(BOSTON) – With the start of the new legislative session on January 2nd, state lawmakers spent the first two full weeks of January filing new bills which will be taken up during the 191st Legislative Session. Nearly 6,000 bills were filed collectively by the 200 lawmakers.
State Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) filed legislation advancing a wide range of policy initiatives advancing the interests of the district, including sea level rise and climate change, environmental justice, the care and protection of children in foster care, and food insecurity among college students, among others.
Representative Meschino filed a signature piece of legislation, An Act to create a 2050 Roadmap to a clean and thriving Commonwealth. The bill seeks to align the Commonwealth’s existing commitment to reduce carbon emissions goals pursuant to the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 (GWSA) with the most updated climate research. The 2050 Roadmap would reset the Commonwealth’s carbon emission reduction goal to “net-zero” by the year 2050 and requires the administration to conduct a backcast analysis that will lead to the development of a statewide plan to reduce carbon emissions across multiple sectors, including areas such as energy, transportation, and home heating efficiency. Through a transparent and iterative process, the bill seeks to create an intentional and equitable plan to reduce carbon emissions, and the accountability for its implementation. The 2050 Roadmap creates a much-needed people-centered framework for Massachusetts to achieve its carbon emissions reduction goal and create a clean environment and thriving economy.
“The 2050 Roadmap aims to reinvigorate Massachusetts’ strategy to combat climate change,” said Representative Meschino. “This is the policy piece, along with continued resiliency investments, which will protect our coastal communities from sea level rise and coastal storms.”
Other environmental legislation filed by Representative Meschino seeks to promote environmental justice, to regulate gas infrastructure, to incentivize municipal solar projects, and to protect public health.
Representative Meschino also filed legislation to authorize expenditure of campaign funds on childcare, raise the auto insurance surcharge threshold for minor accidents, strengthen the 2016 Right to Repair legislation, and establish a pilot program to address food insecurity on college campuses. Finally, she filed a series of bills clarifying the role of the court, the department of children and families and legal counsel in care and protection cases. For a complete list of bill titles and text, please visit Rep. Meschino’s page on the legislature’s website at: https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/J_M1/Bills.
All bills will now be assigned to a committee for review and initial disposition. Each and every bill will have a public hearing. Hearings typically begin in the spring and will be conducted throughout the formal session.