Jo Comerford

Turn off the tap: It's time to ban PFAS in Massachusetts
2021-07-14 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Sen. Comerford’s Facebook Live
Don’t miss an incredible lineup of speakers focused on PFAS — what it is, what’s happening in MA to ban PFAS in the Commonwealth.
Congressman Jim McGovern and State Senator Jo Comerford host:

• Dr. David Reckhow, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts
Dr. David Reckhow has been on the Faculty of the University of Massachusetts since 1985, and is currently research professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering. His teaching and research areas include removal of chemical pollutants in water, and aquatic organic matter in natural systems and drinking waters. Dave has recently served as Director of an EPA drinking water center, the Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems (WINSSS) and is Principal Investigator for many projects on natural organic matter, and anthropogenic contaminants in water, including PFAS and disinfection byproducts. The Massachusetts Legislature established a PFAS Interagency Task Force to review and investigate water and ground contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances across the Commonwealth. Dr. Reckhow is a member of this task force which plans to complete a report with policy recommendations by December 31 of this year.
• Deirdre Cummings, Legislative Director, Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG)
Deirdre Cummings is MASSPIRG’s Legislative Director and runs MASSPIRG’s public health, consumer protection and tax and budget programs. Deirdre also oversees a Consumer Action Center in Weymouth, Mass., which has mediated 18,000 complaints and returned $5 million to Massachusetts consumers since 1989. Deirdre has worked for MASSPIRG since 1986, running numerous field, citizen outreach and state-wide ballot campaigns.
• Maureo Fernández y Mora, Associate Director, Clean Water Action Massachusetts
Maureo Fernández y Mora has been with Clean Water Action since 2016, beginning in the field canvass before transferring into the position of Drinking Water Advocate in 2018, and into their current role as Associate Director in 2020. Maureo works to prioritize the voices of frontline communities to better guide his work.
• Himaja Nagireddy, Presidential Public Service Fellowship, Harvard University
Himaja Nagireddy is currently an MS candidate in Environmental Health Epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health pursuing a concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. This summer, she serves as a Public Health Fellow for Senator Comerford through the Presidential Public Service Fellowship at Harvard. Her academic and research interests include environmental health and infectious disease epidemiology.
Have a question you want addressed? Email jo.comerford@masenate.gov.
Tune in live on https://www.facebook.com/senatorjocomerford/live on July 14 @ 3:30 p.m.

Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of 9,000+ toxic chemicals used to make products stain proof, water resistant and stick proof. But research links PFAS exposure in humans to cancer, immune system deficiencies, low fertility, and developmental issues in children and infants. The health impacts of PFAS are magnified because they accumulate in the food chain and our bodies and persist in the environment indefinitely. Ninety-eight percent of Americans tested have PFAS in their blood. When PFAS-tainted products are disposed of in trash or compost, PFAS remains, entering soil, groundwater and drinking water.

Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management Listening Session
2021-07-14 09:00 - 13:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management will hold an informational listening session within the geographic region of Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition (HMCC) Region 2. More information about HMCC Region 2 is here.
This listening session will be used to capture lessons learned during the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 response. The committee seeks to better understand the Commonwealth’s pandemic preparedness status, capacities and capabilities, pre-pandemic and moving forward.
The committee is seeking testimony regarding the experiences and perspectives, specific to COVID-19, of HMCC members as well as other government and non-government entities within the HMCC Region 2 geographic region. Sign up to testify and/or submit written testimony by completing and submitting this form.
This Informational Hearing will be held virtually and live-streamed for the public via www.malegislature.gov.

Joint Committee on Higher Education Hearing
2021-07-13 10:00 - 13:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Higher Education will will hold a hearing bills related to institutions of higher education (bills listed here).
We invite you to submit testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Anne Gobi and Representative David Rogers.
The public is invited to testify in this virtual hearing. The Chairs will limit testimony to 3 minutes per speaker. To register to testify, please complete and submit this form by Friday, July 9, at 5:00 p.m. Once registered, you will receive further instructions on how to participate the day prior to the hearing.
Written testimony may be submitted to the Committee via email to Rosalind Jordan (rosalind.jordan@mahouse.gov) and Yael Langer (yael.langer@masenate.gov), and please copy Senator Comerford (jo.comerford@masenate.gov).

