Dear Neighbor,
Snow has fallen, winter is here, and after the flurry of legislation before Thanksgiving I can give you some updates about the bills we passed (and one we didn’t).
Student Opportunity Act:
A Long-Overdue Update to the Foundation Budget
After years of hard work by educators, advocates, parents, students, and legislators, I am so glad we were finally able to pass the $1.5 Billion re- investment in our schools. This bill, now signed into law, renews our commitment to adequately serving Massachusetts students, particularly those with high needs in English language learning, special education, and low income students. For too long we have penalized schools with too few resources but hardworking and passionate educators and children who deserve a great education.
Over the next seven years we are promising these schools the resources their students deserve. But we must remain vigilant to ensure the promise of equity is kept.
PACT Act: Transparent and Affordable Prescriptions
Last year I became aware of role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in setting drug prices, as they determine the formularies of health insurance plans. They are one aspect of a very complicated and opaque system that makes it hard for anyone, even with good insurance, to afford medications.
Insulin is just one of the drugs that can be priced so exorbitantly, people who rely on it engage in the dangerous practice of rationing doses so they can afford other necessities.
The PACT Act intends to make the drug pricing process more transparent, so we can better address the rising costs of drugs and health care expenses. We capped out-of-pocket expenses for insulin at $25 per month so people can reliably afford the drug that helps keep them alive.
Distracted Driving
We all use cell phones to help navigate, avoid traffic, and stay in touch while driving. Tragically, fatal accidents caused by a driver distracted by their electronic device have increased as cell phones became more ubiquitous. This new law will allow law enforcement to ticket drivers using a device that's not hands-free. The law goes into full effect March 2020. Warnings will be issued until then—but you might want to put a dashboard phone holder on your holiday wish list!
The law addresses gender and racial discrimination by requiring demographic data collection for instances where a citation is issued. Unfortunately, this fell short of the robust data collection I supported that would have required data collection for all traffic stops. A citation does not need to be issued for a person of color to feel harassed during a traffic stop and there are far too many instances where a “routine traffic stop” leads to arrest—or worse. I hope there will be another opportunity to gather more data about racial profiling and address these challenges.
Flavor Tobacco Ban: Including Menthol
In two years, e-cigarette use tripled in high schools in our district. Flavors have been a large part of the appeal for young people as they try using the very addictive nicotine substance. Half of all high school and middle school age smokers smoke menthol, but 65% percent of those smokers say they would quit if it weren’t available. The health effects of nicotine are detrimental for young people especially, and we know the dangers of combustible cigarettes. The new law bans flavored tobacco products, including menthol, to curb youth use and help those who want to quit smoking and vaping.
I heard from a lot of folks who had found vaping helped them stop smoking traditional cigarettes. Support for cessation in counselling and treatment is included in this legislation: health insurance, including MassHealth, must cover counselling and make at least one nicotine cessation treatment (such as gum or a patch) available with no out-of-pocket expenses.
Child Wellness Act:
Eliminating Ghost Networks
It can be challenging to navigate the health care system and receive care under the best of circumstances. This bill addresses some of the barriers and silos of care that exist for children. Medically complex children, children with behavioral health needs, and children in difficult circumstances such as foster care experience great difficulty accessing appropriate care. The legislation makes information readily available and ensures MassHealth coverage for young people in the foster system. It also will review resources available at school, which for some children is the most
stable place in their lives.
Plastic Bag Ban
The Senate passed a bill that would ban all plastic bags from large retailers state wide. All the communities in our district have passed similar policies in the last few years. The bill will still need to go before the House of Representatives.
The Supplemental Budget: Still Waiting
Unfortunately, despite all the bills we were able to pass in the last couple weeks, we were not able to pass the final closeout for FY19. The conference committee is still working on it. I hope we will do this soon; negotiations are ongoing. Funding for Community College professors and a date for the state primary next fall are tied up in this bill. The sooner we know what the outcome will be, the better!
I hope this was informative. As always, if you ever have any questions or concerns about legislation to get in touch with my office via email or phone.
Fall Flurry Newsletter