Friday, November 21st Legislative & Public Health Updates
- hannanur3
- Nov 23
- 17 min read
Dear friends,
I am writing to you today with legislative, public health, and Cambridge updates. If you want even more updates, please follow me on Instagram @repdecker.
Table of Contents
Legislative Updates
A Glimpse at the Past Week
Public Health Updates
Cambridge Updates
Recent Press
Services and Resources
Wishing everyone a peaceful and enjoyable holiday break. I hope that you get intentional time to rest and spend with family. I want to acknowledge Thursday as the National Day of Mourning, an observance for many Indigenous communities to honor their ancestors and their resilience. There will be no newsletter next week.
While the federal government shutdown has ended, food insecurity in Cambridge and across Massachusetts remains very real.
You can still donate to funds such as the Cambridge Community Center (CCC)’s Nourish a Neighbor fund and the United Response Fund to support local and statewide food assistance programs.
If you need help meeting your or your family’s nutritional needs, you are not alone. The City of Cambridge is distributing $50 grocery store gift cards to Cambridge residents who are current SNAP recipients and meet one or more of the following criteria:
You are an older adult (age 60 or older)
You have a disability
Your family includes a child aged 18 or younger who attends Cambridge Public Schools, a Cambridge Charter School, Cambridge Preschool Program, or a younger child
Residents will be asked to show their EBT card in order to receive a gift card. Information about how to receive gift cards is available here.
You can find information on Cambridge food pantries, free community meals, and other local food resources here. There is also a new state website, Mass.gov/SNAPFreeze, with resources for people in need of food assistance and ways for residents and businesses to donate or volunteer.
Please see the “Services and Resources” section at the end of this newsletter for additional food assistance resources.
Legislative Updates
Hearings on Legislation That I Filed
There were public hearings this week at the State House on four bills I filed this session:
An Act supporting the development of children experiencing homelessness would expand access to child care and early intervention services for families experiencing homelessness. It ensures eligibility for child care vouchers regardless of work status and guarantees early intervention evaluations for young children in shelters (H.215, Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities)
An Act improving emergency housing assistance for children and families experiencing homelessness would expand eligibility for emergency housing assistance to include families at risk of homelessness, establish same-day shelter placements for families with immediate need, and prohibit denials based on lack of documentation if eligibility can be confirmed through existing databases. It also creates an ombudsperson unit to mediate and advocate for applicants and participants in shelter programs (H.216, Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities)
An Act relative to reforming the competency to stand trial process would reform how Massachusetts courts handle defendants with mental illness who may be incompetent to stand trial or not criminally responsible due to a mental condition (H.1652, Judiciary)
An Act relative to treatment, not incarceration, which I co-file with Rep. Tram Nguyen, limits punitive responses like incarceration for relapse and instead centers clinical care and recovery support as part of probation conditions (H.1913, Judiciary)
House Passes Higher Education Infrastructure and Workplace Violence Bills
On Tuesday, I voted with my House colleagues to pass bills to invest in higher education infrastructure and to protect health care workers from workplace violence. The BRIGHT Act (H.4750) authorizes approximately $3.65 billion in capital investment to modernize Massachusetts’ public colleges and universities and support the state’s academic, research, workforce and climate goals. The bill is financed by Fair Share surtax revenue, which will be used to address deferred maintenance, modernization projects, and decarbonization across higher education institutions.
An Act requiring health care employers to develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence (H.4767) strengthens protections for health care workers, establishes preventive and protective standards to reduce the risk of violence, improves health care facility incident reporting, enhances interagency coordination to safeguard privacy, and creates legal protections for certain employees harmed in the line of duty.
Legislature Votes to Protect Integrity of the U.S. Constitution
The Legislature passed legislation to rescind all previous applications for a national Constitutional Convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. This joint initiative is in response to concerns that Congress and the Trump Administration could attempt to use prior Massachusetts resolutions to call for an Article V Constitutional Convention to advance their own political agenda, moves that could have broad and sweeping implications on current protections under the U.S. Constitution.
