An Act relative to responsible emergency planning at nuclear power plants (S.1836): This bill extends the existing authority of the Department of Public Health to make assessments against the owners and operators of nuclear power plants in the Commonwealth, or sufficiently near the Commonwealth, to fund environmental monitoring and emergency response activities. Currently, the Department of Public Health’s Radiation Control Program makes assessments against nuclear power plants to defray the cost of such activities. 

An Act relative to timely notification of releases of radiation (S.1185): This bill requires that nuclear power plants post on their websites all plans for routine and continuous releases of radiation to the atmosphere, including dates, times and fissile materials, as soon as such releases are scheduled.

An Act relative to HIV screening and prevention (S.1186): This bill would allow minors to consent to HIV prevention services such as pre-exposure prophylaxis. It would also create a commission to study the feasibility of requiring insurance reimbursement for STI screening, prevention, and treatment services. The bill would also eliminate certain barriers to regular HIV testing by simplifying burdensome consent protocol.

An Act relative to the availability of sunscreen for students (S.229): Sunscreen products are regulated at the Federal and State level pursuant to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act as “drug” products. Drugs are specifically restricted in public schools and this law will specifically exempt sunscreens from those requirements. Students who currently take necessary precautions to protect their skin could be violating existing state laws, school district guidelines, or other requirements. Skin cancer is the fastest growing form of cancer and experts note that much of the damage is generally based upon lack of adequate protection in the early years of life. This act services to fully allow the use of sunscreens in all public schools in the Commonwealth.

An Act relative to disclosure of radiofrequency notifications (S.107): Cellphone manufacturers are required to include safety notices in the owner’s manual or other packaging. This bill would ensure that the full language of the safety notifications is plainly visible on the outside of the product packaging; or a label is plainly visible on the outside of the product packaging directing customers to the safety notifications within the manual. 

An Act relative to the safe use of hand-held devices by children (S.108): The federal government requires that cell phones meet radio frequency exposure guidelines. If you carry or use your phone in a pocket or the phone is otherwise in contact with your body when the phone is on or connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation. This bill requires that all mobile telephones sold or leased clearly disclose a safety notice regarding radiofrequency exposure.

An Act modernizing childhood lead poisoning prevention (S.1184): This bill would modernize Massachusetts's childhood lead poisoning prevention laws, bringing the Commonwealth's definition of lead poisoning in line with approaches taken in neighboring New England states. It would also raise penalties for housing discrimination, and modestly increase fees that fund lead poisoning assessment and prevention, which have not increased since the early 1990s.

An Act to ensure effective health care cost control (S.610): This bill would require the state to compare our total health care spending with our projected health care spending in the Commonwealth implemented a single payer health care system; if after several years the “Single Payer Benchmark” outperformed our actual health care spending, the state would be responsible for developing a single payer implementation plan and submitting it to the legislature.

An Act establishing a low vision registry (S.31): The Cape and Islands District is the oldest district in the Commonwealth, and as a result is one of the fastest growing regions in the state for visual impairment. While the MA Commission for the Blind provides many valuable services, the commission cannot aid a person until they are considered to be “legally blind.” This bill would lower the threshold which triggers the requirement for a physician or clinic to report the finding of vision impairment to the commission. If implemented, the low vision registry would allow for data collection to determine the extent to which low vision impacts residents of the Commonwealth. Specifically, this would mandate reporting for a visual acuity finding of 20/70 or above. 

An Act relative to the safe treatment of pain (S.1182): This act would define dry needling as within the scope of the practice of acupuncture so that the same licensure standards would have to be met by people who perform dry needling.

An Act relative to ensuring coverage for craniofacial disorders (S.511): Requires various kinds of health insurers to provide coverage for medically necessary functional repair or restoration of craniofacial disorders, with the exception of coverage for cleft lip and cleft palate which is prescribed elsewhere in the General Laws. Coverage does not include cosmetic surgery or dental or orthodontic treatment unrelated to congenital defects, developmental deformities, trauma, tumors, infections or disease.

An Act requiring pain assessment and management in healthcare facilities (S.1183):  This bill adds to the Massachusetts Patients’ Bill of Rights the right to prompt “assessment, management, and treatment of pain.”

An Act relative to oral health access for MassHealth patients (S.611): This act establishes that no dentist can refuse a patient solely on the basis that services for that patient are reimbursed by Medicaid. Dentists who deny dental services to MassHealth patients solely because of MassHealth status would be subject to disciplinary action by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry.