Author: Cindy Friedman

Investments focus on those hardest hit by COVID-19 and supporting the ongoing economic recovery

BOSTON (11/11/2021) – Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate on Wednesday to unanimously pass a $3.82 billion spending bill that directs federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to assist in the Commonwealth’s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts. The bill was passed with a particular focus on making equitable investments and ensuring that communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic are prioritized. Using this framework, the bill delivers targeted, transformational supports to critical sectors such as health care, mental and behavioral health, housing security, the environment, and workforce development.

“This historic spending bill will have a profound impact on our communities, especially those most impacted by the pandemic,” said Senator Friedman, Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means. “I thank Senate President Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, and my Senate colleagues for using this bill to take meaningful action to address persistent issues plaguing our health care system and expand access to housing, food, and economic development opportunities. I am especially pleased to see many of my priorities included: a state-wide campaign to ensure everyone has health coverage and access to the COVID-19 vaccine, a pilot restoration center to divert people with mental illness and substance use disorder from our criminal justice system, and various municipal projects that will keep our communities safe and help them thrive.”

Senator Friedman filed several amendments and successfully secured over $10 million during the bill’s debate:

• $5 million for Health Care For All, Inc.

… Read more.

Bill works in tandem with landmark investments in mental and behavioral health
to transform mental health care delivery

BOSTON (11/09/2021) – Today, Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) helped the Massachusetts Senate unveil the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0: Addressing Barriers to Care (ABC) (S2572), comprehensive legislation to continue the process of reforming the way mental health care is delivered in Massachusetts, with the goal of ensuring that people get the mental health care they need when they need it. This legislation comes at a time when the Massachusetts State Senate is making landmark investments in mental and behavioral health, including $400 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to transform the behavioral health sector, with $122 million dedicated to recruiting and retaining nearly 2,000 behavioral professionals.

The Mental Health ABC Act 2.0 is driven by the recognition that mental health is as important as physical health for every resident of the Commonwealth and should be treated as such. The bill proposes a wide variety of reforms to ensure equitable access to mental health care and remove barriers to care by supporting the behavioral health workforce.

“For far too long, mental health has been a forgotten component of our healthcare system, and we must address the persisting inequities—made painfully clear in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic—in our delivery of mental health care,” said Senator Friedman, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “This bill builds on the work the Senate has done over the last several years to improve our mental health system and takes a comprehensive approach to tackle our most pressing issues, such as expanding services to all corners of the Commonwealth, enforcing existing parity laws, and addressing the boarding crisis in our Emergency Departments that is impacting too many of our children and families.… Read more.

Bill’s focus is on transformational investments in public health, housing, mental and behavioral health, and the environment 

BOSTON (11/03/2021) – Today, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means announced a $3.66 billion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending bill to address COVID-19 recovery needs and build an equitable future for the Commonwealth. The Senate Ways and Means ARPA bill reflects the shared priorities of the Senate and recommends several thoughtfully targeted investments in health care, housing, environment, economic recovery, and workforce development, while addressing economic and racial inequality and helping the communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Senate ARPA spending plan recommends a total of $3.66 billion in spending, utilizing up to $2.5 billion in available American Rescue Plan Act funds and up to $1.45 billion in available Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 state surplus resources. Informed by the testimony heard extensively throughout the public hearing process, which included over 25 hours of public hearings and more than 450 letters of public testimony, the Committee’s bill supports an equitable recovery for communities hardest hit by the pandemic, while maintaining the flexibility necessary to take advantage of future federal funding opportunities.

“I applaud Senate President Spilka and Chair Rodrigues for their leadership and for using this spending plan to take meaningful action to address persistent issues plaguing our health care system and expand access to housing, food, and economic development opportunities, especially in communities most impacted by the pandemic,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means. … Read more.

Establishes the Genocide Education Trust Fund to educate students on the history of genocide

BOSTON (10/21/2021) – On Thursday October 21, 2021, Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate in passing An Act concerning genocide education to require every middle school and high school in the Commonwealth to include instruction on the history of genocide and to promote the teaching of human rights issues. Similar legislation was advanced by the Senate in prior sessions, but this most recent iteration comes as incidences of hate and anti-Semitism are on the rise across the country, with several incidents reported in Massachusetts over the past year.

“The limited knowledge and understanding that many young people have of the Holocaust and other instances of genocide is alarming,” said Senator Friedman, Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Education and learning about the history of genocide – and the painful consequences of ignorance, bigotry and intolerance – is a critical tool in dismantling hate in our Commonwealth. I thank Senator President Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, Senator Lewis, and my Senate colleagues for taking this important step toward equipping the next generation with the knowledge and the resources they need to recognize and dispel hate and ignorance in our communities.”

In 2020, a widely reported survey commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which gauged Holocaust knowledge among millennials and Generation Z populations, found that 63 percent did not know six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.… Read more.

Bill makes vote-by-mail permanent, expands early voting options, implements same-day voter registration, and ushers in other groundbreaking election reforms

BOSTON (10/06/21) – On October 6, 2021, Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate to pass S.2545, An Act fostering voter opportunities, trust, equity and security (the VOTES Act). This comprehensive voting reform bill permanently codifies the popular mail-in and early voting options used in Massachusetts in 2020. The bill would also enact same-day voter registration, increase ballot access for service members serving overseas, and make a series of other improvements to the Commonwealth’s election administration process.