An Article V convention is a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution allowing states to propose amendments if two-thirds (34) of state legislatures call for it. An Article V convention could open the entire Constitution to unpredictable changes, as there are no clear guidelines or limitations on what delegates could propose. While an Article V convention has never been called before in American history, there is recent conservative momentum to add up all active resolutions to meet the two-thirds threshold. Massachusetts had several outdated Article V resolutions pending before Congress, including one sent in 1977 asking for an Article V convention to constitutionally ban abortions. These dormant calls have been cited in national legal strategies pushing for a convention, arguing they could still be considered active and contribute to the 34-state count. Sixteen states have already taken action to rescind all of their previous calls.
Legislature Approves Closeout Supplemental Budget
The Legislature also passed a supplemental budget that prioritizes affordability for Massachusetts residents and protections for those being negatively impacted by decisions at the federal level. As part of allocating the final expenses of Fiscal Year 2025, the legislation:
Provides funding for MassHealth, hospitals, and reproductive care;
Ensures students at public colleges and universities receive the financial aid they depend on;
Adds funding for the universal meals program for children in public schools; and
Funds operational enhancements to improve how Massachusetts residents access supplemental nutrition assistance, or SNAP.
In addition, it directs state funds to support transportation and public safety ahead of the upcoming 2026 World Cup, ensures accountability in sheriffs’ operations, and brings transparency to former state institutions where residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities suffered abuse.
A Glimpse at the Past Week
At a time when the federal government is criminalizing access to healthcare for transgender individuals and adolescents, it was uplifting to attend the Fenway Health Gala on November 14. I will emulate the motto from the evening and continue to “resist and recommit” as we work to ensure healthcare access for all.
Always fun to run into CRLS alumni at events around Massachusetts, like Dr. Ethan Brackett and Cambridge City Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui at the Fenway Health Gala!
Sunday was the second annual Ride and Walk for Our Life Boston to commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. This past year in Massachusetts, 55 pedestrians and 10 cyclists have lost their lives to traffic crashes. In the summer and fall of 2024, the Cambridge community reeled from three deadly crashes between trucks and cyclists just two weeks apart. These deaths are preventable. People should not be afraid that any time they walk or bike away from their home, they might never return.
This is a public health issue, and we need to be using the technologies available to us to address it. In 2018, following another tragic death in Cambridge, I filed legislation requiring trucks to have working backup cameras. That bill was included in the 2022 Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities, which requires backup cameras on state-operated trucks, as well as side guards, convex mirrors, and crossover mirrors. This session, I filed An Act expanding truck safety requirements (H.3653) to extend those requirements to trucks that are contracted, leased, or purchased by municipalities, utilities, wireless providers, or quasi-public entities. I also co-sponsored legislation to allow municipalities to set up automated road safety cameras for enforcing specific traffic violations. I will continue to champion policies to ensure that other communities do not have to grieve these preventable losses.
Thank you to the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition and Families for Safe Streets Massachusetts for organizing such an important event. We need to continue to raise awareness around traffic safety and sharing the roads.
It was great to be hosted by constituents on Monday to discuss the importance of immigration legislation in the face of federal actions attacking immigrants’ existence in this country. Thank you to Berl for opening up her home to me and to the members of Indivisible who came out to speak on this matter.
If you are interested in hosting a meeting at your home, please reach out to me at Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov. I would love to connect and learn more about the issues you care about.
The Cambridge Community Center hosted its 1st Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway on Monday night, in partnership with Food for Free. This is what makes our community special; the neighbors, volunteers, and staff coming together to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to have a festive meal this holiday season. This giveaway served more than 600 families.
On Monday, I attended the second public hearing of the Charles River Task Force on Equitable River Access at the Cambridge Community Center. I am grateful to those who joined this event and last week’s virtual hearing. The Commonwealth has contracted the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC) to support the Task Force’s goal of building a blueprint for centering equity and ensuring that DCR has the tools to proactively and intentionally seek a diversity of voices, including low-income residents and people of color who are not typically involved in neighborhood organizations, in its decision-making. If successful, this blueprint will hopefully be implemented by DCR to ensure that all voices are included in any future decision-making regarding conservation and recreation.
I spoke about legislation that I filed to provide childcare vouchers and Early Intervention screenings to families in the shelter system at Strategies for Children’s 9:30 Call on Wednesday morning. Joining me was Kate Barrand, President & CEO of Horizons for Homeless Children. I have been coordinating with Horizons on An Act supporting the development of children experiencing homelessness (H.215), which would ensure eligibility for child care vouchers regardless of work status and guarantee Early Intervention evaluations for young children in shelters. Early Intervention (EI) is a program for infants and toddlers (birth to 3 years old) who have developmental delays or are at risk of a developmental delay. EI services are provided free of charge and are meant to help support families and caregivers and to enhance the development and learning of infants and toddlers.
