The Massachusetts Senate plans to vote Wednesday on an overhaul of the Cannabis Control Commission and, in the longer term, is pursuing health care reforms and a housing bill where “nothing is off the table.”
As Beacon Hill approaches the midpoint of its two-year session, Senate President Karen Spilka sat down with GBH News for a wide-ranging interview to discuss her priorities, transparency and efficiency in the State House, and Massachusetts’ response to the Trump administration.
How Massachusetts is handling Trump
Spilka, an Ashland Democrat who has led the state Senate since 2018, drew a parallel between responding to rapid-fire policy changes out of Washington, D.C., this year and the challenges state lawmakers faced five years ago navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic.
“It sort of reminds me of when we were in the throes of COVID and we had our regular policy bills that we wanted to do, but we also had this other heavy, foggy layer of COVID hanging over us and what was best to do, which was all new,” she said. “It’s a similar situation in a way, not that I’m comparing Trump to COVID as a plague, but, you know, take it for what it’s worth, I guess.”
Spilka said Massachusetts is facing down “hundreds and hundreds of million dollars” in potential federal funding cuts.
Despite calls from some advocates for Massachusetts to tap into its so-called “rainy-day” savings account to make up for those lost funds, Spilka said the money is the federal government’s responsibility.
“The state just cannot jump in and cover all of that,” she said. “It would mount up to billions of dollars pretty quickly.”
A former Senate budget chief, Spilka said the state needs to hold on to its $8 billion rainy day fund in case of a recession.
On ICE agents wearing masks
She indicated Massachusetts is unlikely to follow California’s lead in passing state-level legislation banning immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks to hide their identity.
Since the federal government has control over immigration matters, state officials would be unable to enforce such a ban.
“We’ve looked at that,” she said, referring to what California has done. “It’s just symbolic. There’s already lawsuits in California against it.
“I’d rather focus on things that we can enforce — or, at least, try to enforce,” she added.
One of those is a bill the Senate recently approved that would make it a crime to impersonate a federal law enforcement officer.
On the Cannabis Control Commission
Business on Beacon Hill is set to slow down later this week as lawmakers embark on a traditional holiday recess.
But before they break, senators plan to pass legislation that would overhaul the scandal-plagued Cannabis Control Commission.
The Senate’s bill would trim the five-seat commission down to three members chosen by the governor and attorney general.
It would no longer give the state treasurer a say in the panel’s membership. But Spilka said that’s not a bid to take power away from Treasurer Deb Goldberg after her lengthy clash with the CCC chair she tried to fire, Shannon O’Brien.
“Absolutely not,” Spilka said, “We are looking to solidify appointment power and accountability in that way so it’s not as spread out among different constitutional officers, but also even it out.”
A similar bill already passed by the House would also downsize the commission, but that plan calls for the governor to pick all three members.
On Beacon Hill logjams and transparency
The House and Senate agreed to operational reforms this year intended to make more of their process accessible to the public and to avoid major logjams of complicated bills in the final days of the two-year term. Spilka said, so far, the changes seem to be working.
While they did adopt some transparency-minded changes this year, like posting more votes online, Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano continue to resist an audit from state Auditor Diana DiZoglio. More than 70% of voters approved a ballot question last year giving DiZoglio the authority to probe the Legislature, and Spilka maintains that review would be unconstitutional under the state’s separation of powers.
Spilka did not stake out a position on a ballot question proposed for next year that would apply the state’s public records law to the House and Senate.
“I think we will be taking that under consideration,” she said.
On what’s next
In 2026, Spilka said the Senate is eyeing action on housing and health care.
She said she’s directed Sen. Julian Cyr, the Senate’s Housing Committee chair, to look at the barriers to creating new housing and come up with potential policy reforms.
“I have sort of charged him with the task, ‘Be bold, nothing is off the table,’” Spilka said.
On health care, Spilka said rising costs continue to squeeze the budgets of families, employers and the state as a whole. She said she’s talked with Senate Health Care Financing Chair Cindy Friedman about a “deep dive into primary care.”
“I mean, how long does it take for most people to get a doctor’s appointment because of the scarcity of primary care?” Spilka said. “We need to figure out a way to increase access to primary care.”
