Massachusetts Bills

This bill requires health insurance plans in Massachusetts to cover prescription medications for gender-affirming care services as defined in state law. It mandates coverage for up to a 12-month period for subsequent dispensings of the same medication, allowing full or partial dispensing within that timeframe. Coverage must be provided regardless of enrollment status when the prescription was first issued, but insurers are not required to cover more than one 12-month prescription per plan year. The bill directly affects insured individuals seeking ongoing gender-affirming medication treatment.

H 4649 establishes a special commission to study micro-transit services in Massachusetts. The commission will examine different operating models (including those run by regional transit authorities and other entities), assess funding needs and gaps, define micro-transit for state funding eligibility, and estimate annual state funding required to support these services. It will specifically focus on closing mobility gaps, improving connectivity, and addressing transportation inequities in underserved areas and populations. The commission, composed of transit officials, community representatives, and rural stakeholders, must submit a final report to state leaders within three months of the bill's effective date.

H 4969 authorizes the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure to study six specific bills (H345, H350, H381, H430, H439, and H467) related to consumer protection and professional licensure. The committee must investigate these documents and submit recommendations, including draft legislation, to the General Court by December 31, 2026. This bill does not create new laws but sets a process for the committee to examine existing proposals and propose future actions. It directly affects the committee’s work and the legislative process, not the public or businesses.

This bill (H 5030) simplifies property title clarity by addressing minor technical errors in recorded deeds or property documents. It states that if a property deed or similar document has a technical flaw (like an incorrect signature format, missing seal, or minor error in how it was written) and no legal challenge is filed within 10 years of its recording, the document becomes fully valid as if the error never existed. This directly affects property owners and title holders who have documents with such minor defects, removing barriers to selling, refinancing, or transferring property. The rule applies to all documents recorded on or after January 1, 2027, but does not override existing court cases challenging titles.

This bill (H 5029) modifies Massachusetts insurance law to clarify when personal injury protection benefits must be paid and how attorney fees are handled. It adds language stating benefits are payable "whether in whole or in part" and specifies that courts cannot charge attorney fees or costs if an insurer pays the full amount due within 30 days of receiving a lawsuit. The change directly affects insurance companies and individuals filing personal injury claims by creating a clear 30-day window to avoid legal fees. This is a procedural adjustment to payment timing and fee rules, not a change in benefit amounts or eligibility.

This bill requires Massachusetts colleges and universities to provide students with official academic transcripts for courses where tuition and required fees are fully paid. Institutions may withhold transcripts only for unpaid courses or semesters, but cannot deny transcripts due to unpaid loans, fines, or other non-tuition debts. It applies to all public colleges, private occupational schools, and private universities in the state. The Department of Higher Education will create implementing regulations, ensuring students can access transcripts to transfer credits or apply for jobs without financial barriers.

This bill establishes clear procedures for managing bed bug infestations in rental housing. It requires tenants to immediately notify landlords about bed bugs and cooperate with inspections and treatments, while landlords must inspect within 5 business days, hire certified pest control within 10 days, and continue treatments until infestation is controlled (defined as no activity for 30 days after last treatment). The Department of Public Health must create and distribute an educational information sheet in English and Spanish covering bed bug facts, prevention, and tenant/landlord responsibilities. The law applies to multi-unit dwellings but excludes single-family homes.

By Representative Jones of North Reading and Senator Tarr, a joint petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., Bruce E. Tarr and others relative to energy costs, transparency, and sustainability. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

