Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Legislation

The Massachusetts State House in downtown Boston.

State House Leadership Issues Final Draft of Distracted Driving Bill

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 18, 2019 | No Comments

Leaders of a conference committee in the State House have finally submitted a final version of a distracted driving bill that passed by overwhelming margins in the House and Senate earlier this spring, and the bill could face a final vote this week. The bill declares that “no operator of a motor vehicle shall hold […]

Participants in the 2018 World Day of Remembrance march up Beacon Street towards the State House. Photo by Andy Robinson, courtesy of the LivableStreets Alliance.

Street Safety Advocates Hold ‘Day of Remembrance’ Vigil This Sunday

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 15, 2019 | No Comments

The state’s leading safe streets advocacy organizations are holding a vigil on the steps of the Massachusetts State House this Sunday to commemorate those who have been injured or killed by motor vehicles. The Massachusetts event is one of hundreds of vigils being held globally on the World Day of Remembrance on November 17, 2019. […]

State House Stalls On Transportation Funding

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 15, 2019 | No Comments

After saying earlier this year that the MBTA was “in crisis” and that his chamber would have a “long-term strategic investment plan” for the state’s transportation systems before the end of the year, House Speaker Robert DeLeo has announced that he and his fellow Democrats in the State House will delay that debate until 2020. […]

An electronic tolling gantry on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Courtesy of MassDOT.

Business Groups, Advocates Agree: Drivers Need To Pay More

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 30, 2019 | No Comments

As legislators on Beacon Hill start working on a new transportation funding bill this week, business groups and sustainable transportation advocates are finding common ground on proposals to raise new funds for the state’s transportation infrastructure with new fees, taxes and tolls on motor vehicle users. This morning, the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Transportation, which […]

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district, rides the MBTA's 1 bus in a 2018 campaign ad.

Rep. Pressley Announces New ‘Future of Transportation’ Congressional Caucus

By Aaron Short | Oct 17, 2019 | No Comments

Pressley says that the current system for spending federal money on transit is "antiquated and contributing to the inequities and disparities when it comes to access to affordable, reliable, and rapid transit."

Jillian Kaplan (left), a survivor of a crash involving a cellphone-distracted driver, and Jerry Cibley, whose son died after dropping his cellphone while driving, were among the speakers advocating for quick passage of the "hands-free" bill at the State House on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019.

Legacy of Racial Profiling By Police Holds Up Distracted Driving Law

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 26, 2019 | 2 Comments

The Massachusetts legislature is on the verge of passing a new law that would outlaw people from holding cellphones while driving motor vehicles, but the bill has stalled as lawmakers hammer out details of how to collect data on traffic stops related to the new law in order to prevent racial profiling by police. Both […]

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