Friday, November 7th Legislative & Public Health Updates
- hannanur3
- Nov 10
- 15 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
Services and Resources
This week, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must fully fund food assistance for this month, but the incoming dollars are not enough to meet the level of need.
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 will be 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 ages 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
House Passes Bills to Improve Home Care and to Remove Outdated and Offensive Terms in General Laws
The House of Representatives voted to approve two bills on Wednesday: An Act to improve Massachusetts home care (H.4706) and An Act amending certain laws relative to individuals with disabilities (H.4704).
The home care bill establishes a licensure process for home care agencies to ensure that consumers receive quality non-medical services, and to protect home care workers. The bill tasks the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) with implementing the licensure process, and grants the secretariat the authority to approve licenses, survey and investigate home care agencies, and impose fines when appropriate.
The home care bill also creates two advisory councils: the Home Care Oversight Advisory Council to help guide the development and implementation of the home care licensure process, and the Home Care Worker and Consumer Abuse Stakeholder Advisory Committee to make recommendations on standards and procedures to address the abusive treatment of home care workers, personal care attendants (PCAs), and home care consumers. The bill also grants additional anti-discrimination protections for PCAs.
The second bill removes outdated and offensive language in the Massachusetts General Laws to describe persons with disabilities. The language in the bill removes all variations of outdated terms such as “handicapped,” “disabled,” and the “r-word.” The bill replaces these terms with current terminology such as “person with a disability.”
Hearings on Legislation That I Filed
There were public hearings this week on three bills I filed this session:
An Act relative to the prescription monitoring program would allow opioid treatment programs to share information about patients’ opioid maintenance therapy with the state’s prescription monitoring program if patients consent and privacy laws allow. (H.2200, Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery)
An Act creating parity for mental and behavioral health services eliminates the distinction in mental health parity law between so-called “biologically based disorders” and “non-biologically based disorders”. It ensures that mental health conditions are treated in the same way as all other conditions in terms of health insurance coverage. (H.2202, Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery)
An Act requiring the relocation of the Cambridge District Court mandates that the Cambridge District Court be relocated from Medford back to Cambridge by December 31, 2025. (H.1651, Joint Committee on the Judiciary)
A Glimpse at the Past Week
In the midst of the government shutdown and the federal government’s refusal to allow SNAP funds to reach states, I spent the morning on Monday with Congresswoman Katherine Clark and other elected officials who represent Cambridge at CEOC to connect with representatives from the Cambridge Food Pantry Advisory Council.
It is always those who have the least that give the most, and the women around the table with us yesterday represent all of those in Cambridge forced to struggle between paying their bills and putting healthy meals on the table for their families.
I was especially touched to be reconnected with a woman who first reached out to me when she immigrated to Cambridge thirteen years ago. I was moved to learn that after fighting for years to secure stable housing for her and her three kids, she is now serving on the advisory council to ensure all of Cambridge is fed and protected.
What we are experiencing now is a new form of cruelty, and I am so proud to live in a place where people show up for their neighbors. If you are in need of food assistance during this time, please see below for resources.
It’s always so exciting to be in the community on Election Day. I spent the day delivering doughnuts to poll workers, thanking them for keeping democracy alive. I am grateful to those who show up to support candidates and who cast their votes in the Cambridge municipal election this past Tuesday. Our voices matter and we need to continue to exercise our civic duty!
On Wednesday, staff from my office attended a legislative briefing on a report from the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), “Barriers to Implementing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Massachusetts.” The IPS report responds to recommendations submitted to Governor Healey by the Massachusetts SAF Workgroup. The Workgroup is a cross-agency team that was assembled to develop recommendations for advancing SAF in the Commonwealth, in consultation with industry stakeholders and other experts.
Wednesday’s legislative briefing addressed the production, environmental impact, and feasibility of different types of SAF. According to the report’s authors, these fuels rely on unrealistic technologies, are not a feasible option for reducing emissions at scale, and will not help Massachusetts reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I appreciate the work that went into this report and support its recommendation to reduce aviation emissions by investing in high-speed rail or other electric ground transportation. I will continue to lead on and advocate for evidence-based renewable energy initiatives.
My staff attended Reproductive Equity Now’s Road to Reproductive Equity Community Conversation event in North Cambridge on Wednesday night. The event featured a presentation from Claire Teylouni, REN’s Senior Director of Policy and Programs, on the national and state abortion landscape, followed by best practices on how to approach conversations on abortion with values-based messaging.
I continue to fight for reproductive justice. Soon after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Legislature took swift and decisive action to protect abortion and gender-affirming care by broadening the scope of my bill, An Act to improve access to emergency contraception, which created a statewide standing order to authorize licensed pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception.
The expanded bill, An Act expanding protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care, was a priority in the House and the Senate, making it through the legislative process a little over a month after the Supreme Court issued its decision. It made access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care a right in Massachusetts and protects patients and providers from out-of-state legal action due to seeking and providing reproductive health care.
