Author Archives: Shawn Fitzgibbons

New law mandates detailed reporting of COVID-19 cases but governor is moving to scale it back By Todd Wallack and Robert Weisman Globe Staff,Updated June 23, 2020, 11:52 a.m. State public health officials say they need more time to comply with a new law requiring … Continue reading →

Commonwealth Magazine: More information sought on race, individual nursing homes SHIRA SCHOENBERG Jun 8, 2020 THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH will need to publish more transparent data about the number of COVID-19 cases in individual long-term care facilities, and will also need … Continue reading →

If the Baker administration won’t publicize nursing home COVID-19 information, it falls to the Legislature to step in. By The Editorial BoardUpdated May 21, 2020, 11:11 a.m. As public policy goes, it’s pretty simple. Families with loved ones in nursing homes and … Continue reading →

By Katie Lannan / State House News ServicePosted Apr 15, 2020 at 3:05 PMUpdated Apr 15, 2020 at 3:05 PM    A virtual hearing is planned for Thursday on legislation that would require assisted living residences, elderly housing facilities and long-term care facilities to file daily reports with public health officials … Continue reading →

TAUNTON DAILY GAZETTE – BOSTON – March 21, 2019 – Advocates on Thursday marked Purim by delivering hamantaschen — the Jewish holiday’s traditional baked good — to state lawmakers, asking them to honor the spirit of the occasion by passing … Continue reading →

Commonwealth Magazine, February 27, 2019 LOOKING AT RECENT HEADLINES, one sees that climate change—and the call for pioneering solutions to combat it—are now front and center in the public consciousness. We are at the forefront of an opportunity to truly modernize … Continue reading →

January 21, 2019- Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A bill filed at the Massachusetts Statehouse seeks to help speed the state’s transition to renewable forms of energy. The bill would update the state’s 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act by setting … Continue reading →

Updated Jan 10; Posted Jan 10-MassLive.com-about a bill championed by Rep. Balser Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill Thursday banning insurers from charging women more than men for disability insurance policies. “I am pleased to sign this bill ensuring everyone in the Commonwealth … Continue reading →

NewtonTAB-Posted Jan 18, 2019 at 9:12 AM Sen. Marc R. Pacheco, D-Taunton, and Rep. Ruth B. Balser, D-Newton, have announced that more than 80 state legislators have united in support of climate solutions in 2019. The statement circulated by Pacheco and Balser, A New Year’s … Continue reading →

January 4, 2019-Boston Globe mentions a bill championed by Rep. Balser that was ultimately signed into law. The new legislative year on Beacon Hill is off and running, but there remain a few leftovers from the 2018 session still sitting … Continue reading →