Rep. Rich Haggerty

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance plans covering commonwealth employees (under group insurance) and Medicaid enrollees to cover biomarker testing - tests analyzing tissue or blood to identify biological markers for guiding treatment - when supported by medical evidence like FDA approvals, clinical guidelines, or CMS determinations. Insurers must approve or deny prior authorization requests within 72 hours (24 hours in emergencies), with automatic approval if no response is given. The bill also mandates coverage without unnecessary disruptions, such as multiple biopsies, to ensure continuous patient care.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law to redefine "podiatry" as the specialty focused on diagnosing and treating foot, ankle, and related leg conditions, including surgery limited to the foot/ankle area (below the tibial tubercle). It directly affects podiatrists practicing in Massachusetts by clarifying their scope of practice under state law. The bill also expands the definition of "physician" to include registered podiatrists in specific sections (12B, 12G, 80B) and excludes U.S. military surgeons and certain other physicians from these regulations. These changes update legal language to better reflect current podiatric practice and regulatory boundaries.

Maddy summaryH 4746 establishes Massachusetts' first comprehensive consumer data privacy law, directly affecting businesses operating in the state that collect personal data ("controllers"). The law requires businesses to obtain clear "affirmative consent" from Massachusetts residents before collecting or selling their personal data, prohibiting manipulative "dark patterns" and ensuring consent requests are transparent, specific, and accessible. Key provisions include strict definitions for data types (like biometric data), rules for "contextual advertising" that doesn't track individuals, and requirements for businesses to honor consumer rights to access, delete, or opt out of data processing. The law applies to all businesses serving Massachusetts residents, with specific protections for children's data and health/wellness information.

By Representatives Lipper-Garabedian of Melrose and Vieira of Falmouth, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 86) of Kate Lipper-Garabedian, David T. Vieira and others relative to regulation of location information derived from electronic devices. Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity.

Maddy summaryThis procedural bill (H 4743) extends the deadline for the House Committee on Housing to report on House Document 1476 until Wednesday, December 3, 2025. It overrides standard House Rule 27, which would otherwise require an earlier deadline, and directly affects the Housing committee's timeline for finalizing this specific document. The bill was adopted without debate on November 13, 2025, after committee approval.

Maddy summaryHD 1371 creates a new six-member "Board of Hoisting Machinery Regulations" within Massachusetts' Department of Labor. The board, appointed by the governor, includes a safety inspector (chair), a public utility worker, a construction contractor, a safety trainer, an OSHA expert, and a union representative with five years' experience. This board will establish licensing rules for hoisting machinery operators, including training requirements, supervision protocols for apprentices, and procedures for license issuance, renewal, denial, or revocation based on safety violations. The bill directly affects apprentice and operator license holders and the safety training industry.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts certain public high school stadiums from specific plumbing code requirements. It applies only to stadiums built before 2006, funded jointly by the Massachusetts School Building Authority and a municipality, and located within 200 yards of the main school building. The exemption removes the need for compliance with toilet facility standards under the Uniform State Plumbing Code (248 CMR 10.10:18) for these qualifying stadiums. Local building officials can issue occupancy certificates without requiring these plumbing upgrades. The bill directly affects eligible public high schools seeking to avoid costly retrofits to older stadium facilities.

Maddy summaryH 4682 extends the deadline for the House Committee on Housing to report on two specific bills (1529 and 1530) from the standard timeframe to Monday, November 17, 2025. This procedural bill overrides standard House Rule 27 to grant the committee additional time. It directly affects the Housing Committee and the legislative process for bills 1529 and 1530, with no policy changes to laws or regulations. The extension was approved without debate on October 30, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis procedural bill extends the Housing Committee's deadline for reporting on five specific House bills (1474, 1475, 1476, 1513, 1558) until November 17, 2025. It overrides a standard House Rule 27 deadline by granting the committee additional time to finalize its report. The bill directly affects the Housing Committee and the legislative process for those five documents. It is a routine procedural adjustment with no substantive policy changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a tuition and fee waiver program for Massachusetts residents who were legally placed under guardianship (per Chapter 190B, Section 5-201) and are living with a grandparent or other relative (not a parent) when they turn 18 or enroll in college. It directly affects qualifying students attending Massachusetts public institutions of higher education. The state, not the colleges, will cover the cost of these waivers after exhausting any federal reimbursements. The waiver applies to tuition and fees, providing financial support for students in specific family care arrangements.