Kate and I encouraged attendees to submit testimony to the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities in support of this bill. It is so important that legislators hear from people doing the work on the ground so that the policy and budget decisions we make are informed by lived experiences. Thank you to Amy O’Leary and Strategies for Children for inviting me as a guest speaker, and to Kate Barrand and everyone at Horizons for Homeless Children for their tireless work in alleviating the trauma and stress of homelessness on both children and their families.
This week, I had the opportunity to give two constituents a tour of the Massachusetts State House. If you haven’t had a chance to visit this historic and beautiful building, I encourage you to cross the river and stop on by!
I spoke at a briefing hosted by the U.S. Pain Foundation on Wednesday about a bill I filed to mandate parity in MassHealth coverage for non-opioid pain treatments and require MassHealth to ensure the availability of accessible chronic pain care. As someone whose life has been affected by chronic pain, I know firsthand how crucial it is to make sure that those with pain can access the treatment that best fits their needs without excessive barriers.
Thank you to Cindy Steinberg, a tireless partner and advocate who is outspoken about her own pain experience, for inviting me to speak at this event.
I hosted a meeting with the Treatment, Not Incarceration coalition in my office on Wednesday. An Act relative to treatment, not incarceration (H.1913), which I co-file with Rep. Tram Nguyen, limits punitive responses like incarceration for relapse and instead centers clinical care and recovery support as part of probation conditions.
Substance use disorder is a disease for which relapse is a natural and expected symptom. We should not punish justice-involved people with substance use disorders for experiencing a setback. Instead, we should divert them to supportive and health-centered interventions that embrace evidence-based practices to facilitate their recovery. I am grateful to the advocates and providers, especially those with lived experience, who shared their perspectives with me.
I stopped by Harvard University’s Labor Appreciation Breakfast on Thursday morning. It was great to be joined by so many friends and partners in labor and to be reminded that when people are paid their value, they can sustain their families and put food on the table. It has been exciting to see labor have such a prominent seat at the table throughout Harvard’s continued expansion: the David Rubenstein Treehouse, where the event was held, is part of Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus, which was constructed using union labor.
On Thursday afternoon, I met with a coalition of emergency shelter providers to hear more about what they’re seeing as we enter winter, with a 6-month limit on shelter stays for families, and eviction filings in Massachusetts being the highest they have been in 15 years.
I want to congratulate and thank Governor Healey for awarding over $12 million to expand winter shelter and warming center capacity for individual adults experiencing homelessness. The question remains: where are children going when families are pushed out of shelters or are denied access to the shelter system?
It was a pleasure to celebrate all of the 2025 award recipients at the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Visionary Awards on Thursday night. Several Cambridge-based organizations were honored for transforming lives and creating better conditions for those in the community and beyond. Congratulations to Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee, Cambridge Housing Authority, Harvard Biodesign Lab and Move Lab, IQHQ Alewife Park, Just A Start’s Economic Mobility Hub, Lemelson MIT, Nanopath, and Pascal Technology!
Public Health Updates
CDC Updates Website to Include Scientifically Incorrect Information that Vaccines are Linked to Autism
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its webpage on vaccines and autism to reflect a scientifically inaccurate link between the two. Specifically, the webpage was edited to include an asterisk next to the header "Vaccines do not cause autism" and a new "key points" section stating that "studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism" and that health authorities have "ignored" studies "supporting a link" between vaccines and autism. These statements are false and reject the long-standing medical consensus that vaccines do not cause autism. Yesterday, the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Dr. Robbie Goldstein, responded to these false claims, rebuking misleading assertions about vaccines and autism, and stating that such claims “contradict the global scientific consensus and undermine public confidence in vaccines.” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long and extensively documented history of being a prominent anti-vaccine figure and promoting vaccine misinformation. Since taking over as HHS Secretary earlier this year, Kennedy has systematically undermined vaccine science by defunding research related to mRNA vaccines and vaccine hesitancy and firing all seventeen members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an advisory panel of vaccine experts responsible for developing recommendations on the immunization schedule to present to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Kennedy then appointed new members to ACIP who lacked recent or relevant experience in immunology. The myth that vaccines, specifically the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, cause autism is based on a 1998 article published by Andrew Wakefield. This paper discussed a highly problematic study, as it sampled only 12 children, lacked a control group, and selected cases to support the narrative Wakefield wanted to promote for his own financial gain. After Wakefield's paper was published, there were numerous epidemiological studies conducted that directly refuted his claims and provided strong evidence that vaccines do not cause autism. Wakefield's study has since been retracted by The Lancet, a reputable medical journal. For reliable, evidence-based information on childhood vaccines, please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/common-questions.
