[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6203156,"mediaKeyId","3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd","parentId",3784198,"title","Lawmakers Hear Yearslong Push to Require More Adaptable Housing for Seniors and People with Disabilities","audioSeconds",2819,"startMs",156000,"endMs",2975000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd&start=156&end=2975","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd/thumbnail_156000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6203156/Massachusetts/Lawmakers-Hear-Yearslong-Push-to-Require-More-Adaptable-Housing-for-Seniors-and-People-with-Disabilities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203156-42884d5944e6d06245187a6f2953d6b5/orig.mp4?Expires=1775124798&Signature=CwAU45vWuCXxJbupnRr2FUowKdI3phuceGgdRXiOuuzFxLUCy3EPGcTXHjqk0L8wCXlZBxax9IUaexL7~vw~r66YRvkHBXHKWh23FwRHzr9PUhzrEqhmHby1Z3jfPDehvTlkGaID6bJ1IptBVy6YJJbA9zLulOFgTBCHGe1BIj6rLgCMYklXa93elUIzM74qvKje8XPK2iqX9DGV0MzeQlXfLdUNqcAdn41kVzKHRzzxYxLGJEpO1RkTJp2dqYnS2Rl-Szbmmox0qGIy7bCXIL0MhKvha4EDeTZgN0ECRcntWeLjCYMVsdPE1kV9HXATb8VKWykN9-h43b5-LQ6laQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts State Legislature","date","2025-06-11T00:00:00Z","article","Members of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard more than an hour of testimony on Oct. 11 in support of House Bill 2569, which would expand the Architectural Access Board’s authority to require adaptable housing features in rehabs and add workplace employee areas to the board’s jurisdiction.

Advocates said the change would make many rehabilitated units and converted buildings usable for people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility needs. \"This bill is absolutely crucial to making housing more accessible to people with disabilities,\" said R Feynman, director of advocacy at the Disability Policy Consortium, in remarks to the committee.

The bill would require that when buildings are rehabilitated they be made \"accessible and adaptable,\" witnesses said, and would extend similar requirements to employee areas in workplaces so people with disabilities can access employment. Testimony detailed the tight supply of affordable, accessible housing: \"In 2024, the average one‑bedroom rent in Massachusetts was 182% higher than the maximum SSI payment,\" Amber Patel, a lifelong wheelchair user and member of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, told the committee.

Advocates rooted support in personal accounts. Benji Kemper of the Center for Living and Working described residents who cannot use the bathroom in their own apartments because doorways are too narrow. James Miller, a self‑advocate who said he recently had to move in with family because he could not find an affordable, accessible unit, told the committee his Social Security checks would not cover typical rents.

Supporters said adaptable units are a cost‑effective step in many rehabilitations because they can be incorporated during gut rehabs. \"It doesn't cost any more money because they're gutting the building anyway,\" said Chris Ho, a member of Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, citing developers who build in older mill and gateway-city buildings.

Several witnesses described the Architectural Access Board’s current gaps: it lacks jurisdiction over employee‑only areas and over certain pre‑1991 buildings converted to housing, they said. Carol Steinberg, a longtime member of the Architectural Access Board, said those two gaps are central to the bill: \"This legislation will correct those two holes in the jurisdiction of the Architectural Access Board — employee‑only spaces and pre‑1991 buildings converted into housing.\" She urged the committee to act, noting prior years' near‑misses and concerns about federal regulatory changes.

Committee members asked few technical questions during the packed testimony period. Witnesses offered to provide fact sheets and data and asked the committee to prioritize the bill this session. The testimony combined lived experience and policy detail: advocates requested that architects and building inspectors be required to collaborate with disability advocacy groups when standards are prepared for the board, a provision included in witnesses' written materials.

The committee did not take a vote during the hearing. Advocates said they would continue working with lawmakers to move the bill forward and noted past progress — including previous favorable reports from committees and an amendment to a housing bond bill in an earlier session that did not survive final passage.

