Legislative Update – Week of October 10, 2022

Oct 11, 2022

Last week:

President Joe Biden announced last week that his administration will review the federal classification of marijuana and issued an executive order to pardon thousands of individuals with federal offenses for marijuana possession. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said he will not issue pardons to those with state convictions for marijuana possession.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted on Friday to launch sports betting in late January at casinos and mobile sports betting in early March. The Commissioners will need to unanimously agree on specific dates in order to stick to this timeline.

This week:

Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) joins MassBio for Policymakers Live virtual briefing hosted by MassBio CEO Joe Boncore on Wednesday. Leader Tarr will be discussing his role as Minority Leader in the Senate and the policy initiatives he has been focused on this session, in addition to highlighting the growing research and economic development opportunities in his district for the biotechnology industry. Register for this virtual event on Wednesday at 11am.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren will preside over an oversight hearing of Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs titled “Economic Impacts of Inadequate Transit Maintenance and Oversight: Examining Management Failures at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities,” on Friday. Those expected to testify include Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, Chair of the MA Department of Public Utilities Matthew Nelson, Executive Director of TransitMatters Jarred Johnson. The hearing will be livestreamed on the Committee’s website.

The Health Policy Commission’s Market Oversight and Transparency (MOAT) and Care Delivery Transformation (CDT) committees hold virtual meetings on Wednesday. The MOAT Committee hearing will focus on the utilization and expansion of telehealth while the CDT Committee meeting will include presentation on care for substance exposed newborns.

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs holds a hearing on Tuesday on the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2025 and 2030. The plan, released in June, puts Massachusetts on a track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions focused especially on transportation and energy systems.

The MBTA hosts an employment fair at Boston City Hall on Thursday.

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