Beacon Hill begins to pick back up after an extra-long August

Beacon Hill operates on its own sense of time, where August is more of a mindset than a month. 

With September now in its final days and primary elections in the rear-view mirror, the traditional month-plus recess seems to be winding down as activity starts to stir again in the marble halls. 

Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday filed a $2.24 billion supplemental budget that gives actual legislative form to policies she's been floating in press conferences — the Noah Kahan-inspired price cap for resale concert tickets, new investments in postpartum care, and her gas tax holiday proposal that may have sounded awfully familiar to anyone who's seen a Mike Minogue ad recently. 

On the legislative front, two of the dozen still-active conference committees sat down for meetings recently, and ralliers on Wednesday highlighted their wishlist for a third that’s working on energy legislation. 

The energy bill, a school cellphone ban, data privacy rules, youth social media restrictions, new processes for accessing legislative records and primary care reforms are some of the high-profile issues still awaiting resolution. 

Here’s a look at a few other unsettled policy matters items that may have fallen off the radar in the last several weeks but are ready to be picked back up by lawmakers:

Juvenile justice: The six lawmakers hashing out a jam-packed economic development bill will have to make decisions on everything from zoning reforms to new rules around AI and e-bikes. They’ll also make the call on whether Massachusetts should bring 18-year-olds charged with most offenses into the juvenile court system, where supporters in the Senate say they’d have access to more programs and services. Citizens for Juvenile Justice calls this “the closest we have ever been” to seeing a raise-the-age policy pass.

Psychedelics: Also before economic development negotiators: a House-backed, five-year pilot program allowing supervised use of "naturally occurring psychedelic materials" for some mental health treatment. It's a measure that backers say would particularly benefit veterans, and it’s on the table amid a shift in the federal approach to psychedelics. 

Sexual abuse lawsuits: Wrapped up in a bill to reimagine the primary care landscape in Massachusetts is the question of whether victims of child sexual abuse should get more time to seek justice in court. The House version of the legislation would eliminate the statute of limitations for civil child sexual abuse claims.

Rodenticides: The Senate's version of an environmental bond bill would let cities and towns ban or restrict the use of some rat poisons, or anticoagulant rodenticide. Animal advocates have been calling for the state to take action on rodenticides, making the case that the poisons enter the food chain and can ultimately harm or kill pets and wild animals like bald eagles.

On these and all other outstanding issues, there’s one meta-decision lawmakers will first have to make: do they want to pass (or reject) a particular policy before Election Day, so voters know where they stand, or wait until after Nov. 3, so voters don’t? 

What are you waiting to see emerge from conference committees — and when do you expect it to happen? Let me know at [email protected].

8:00 | Republican U.S. Senate hopeful John Deaton attends Massachusetts Day at the Big E | 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield

9:00 | Associated Industries of Massachusetts hosts its 2026 economic outlook, where more than 200 business leaders, policymakers and professionals are "expected to explore the trends shaping Massachusetts and the national economy," according to AIM. Program begins at 10 a.m. Press is asked to RSVP to cover the event | Schneider Electric, 115 Federal St., Boston

9:30 | Lt. Gov. Driscoll and Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle give remarks ahead of Massachusetts Day at the Big E and tour the Massachusetts State Exposition Building | 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield

10:00 | Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Advisory Board holds a virtual meeting | Agenda and Register

10:00 | Cannabis Control Commission holds a public meeting where commissioners are set to discuss regulatory changes required under a new law overhauling the state's cannabis industry | Union Station, 2 Union Sq., Worcester | More Info and Access

10:00 | MBTA Board of Directors meets | State Transportation Building, 2nd Floor, 10 Park Plaza, Boston

10:00 | State Retirement Board meets. Treasurer Goldberg chairs the meeting | For access email [email protected]

10:30 | Sen. Finegold hosts informational briefing covering "the current state of robots and physical AI" in Massachusetts, which will be followed by a Q&A | Room 428

11:00 | Secretary of State William Galvin announces the availability of mail-in ballots for the upcoming November election and provides an update on when voters may expect to receive them, as well as how and when voters should plan to return their ballots | Springfield State Office Building, 436 Dwight Street, Third Floor Courtroom, Springfield

11:00 | Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus hosts Latino Excellence on the Hill Awards, with remarks from caucus chair Rep. Vargas, Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, keynote speaker Natalícia Tracy and others | Great Hall

11:00 | Senate meets in an informal session | Senate Chamber

11:00 | House meets in an informal session | House Chamber

3:00 | Gov. Healey meets with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez. (CLOSED PRESS) | Governor’s Ceremonial Office

3:00 | Republican Rep. David Vieira and Democratic challenger Jack Richardson face off in a candidate forum in their race to represent the 3rd Barnstable House District | Mashpee Public Library, 64 Steeple St., Mashpee

4:00 | Boston Mayor Wu delivers remarks to conclude the National Urban Rat Summit | Winter Chambers, 26 Court St, Downtown, Boston | Media RSVP

5:00 | North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce hosts its 2026 legislative and candidates reception, with dozens of local and state officials planning to attend. Republican candidates John Deaton for U.S. Senate, Anne Brensley for secretary of state and Elizabeth Dionne for treasurer also plan to attend | Chocksett Inn, 59 Laurelwood Road, Sterling

6:00 | Allston Multimodal Transportation Project Task Force meets | MassDOT Board Room, 2nd floor, 10 Park Plaza, Boston | Zoom

6:30 | Department of Conservation and Recreation hosts virtual meeting on its report for reducing flooding along Quincy Shore Drive | Zoom

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BUDGET LIST ITEMS: The spending bill Gov. Healey filed to close the books on the fiscal year that ended in June would create a new healthcare fund to help brace for federal funding cuts. It would also fund a workforce boost at the agency that administers SNAP benefits, in addition to pausing the state's gas tax. | State House News Service (gift link)

DATA DUMP: In a court filing, the Department of Public Health says it destroyed data it collected from more than a million people via the MassNotify contact-tracing app briefly deployed during the COVID pandemic. The move was required by an April settlement between DPH and the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which represented plaintiffs arguing that the agency violated their civil rights by installing the app and tracking their movements without their permission. | Eagle-Tribune

TRIAL BALLOON: Lawmakers heard from patients and medical professionals who want to see more diversity in clinical trials during a Wednesday legislative briefing. | WCVB

KRAMPUS COMES EARLY: A person dressed as the Christmas demon Krampus gave a tongue-in-cheek defense of Flock Safety's license plate cameras at a Billerica Select Board meeting this week, the latest instance in a national string of fictional villains testifying on the technology. | Boston Globe

UNFRIENDLY SKIES: Westborough residents are pushing back as Amazon seeks to build a drone delivery center at a warehouse in their town. It's part of the company's push to expand drone shipping to suburban areas across the country. | Boston Herald

REVOLVING DOOR: Lowell is eyeing a special election to pick a successor to City Councilor Danny Rourke, who announced his resignation at a Tuesday meeting. In the mix so far are Rodney Elliott, a former mayor and councilor who resigned from the House this summer, and Ray Boutin, a former Greater Lowell Regional Technical High School Committee member. | Inside Lowell

CARS FOR KIDS: Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni's office will donate cars seized in criminal investigations to Holyoke's Dean Technical High School and potentially other schools, to give hands-on experience to students in automotive programs. | NEPM

CAMP BAN OUT: Worcester city councilors rejected a controversial plan from city manager Eric Batista to fine homeless people for camping or sleeping on public property. | GBH News

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Behavioral Health Coordinator, For Kids Only Afterschool

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