Joint Committee on Public Health Hearing
2021-07-12 10:00 - 14:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Public Health will hold a hearing on matters relating to vaccines (bills listed here).
We invite you to submit testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Marjorie Decker. Those who wish to testify, submit written testimony, or both, may sign up and/or submit written testimony by completing and submitting this form.
For those who have signed up to testify, the committee will provide a link to join the public hearing. Persons planning to testify must sign up no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 8. Those who plan to submit only written testimony may do so after the sign up deadline.
Those who do not plan to testify but want to watch the public hearing may view the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the legislative website.

Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management Listening Session
2021-07-07 11:00 - 15:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management will hold an informational listening session within the geographic region of Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition (HMCC) Region 5.
This listening session will be used to capture lessons learned during the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 response. The committee seeks to better understand the Commonwealth’s pandemic preparedness status, capacities and capabilities, pre-pandemic and moving forward.
The committee is seeking testimony regarding the experiences and perspectives, specific to COVID-19, of HMCC members as well as other government and non-government entities within the HMCC Region 5 geographic region. Sign up to testify and/or submit written testimony by completing and submitting this form.
This Informational Hearing will be held virtually and live-streamed for the public via www.malegislature.gov.

Joint Committee on Education Hearing
2021-07-06 12:00 - 17:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Education will will hold a virtual hearing on the bills listed here, including the below bill sponsored by Senator Comerford.

BILL
BILL TITLE
SPONSOR

S.295
An Act establishing a Special Education Funding Reform Commission
Jo Comerford

We invite you to submit testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Jason Lewis and Representative Alice Peisch.
To sign up to offer live remote testimony, please fill out this form by 12:00 p.m. Thursday, July 1. Registration is required for oral testimony and late registrants will not be accepted. Once registered, you will receive further instructions via email. Testimony will be limited to 3 minutes.
Written testimony can be emailed to House Chair Alice Peisch at Alice.Peisch@mahouse.gov and Senate Chair Jason Lewis at Jason.Lewis@masenate.gov, and please copy Sen. Comerford (jo.comerford@masenate.gov). When sending written testimony, the subject line should read “Education Committee Testimony, [Bill Number]”.
This hearing will be conducted via Microsoft Teams and livestreamed on the Legislature’s website. This hearing will be recorded and archived. By registering to submit testimony, you agree to release to the public all information you have included. All written and oral testimony submitted to the Committee is public information provided upon request. The Committee will make reasonable efforts to ensure the email address or other contact information provided will not be published. Do not include any information you do not intend to make public, such as medical or other personally identifiable information.
Bills will not be heard in the order in which they appear here; rather, they will be heard in an order determined by the Chairs.

PFAS Interagency Task Force Meeting
2021-07-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Virtual hearing
The PFAS Interagency Task Force will hold its third meeting to review and investigate water and ground contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances across the commonwealth. The purpose of this hearing is to identify the various impacts of PFAS chemicals on public health and the environment, testing and detection methods and tools for PFAS chemicals in ecosystems, and the threat PFAS chemicals pose when measured at different levels. The Task Force will also receive a briefing from the Department of Environmental Protection on the recent release of a USGS River Study, conducted in November 2020.
These topics will be covered by Dr. Phil Brown, University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Health Sciences, and Director of the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University, Dr. Laurel Schaider, Senior Scientist with the Silent Springs Institute, Dr. Rainer Lohmann, Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, and Marc Nascarella, the Massachusetts State Toxicologist for the Department of Public Health.
Written comments will be accepted by email.
This Task Force meeting will be held virtually and livestreamed for the public via www.malegislature.gov.
With questions, please contact  Griffin Tighe (griffin.tighe@mahouse.gov) in Chair Hogan’s office or Jeffrey Soares (jeffrey.soares@masenate.gov) in Chair Cyr’s office.

Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management Hearing
2021-06-30 10:00 - 13:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management will hold a virtual hearing on all legislation referred to the Joint Committee (bills listed here).
We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management Co-Chairs Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Bill Driscoll.
Written testimony is preferred and may be submitted via email to jointcommittee.covid-19@malegislature.gov. Please include the bill number and “Testimony” within the subject of the email.
Registration is required for those who wishing to present oral testimony during the live virtual hearing. To complete your registration, please click here. The deadline to register is Friday, June 24 at 5:00 p.m. Once registered, please monitor your email for further instructions on joining the hearing. Please note that oral remarks are limited to a maximum of 3 minutes per person.
Please be advised that by signing up to provide testimony, you consent to being recorded by the Committee, and such recording shall be subject to public review.

COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission Meeting
2021-06-29 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual hearing
The COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission will hold a meeting. This virtual hearing will be viewable by the public via a livestream that can be found here.
Agenda

Roll Call
Approval of Previous Meetings Minutes
Introduction
Discussion of Commission Report
Approval of Commission Report
Final Discussion before Commission Adjourns
Call to Adjourn and Closing Roll

Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Hearing
2021-06-28 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery will hold a bill hearing on bills related to inpatient facilities, involuntary commitments, and carceral health care. (To view the full list of bills being heard, visit the hearing page.)
We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Co-Chairs Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Adrian Madaro.
Those who wish to testify, submit written testimony, or both may sign up and/or submit written testimony by completing this form no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 24. The Committee will provide a link to join the public hearing to those who sign up to testify. The Google Form will close at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 24.
Written testimony will be accepted through Wednesday, July 28 at 5:00 p.m. To submit written testimony after the Google Form closes, you need to first create an account for MyLegislature by following these instructions. If you already have a MyLegislature account, click here.
The hearing can be viewed via the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the legislative website.

COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission Meeting
2021-06-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual hearing
The COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission will hold a meeting. This virtual hearing will be viewable by the public via a livestream that can be found here.
Agenda

Roll Call
Introduction
Discussion of Draft Report and Recommendations
Final Steps for June 29 Meeting
Call to Adjourn and Closing Roll

Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Study Commission
2021-06-25 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual hearing
The third meeting of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Study Commission will be a hearing with various experts who are invited to testify before the commission.
This meeting will be available for viewing via livestream on https://www.facebook.com/joshscutler and will be archived on the malegislature.gov website.
Agenda
I. Introductions and previous meeting minutes
II. Testimony from invited speakers and Q/A (speakers list to be released upon RSVPs)
III. General Discussion
IV. Announcements for future meetings

COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission Meeting
2021-06-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual hearing
The COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission will hold a meeting. This virtual hearing will be viewable by the public via a livestream that can be found here.
Agenda
· Roll Call
· Introduction
· Discussion of Draft Report and Recommendations
· Next Steps for June 29 Meeting
· Call to Adjourn and Closing Roll

Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission Meeting
2021-06-25 11:00 - 13:00 | Virtual hearing
The Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission, established pursuant to Section 106 of Chapter 227 of the Acts of 2020, will hold a meeting on Tuesday, April 20 at 11:00 a.m. This meeting will be held virtually and streamed via the Massachusetts Legislature’s website at this link.
Oral testimony will be solicited by invitation only.
Written testimony can be emailed to Chair Peisch (Alice.Peisch@mahouse.gov) and Chair Lewis (Jason.Lewis@masenate.gov). Senator Comerford’s constituents can copy her on their emailed testimony (Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov).

COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission Meeting
2021-06-25 10:00 - 12:00 | Virtual hearing
The COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission will hold a meeting. This virtual hearing will be viewable by the public via a livestream that can be found here.
The purpose of this meeting is to provide all arts and cultural organizations and members of the Massachusetts artistic community an opportunity to provide input to the Commission prior to the publishing of a final report.
Members of the public who wish to provide virtual oral testimony may register for the hearing through this link. Please note that speaking time will be limited.
For those who wish to provide written testimony, please use this link.