Senate, January 29, 2026 -- The committee on Health Care Financing, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 111) of Brendan P. Crighton for legislation to ensure access to behavioral health services for children involved with state agencies; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 154) of Joan B. Lovely and Vanna Howard for legislation to establish guardians as providers of medical care to support the rights of incapacitated persons; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 168) of Patrick M. O'Connor, James K. Hawkins, John F. Keenan, Manny Cruz and other members of the General Court for legislation to increase the safety of individuals with disabilities relying on life-support equipment; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 465) of Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation to support individuals suffering with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their families; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 472) of Patricia D. Jehlen and James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to Massachusetts home care eligibility; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 622) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to protect public health and reduce health care costs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 679) of Nick Collins for legislation relative to mental health providers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 683) of Cynthia Stone Creem for legislation relative to special education health care costs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 692) of Brendan P. Crighton, James B. Eldridge and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to facilitate timely access to quality health care by expanding access to patient navigation; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 694) of Brendan P. Crighton, James B. Eldridge and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to empower health care consumers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 695) of Brendan P. Crighton for legislation relative to health insurance coverage by athletic trainers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 696) of Brendan P. Crighton for legislation to ensure transparency in the practice of dental leased networks; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 698) of Brendan P. Crighton and Dylan A. Fernandes for legislation relative to consumer deductibles; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 709) of John J. Cronin for legislation relative to supportive care for serious mental illness; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 712) of Julian Cyr, Joanne M. Comerford, Adam Gomez, Dylan A. Fernandes and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to ensuring treatment for genetic craniofacial conditions; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 715) of Julian Cyr, James B. Eldridge and Jason M. Lewis for legislation relative to LGBTQ family building; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 716) of Julian Cyr for legislation relative to telehealth parity for nutrition counseling; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 718) of Julian Cyr for legislation to eliminate cost sharing for substance use disorder treatment services; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 724) of Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation to promote healthcare access and affordability for patients; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 726) of William J. Driscoll, Jr. for legislation relative to insurance coverage of mobile integrated health; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 728) of William J. Driscoll, Jr. relative to step therapy and in vitro fertilization insurance coverage; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 742) of Paul R. Feeney, James B. Eldridge, Dylan A. Fernandes, Jacob R. Oliveira and other members of the Senate for legislation relative to cognitive rehabilitation; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 756) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation to expand insurance coverage for hearing aids and related services; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 758) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation to require certain healthcare carriers to share accountability with providers for uncollectible patient obligations after insurance; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 759) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation to redirect excessive health insurer reserves to support health care needs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 774) of Edward J. Kennedy for legislation to require insurance providers cover a minimum of 30 days for in-patient substance abuse treatment; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 776) of Edward J. Kennedy relative to colon cancer screening; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 777) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation relative to specialty medications and patient safety; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 778) of Jason M. Lewis and Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation relative to public health dental hygienists; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 791) of Liz Miranda and Mindy Domb for legislation relative to nature as a prescription for mental health services; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 792) of Mark C. Montigny and Michael O. Moore for legislation relative to increasing consumer access to licensed rehabilitation counselors; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 796) of Mark C. Montigny and Christopher M. Markey for legislation to reduce unnecessary insurance delays in patient care; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 798) of Michael O. Moore and James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to small business health insurance incentives; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 802) of Patrick M. O'Connor for legislation to support behavioral health prevention for children; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 805) of Patrick M. O'Connor relative to PANDAS/PANS screening in medical/clinical settings; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 806) of Patrick M. O'Connor for legislation to increase access to acute hospital at home services by mandating coverage by commercial insurance plans; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 809) of Jacob R. Oliveira, Michael O. Moore, Bradley H. Jones, Jr., Thomas M. Stanley and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to patient access to biomarker testing to provide appropriate therapy; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 814) of Jacob R. Oliveira for legislation to give patients a 60 day notice of any increase to out of pocket health insurance costs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 818) of Pavel M. Payano for legislation to eliminate the PCP referral requirement for specialty gynecological care; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 822) of Rebecca L. Rausch for legislation to expand health insurance access for state employees; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 823) of Rebecca L. Rausch and Patricia D. Jehlen for legislation to enhance post-pregnancy mental health care; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 824) of Rebecca L. Rausch, John F. Keenan and Manny Cruz for legislation relative to coverage for pain medication for IUD procedures; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 827) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to ensure access to prescription medications; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 832) of Bruce E. Tarr, Joan B. Lovely and John F. Keenan for legislation to provide health insurance coverage for scalp and facial hair prosthesis; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 839) of Michael D. Brady for legislation to fund nursing home staff; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 840) of Nick Collins for legislation to ensure to insurer responsibility to the operating budgets of health care oversight entities by paying to the commonwealth an amount for the estimated expenses of the commission; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 841) of Joanne M. Comerford, Jason M. Lewis, Brendan P. Crighton, Jacob R. Oliveira and other members of the Senate for legislation to support equal access to community care for elders and the disabled; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 844) of Brendan P. Crighton and Joanne M. Comerford for legislation to improve long term care for MassHealth members with chronic conditions; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 845) of Brendan P. Crighton for legislation to not restrict or limit an eligible hospital’s access to the discounted purchase of prescription drugs in the Medicaid program; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 846) of John J. Cronin for legislation relative to the sustainability of high public payer community hospitals; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 847) of John J. Cronin for legislation relative to converge for rapid whole genome sequencing; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 848) of John J. Cronin for legislation to require all covered entities to file an annual report to the Center for Health Information and Analysis to increase accountability to safeguard benefit for vulnerable patients; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 849) of Julian Cyr for legislation to ensure health care for all; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 852) of Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation to prevent medical debt by restoring health safety net eligibility levels; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 853) of Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation to preserve and protect public health; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 856) of Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation to ensure access and continuity of care to specialist and hospital services for dually eligible individuals; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 859) of James B. Eldridge for legislation to establish a public health option; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 860) of James B. Eldridge, Lindsay N. Sabadosa, Margaret R. Scarsdale, Joanne M. Comerford and other members of the General Court for legislation to establish medicare for all in Massachusetts; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 861) of Ryan C. Fattman for legislation relative to fiduciary responsibility; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 863) of Dylan A. Fernandes for legislation relative to coverage for non-opioid pain medications for chronic pain; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 864) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation relative to the operating budgets of health care oversight agencies; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 865) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation to expand the moral obligation bond program to acute care hospitals; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 871) of John F. Keenan, James B. Eldridge, James K. Hawkins, Michael O. Moore and other members of the General Court for legislation to require MassHealth to cover medical treatments essential for people with a developmental disability, intellectual disability, or autism; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 