Medicaid funding, including Planned Parenthood. In a 6-3 decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court ruled that neither Planned Parenthood nor a patient can sue a state under federal civil rights law to enforce the provision of the Medicaid Act that ensures Medicaid patients can seek medical care from the provider of their choice. Approximately one in five adult women of reproductive age, including trans and nonbinary people, use Medicaid to get low- or no-cost essential health care. Each year, over 2 million people depend on Planned Parenthood health centers for essential health services; over half of those patients are covered by publicly funded programs like Medicaid.
CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel Convenes its First Meeting while States Consider Alternative Advisory Boards
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the advisory panel of vaccine experts responsible for developing recommendations on the immunization schedule to present to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), held its first meeting of the newly appointed members on Wednesday and Thursday. Earlier this month, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. fired all seventeen members of the panel, causing concern from public health experts that none of the new appointees have relevant, recent experience in immunology. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy have both expressed their distrust of this administration’s approach and have committed to offering their own vaccination guidelines. Additionally, many states have begun to explore recommendations from alternative advisory boards as concerns about anti-vaccine misinformation continue to rise. On Monday, Governor Maura Healey confirmed that the state Department of Public Health (DPH) is currently exploring the Commonwealth’s ability to separate itself from federal vaccine policy while continuing to ensure vaccine access across Massachusetts.
Report Shows the Number of Abortions is Rising due to Telehealth Prescriptions
According to a recent #WeCount report from the Society for Family Planning, the total number of abortions in the United States has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned, and an increasing percentage of abortions are via telehealth. Since then, twelve states have enacted total abortion bans, and four more have six-week bans, leading more patients to seek online abortion care from states with shield laws. Shield laws protect providers from facing legal penalties for providing abortion care to out-of-state patients, no matter the abortion policies of those patients’ home states. Massachusetts enacted its shield law in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal legal protection for abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. The recent #WeCount report found that, in the months before the Dobbs decision, approximately 1 in 20 abortions were accessed by telehealth. In the last three months of 2024, that number was up to 1 in 4. The report also found that about 50% of the telehealth abortions in 2024 were facilitated by shield laws. The full report is available to read here.
FDA Approves New HIV Drug, but Trump Funding Cuts Hinder Global Distribution
Last week, the FDA approved a new drug to prevent the spread of HIV after promising clinical trials found that the drug was anywhere from 96 to 100% successful at preventing HIV infection. The drug, Lenacapavir, is a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug that works by helping the body produce anti-HIV antibodies, increasing the ability of the immune system to fight infection before the disease is able to replicate. The drug has several key advantages over its oral counterparts. Firstly, it is a twice-yearly injection, as opposed to a daily pill. Inadequate adherence to a daily pill is one of the main reasons for its lower prevention rate, with a HIV Prevention Trials Network study finding evidence of only 9% of women and girls having a high adherence rate after 12 months. Last year, the drug’s developer, Gilead, stated that it planned to allow inexpensive, generic versions of the injection to be sold in 120 low-income countries with high rates of HIV. However, that plan has been hindered by the significant cuts to foreign assistance made by the Trump administration.
A Glimpse at the Past Week
Last Saturday, I attended Majestic Community Wellness’ Juneteenth Wellness Gathering. The wellness session honored the legacy of Juneteenth, resilience, freedom, and the power of collective healing. It was an amazing morning to be in community, connecting, breathing, moving, and honoring the work that has been done, as well as acknowledging the energy and the determination that is required to seek change that is just.
It also served as a celebration for their Maternal and Women’s Health Initiative, created by Katia Powell-Laurent, founder of HUED Mamas Co. and Black Girls Nutrition, and my friend Lindsay Gibson, founder of Majestic Community Wellness and Majestic Yoga Studio. The program aims to provide a wellness ecosystem that centers around the health and well-being of birthing people, especially Black birthing people who are often traditionally overlooked or have not always felt included in wellness practices. Thank you, Dr. Angela Faye Allen, Katia, and Lindsay, for all the incredible work you do. I am grateful for your leadership, and it was an honor to join you.
On Tuesday, I met with advocates to discuss An Act relative to increasing access to epinephrine (H.2500), a bill before the Joint Committee on Public Health this Session. This bill would expand access to epinephrine in communities by allowing spaces, such as restaurants, colleges and universities, and amusement parks, to purchase, distribute, and administer epinephrine autoinjectors, also known as EpiPens, to people on the premises who may be experiencing anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction that can only be treated with epinephrine, oftentimes delivered through an autoinjector by laypeople. It is critical to administer epinephrine to someone experiencing anaphylaxis within minutes of symptom onset.
As someone with food allergies myself, I understand the importance of being able to access an EpiPen swiftly, and I look forward to taking a closer look at H.2500 moving forward in this session. It was also great to show the advocates around the chamber!
I was happy to see members of Mothers Out Front Cambridge who stopped by the State House on Wednesday, prior to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy’s hearing on Governor Healey’s energy affordability bill, An Act relative to energy affordability, independence, and innovation (H.4144). As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I signed onto letters to the Department of Public Utilities and the Attorney General, voicing my concern and frustration with the rates our Commonwealth faced this winter. I am glad that this legislation takes concrete steps to address the high costs of energy, and I am grateful that it includes language reflective of bills I filed this session to regulate procurement and labor standards for geothermal work.