DPH Issues Standing Order Enabling Local Boards of Health to Administer Flu Vaccines
Yesterday, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced a new initiative to ensure that vaccines are easily accessible to all residents. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a standing order that authorizes qualified local board of health personnel to administer the influenza vaccine to all eligible individuals for the 2025-2026 respiratory virus season. Previously, local health personnel required sign-off from a healthcare provider to administer flu vaccines, which created barriers for residents, particularly vulnerable populations, in obtaining their flu shots. The new order streamlines this process, allowing local public health qualified personnel to provide the flu vaccine without needing a provider’s order, making flu vaccination more widely available across the state. This initiative builds on DPH’s efforts to improve vaccine access, as demonstrated by an earlier standing order issued in September that allows local boards of health to administer COVID-19 vaccines to eligible individuals in accordance with DPH recommendations. Public health experts warn of a possible sharp uptick in flu cases in the coming weeks as a new, mutated strain surges in the United Kingdom. DPH recommends that all individuals 6 months of age and older receive an annual influenza vaccination to protect against seasonal flu and its potentially severe consequences. For more information on how to obtain a flu vaccine, residents should contact their local public health department.
HPC Reviews Health Care Cost Trends and Federal Legislation Impacts at Annual Hearing
Last week, the state Health Policy Commission (HPC) held its annual Health Care Cost Trends hearing, focusing primarily on the federal health care landscape and the affordability and access challenges faced by Massachusetts residents. During the hearing, the HPC Board of Commissioners heard from stakeholders across the state on those topics to help the HPC establish an annual health care spending growth benchmark. The benchmark for 2026 was set at 3.6%, following an 8.6% increase in total health care expenditures between 2022 and 2023. In 2024, the average annual family health care cost, including out-of-pocket spending, surpassed $31,000. Between 2019 and 2023, the average yearly cost-sharing per person increased from $849 to $1,049, and the number of residents paying $5,000 or more in annual cost-sharing doubled. Those who testified included the CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Audrey Shelto, who shared the projected impacts of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would have on the state's health care and insurance systems. According to Shelto’s research, approximately 300,000 residents will lose coverage through MassHealth and the Massachusetts Health Connector due to the strict new Medicaid work requirements and more frequent redetermination requirements imposed by the federal budget bill. In Massachusetts, one in three residents have MassHealth, and several hundred more rely on insurance purchased through the Health Connector, the state marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act. Once all elements of the federal law take effect, Massachusetts is expected to lose $3.5 billion annually. The entire hearing is archived on the HPC website here.
Cambridge Updates
Know Your Rights Info Session on TPS
The Cambridge Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship, the Cambridge Public Library, and the De Novo Center are hosting a presentation by a De Novo immigration attorney on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on Tuesday, December 2, from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Central Square Library (45 Pearl St). To view this presentation on Zoom, register for the meeting using this link: https://bit.ly/tps-kyr. Interpretation will be available in Haitian Creole and Spanish.
Winter Warming Center Open Dec. 1 - April 30
The Cambridge Winter Warming Center will be open Monday, December 1 through Friday, April 30 at 437 Green St. (the back entrance of the Senior Center in Central Square). The Warming Center will be open every day of the week from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. as a welcoming drop-in center where unsheltered adults can spend the night safely during the winter months. At the Winter Warming Center, guests will have access to beverages and a meal, bathrooms, and a mat to rest on the floor. They will also be able to connect with first responders regarding serious health and safety concerns. Additionally, information about other community services will be available, including direct access to the Cambridge Coordinated Access Network (C-CAN) to be assessed for potential housing opportunities.