Joint Committee on Transportation Hearing
2021-06-24 14:00 - 16:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Transportation will hold a hearing on bills regarding aviation, privacy, and gender identification (bills listed here), including the below bill filed by Senator Comerford.

Bill
Bill Title
Sponsor

S.2282
An Act relative to gender identity on Massachusetts identification
Jo Comerford

We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Joseph Boncore and Representative William Straus.
To testify live at the virtual hearing, please complete and submit this form.
Written testimony can be emailed to Kirsten.Centrella@mahouse.gov and please copy Senator Comerford (Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov).

Joint Committee on Transportation Hearing
2021-06-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Transportation will hold a hearing on work and family mobility bills (bills listed here).
We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Joseph Boncore and Representative William Straus.
To testify live at the virtual hearing, please complete and submit this form no later than Wednesday, June 23 at 4:00 p.m.
Written testimony can be emailed to Kirsten.Centrella@mahouse.gov and please copy Senator Comerford (Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov). Written testimony will be accepted until Wednesday, June 23 at 5:00 p.m.

Joint Committee on Public Service Hearing
2021-06-23 13:00 - 16:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Public Service will hold a hearing (bills listed here), including the below home rule petition for Deerfield.

Bill
Bill Title
Sponsor

H.3799
An Act authorizing the town of Deerfield to continue the employment of police department members Robert Warger, Joseph Mieczkowski, and Raymond Burniske
Natalie M. Blais

We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Michael Brady and Representative Kenneth Gordon.
To testify, please pre-register via this form by Monday, June 21, at 1:00 p.m. Further instruction on how to participate will be provided following registration. Members of the public may also view a livestream or recording of this hearing on this webpage or malegislature.gov. Per committee rules, the Chair may limit testimony to three minutes per individual.

Written testimony may be submitted to the Committee either through the registration form or via email to Michael.Brady@masenate.gov and Kenneth.Gordon@mahouse.gov and please copy Senator Comerford (Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov).

Joint Committee on the Election Laws Hearing
2021-06-23 10:00 - 14:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on the Election Laws will hold a hearing on bills listed here, including the home rule petitions for Amherst and Northampton listed below.

Bill
Bill Title
Sponsor

H.777
An Act relative to the implementation of elements of the charter for the city known as the town of Amherst
Mindy Domb

H.830
An Act amending the special act charter of the city of Northampton to allow residents sixteen years or age or older to vote in preliminary and city
Lindsay N. Sabadosa

H.831
An Act amending the special act charter of the city of Northampton to allow for early mail-in ballots
Lindsay N. Sabadosa

H.832
An Act amending the special act charter of the city of Northampton to allow resident non-citizens to vote in preliminary and city elections
Lindsay N. Sabadosa

We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Barry Finegold and Representative Daniel Ryan.
Individuals who wish to testify, may sign up through the following link. For individuals who have signed up to testify, the committee will provide a link to join the public hearing. Individuals planning to testify must sign up no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 21, 2021. Oral testimony will be limited to 3 minutes, but longer statements will be accepted by written testimony until Friday, June 25 at 3:00p.m.
Please submit all written testimony to michaela.gaziano@masenate.gov and sean.getchell@mahouse.gov and please copy Senator Comerford (Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov).
Those who do not plan to testify but want to watch the public hearing may view the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the Massachusetts legislature’s website.

Racial Inequities in Maternal Health Commission Meeting
2021-06-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual meeting
The steering committee of the Racial Inequities in Maternal Health Commission is conducting a virtual meeting.
The meeting can be viewed at this link.

Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Hearing
2021-06-22 13:00 - 17:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture will hold a virtual public hearing on the bills listed here.
We invite you to submit testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Rebecca Rausch and Representative Carolyn Dykema.
Folks seeking to provide oral testimony must pre-register via this form. The deadline to pre-register is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 17. Once registered, you will receive further instructions on how to participate. Please note there is a time limit of 3 minutes per person for oral testimony.
Written testimony may be submitted to the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture by email to JointCommittee.Environment@malegislature.gov. Written testimony will be accepted through Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.
Those who do not plan to testify but want to watch the public hearing may view the live stream by clicking here.

Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government Hearing
2021-06-22 11:00 - 15:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government will hold a hearing on bills related to local matters (bills listed here), including a home rule petition for South Hadley listed below.

Bill
Bill Title
Sponsor

H.2144
An Act authorizing the Hampshire County Regional Housing Authority to convey a certain parcel of land in the town of South Hadley to the South Hadley Housing Authority
Daniel R. Carey

We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government Co-Chairs Senator John Cronin and Representative Lori Ehrlich.
Written electronic testimony is preferred and may be submitted via email to municipalitiescommitteema@gmail.com and please copy Sen. Comerford (Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov). Please include the bill number and “Testimony” in the subject line of the email.
Please be advised that the hearing will be recorded, and the recording shall be provided to the Legislative Information Services. In addition, the hearing will be livestreamed via YouTube. The livestream will be on the MRG YouTube Channel when the hearing commences.

Advance registration to present oral testimony is required. Those wishing to register should fill out this form by Monday, June 21 at 11:00 a.m. If you wish to testify on a panel, please indicate that on the Google Form. Once registered, you will receive further instructions on joining the hearing via email. Please note that oral testimony will be limited to 3 minutes.

Please be advised that the schedule and agenda are subject to change at the discretion of the Chairs.

Joint Committee on Public Health Hearing
2021-06-22 10:00 - 14:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Public Health will hold a hearing on matters relating to environmental health (bills listed here), including the following bills sponsored by Senator Comerford:

Bill
Bill Title
Sponsor

S.1382
An Act for healthy and green public schools
Jo Comerford

S.1387
An Act restricting toxic PFAS chemicals in consumer products to protect our health
Jo Comerford

We invite you to submit testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Marjorie Decker. Those who wish to testify, submit written testimony, or both, may sign up and/or submit written testimony by completing and submitting this form.
For those who have signed up to testify, the committee will provide a link to join the public hearing. Persons planning to testify must sign up no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.
Those who do not plan to testify but want to watch the public hearing may view the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the legislative website.

Special Joint Committee on Redistricting Hearing
2021-06-21 18:00 - 23:59 | Virtual hearing
The Special Joint Committee on Redistricting will hold a virtual hearing for residents of the 1st Congressional District (CD1 – Congressman Richard Neal’s district) and includes Bernardston, Colrain, Leyden, and South Hadley in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester State Senate district.
This hearing provides an opportunity for area residents to offer their opinions on local and community interests that the Committee should consider on the division of the Commonwealth into 9 Congressional Districts, 40 Senatorial Districts, 160 Representative Districts, and 8 Councillor Districts. More information on the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting is here. More information from Senator Comerford about redistricting is here.
Those who wish to testify must sign up by completing and submitting this form.
Written testimony & comments can be submitted via this form.
Senator Comerford’s constituents are also encouraged to email her a copy of their testimony at jo.comerford@masenate.gov.

Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Hearing
2021-06-21 13:00 - 15:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery will hold a bill hearing on bills relative to equity and parity in mental and behavioral health care systems. (To view the full list of bills being heard, visit the hearing page.)
We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Co-Chairs Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Adrian Madaro.
Those who wish to testify, submit written testimony, or both may sign up and/or submit written testimony by completing this form no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 18. The Committee will provide a link to join the public hearing to those who sign up to testify. The Google Form will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 18.
Written testimony will be accepted through Wednesday, July 21 at 5:00 p.m. To submit written testimony after the Google Form closes, you need to first create an account for MyLegislature by following these instructions. If you already have a MyLegislature account, click here.
The hearing can be viewed via the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the legislative website.

Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Hearing
2021-06-16 13:00 - 17:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery will hold a bill hearing, including the below bill sponsored by Senator Comerford. (To view the full list of bills being heard, visit the hearing page.)

Bill
Bill Title
Sponsor

S.1266
An Act supporting student mental health
Jo Comerford

We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Co-Chairs Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Adrian Madaro.
Those who wish to testify, submit written testimony, or both may sign up and/or submit written testimony by completing this form no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 14. The Committee will provide a link to join the public hearing to those who sign up to testify. The Google Form will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 14.
Written testimony will be accepted through Saturday, July 17 at 5:00 p.m. To submit written testimony after the Google Form closes, you need to first create an account for MyLegislature by following these instructions. If you already have a MyLegislature account, click here.
The hearing can be viewed via the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the legislative website.

COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission Meeting
2021-06-15 13:00 - 15:00 | Virtual hearing
The COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission will hold a meeting. This virtual hearing will be viewable by the public via a livestream that can be found here.
Agenda

Roll Call
Approval of the Minutes
Introduction
Discussion of Draft Report and Recommendations
Next Steps for June 25 Hearing and June 29 Meeting
Call to Adjourn and Closing Roll

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Hearing
2021-06-15 10:00 - 13:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities will hold a bill hearing, including the below bills sponsored by Senator Comerford. (To view the full list of bills being heard, visit the hearing page.)

Bill
Bill Title
Sponsor

S.87
An Act establishing a Foster Parents’ Bill of Rights
Jo Comerford

S.88
An Act establishing the Massachusetts foster care review office
Jo Comerford

We invite you to submit written testimony and/or testify on bills you care about. Testimony on bills in this hearing should be addressed to Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Co-Chairs Senator Adam Gomez and Representative Michael Finn.
Please submit written testimony to jointcommittee.children&families@malegislature.gov.
If you’d like to provide oral testimony, please email jointcommittee.children&families@malegislature.gov to register in advance and provide the following information by 5:00 p.m. on Friday June 11:

Full Name
Address
Phone Number
Organization (if applicable)
Bill you would like to speak on
Bill Position (Support or Oppose)

Please be advised that the schedule and agenda are subject to change at the discretion of the Chairs per committee rules.

PFAS Interagency Task Force Meeting
2021-06-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Virtual hearing
The PFAS Interagency Task Force will hold its second meeting to review and investigate water and ground contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances across the commonwealth. The purpose of this hearing is to define PFAS chemicals using their chemical composition, identify the origins and pathways of exposure to PFAS chemicals, and consider their presence in the environment.
These topics will be covered by Robert J. Simon, Vice President of Chemical Products and Technology Division of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), Professor Alicia Timme-Laragy, Ph.D, Associate Professor with the Department of Environmental Health Science and School of Public Health and Health Sciences at University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Professor Elsie Sunderland, Ph.D, Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health.
Written comments will be accepted by email.
This Task Force meeting will be held virtually and livestreamed for the public via www.malegislature.gov.
With questions, please contact  Griffin Tighe (griffin.tighe@mahouse.gov) in Chair Hogan’s office or Jeffrey Soares (jeffrey.soares@masenate.gov) in Chair Cyr’s office.

Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion Hearing
2021-06-14 10:00 - 13:00 | Virtual hearing
The Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion will conduct a virtual public hearing. There will not be any specific bills heard during this hearing. The Committee will accept testimony from stakeholders on key areas the Committee and the Legislature should focus on this session.

We invite you to submit testimony and/or testify on issues you care about. Testimony for this hearing should be addressed to Committee Co-Chairs Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz and Representative Bud Williams.
Please submit all written testimony via email to neha.singh@masenate.gov and cynthia.lewis@mahouse.gov.
Individuals who wish to testify may sign up through their My Legislature account on the MA Legislature website or by completing this form no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 11. For those who have signed up to testify, the committee will provide a link to join the public hearing.
Those who do not plan to testify but want to watch the public hearing may view the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the legislative website.