873) of John F. Keenan for legislation relative to hospital closures and health planning; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 874) of John F. Keenan, James B. Eldridge, James K. Hawkins, David Paul Linsky and other members of the General Court for legislation to strengthen mental health centers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 877) of Robyn K. Kennedy, Paul W. Mark, James B. Eldridge, John F. Keenan and other members of the General Court for legislation to promote an enhanced care worker minimum wage; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 878) of Robyn K. Kennedy for legislation relative to asset limits for MassHealth; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 879) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to update Medicaid resource limits for seniors; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 880) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation relative to Medicare savings programs eligibility; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 881) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to provide Medicaid coverage for tobacco cessation; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 883) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to protect qualified Medicare beneficiaries from improper billing; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 884) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to define modest meals and refreshments in prescriber education settings; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 885) of Joan B. Lovely for legislation relative to premium impact statements; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 886) of Joan B. Lovely, Michael J. Barrett, Hannah Kane, James K. Hawkins and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to family members serving as caregivers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 888) of Paul W. Mark and Joanne M. Comerford for legislation to increase access to MassHealth dental providers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 890) of Paul W. Mark for legislation to analyze and report on acute care hospital stays exceeding 60 days; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 891) of Liz Miranda, Joanne M. Comerford and Michael J. Barrett for legislation relative to the primary care workforce development and loan repayment grant program at community health centers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 892) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation to alleviate skyrocketing consumer health care costs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 893) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation to ensure timely health care cost reporting; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 894) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation relative to coverage for chronic illness; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 896) of Michael O. Moore for legislation to prohibit inappropriate use of the health care cost growth benchmark; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 897) of Michael O. Moore and James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to hospital price transparency; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 898) of Michael O. Moore relative to patient centered access to behavioral health services in accountable care organizations; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 899) of Michael O. Moore and James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to hospital profit and fairness; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 902) of Pavel M. Payano for legislation to lower health care prices for patients by limiting the rate that can be charged for services to not exceed 200 percent of the amount paid by Medicare for the service; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 903) of Pavel M. Payano for legislation to improve the ability for patients to receive specialized medical care after an acute illness or surgery; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 905) of Michael F. Rush for legislation to improve health care cost accountability; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 906) of Michael F. Rush for legislation relative to health care non-discrimination; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 907) of Michael F. Rush for legislation to protect Norwood healthcare access; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 908) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to establish a healthcare insurance premium payment pool for working families; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 910) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation relative to association health plans; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 911) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to strengthen the management of the health care connector; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 912) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to ensure temporary nursing service agency quality; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 913) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to stabilize adult day health services; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 914) of Bruce E. Tarr and James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to spouses as caregivers; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 915) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to ensure temporary nursing service agency quality; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 916) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to regulate state health insurance mandates and costs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 917) of John C. Velis for legislation to address the financial sustainability of the Health Safety Net; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1042) of Nick Collins for legislation to require that patients admitted to a medical facility for suffering an overdose receive an evaluation by a licensed social worker before discharge; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1289) of Nick Collins for legislation to clarify mandatory overtime protections; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1362) of Jacob R. Oliveira, Rodney M. Elliott, Rebecca L. Rausch, Jason M. Lewis and other members of the General Court for legislation to prohibit mandatory overtime; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1388) of Julian Cyr for legislation to build resiliency in communities through mental health; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1411) of Liz Miranda and John F. Keenan for legislation to establish a perinatal behavioral health care workforce trust fund; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1418) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation relative to fetal opioid drug exposure; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1480) of Nick Collins for legislation to allow the Board of Registration in Medicine to collect data and information concerning the cultural, ethical, linguistic, and education composition of the physician workplace; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1481) of Nick Collins for legislation to provide for consumer access to and the right to practice complementary and alternative health care services; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1488) of Cynthia Stone Creem for legislation relative to facilitating the utilization of psychologists on the health care team; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1505) of Julian Cyr for legislation relative to LGBTQ health equity; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1511) of William J. Driscoll, Jr. relative to regulating surgical assistants; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1514) of William J. Driscoll, Jr. for legislation relative to provider choice and vaccines; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1515) of William J. Driscoll, Jr. relative to enhancing statewide hospital capacity coordination; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1535) of Paul R. Feeney, Susannah M. Whipps, Thomas M. Stanley, Vanna Howard and other members of the General Court for legislation to ensure safe patient handling and mobility in certain health facilities through the use of mechanical lifting devices; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1538) of Dylan A. Fernandes that the Executive Office of Health and Human Services be authorized to establish a program to promote, incentivize and support the development and deployment of eligible therapies among veterans and first responders; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1551) of John F. Keenan, James B. Eldridge and Ryan C. Fattman for legislation to establish a naloxone purchase trust fund to support a universal purchase system for opioid antagonist distribution in the commonwealth; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1554) of John F. Keenan and James B. Eldridge for legislation to provide counseling about lung cancer screening to individuals accessing the Massachusetts Quitline; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1565) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation relative to diabetes prevention; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1578) of Liz Miranda for legislation to create an evidence-based culturally-specific patient navigation pilot program for people living with a Long COVID diagnosis; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1582) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation to improve Hepatitis C screening; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1583) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation to restore integrity in the marketing of pharmaceutical products and medical devices; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1586) of Michael O. Moore for legislation relative to smoking cessation agents; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1601) of Patrick M. O'Connor for legislation relative to the reform of the personal care attendant system; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1602) of Patrick M. O'Connor for legislation to improve pediatric cancer research; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1621) of Michael F. Rush and Paul McMurtry for legislation relative to medical records requests; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1791) of Michael D. Brady for legislation relative to local public housing authorities access to the dental and vision insurance plan managed by the group insurance commission; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1792) of Michael D. Brady for legislation relative to mandatory coverage for certain health screenings for firefighters; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1847) of Paul R. Feeney for legislation to provide diabetes prevention program benefits; (accompanied by bill) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Michael O. Moore for legislation relative applied behavioral analysis reimbursement rates; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2599) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Patrick M. O'Connor for legislation to provide insurance coverage for the medically necessary treatment of port-wine stains; and (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2600) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Michael F. Rush for legislation to require health insurance coverage for scalp cooling systems, report the accompanying Order (Senate, No. 2931).

