Senator Friedman is taking the lead on the following bills that were originally filed by the late Senator Ken Donnelly at the start of the 2017-2018 legislative session:
S245 An Act relative to homeless children school transportation
- Summary: This bill would require the state to reimburse school districts for the cost of providing transportation to children and youth experiencing homelessness, as defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. It would also allow school districts to establish a Homeless Children & Youth School Transportation Reimbursement Fund.
- Summary: During any time period in which the MBTA is exempt from the Taxpayer Protection Act (also known as the “Pacheco Law”), this bill would require the MBTA to annually report additional information regarding any projected or realized savings as a result of outsourcing public transportation service contracts to private entities.
- Summary: This bill would require the MBTA to notify the Legislature 14 days prior to the remittance or forgiveness of any fines or penalties levied against any current or future commuter rail service provider. It would further require the MBTA to submit an annual report summarizing fine forgiveness decisions.