2025-2026
Accomplishments
PROVEN LEADERSHIP
WORKING FOR YOU
Now serving my fourth term in office, my team and I continue to work to deliver legislative victories, local funding, and forward-thinking advocacy for you, your family, and our communities. Below are some highlighted accomplishments from the ongoing 2025-2026 Massachusetts Legislative session. If you have any questions or ideas about the next big win we can achieve together, I welcome you to contact me and my team.
Bringing Beacon Hill to You
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Over the course of this legislative session, my team and I hosted monthly virtual and in-person office hours for constituents across our district, including in Dover, Franklin, Medfield, Needham, Plainville, and other towns.
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I’ve hosted 10 school tours here at the State House and have visited 11 schools in every corner of our district, meeting with more than 1,300 students. One of my favorite parts of this job is speaking with students, from kindergarten through high school, about civics and state government.
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My office had more than 7,500 constituent contacts on topics ranging from legislative advocacy and policy to assisting constituents with unemployment, housing, health care, and other essential services.
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I continued gathering my Small Business Roundtable, comprised of local entrepreneurs across our district, to inform my legislative work. Last year, Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues joined one of our sessions to share details about the legislature’s ongoing work to support and uplift Massachusetts small businesses.
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I hosted my annual Youth Summit at the State House to hear directly from students about issues important to them. Their suggestion to expand access to AP courses led directly to a $100,000 pilot program to support innovative delivery models for high schoolers across the Commonwealth to access AP courses.
Senator Rausch attending the ribbon cutting for Primrose School of Franklin
Securing Millions of Dollars for Your Community
In 2025, I secured $500,000 for local priority projects to support every community in our district, with funding for AEDs in parks, library and senior center improvements, public safety equipment, science education tools, and much more. I also secured an additional $775,000 in Fair Share funding for education and transportation, including sidewalk repaving, bridge replacement, and playground improvements. In the FY’26 budget, I helped ensure more than $18 million of unrestricted government spending for our 11 towns. As Senate Chair of the Committee on Municipalities Regional Government, I am committed to putting dollars where our towns and cities say they need it most; learn more about the investments in your community here.
Protecting Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice in Massachusetts
I’m extremely proud to have helped pass last session’s trailblazing, lifesaving maternal health and reproductive justice legislation, An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options. This comprehensive legislation will strengthen access to physical and mental health care during and after pregnancy.
I authored a central pillar of the bill, which will finally provide licensing for certified professional midwives and integration into the health care system. Midwives are an important solution for our maternal health crisis – their care improves patient outcomes, uplifts patient choice, and reduces inequities. Additionally, the bill requires MassHealth coverage for doula services and directs DPH to update regulations for birthing centers, further promoting birthing choices.
Several more of my standalone bills were included in this legislation, which will:
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Help parents and caregivers get their children to pediatric appointments.
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Ensure licensed providers supervise ultrasound services, safeguarding patient protection against so-called “crisis pregnancy centers.”
This session, I reintroduced several pieces of legislation to advance reproductive justice and remove still-present barriers to care. One such bill, An Act enhancing access to abortion care, had sections regarding patient protections for ultrasounds passed into law as part of the comprehensive maternal health legislation mentioned above. Other parts of this legislation would:
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Strike parental consent requirements
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Ensure life-saving abortion care will be provided
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Remove existing targeted regulation of abortion providers
I filed legislation to support people’s mental health needs after a pregnancy, which far too often go undiagnosed and untreated. My bill, An Act enhancing post-pregnancy mental health care, would require that health insurance covers all post-pregnancy mental health care. This will help protect the mental health and well-being of Bay Staters post-pregnancy, including post-miscarriage.
In the FY’26 budget, I secured $150,000 for an abortion legal helpline, which provides free and confidential abortion care information and resources for Bay Staters and people traveling to Massachusetts. I also successfully removed a loophole in the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, ensuring that pregnant people are eligible for cash assistance throughout their pregnancy, not just in the 3rd trimester.
Architects of the Maternal Health Law: Representative Fluker Oakley, Senator Rausch, and Representative Kay Khan
Climate Action
This session, my Senate colleagues and I passed the Mass Ready Act, the most significant environment-centered climate action and sustainability bill in Massachusetts history. I am so proud to have shepherded this once-in-a-generation legislation through the committee process and onto the Senate floor for debate and bipartisan passage.
The Mass Ready Act environmental bond bill authorizes $3.9 billion in spending to strengthen environmental protection, preservation, and resilience in every corner of the Commonwealth. It’s also packed with policy to clean up our drinking water, support ecosystems and biodiversity, promote nature-based solutions to climate change, and support the parks and trails that so vitally connect us all to nature and to each other. The bill also includes major components of my Plastics Reduction Act, including a ban on single-use plastic bags and restrictions on single-use food service ware, non-flushable wipes, and more. Learn more about this landmark legislative achievement in my blog post!