Road Closures for Winter Classic 5K Road Race on Dec. 7
The Cambridge Winter Classic 5K will take place on Sunday, December 7, at 9:30 a.m., beginning and ending at University Park Commons near Central Square. The following roads will close during the race:
Sidney Street will close from Franklin Street to Pacific Street between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Franklin Street will close from Brookline Street to Sidney Street between 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Recent Press
by Paul Burton, CBS Boston
Hundreds of people took to the streets, riding and walking from Cambridge to the Massachusetts State House in Boston to raise awareness and honor victims of traffic incidents. The ride took place Sunday, called Ride and Walk for Your Life.
Marjorie Decker is House chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Public Health.
In 2018 she filed legislation that got passed in 2022 that required back up cameras for state trucks. Now she is trying to expand those safety standards to include more trucks and additional safety technology.
"This is a public health issue and there's things we can do to actually increase safety. We also should utilizing technology, including looking at camera technology to hold people accountable," she said.
Services and Resources
Food Assistance Resources
Mass.gov/SNAPFreeze provides resources for people in need of food assistance and ways for residents and businesses to donate or volunteer.
Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline is free, confidential, and has counselors available in 180 languages. You can call or text 1.800.645.8333 to access the hotline, or chat with a counselor online using the “Live Chat” feature at the bottom of the website.
Cambridge Food Resource Guide has information about food pantries, free community meals, food resources for older adults, and more, and is available in 8 languages.
Reproductive Care, Gender-Affirming Care, and Crisis Resources
These are a few of the resources and help lines available for people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming health care or experiencing a crisis. Help is available, and you are not alone.
LUCE Defense Hotline
If you see or suspect ICE or federal agents are in your neighborhood, contact the LUCE Immigrant Defense Network’s Hotline, which operates in several languages, at 617-370-5023 from 9am-5pm. A trained operator will ask for details, then dispatch a volunteer to the site, who will attempt to verify the situation and the presence of ICE. You can learn more about LUCE and their upcoming volunteer trainings at lucemass.org.
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. Importantly, De Novo also offers high-quality, free legal assistance to low-income immigrants and asylum seekers who are living in Massachusetts. You can learn more about their immigration related services here, and their general mission and work at denovo.org.
MBTA Income-Eligible Reduced Fare Program
The MBTA’s income-eligible reduced fare program offers reduced fares to riders between the ages of 18 and 64 enrolled in an approved state assistance program, including:
Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled & Children (EAEDC)
Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)
MASSGrant
MassHealth
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
You can learn more about the program and how to apply at mbta.com/fares/reduced/income-eligible.
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.
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.
Free Shuttle Bus Transportation Available to Older Adults in Cambridge
Council on Aging (COA) Bus Service
On Mondays and Wednesdays, the shuttle bus is available to residents who live in Central Square (02139) and East Cambridge (02141)
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the shuttle bus is available to residents who live in North Cambridge (02140) and West Cambridge (02138)
To reserve a seat on the shuttle bus, call the Council on Aging’s Transportation Office at 617-349-7254. Please make reservations at least 2 business days in advance. COA staff will share a morning pickup time with residents once reservations are complete.
Council on Aging (COA) Mall Shopping Group Transportation
The Mall Shopping Group shuttle bus provides free transportation to Arsenal Yards in Watertown, which has a variety of retail shops, grocery stores, and restaurants to explore. The shuttle can also bring residents to the Watertown Mall Plaza, which includes a Target and Registry of Motor Vehicles.
This trip alternates between Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week. The shuttle leaves the Cambridge Senior Center at 10:30 a.m. and returns to the Senior Center at 1 p.m. Home pickup is available upon request.
To reserve a seat on the shuttle bus for the Mall Shopping Group, call the Council on Aging’s Transportation Office at 617-349-7254. Please make reservations at least 2 business days in advance.
Door2Door by SCM Transportation
Door2Door Transportation by SCM is available to Cambridge residents who are 60 years or older or residents who have a mobility impairment. The transportation service provides rides to medical appointments and grocery stores. Door2Door is also piloting a weekly shuttle service to the Target on Somerville Ave. in Somerville.
For reservations, call 617-625-1191 between 9 am and 1:30 pm on weekdays, excluding holidays. When you hear the greeting, press “0” to speak to reservations.
As always, please contact me with questions or concerns at Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov.
Sincerely,
Marjorie