“At a time when voting rights are under unprecedented attack across the country, I’m proud to live in a state that continually searches for opportunities to promote and expand voter participation,” said Senator Friedman, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways & Means. “This historic bill strengthens our democracy and continues to ensure that Massachusetts voters can safely and easily exercise their fundamental right to vote. I applaud Senator President Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, and Senator Creem and Finegold for their leadership and commitment to this issue.”

Responding to trends in voting and building off previous actions taken by the Legislature, the VOTES Act contains the following key provisions:

Same-Day Voter Registration

• Individuals would be able to register to vote during early voting periods or on the day of a primary or election. Twenty other states and the District of Columbia already use same-day registration.

Early Voting In-Person

• The bill would require two weeks (including two weekends) of early voting in-person for biennial state elections and any municipal elections held on the same day.

… Read more.

Senate supports vulnerable populations, a robust regional transit system, safe drinking water and long-term solutions for poverty and higher education affordability

BOSTON (9/30/21) – On Thursday, September 30, 2021, Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate in taking final action to override a series of gubernatorial vetoes on the state budget for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). In restoring key provisions of the budget, the Senate will ensure that a greater portion of the Commonwealth’s vulnerable populations receive vital support from the state, that long-term studies of poverty and higher education affordability are carried out, and that regional transit authorities are sufficiently funded to emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic, along with other items.

“Thanks to the leadership of Senate President Spilka and the work of Chair Rodrigues and the entire Ways and Means committee, we are able to fulfill our commitments made during budget deliberations to safeguard the health and wellness of some of our most vulnerable populations,” said Senator Friedman, Vice Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means. “By overriding these vetoes, we are also able to strengthen our regional transit, update our tax codes, and support our retirees, all while leaving the Commonwealth in a strong fiscal position.”

Included in the FY22 budget are provisions which eliminate asset limits for two programs which offer support to the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable populations: Emergency Assistance to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) and Transitional Assistance to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC), which helps families with housing-related difficulties.… Read more.

BOSTON (09/23/21) – On Thursday, September 23, 2021, the Massachusetts Senate passed three bills that would provide students with age-appropriate, medically accurate and inclusive sex education; allow a non-binary option other than male or female on birth certificates and drivers licenses; and ensure that more children in Massachusetts have access to nutritious school meals. These bills all provide essential building blocks to ensuring a safe, healthy, inclusive, and resilient Commonwealth.

“I gladly voted for these bills, which reflect the Senate’s commitment to continue supporting the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Every student should have access to nutritious school meals and to medically accurate, inclusive sex education curricula. Likewise, every person should be able to claim accurate gender identity information on their drivers’ license. Thank you to the Senate President, the Chair of Ways and Means, and my colleagues in the Senate that advocating so passionately for our children, students, friends, and neighbors.”

Senate Bill 2534, An Act to healthy youth, would ensure that Massachusetts schools electing to provide their students with sex education use age-appropriate and medically accurate curriculum that covers a comprehensive and inclusive range of topics.

Currently, when Massachusetts public schools provide their students with health education that covers sexual activity, there is no way to ensure that students are being taught research-informed and comprehensive curricula. Schools are still able to utilize abstinence-only or abstinence-centered programming, as well as curricula that excludes important information for LGBTQ+ youth and critical lessons on consent.… Read more.

Ensures adequate funding for school districts, RTAs, police training, behavioral health and more

BOSTON (07/29/21) – Today, the Massachusetts Senate overturned Governor Baker’s vetoes on certain items in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget passed in the Legislature earlier this month. The actions taken by the Senate will ensure adequate funding for school districts, regional transit authorities (RTAs), and public and mental health supports, as well as the implementation of last year’s landmark police reform bill. Additionally, action by the Senate reinstates certain guidance relevant to state bodies such as the MBTA and prison facilities.

“Overriding the Governor’s vetoes on parts of the Fiscal Year 2022 budget was necessary to safeguard the health and wellness of some of our most vulnerable populations,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “These vetoes allow the Disability Law Center to continue to play an important role in protecting persons served at Bridgewater State Hospital, as well as restore funding for a crucial study to help us analyze the existing and anticipated impacts of the pandemic on children’s behavioral health. I would like to thank Senate President Spilka, Ways and Means Chair Rodrigues, and my colleagues for their swift action in reinstating these vital provisions.” 

Many of the Governor’s vetoes were cost-cutting measures deemed unnecessary by the Legislature in light of the state’s need to invest in crucial programs and services. Gubernatorial vetoes threatened $150,000 in funding for the children’s behavioral health advisory council, as well as $150,000 for Emergency Family Assistance Shelters.… Read more.

BOSTON (07/21/2021) – Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature in passing a $261.6 million supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21). The FY21 supplemental budget addresses time-sensitive deficiencies, extends expanded voting options, provides supports for the implementation of the 2020 landmark police reform law, and makes investments to support the Commonwealth’s continued recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continuing to pave the way to an equitable recovery, the supplemental budget includes $191 million to provide support and stability for our early educator workforce, $27.9 million for one-time economic relief payments to families on transitional assistance, and $12.5 million for costs associated with the implementation of last session’s landmark police reform bill.

“As we continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic, we must maintain funding for critical services throughout the Commonwealth, which this supplemental budget allows us to do,” said Senator Friedman, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Through this budget, we are making important investments in our early education and care system, reforming the representation of the MBTA’s governance and management board to better reflect the population it serves, and ensuring voter access by extending mail-in and early voting options.”

Notable components of the funding package include:

Extended Voting Options

The legislation allows for the popular practice of voting early by mail to continue through December 15, 2021, giving eligible voters the ability to exercise their right to cast a ballot while protecting their health and safety.… Read more.