As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, I’m proud to have supported and strengthened Massachusetts’ forward-looking climate change legislation, including laws setting aggressive clean energy goals and streamlining the siting and permitting process for clean energy projects. I’ve also favorably reported (advanced) dozens of environmental bills out of my committee, including measures to ban environmentally harmful pesticides, ensure safe drinking water in schools, and reduce waste and recycling costs.
While continuing to push for meaningful environmental legislation, I’ve successfully secured funding for important green initiatives through the budget process. In the FY’27 budget, I secured $150,000 funding for the “Green the Garbage” program to support composting programs for restaurants and farms. This program, originally inspired by my Small Business Advisory Council back in 2023, has been such a success in years past that this year marks the third time we’re funding it with $150,000. In its first year, the program diverted more than 250 tons of food waste from landfills to compost; with program growth, this latest year of funding diverted more than 21,000 tons of waste out of the landfill stream, helping build soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Senator Rausch meeting with advocates from the Green Budget Coalition after a legislative briefing.
Expanding Access to Mental Health Care
During one of my youth legislative forums, my young constituents spoke frankly and fearlessly about classmates they lost to suicide, the real concerns about whether or not to seek help for mental health problems, and their clear need for accessible mental health supports. In response, I secured $1,000,000 in the FY '23 Senate Budget to expand the services of Hey Sam, a youth mental health support text line run by Samaritans, Inc. The program has been a tremendous success, with over 6,500 young people using the text line since it began. In FY ’24, I successfully urged the legislature to override budget cuts to the program, securing $1,800,000 for this lifesaving initiative, then secured amendments to ensure the program received level funding in each of the past two budget cycles.
I introduced legislation that would require the state to provide school mental health professionals, such as a counselor or psychologist, at a ratio of at least 1 per 250 students, the recommended ratio by the American School Counselor Association. Schools are uniquely situated to provide equitable access to mental health supports for our students. This bill was favorably reported by the Education Committee.
Senator Rausch presenting a citation to Kathy Marchi, CEO of Samaritans, on their 50th Anniversary.
Education
Early in my tenure in the State Senate, I proudly supported the Student Opportunity Act, a landmark education reform bill that bolstered resources for our public schools. I believe in the foundational importance of civics education, and often speak with school groups of all ages to highlight the importance of civics, advocacy, and engaging with our democracy. I have repeatedly led the work in the Senate to ensure $2.5 million in annual investments in the Civics Project Trust Fund, including by securing an additional $500,000 in the FY’26 budget.
During my annual Youth Summit in 2025, students told me about the value of Advanced Placement classes, but lamented the cost and lack of available courses. They proposed expanding virtual access to AP courses, an idea so good that I filed it as an amendment to the FY’26 budget. I’m proud to say that these young learners’ idea was adopted! My amendment allocated $100,000 to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to study expanding student access to AP courses through virtual and other innovative delivery models.
Massachusetts is among the most expensive states in the country for childcare, with thousands of children on a waitlist for subsidized care. As the only mom in the Senate with young kids, I can personally attest to the unaffordability of this care. This situation hurts children and families and costs our economy billions of dollars each year. I was proud to vote for the Early Education Act last session, which expands access to childcare subsidies, improving program quality and bringing costs within reach for more families. I also joined my colleagues in overriding the Governor’s veto in 2025 to reinstate funding for early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays.
Making It Easier to Cast Your Ballot
I’m proud to have filed An Act improving voting access and elections infrastructure, an elections omnibus bill that would expand access to mail-in voting, establish a paid leave of absence from work for voting, and move Massachusetts’ primary election date away from the busy Labor Day weekend.
I sponsored legislation that would reimburse municipalities ahead of time for early voting costs, lightening the load on local budgets. I also filed a bill that empowers voters to choose their own voting methods, including Ranked Choice Voting, for their own local elections, rather than spending months or years lobbying Beacon Hill to allow that choice. Ranked choice voting supports more positive campaigns and encourages a more diverse pool of candidates, better reflecting the will of the majority of voters. I explain further in this Boston Globe op-ed. In 2025, this bill advanced favorably out of the Elections Committee for the first time!
To support cities and towns in increasing civic participation, I sponsored An Act ensuring municipal participation of the widest eligible range, or the EMPOWER act. This would let municipalities allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in their municipal elections without needing to pass a home rule petition. This supports local choices for local elections and encourages young people to become informed and engaged participants in the political process.
Uplifting Community Safety
Keeping the people of the Bay State safe and secure is one of the Legislature’s most important jobs. In consultation with several Massachusetts District Attorneys, I filed a bill to criminalize sexual assault by a rideshare driver. Under current law, it’s extremely difficult to convict a driver for sexual assault, even if the victim was inebriated – as many rideshare passengers are. This bill protects passengers by effectively treating them as incapable of consenting to sexual contact for the entirety of their ride.
Each year in the United States, hundreds of women are murdered by an intimate partner who then manipulates the crime scene to make it look like a suicide or accident. I filed An Act addressing staged suicides to honor the memories of domestic violence victims, provide them and their families with justice even after their deaths, and hold perpetrators accountable. This justice-forward legislation supports a thorough investigation by educating and training law enforcement officers to recognize factors that should raise suspicion and potentially staged crime scenes.
In response to the shocking and dangerous behavior of ICE agents in American cities, including the murder of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in January 2026, I introduced an anti-ICE legislative package of five bills to defend our civil and constitutional rights, protect our communities from ICE’s recklessness, and advance much-needed accountability. These bills would ensure that no parent or guardian of a child can be detained without an approved care plan for that child; bar undercover MA license plates for ICE agents; prohibit current ICE agents from serving in state and local law enforcement; and empower anyone in the Commonwealth to sue ICE agents for violations of their constitutional rights, regardless of internal ICE memos defending their actions.
Preventing Gun Violence in Massachusetts
I proudly voted for the SAFER Act, which will reduce gun violence and give public safety officials the tools they need to do their jobs. This law, signed by the governor in July 2024, was supported by both gun violence prevention advocates and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. It limits untraceable “ghost guns,” bans guns from most government buildings, and bans devices that allow semiautomatic weapons to fire more quickly.
My amendment to clarify provisions to ensure 3D printers are not used to make guns was incorporated into the final language, as was my amendment to improve firearm data collection, maintenance, access and analysis.
Supporting Veterans and their Families
Following the tragic deaths of at least 76 veterans at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke during the early days of the pandemic, the Legislature passed laws to increase access to long-term care services for veterans across the state. This included the construction of a modern facility for veterans in Holyoke, as well as the development of preventative measures to avoid future tragedies by restructuring the chain of command and increasing public oversight at veterans’ homes. I also proudly voted for the HERO Act, which modernizes and expands veterans’ access to services, including mental health services and medical assistance benefits.
Our veterans, active service members, and military families deserve our full support for their service and sacrifice. I proudly joined my Senate colleagues in passing the EASE Act, which will support families by guaranteeing that a child of a military family can stay at their current school in Massachusetts, even if their parent or guardian is temporarily transferred elsewhere on official orders. Furthermore, it ensures a seamless transition for students who receive special education services and allows a military protective order to be used as evidence for people seeking temporary domestic violence restraining orders.
I supported a bill that establishes September 22 of each year as Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day, in recognition of the importance of supporting veterans’ mental health.
Educating Students on Genocide and Human Rights
I joined my colleagues in passing a genocide education bill in 2021 that establishes a Genocide Education Trust Fund to promote and educate middle and high school students on the history of genocide. I have continued to strongly advocate for funding for genocide education, security enhancements for nonprofits (including synagogues), and mental health services for survivors of hate and bias trauma, all of which received million in funding in the FY’26 budget.
In the wake of the 10/7 attack on Israel, I co-authored the Massachusetts Senate resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas, hosted an open community space for people impacted by the terrorism and violence in Israel and the attendant antisemitism, and secured the near-immediate remediation of antisemitic graffiti on the Mass Pike. I also led a bipartisan nationwide open letter to the President, Vice President, and Congress signed by nearly 300 state lawmakers from more than half the states in the country denouncing antisemitism and urging continued efforts to secure the safe rescue of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Sadly, these efforts must be coupled with engaged efforts to combat antisemitism in our communities and throughout the Commonwealth. I have been partnering in this work since the start of my Senate tenure, and it has only increased over time. I was appointed to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Hate Crimes Task Force. The Task Force’s collective work to combat identity-based hatred and bigotry is profoundly important, and I am proud to be part of it. I also secured $75,000 in the FY’25 budget for the Office of Public Safety and Security to expand its report on the State of Hate in Massachusetts to include bias-motivated incidents.
Uplifting Native American History and Culture
Native American history, voices, and contributions are woven into the fabric of Massachusetts. I sponsored An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American history and culture, which ensures that students in the Commonwealth learn this history in full, through a curriculum that covers tribal history and contemporary indigenous issues. This bill, which was crafted in close collaboration with tribal leaders, directs state officials to develop these educational standards in consultation with tribal nations.
Senator Rausch reading a book to a Head Start early childcare classroom.
Supporting Access to Menstrual Products
As a deep believer in every body’s right to personal hygiene and dignity, I supported An Act to increase access to disposable menstrual products, which ensures menstrual products be provided at no cost and free of stigma in public schools, homeless shelters, and prisons. This bill, which I have introduced in the past, passed the Senate in a unanimous vote.