At a time when access to reproductive healthcare continues to be challenged and threatened on the national level, we cannot stop fighting to strengthen and protect the rights of both patients seeking support and practitioners providing care in Massachusetts. REN’s event emphasized the importance of destigmatizing the word “abortion” and equipping people with the tools to discuss reproductive justice in a productive, inviting, and constructive way. Thank you to REN for holding these education sessions across Massachusetts.
The Climate Jobs Massachusetts Coalition held a briefing on Thursday, highlighting two bills that I filed along with Senator Paul Feeney to help build more clean energy projects while providing an equitable transition for current energy workers. An Act promoting a just transition and clean energy workforce standards (H.3475) aims to fight climate change while creating good, union jobs and protecting energy workers and An Act relative to healthy and sustainable schools (H.3476) would facilitate energy assessments and retrofits in all public schools and universities in Massachusetts.
We need to act now — the Trump administration is gutting labor protections and eliminating clean energy projects while the climate crisis is worsening. These bills are another tool to reduce energy bills and reduce emissions, ensure that green jobs are good jobs, and center environmental justice communities in our transition to renewable energy. These bills protect public health, they protect workers, and they protect Massachusetts residents and neighborhoods who are the most impacted by climate change.
I am deeply grateful to the union members who took time out of their day to join the briefing, especially those who spoke. Big thanks as well to AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch and the Climate Jobs Massachusetts Coalition for their work putting this event together and for their tireless advocacy.
Public Health Updates
FDA Narrows Fluoride Supplement Use for Children Amid Broader Review
Last Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new guidance limiting the use of prescription fluoride supplements. Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to re-evaluate national fluoride recommendations. Soon after, the FDA launched its own safety review and public comment process in May, as a part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s broader health agenda. The agency now advises against giving ingestible fluoride (such as drops or tablets) to children under 3 and to older children who are not at high risk of cavities. The MAHA Commission cited emerging evidence suggesting that systemic fluoride exposure may detrimentally affect the gut microbiome and early neurodevelopment. However, most researchers and public health officials emphasize that such concerns pertain to exposure levels well above those found in fluoridated water. Fluoride is a natural mineral that helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening enamel and making teeth more resistant to acids from bacteria and sugars. It has been added to public water supplies in the United States since 1962 and remains one of the most effective and equitable public health measures for preventing tooth decay. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls community water fluoridation one of the ten greatest health achievements of the 20th century, noting that it reduces cavities by approximately 25% in both children and adults. However, federal data from 2022 indicates that there are still rural communities without access to fluoridated water that rely on prescription supplements despite most of the U.S. operating on fluoridated public water systems. That reliance is expected to grow as some states, including Utah and Florida, have banned community water fluoridation. The FDA’s restriction does not apply to fluoride toothpaste, rinses, or fluoridated water, which remain considered safe at recommended levels. Instead, it targets unapproved ingestible supplements that are often prescribed in areas without fluoridated water. Additionally, doctors may still prescribe ingestible fluoride supplements to children outside of the restricted age and risk groups when clinically appropriate.
Supreme Court Allows Trump to Block Transgender and Nonbinary People from Choosing Passport Sex Markers
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court permitted the Trump administration to enforce a policy preventing transgender and nonbinary people from choosing passport sex markers that align with their gender identity. The State Department changed its passport rules in January after Trump issued an executive order declaring that the federal government would recognize only two sexes: male and female. The order additionally rejected the idea that a person can transition from their sex assigned at birth to another gender. That executive order was one of several targeting transgender people; other such executive orders include those barring transgender people from serving in the military, requiring the Bureau of Prisons to house incarcerated transgender females in men’s prisons, and ending transgender medical treatments for federal inmates. The State Department began permitting transgender people to obtain passports with updated sex markers in the 1990s, as long as they provided medical documentation showing they had undergone transition surgery. In 2010, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton instituted a policy requiring that transgender passport applicants only provide a doctor’s letter confirming that the individual received appropriate treatment for gender transition. Under President Joe Biden’s administration, the State Department began allowing individuals to select the gender-neutral marker “X” on their passports. However, as a result of Trump’s January executive orders, the State Department instituted a new policy requiring passport holders to use the sex assigned to them at birth as their sex designation and removing the option for people to choose “X,” leaving male and female as the only two available options on passports. The policy was temporarily blocked in April by U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick, who later instituted a broad ban on the policy in June. Judge Kobick’s decision was unanimously upheld by a panel of the appeals court in September, prompting the Trump administration’s emergency request for Supreme Court review. Notably, the Supreme Court’s decision does not rule on whether the State Department’s policy is unconstitutional, but permits it to remain in effect while litigation continues in the lower court.