It was great to see my CRLS classmate Emily Silas at the State House for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Massachusetts lobby day. I continue to be so grateful for Emily and all of the teachers across the Commonwealth for the love and dedication with which they approach educating our children every day in schools.
I met with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services’ Section 35 working group, which includes the Departments of Corrections, Mental Health, and Public Health, on Thursday morning. Last year, the Legislature passed comprehensive substance use disorder treatment reform legislation, and among the provisions of the omnibus was the closure of the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center (MASAC) by the end of next year. Men committed to substance or alcohol use disorder treatment under Section 35 can be sent by a judge to one of two correctional facilities for treatment if a DMH or DPH-licensed facility is not available. One of them is MASAC, which is operated by the DOC and is not conducive to the recovery of those committed there. I received updates from the group on the progress being made to ensure MASAC ceases operation by the required date.
This session, I filed An Act ensuring access to addiction services (H.2197) with Rep. Margaret Scarsdale. This legislation would prohibit men committed to treatment under Section 35 from being sent to jails or DOC-operated facilities and require that they be sent to DMH or DPH instead. I have worked on and supported this legislation for 8 years, first as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery, when I worked closely with former Representative Ruth Balser, and now having picked up the mantle from her as lead sponsor. I look forward to continuing the conversation with the Section 35 working group and hearing updates on their progress in the coming months.
On Thursday, I chaired the first meeting of the Special Commission on Violence Prevention Services Funding. This Commission was established in the gun safety omnibus that passed last session, and is charged with:
Examining and evaluating the existing government funding structure for violence prevention services in the commonwealth, including funding sources, public-private partnerships, initiatives and programs utilized, specific services funded, the impact of services provided to survivors of victims of homicide in fostering healing and breaking the generational cycle of violence, communities served, how funding decisions are made, and how service providers and programs are chosen;
Studying the feasibility of a statewide grant for municipal boards of health, health departments and health commissions for the development and operation of a public health and safety approach to preventing targeted violence through structured collaboration that brings together local law enforcement, housing providers, human services providers, youth providers, educators, residents, community-based organizations, coalitions and other stakeholders to address housing, health care, substance use and mental health issues as they relate to violence prevention and intervention; and
Recommending changes to promote efficiency, transparency, accessibility, and utility with the ultimate goal of enhancing violence prevention services and minimizing the disproportionate impact of violence in historically impacted communities.
I am honored to lead this Commission, and am grateful to the members who represent a variety of grassroots and statewide nonprofits, as well as local and state agencies, for their service and dedication to preventing violence in our communities.
Senator Sal DiDomenico, our teams, and I met for almost 4 hours today to review the final draft of the Special Legislative Commission to Study Poverty in the Commonwealth’s report. I am so grateful to continue this work with my CRLS classmate Sen. DiDomenico, along with our incredible staff, who have invested so much time helping us lead this Commission. The report presents a comprehensive blueprint to reduce poverty and expand opportunity in the Commonwealth, organized into four core action areas, each with vision statements, domain definitions, and detailed recommendations. I am looking forward to sharing it with you once it is published.
Cambridge Updates
250th Anniversary of the U.S Army on July 7
The City of Cambridge, in partnership with the Cambridge Veterans Services Office, invites residents of all ages to a community celebration honoring the 250th Anniversary of the United States Army. The 250th Anniversary of the United States Army event at the Cambridge Common was postponed to Monday, July 7 at 1 p.m. This free, family-friendly event includes a bounce house, an obstacle course, food and live music, and will be held on the Cambridge Commons (1500 Mass. Ave, Cambridge).
R-Jay Jones Youth Scholarship Fund
The Cambridge Community Center (CCC) is launching the R-Jay Jones Youth Scholarship Fund to ensure that no child is turned away from our summer or after-school programs due to financial barriers. This fund honors the extraordinary legacy of Ronald “R-Jay” Jones, who has served the CCC for over 50 years. In previous years, your generosity helped fund field trips and enrichment experiences. This year, due to recent cuts in external funding beyond their control, they are shifting their focus to scholarships. Your support will help families continue to access the full range of services the CCC offers, including daily meals, social-emotional support, mentorship, physical activity, and a caring community. If you'd like to include a note to R-Jay with your gift, email it to info@cambridgecc.org with "R-Jay" in the subject line. They will make sure he receives it.
Recent Press
Editorial: Union apprentice mandate would help all in trades
Lowell Sun Editorial
Virtually every public construction project in Massachusetts would be required to use apprentices under a bill that union supporters say will provide a sustaining stream of trained professionals into the state’s trades workforce.
“It’s about building a workforce that is local, highly trained and ready to meet growing demands of the construction industry,” Khary Brown, a registered electrical apprentice in IBEW 103, told the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development on Tuesday. “We have aging infrastructure, ambitious clean energy goals and a retiring generation of skilled workers. We need to be proactive about training new talent now.”
The requirements within bills by state Rep. Marjorie Decker and state Sen. Lydia Edwards (H 2085/ S 1303) increase over time. Within six months of its passage, 5% of all hours on public construction projects will have to be done by apprentices. After one year, 10%, and after two years, 15%.
Services and Resources
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. It is available 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
