AN ACT TO improve public contracting with Massachusetts farmers

Documents & Status: Text of Senate 1437 | Status of the bill

This law would accomplish two objectives: 1.) Create an incentive for large urban school districts to use products from Massachusetts farmers by increasing the maximum no-bid contract amount from $25,000 to $50,000, and 2.) Create an incentive for state colleges and universities to use products from Massachusetts farmers by adding colleges and universities to the local agricultural preference statute.

An Act Incorporating Wetland Stewardship and Scenic Resources into Wetland Protection

Documents & Status: Text of Senate 412 | Status of the bill

The goal of Senate Bill 520 is to make state law compatible with the resource management goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Program, and the National Recreational Fisheries Policy by bringing science-based resource management to our wetlands and open waters.

An Act Relative to Flood Control and Regulation of Discharge into Rivers

Documents & Status: Text of Senate 411 | Status of the bill

This legislation would provide adequate notice and protection for downstream communities when a sewer plant or upstream community discharges effluent or storm water runoff into a river that could result in flooding or pollution downstream.

An Act to Promote the Elimination of Medical Waste in Certain State Facilities

Documents & Status: Text of Senate 855 | Status of the bill

Under the Department of Public Health's current regulations, houses of corrections and other state-run residential care facilities cannot re-dispense medications that their clients or detainees fail to use prior to their release, even if the medication are "bubble packed," in an unopened tamper proof package. This leads to waste of costly medications and directly increases the cost of providing health care to these inmate and client of other organizations.  S. 855 would address this. It directs the Department of Public Health and the Board of Registration in Pharmacy to establish safe methods to reduce medication waste in facilities licensed by DPH, the Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Corrections; it further stipulates that the methods include a re-assessment of the Commonwealth’s standards for the return to pharmacy and re-dispensing of otherwise previously patient specific schedule VI medications.