2025-2026 Legislative Advocacy
MHLAC’s legislative priorities and current bills we’re supporting:
Education
An Act addressing school exclusion policies to remedy disparities in educational achievement (HD.730/SD.376)
Amends Massachusetts’ older school discipline statutes to avoid unintended consequences and the
overuse of expulsion.
Sponsors: Rep. Ultrino, Sen. Jehlen
An Act relative to affirming and maintaining equal access to public education for all children (HD.650/SD.436)
Evaluation of children for IEPs in their primary language; Don’t force parents to choose between EL and SPED; Trained, bilingual interpreters; Prohibits discrimination on the basis of citizenship, immigration status or disability.
Sponsors: Rep. Moran & Rep. Peisch, Sen. Payano & Sen. Domenico
An Act relative to safer schools (HD.4297/SD.387)
Limits the use of police powers in school, collects more data on student/police interactions, requires public reporting of that data to have SROs, and creates a grant program for schools seeking to implement safety practices that do not rely on school-based policing.
Sponsors: Rep. Sabadosa, Sen. Kennedy
An Act requiring accountability for inequalities in suspension and expulsion (RAISE Act) (HD.731/SD.380)
Incorporates discipline disparities into Massachusetts’ educational accountability system.
Sponsors: Rep. Ultrino, Sen. Jehlen
Mental Health Systems
An Act requiring mental health parity for disability policies (HD.2202/SD.780)
Prevents disability insurance policies from limiting disability benefits for income replacement for those who are on leave from work due to a behavioral health diagnoses.
Sponsors: Rep. Decker, Sen. Lovely
An Act to establish peer respite centers throughout the Commonwealth (HD.2231/SD.1383)
Establishes a peer respite, home-like environment, where someone experiencing a behavioral or
emotional crisis can stay for up to 2 weeks, in each county of the Commonwealth. Also creates two
specific LGBTQIA+ affinity respites and two BIPOC affinity respites.
Sponsors: Rep. Sabadosa & Rep. Davis, Sen. Comerford
Children, Families, and Court Involvement
An Act prohibiting discrimination against adults with disabilities in family and juvenile court proceedings (HD.1852/SD.1164)
Requires Courts to determine if a parent’s disability causes actual harm to a child based on evidence, and not assumptions, before making a negative custody or parenting time decision. Judges would be required to produce written findings as to the connection between a parent’s disability and actual harm to a child, and would also need to determine what supports, services or adaptive equipment or aides might alleviate that harm.
Sponsors: Rep. Livingstone, Sen. Lovely
An Act regarding families and children in need of assistance (HD.265/SD.141)
Proposes changes to the CRA system to ensure youth can receive the support they need to be present in school and obey rules without unnecessary court involvement.
Sponsors: Rep. Mendes, Sen. Kennedy
Parole
An Act Establishing Presumptive Parole (HD.1960)
Establishes the presumption of a positive parole grant at an individual’s first parole eligibility hearing, expands requirements for evaluations for those with disabilities, and affirms the responsibility for establishing a suitable release lies with the Parole Board.
Sponsors: Rep. Rogers
An Act to Promote Equitable Access to Parole (HD.2694)
Reforms Parole Board composition to include at least 4 members with social science background, plus at least 1 person with lived experience. Parole is presumed unless the Parole Board establishes that the person would likely violate the law upon release. Among other updates, the bill also (a) requires individualized parole conditions no stricter than necessary and designed to ensure successful reentry; and (b) protects people from being re-incarcerated for technical (non-criminal) parole violations.
Sponsors: Rep. Sabadosa
An Act to reform parole supervision in the interest of justice (S.1728)
Requires that parole conditions be individualized and narrowly tailored, while protecting people from
being re-incarcerated for purely technical (non-criminal) parole violations. Also updates the parole
revocation process to better ensure due process, transparency, and fairness.
Sponsors: Sen. Miranda