Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of Nov. 10 to Nov. 14. There were no roll calls in the House last week.
Digital and print materials in libraries (S 2710)
The Senate, 37-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would establish a commission to study the challenges public libraries face with digital resources, including costs, access, privacy and licensing differences between digital and print materials. The commission would be required to submit a report with recommendations to improve digital resource sustainability, protect patron data and ensure equitable access across the state.
“E-books, audiobooks and other digital resources are increasingly in demand by the public, but providing these resources is cost-prohibitive for libraries and often come with unwieldy sets of restrictions,” said sponsor Sen. Michael Moore, D-Millbury. “The commission established by this bill will help streamline the process for libraries to license books and other digital materials, expanding access to knowledge to more Bay Staters.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
- Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
- Sen. Paul Mark — Yes
Protect public transit workers from assault and battery (S 2697)
The Senate, 38-0, approved legislation that would expand the current law that punishes anyone who commits assault and battery against a public employee. The bill ensures that all transit workers are covered, including those who are not directly employed by the state, such as workers employed by Keolis, the state’s contracted commuter rail operator. The bill would also add “assault and battery by means of a bodily substance including saliva, blood or urine” to the current law.
“Transit workers are among the most essential employees of our commonwealth, carrying out the steady and often unseen work that allows tens of thousands of people to travel safely and reliably each day,” said sponsor Sen. Nick Collins, D-South Boston. “Their commitment keeps our cities moving, even under challenging and unpredictable circumstances. When the rights and safety of these workers are impinged upon, it is an affront to the invaluable service they provide and the trust the public places in them.”
The House already approved a different version of the measure, and the Senate version now goes to the House for consideration.
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
- Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
- Sen. Paul Mark — Yes
Banning school library books and materials (S 2696)
The Senate, 35-3, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters said would require that school library materials be age-appropriate, serve an educational purpose and be chosen based on a teacher’s or employee’s professional training — leaving aside personal, political or doctrinal views that could affect their decision to place the book on the shelf.
Supporters noted that the bill would give local school districts and municipal public libraries the flexibility to craft their own policies that align with state protocols and the standards of the American Library Association. They argued that for school libraries, an appropriate process for considering whether to remove a book would include assurance that a challenged book remains available to library patrons while the process plays out, guarding against frivolous or unfounded complaints. They said the bill would protect librarians and school employees from retaliation over their selection of library books, ensuring that they do not suffer professional, civil or criminal penalties if they have acted in good faith and followed their library materials policy.
“I am thrilled that the Senate has taken decisive bipartisan action to push back against cowardly attempts to ban books in our schools and public libraries,” said Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, the lead sponsor of the bill. “Massachusetts is not immune from the un-American panic gripping the nation in recent years. Today, the Senate defends the right to read and ensures that decisions about library materials are made by trained professionals, not political actors. This bill is about protecting the people who make our libraries and schools places of discovery, inclusion and belonging.”
“I don’t believe in restricting knowledge, as long as it’s age-appropriate, and believe in setting up a process where adults can deliberate on the appropriateness,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Sutton, one of three senators who voted against the bill. “The Senate’s final version of the bill restricts parental notifications and involvement, diminishes the school committee as the ultimate authority of school policy and will certainly lead to increased legal costs for school districts. It is essential that school committees retain the authority to make final determinations — by vote — on whether challenged materials should remain in or be removed from school library collections. If parents or students disagree with a school committee’s decision, the appropriate recourse should be through democratic engagement— by advocating for, electing or reelecting school committee members and officials who reflect their educational values, and not through costly and complex litigation.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
- Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
- Sen. Paul Mark — Yes
Authors and creators can challenge decision (S 2696)
The Senate, 37-0, approved an amendment to the section of the bill that gives students, parents and guardians the legal right to challenge decisions to remove materials from a school library. The amendment extends that right to the authors and creators and also creates a right for residents, authors and creators to go to court to challenge the removal.
“I filed this amendment because authors deserve the right to defend both their livelihoods and their freedom of expression when their work is removed from libraries,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Cindy Creem, D-Newton. “Book bans suppress voices, erase perspectives and ultimately undermine our democracy, which relies on open access to ideas. By allowing creators to challenge these removals in court, we strengthen the bill’s protections for free expression and ensure that those most directly harmed have a path to justice.”
Creem added, “This issue is personal to me as my son-in-law, Rob Sharenow, is the author of ‘The Berlin Boxing Club,’ an award-winning novel that was banned for featuring a minor, but historically accurate, transgender character. Freedom of expression should be an unmovable cornerstone of our democracy.”
A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.
- Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
- Sen. Paul Mark — Yes
90-day time period (S 2696)
The Senate, 7-30, rejected an amendment that would have implemented a 90-day time period for a determination on whether challenged material in school libraries is devoid of any educational, literary, artistic, personal or social value, or is not age-appropriate. As written, the bill itself does not include a time period for a determination.