Senate, Janaury 29, 2026 -- The committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1077) of Peter J. Durant and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to maintain parity in legal services for small property owners by providing financial assistance to both local and statewide programs that serve eligible clients; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1113) of Timothy Morris, for legislation to remove criminal penalties for limited psilocybin possession; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1137) of John F. Keenan for legislation to prevent fires and secondhand smoke in non-smoking rental housing; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1140) of Edward J. Kennedy for legislation to establish a foreclosure review division; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1142) of Edward J. Kennedy for legislation to restore a lower threshold for permit challenges in court decisions; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1149) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation relative to prejudgment interest rates; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1175) of Paul W. Mark for legislation to prohibit injurious operations or offering services or products that discriminate against or injure protected classes; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1176) of Paul W. Mark and Michael O. Moore for legislation to remove the 3-day commitment period to a facility for a person with a mental illness; and (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2446) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to promote motor vehicle safety and habitual offenders, report the accompanying Order (Senate, No. 2930).

This resolution directs the Municipalities and Regional Government committee to study 17 related bills (H2254, H2261, etc.) concerning local government powers, building permits, and zoning rules. The committee must report its findings and proposed legislation by December 31, 2026, to the General Court. It is a procedural step for future lawmaking, not a policy change itself.

This bill requires law enforcement to notify victims when harassment prevention orders (for stalking or harassment) are served, not served, or expire. It directly affects victims of stalking who have these court orders by ensuring they receive timely updates about the order's status. Key provisions mandate that police inform victims within 12 hours if an order isn't served, then every 24 hours until service is complete, and also notify them if the order expires. The law applies to both temporary and permanent orders under Chapters 209A and 258E of Massachusetts law.