BOSTON (AP) - The Latest on the final day of the legislative session in Massachusetts (all times local):
1:12 a.m.
Massachusetts lawmakers have wrapped up their formal session by passing an economic development bill that includes a sales tax holiday for shoppers on the weekend of Aug. 11-12.
The measure was one a series of bills given final approval as lawmakers rushed to meet a Tuesday midnight deadline - and then continued on into the wee hours of Wednesday.
The House and Senate already passed bills meant to address the state’s opioid addiction crisis and increase the state’s reliance on wind and other renewable energy sources.
Two major pieces of legislation failed to meet the deadline.
One would have addressed how best to spend the billions of dollars the state sets aside each year for local schools. Another would have reduced price disparities between large teaching hospitals and smaller community hospitals.
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12:35 a.m.
Midnight has come and gone and Massachusetts lawmakers are still furiously trying to pass legislation to send to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.
The House and Senate already have passed bills meant to address the state’s opioid addiction crisis and increase the state’s reliance on wind and other renewable energy sources.
Lawmakers are still hoping to pass an economic development bill that includes a sales tax holiday for shoppers on the weekend of Aug. 11-12.
Two major pieces of legislation apparently failed to meet the deadline.
One would have addressed how best to spend the billions of dollars the state sets aside each year for local schools. Another would have reduced price disparities between large teaching hospitals and smaller community hospitals.
Tuesday was the final day of the Legislature’s formal session for the year.
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11:40 p.m.
A bill aimed at helping curb the state’s opioid addiction crisis has been approved by Massachusetts lawmakers and sent to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.
The bill approved Tuesday would allow those who end up in the emergency room as a result of an overdose to be taken directly to care outside the emergency department instead of being released back to the street.
The legislation also would create a process to credential “recovery coaches” to help those trying to remain drug-free, mandate the electronic prescribing of drugs by 2020 and create a pilot program to address the needs of inmates struggling with addiction.
The bill was enacted by lawmakers just ahead of a midnight deadline for legislation still pending on Beacon Hill.
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10:25 p.m.
A bill aimed at helping curb the state’s opioid addiction crisis is moving forward during the final hours of the Massachusetts Legislature’s formal session for the year.
The bill would allow those who end up in the emergency room as a result of an overdose to be taken directly to care outside the emergency department instead of being released back to the street. The bill would also create a process to credential “recovery coaches” to help those trying to remain drug-free, mandate the electronic prescribing of drugs by 2020, and allow for the partial filling of prescriptions.
Democratic Sen. Cindy Friedman called the bill “a game-changer.”
The Senate approved the bill as lawmakers raced to beat a midnight deadline for legislation still pending on Beacon Hill.
Several other major bills are still pending.
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5:30 p.m.
The Massachusetts Senate has joined with the House in approving a bill that seeks to increase the state’s reliance on wind and other renewable energy sources.
The Senate unanimously approved the bill Tuesday as lawmakers raced to beat a midnight deadline for legislation still pending on Beacon Hill.
The bill’s backers in the Senate said they’d wished the bill had been more aggressive in setting goals for weaning the state off fossil fuels, but agreed to the compromise legislation and pledged to continue pushing for additional changes in the future.
Ben Hellerstein, director of the advocacy group Environment Massachusetts, praised elements of the bill, including opening the door to doubling the state’s offshore wind power targets.
But he said the bill failed to take other actions, like lifting caps on the production of solar energy.
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3:05 p.m.
The Massachusetts House has approved a compromise bill that seeks to increase the state’s reliance on wind and other renewable energy sources.
The near-unanimous vote Tuesday came as lawmakers raced to beat a midnight deadline to finish work on legislation still pending on Beacon Hill.
Some clean energy advocates said the agreement reached Monday by House and Senate negotiators does not go far enough, but House Energy Committee chairman Thomas Golden said it would lead to a “cleaner tomorrow.”
The House also approved a bill that would protect the confidentiality of first responders, like police and firefighters, who seek counseling for stress.
Those bills and others must also clear the Senate to reach Republican Gov. Charlie Baker before the end of the day. The Legislature will not meet formally again until a new session in January.
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12:10 p.m.
Massachusetts legislators are returning to the Statehouse for their final crack at passing several major bills this year.
The formal legislative session ends at midnight Tuesday and while a number of measures have been shipped to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk in recent days, there’s much still on lawmakers’ plates, including a clean energy bill that was agreed upon by House and Senate negotiators.
The bill would among other things increase the state’s reliance on renewable energy sources. But some environmental advocates say the compromise measure doesn’t go far enough.
Behind-the-scenes negotiations are also continuing on a bill originally filed by Baker that seeks improved access to addiction treatment.
Also pending is an economic development bill that includes a sales tax holiday for shoppers on the weekend of Aug. 11-12.
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