PRESS RELEASES
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE ACTS TO BAN PLASTIC BAGS, REDUCE STRAW AND PLASTICWARE USAGE, BOOST RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE TO TAKE ACTION ON SWEEPING CLIMATE AND PLASTICS BILLS
PLASTICS REDUCTION ACT ADVANCES
January 18, 2024
Today, comprehensive plastics reduction legislation filed by State Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham) advanced with a favorable report out of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. The Plastics Reduction Act will address some of the most common single-use plastics, including plastic bags, plastic food service ware, and car seats.
NEARLY 300 BIPARTISAN STATE LEGISLATORS NATIONWIDE DENOUNCE ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA, COMMIT CONTINUED EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS TO EXPOSE AND REDUCE ANTI-JEWISH PREJUDICE AND EXTREMISM
November 16, 2023
Boston, MA – Today, Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham) issued an open letter signed by 288 state legislators representing more than half the states in the nation, to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and members of the United States Congress denouncing antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hatred and bigotry.
SENATOR RAUSCH CELEBRATES EARTH MONTH WITH LEGISLATION TO DRIVE CLIMATE ACTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
MA LEGISLATURE ANNOUNCES GAS TAX RELIEF REBATE PROGRAM
July 7, 2022
Boston, MA – Today, the Massachusetts House and Senate announced their intention to create the Taxpayer Energy and Economic Relief Fund, an initiative to bring immediate financial relief to Bay Staters amidst rising gas prices and inflation. The fund will provide one-time rebates of $250 for Massachusetts taxpayers who filed an individual return in 2021, and $500 for taxpayers who filed joint returns. Eligibility will be determined by annual income reported in 2021. Individual filers who reported earning between $38,000 and $100,000 will be eligible, and the maximum reported income level increases to $150,000 for joint filers. Massachusetts taxpayers will receive this rebate before September 30, 2022.
SENATE PASSES CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE LEGISLATION
July 1, 2022
The Massachusetts State Senate passed S.2944, An Act relative to forfeiture reform, which would raise the burden of proof required for civil asset forfeiture, which allows law enforcement to seize items alleged to have been connected to a crime. Under current Massachusetts law, individuals who believe that their possessions were wrongly forfeited are required to demonstrate that these items were not involved in a crime or otherwise do not meet the standard required for forfeiture. This puts the burden of proof on the accused, rather than on law enforcement or prosecutors, making it difficult and time-consuming to repossess forfeited items.
SENATOR RAUSCH SECURES $1.1 MILLION IN LOCAL INVESTMENTS FOR THE NORFOLK, BRISTOL AND MIDDLESEX DISTRICT
May 27, 2022
On Thursday evening, following deliberation on 1178 amendments, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a $50 billion Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget. Over the course of this week’s budget deliberations, Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham) secured over $1.5 million in statewide funding and $1.1 million for local investments in the Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex District, including youth mental health supports, environmental protection initiatives, and municipal infrastructural upgrades.
HEALTH EXPERTS, LEGISLATORS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS URGE GOVERNOR TO CURB COVID-19 TRANSMISSION AMIDST CONTAGIOUS VARIANTS, HOLIDAY SEASON
December 15, 2021
BOSTON, MA – This afternoon, Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham) and a dozen state legislative colleagues delivered a letter to Governor Baker urging the administration to adopt a slate of data- driven public health policies set forth in a Massachusetts COVID-19 Action Plan, crafted and endorsed by a coalition of over 100 public health and medical professionals and 36 community organizations, to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth. This broad support comes amidst a winter surge of the Delta variant, detection of the Omicron variant in Massachusetts, and increasing virus transmission during the holiday season.
SENATOR RAUSCH FILES UNIVERSAL MASKING BILL FOR MA SCHOOLS
August 2, 2021
BOSTON, MA - This afternoon, Senator Becca Rausch filed SD. 2723, An Act mitigating COVID-19 transmission among children and families, a bill requiring universal masking among students and staff in all Massachusetts K-12 schools as well as childcare programs licensed under the Department of Early Education and Care. The legislation will also ensure no attendance penalty for students with vaccination appointments during school hours and provide paid time off for parents and caregivers taking students to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
FRANKLIN RESIDENT NDOUMBE NDOYE HONORED AS A COMMONWEALTH HEROINE BY THE MA COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
June 23, 2021
Boston, MA – Today, Ndoumbe Ndoye of Franklin, Massachusetts was named a Commonwealth Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. In a virtual ceremony, Ndoye was celebrated along with over 120 fellow heroines of Massachusetts for her exemplary service to her community. Senator Becca Rausch nominated Ndoye for her local activism and commitment to advancing racial equity and justice within the town of Franklin and beyond.
SENATE APPROVES FUNDS FOR YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT LINE
May 27, 2021
Boston, MA - The pilot program, administered by Samaritans, Inc., aims to address elevated rates of mental illness among youth through confidential and non-judgmental support. The text line will have dedicated staffing from Samaritans to train and oversee teen volunteers providing evidence-based suicide prevention and mental health support. This funding will also support marketing and communications to promote the service, suicide prevention and mental health support workshops for youth, as well as culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate services to reach diverse communities.
SENATOR RAUSCH FILES COMPREHENSIVE SLATE OF ELECTION REFORM BILLS
February 9, 2021
Boston, MA – Today Senator Rausch (D-Needham) filed four remaining bills in her slate of comprehensive election reform legislation to modernize Massachusetts' voting system and increase Massachusetts voters' access to the ballot box. Her list of elections reform bills now include proposals to make Election Day a holiday in Massachusetts, move the state primary date to June, modernize Massachusetts' central voter registry, and require all presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns to appear on a Massachusetts ballot, respectively.
WOMEN LEGISLATORS FILE COVID-19 VACCINE EQUITY LEGISLATION
February 4, 2021
Boston, MA - Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham), Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz (D-Boston), Representative Liz Miranda (D-Boston), and Representative Mindy Domb (D-Amherst) today filed legislation to improve Massachusetts’ COVID-19 vaccination rollout response and increase vaccine delivery in communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The bill reflects collaboration among the filers, Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), and multiple public health and infectious disease experts.