“If a parent has a concern about whether a book being taught to their child is age-appropriate, that is not a concern that should be allowed to linger,” said Sen. Michael Moore, D-Millbury. “The time frame … would set guidelines to help push officials to determine whether a book is appropriate within a reasonable period, quickly eliminating any uncertainty for students, parents and teachers.”
Sen. Jake Oliveira, D-Ludlow, said he voted against the amendment because it is an administrative redundancy. He noted that all policies adopted by school committees are adopted in accordance with the guidelines set by the Massachusetts General Laws, which are reviewed by the school committees when adopting policies. He said there was no need to add another administrative burden.
Sen. Peter Durant, R-Spencer, the sponsor of the amendment, did not respond to requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on the defeat of his amendment.
A “No” vote is against the amendment.
- Sen. Joanne Comerford — No
- Sen. Paul Mark No
Also up on Beacon Hill
Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day (H 3388)
The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a bill that would establish Sept. 22 as Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day. The day would acknowledge that suicide is an epidemic among service members and veterans, and would foster awareness and call for suicide prevention measures and support.
“We brought forward this veteran suicide remembrance and awareness bill in direct response to the tragedies that have left holes in the fabric of our communities and in order to build awareness to prevent future tragedy,” said sponsor Rep. Joan Meschino, D-Hull. “[The bill] is an important step in offering support to both our active service members and veterans.”
Inflammatory breast cancer (H 2489)
The House gave initial approval to legislation, known as Marnie’s Law, which would integrate Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) education into the undergraduate curriculum of all approved nursing programs in the state. IBC is a rare and aggressive form of invasive breast cancer that often presents itself as swelling or redness of the breast, as opposed to a lump that is typically associated with breast cancer. Marnie’s Law is named after 37-year-old Marnie Elizabeth Cass Robidas, who died from IBC in 2022.
Supporters said that IBC is challenging for medical providers to diagnose. They noted that the inclusion of IBC training would effectively improve patient outcomes by reducing the chance of misdiagnoses, ultimately saving countless lives.
“My family was affected by IBC, and when I learned from working with Marnie’s Army and [co-sponsor] Rep. Diggs that its symptoms weren’t taught in nursing education, I was inspired to join their effort to save women’s lives,” said co-sponsor Rep. Hadley Luddy, D-Orleans.
Marnie’s Army is a group that raises awareness of the disease and raises money for research and education on the illness at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“I filed this bill because inflammatory breast cancer is one of the most aggressive and least understood forms of breast cancer, and too many patients lose precious time due to delayed or incorrect diagnosis,” said co-sponsor Rep. Kip Diggs, D-Barnstable. “By ensuring that every nursing student in Massachusetts is trained to recognize the signs of IBC, we are strengthening early detection and saving lives. Marnie’s Law is about awareness, compassion and giving our future nurses the tools they need to protect patients and families across the commonwealth.”
Promote urban agriculture and horticulture (H3130)
The House gave initial approval to legislation aimed at promoting urban agriculture and horticulture by allowing cities with a population greater than 50,000 and all Gateway Cities to exempt property taxes for land used for commercial urban agriculture. The tax incentive applies to only the portion of land on a parcel being used for agriculture and only applies to portions that are 2 acres or less. Additionally, the parcel must have had at least $500 in gross sales of agricultural or horticultural products to be eligible for the tax incentive.
“We filed this bill to support small-scale urban agriculture, which strengthens local food systems, improves environmental health and promotes local economic development,” co-sponsors Reps. Hannah Kane, R-Shrewsbury, and Vanna Howard, D-Lowell, said in a joint statement. “This bill allows cities to incentivize urban agriculture and gain these benefits through a property tax exemption.”
Commission on LGBTQ Aging (S 2711)
The Senate approved and sent to the House a proposal that would replace the name of the current “Commission on Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging” (LGBT) with “LGBTQ” (the Q represents queer and questioning).
The measure also adds four more seats to the commission — one each appointed by the Senate president, Senate minority leader, speaker of the House and House minority leader.
The commission was created to enhance the quality of life for LGBTQ older adults through state policy and program recommendations, collaborations, partnerships and advocacy.
The bill also replaces several other terms in the language that created the commission, including replacing “elders” with “older adults” and “Elder Affairs” with “Aging and Independence.”
Sponsor Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville, said she filed the bill after the commission’s current membership agreed that it was timely and appropriate to reflect the more inclusive terminology for the communities represented by the commission, along with name changes of numerous member offices and organizations over the course of the commission’s existence.
Denial of rights and services to people with disabilities (S 2714)
A bill before the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities would create a special commission to study the denial of rights and services to people with disabilities. The commission would be required to submit a report on the volume of disability rights denial cases submitted and their impact on the disability community, the effectiveness of the enforcement of disability rights in the state within the last five years and education of disability rights awareness. Another report would need to be submitted to the Legislature with recommendations, including proposed legislation or regulations.
“Discrimination has no place in Massachusetts, regardless of background or ability,” said sponsor Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem. “As we examine the best way to support our disabled population, it is imperative that we are armed with the best information and best recommendations from a broad array of stakeholders, from lawmakers to experts to advocates and, most importantly, those with lived experiences.”