Barrett highlights progress, local wins at midpoint of State House session

As the State Legislature wrapped up the first half of its two-year session, State Sen. Mike Barrett said lawmakers made progress on key issues while also securing new state funding for Waltham nonprofits.

Barrett pointed to passage of Shield Act 2.0, which protects doctors, nurses and patients involved in reproductive or transgender health care in Massachusetts by preventing their information from being accessed  by other states, private companies and insurance providers. The law, he said, ensures Massachusetts remains “a haven” for patients.

Legislators also adopted new rules requiring greater transparency in policymaking. For the first time, votes taken in committees will be made public, and hearings will be announced further in advance. Barrett said the changes should reduce the year-end backlog of bills.

Two budget packages approved this year contain earmarks Barrett filed for five Waltham organizations. They include $75,000 for Waltham Partnership for Youth’s mental health curriculum, $50,000 for More Than Words, $80,000 for tenant support programs at Watch CDC, and funding for both the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation and the Community Day Center of Waltham. Barrett cautioned, however, that some funds may be delayed due to federal cuts.

The budget also dedicates $5 million to expand legal services for immigrants and refugees, a move Barrett said is critical for the state’s workforce and tax base.

With the Legislature set to resume work this month, Barrett said he expects momentum to continue. “Massachusetts is going to get through the next several years, its values and sense of direction intact,” he said.