Inside Baseball: The House/Senate Rules Conversation

This post is a message from the bipartisan leadership of the State Senate about the conversation going on right now in formulating the rules that govern the flow of bills in the legislature. The conversation is going to reach a conclusion over the next week or so, but I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Senate Adopts New Rules, Reflecting Transparency and Openness, for 2015-16 Session

This is the earliest the rules have been adopted by the Senate since they moved to a two year session in 1995. The new rules reflect the priorities of openness and transparency for Senate business that Senate President Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst) promised in his inaugural Senate address on January 7th.

Senate Passes Bill to Protect Public Safety and Support Access to Care

From the Senate President’s office: The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation to enhance public safety and remove barriers to access reproductive health care facilities in Massachusetts in the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down buffer zones across the nation, including the existing 35-foot buffer zone that was passed by the State Legislature in 2007.