Statehouse Spotlight: Ceremonial bill signings

BOSTON (WWLP) – This week on Beacon Hill, Governor Healey’s schedule was packed with ceremonial bill signings for several legislative priorities, including salary transparency, affordable housing, and veteran reform.

The salary transparency bill requires all employers with 25 or more employees to state pay ranges alongside job postings, to close gender and racial wage gaps.

“We will be doing that now to honor our commitment to women and people of color who are working here in Massachusetts, and to say the rest of the country ‘take a look at Massachusetts because there are real opportunities there to be treated fairly,'” said former Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Murphy at the signing ceremony.

The Affordable Homes Act authorizes $5.3 billion in bonds and looks to address the nearly 200,000 housing unit shortage in the state. “Yes to housing, yes to hard work, yes to taking on the battles that it can be,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll as a crowd touted signs and cheered.

Dubbed the HERO Act, the new veteran welfare law looks to increase and improve state benefits and mental health care for service members and their families. According to Governor Healey, it is “the most comprehensive veteran legislature to come out of the state ever, probably, and it is the result, as always, of veteran leadership.”

The governor also approved the Parentage Act on Thursday, and will likely hold an official singing ceremony early next week.

Top legislators continue to negotiate deals on bills left undone at the end of the session–like the clean energy and economic development bills and may hold special sessions in the coming weeks.

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