Trump Administration Announces Deal to Lower Price of Weight-Loss Medications
This week, President Trump announced his latest attempt to rein in drug prices: a deal with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to reduce prices and expand insurance coverage for their GLP-1 medications, Wegovy and Zepbound. GLP-1s are a class of drugs historically used to manage type 2 diabetes by controlling blood sugar levels; however, they have also been found to reduce food intake, appetite, and hunger, and are now commonly used to manage obesity. According to a recent Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index survey, the percentage of Americans utilizing these medications for weight management has more than doubled since early 2024, now reaching 12.4% of adults. Although the popularity of Wegovy and Zepbound has surged, the cost of these drugs has proven to be a significant barrier to access for those who may benefit the most from them. The average monthly cost of taking GLP-1s was $500, and insurance coverage was inconsistent across plans. Under Trump’s new plan, Medicare will cover obesity medications for all enrollees in 2026, and starter doses of new GLP-1 weight-loss pills currently in development by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk will cost $149 monthly for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees once they are FDA-approved. Furthermore, prices will be lowered for some patients without insurance, specifically, direct-to-consumer patients. Injectable versions of Wegovy and Zepbound will be available through TrumpRx for about $350 a month. In return for agreeing to lower prices on obesity drugs, both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have been granted a three-year exemption from certain tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration.
Preliminary Study Results Show COVID Vaccines May Increase the Efficacy of Cancer Treatments
A clinical research briefing published in the scientific journal Nature has found that mRNA-based vaccines, specifically the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, may help the immune system respond better to certain immunotherapy drugs used to treat cancer. Researchers analyzed the medical records of almost 1,000 advanced cancer patients undergoing checkpoint inhibitor treatment, a type of monoclonal antibody that helps the immune system find and attack cancer cells wherever they are in the body. Scientists compared the treatment outcomes of those who received a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine with those who did not and found better outcomes. Vaccinated patients with advanced lung cancer were two times more likely to be alive three years after beginning cancer treatment when compared to unvaccinated cancer patients. Vaccinated melanoma patients also had a significantly higher median survival rate than those who were unvaccinated. The lead researcher of this study stated that the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA COVID vaccines activate immune cells throughout the body, priming immune-resistant tumors to respond to immune therapies, thereby increasing the effectiveness of these treatments. Non-mRNA-based vaccines, like the flu shot, did not show the same benefits. Researchers hope to continue this work by validating their preliminary results in a future clinical trial.
Listeria Outbreak Linked to Pasta Causes 6 Deaths and Over 20 Hospitalizations
Federal health officials announced this week that a listeria outbreak connected to prepared pasta meals sold at major grocery retailers across the U.S. is worsening. According to a food safety alert published by the CDC last week, the outbreak is responsible for the deaths of six people and the infection of 27 people, 25 of whom were hospitalized in connection with the outbreak. The meals were sold at Albertsons, Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe's, and other major stores and have been recalled over the past few months in connection with the ongoing listeria outbreak. Listeria is a bacterium that can cause infection in the intestines and other parts of the body when it spreads beyond the intestines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illnesses in the nation, infecting approximately 1,250 people each year. Listeria infections can cause serious illness, especially in older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant people and their newborns. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. According to the CDC’s food safety alert, the following foods have been recalled by Nate’s Fine Foods Inc., the producer of the affected pasta dishes:
Sprouts Farmers Market smoked mozzarella pasta salad (use by dates October 10, 2025 through October 29, 2025)
Scott & Jon’s shrimp scampi with linguini bowls (use by dates in March 2027, 9.6 oz packages)
Listeria cases linked to the contaminated pasta meals have been reported in 18 states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. People who may have purchased any of the recalled products are advised not to eat the affected meals and to clean refrigerators, containers and any other surfaces that the affected foods may have touched. Additionally, anyone with symptoms should contact a health care provider and report symptoms to the FDA.
Cambridge Updates
Memorial Drive Traffic Advisory
Beginning on Monday, November 10, and continuing through Friday, November 21, the Department of Conservation and Recreation will implement alternating right lane closures of Memorial Drive (both directions) in the area of Magazine Beach in the City of Cambridge from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to accommodate groundwater sampling work. Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.
Community Feedback on Memorial Drive
The Charles River Task Force on Equitable River Access, which I created in the FY25 state budget, is seeking public feedback. The feedback will inform recommendations to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on improving the process for maintenance, communication and public engagement along the riverfront. You can share feedback at two upcoming public meetings:
Monday, November 10th, 6-8pm on Zoom (Virtual): Please register at mapc.ma/Nov10Hearing to get a Zoom link.
Monday, November 17th, 6-8pm at the Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St, Cambridge, MA (In person). Please register to let them know that you are coming and to any request accommodations or language interpretation that you may need.
The Task Force is also collecting feedback through an online survey available at mapc.ma/MemDrive.
Veterans Day Observance 2025
The Cambridge Department of Veterans Services will host a Veterans Day Observance event on Tuesday, November 11, from 11a.m.-12p.m., by the Civil War monument at the Cambridge Common (1500 Massachusetts Avenue). The keynote speaker will be Army Veteran Keven Lambert - Founder and Principal Consultant at Eagle Eye Consulting and Training. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will move to the Sheraton Commander Hotel (16 Garden Street).
An informal gathering and free luncheon will follow from 12-3 p.m., in the Liberty Revolution Ballroom at the Sheraton Commander Hotel. For more information, contact the Veterans Department at Veterans@CambridgeMA.gov or call 617-349-4760.
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.
Greater Boston Food Bank has information on food assistance as well as opportunities to donate and to volunteer.
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.
As always, please contact me with questions or concerns at Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov.
Sincerely,
Marjorie