2021-2022 Legislative Session

Representative Farley-Bouvier has sponsored the following pieces of legislation in the 2021-2022 session of the Massachusetts legislature:

Priority Bills

H.3456 An Act relative to work and family mobility during and subsequent to the COVID-19 emergency (co-filed with Representative Barber)

This bill allows individuals who are unable to prove lawful presence to use other documents to verify identity in order to receive a standard MA driver’s license.

  • Status: Enacted into Law on June 9, 2022

H.1971 An Act requiring one fair wage (co-filed with Representative Fluker Oakley)

This bill changes the wage for restaurant tip workers from the sub-minimum wage to the full minimum wage over the 7-year phase in period. It also allows for tip sharing between the “front of house staff” with the “back of house staff” once the full minimum wage rate is reached. The language update from the previous session is in regard to allowing for tip sharing.

  • Status: Favorably reported from the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development as S.1213 to the Senate; Accompanied to Study in Senate Ways and Means

Child Welfare

H.212 An Act establishing a foster parents’ Bill of Rights (co-filed with Representative Donato)

This bill creates a list of rights that are guaranteed to foster parents.

  • Status: Signed into law on Jan. 4, 2023

H.211 An Act establishing the Massachusetts foster care review office (co-filed with Representative Donato)

This bill creates an independent agency that will be overseen by the Foster Care Review Office (FCRO) that will review the status of every child in foster care every 6 months and will create policies and procedures for the foster care system. The language change is in regards to including a piece defining “child welfare” and including that in the consideration for the placement of a child.

  • Status: Accompanied to study

H.210 An Act empowering the office of the child advocate to enforce its statutory duties

This bill allows the Office of the Child Advocate to operate independently in order to advocate on behalf of children in DCF care.

  • Status: Accompanied to study

H.213 An Act to assure quality foster care

This bill allows foster parents to unionize in order to increase bargaining power in their role caring for children under DCF care.

  • Status: in House Ways and Means; Accompanied to Study

Public Service

H.2638 An Act relative to the size of the group insurance commission board

This legislation increases the size of the Group Insurance Commission Board and states that the new seat shall be filled by a member of the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists (MOSES).

  • Status: Accompanied to study

H.2639 An Act to provide pensions to surviving spouses of Department of Children and Families social workers killed in the line of duty 

This legislation will extend in the line of duty death benefits to DCF social workers. Currently, if a police officer, firefighter, correctional officer is killed on the job, the surviving spouse receives the full pension/salary of the deceased spouse. There is no such benefit for DCF social workers. DCF social workers face threats of violence on a daily basis, and sadly social workers have lost their lives for simply doing their job. For example, if a police officer and social worker enter a house to remove a child, and the situation escalates where both the police officer and the social worker both lose their lives, only the police officer's family receives the death benefit.

  • Status: Accompanied to study

Public Health

H.2280 An Act creating a commission to study concussions that occur as a result of varsity sports in public and private high schools

This bill creates a commission to study concussions that occur in varsity sports, collect data on concussions, and make recommendations on how to reduce them. The language update is in regards to an additional section in the bill that requires data be collected on concussions as a result of varsity sports.

  • Status: Extended in the Joint Committee on Public Health until December 31, 2022; Accompanied to Study

Financial Services

H.1039 An Act providing continuity of care for mental health treatment (co-filed with Representative Balser)

The bill requires that a health plan pay for the continuation of mental health treatment with a provider in the case that the health plan changes and the provider is no longer covered by the individual's plan, so long as the provider agrees to the terms of the plan.

  • Status: House Clerk's Office; Accompanied to Study

Transportation

H.3454 An Act to explore alternative funding sources to ensure safe and reliable transportation (co-filed with Representative Stanley)

This legislation proposes a small voluntary vehicle miles traveled pilot program to identify alternatives to the gas tax. The pilot will evaluate ways to protect the data collected, ensure privacy, and vary pricing based on time of driving, type of road, proximity to transit and vehicle fuel.

  • Status: Accompanied to Study

H.3455 An Act designating highway 20 as a state historic highway (co-filed with Representative Pignatelli)

This bill will allow the 31 municipalities along route 20 to add signage bearing the designation.

  • Status: In House Steering, Policy and Scheduling as part of H.3455

Miscellaneous 

H.3224 An Act relative to virtual meetings of appointed statewide public bodies (co-filed with Representatives Robinson and Domb, and Senator Cyr)

This bill adjusts public meeting law in order to allow meetings of statewide commissions and boards to meet virtually while complying with open meeting laws.

  • Status: Extended in the Joint Committee on State Adminstration and Regulatory Oversight until June 30, 2022; Accompanied to Study

H.3140 Resolve establishing a study of public safety & security facilities (co-filed with Senator Hinds)

DCAMM and EOPSS shall study Gateway Cities ability to pay for repairs, construction, renovations, improvements, remediation, rehabilitation, modernization, and demolition of municipal buildings and make recommendations on immediate needs for fiscal support and capital improvements.

  • Status: In House Ways and Means; Accompanied to Study

H.1561 An Act to amend the civil rights law in relation to reporting a non-emergency incident involving a member of a protected class

This bill creates civil penalties for individuals who report non-emergent incidents to the police involving members of protected classes, which includes race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability, or sexual orientation of a person.

  • Status: Accompanied to Study

H.1560 An Act relative to use of ways by pedestrians

This legislation would provide municipalities some leeway in punishing violations of local pedestrian regulations by permitting cities and towns to establish the fine (up to $50) without prior written approval of the division of highways or publication in a local newspaper.

  • Status: Accompanied to Study

H.1644 An Act An act establishing a bill of rights for survivors of sexual assault and related purposes (co-filed with Representative Higgins)

This legislation outlines rights for survivors of sexual assault when they seek medical and professional help and during the prosecution process.

  • Status: Extended in the Joint Committee on Judiciary until June 30, 2022; Accompanied to Study

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