Why it matters: Witnesses said more adaptable units could prevent institutionalization and homelessness, increase independence and reduce health complications for people with disabilities and seniors. They urged the committee to act to ensure that future housing and rehabilitated units serve an aging population and people with disabilities throughout Massachusetts.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during testimony on House Bill 2569 and are listed in the source list below.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security - 6-11-2025\t","oneSentenceSummary","Members of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard more than an hour of testimony on Oct. 11 in support of House Bill 2569, which would expand the Architectural Access Board’s authority to require adaptable housing features in rehabilitated buildings and certain workplaces.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6203136,"Union Group Backs Bill Requiring Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Public Buildings",99,4437000,4536000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd&start=4437&end=4536","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd/thumbnail_4437000.jpg","/articles/6203136/Massachusetts/Union-Group-Backs-Bill-Requiring-Carbon-Monoxide-Alarms-in-Public-Buildings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203136-1ed3a74f099a1955424b627e62c22d80/orig.mp4?Expires=1775124798&Signature=GFGkMk27ltlPHZRQLkBFjg6tGvWVjTE~kKzgAqT3wARkU0bHb7d9CGk0ndHM1Radioq9Usglm5Wzjhuxbyl9POld4KeZDQUzUoWa46NbyGrDn~1w~4OT8Xznayp50DkE-uY4fnFD-obgA3lS61jCx-6J9ee3-6CMzM9qZheNsRN4bCg9ciT60KfZsV30rFzV5xJiCoMpvbV5aRyXcOQlxj7G3TJtiuw37ZxjC6Q8-2sZ9YUS1ilw2bmypKKt0oBDvSxekIOeKXWan-pI3-XNaFRarTC07omzQL~8hB9KvuAXZ3oq-98ZhxqtSj0aoezZhH4w-cnsUA97lksDpXJHWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A labor representative told the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on Oct. 11 that Massachusetts should require carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in public buildings, including schools, libraries and municipal facilities.

\"Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas because it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless,\" said Steven Pugliese, legislative representative for the National Association of Government Employees, in testimony supporting House Bill 2568. Pugliese asked the committee to re‑report the bill favorably; he noted prior favorable action in previous sessions.

Pugliese said Massachusetts has required CO detection in many residences but that public buildings remain unprotected by a uniform requirement. He described an incident in Western Massachusetts where a member was medevaced and required hyperbaric treatment after exposure, arguing that public buildings should have the same early‑warning protections that homes do.

The committee did not vote on the bill. Union witnesses asked lawmakers to require CO detectors in public structures to reduce the risk to children, elderly residents and workers in municipal properties.

Why it matters: Carbon monoxide is a known lethal hazard; testimony urged that detectors be a basic, low‑cost safety feature in public buildings to prevent poisoning and speed evacuations when leaks occur.","The National Association of Government Employees and others told the committee that Massachusetts should require carbon monoxide detectors in schools, libraries and municipal buildings under House Bill 2568 to protect workers and the public from the odorless gas.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6203140,"Families and Researchers Urge Lawmakers to Require Seat Belts on Motor Coaches",328,2104000,2432000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd&start=2104&end=2432","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd/thumbnail_2104000.jpg","/articles/6203140/Massachusetts/Families-and-Researchers-Urge-Lawmakers-to-Require-Seat-Belts-on-Motor-Coaches","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203140-7ed0ae3731c0cd6a8ff1c8c6a1ec7cd1/orig.mp4?Expires=1775124798&Signature=g~DOXEMZ1soJuSX-t8seK7le~35r53k7z7K1v7IKVMvvu45EIFqo27QFHLsOY7yVTEsVrtQ258yWGh~bWfkc9dgvzfIbjXHKE3AKN5OIJ6khkJ-HE1zEKI9yaD73~DcVqL2q7AsbCRAyAh~eAKtGjDrwCG9QnT8g22IPweNaQgfbTNvkae8YN68g5b2OVfH5OLEaoVTibRs8fiCsqeY97pJVvYQW5jgJDrLHdb2ixYrOTwoyRyxf0vP5iW0OGkMNBv8SaL2xzpXZlYOZT3mGnzBYrbDwbTld80LyX6nOeI3YwyWqYeYZlLR6TuoJV-cS-IYDaUM1iFkWsm-dqYpCZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Families of crash victims and transportation researchers asked the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on Oct. 11 to approve House Bill 2601, which would require motor‑coach passengers to wear seat belts.

\"Our daughter died in a motor coach crash, and we've always felt that if she had been wearing a seat belt, she would be alive today,\" said Anne Shewey of the Sarah's Wish Foundation, which advocates for motor‑coach seat‑belt laws. She and other family members spoke in support of the bill and said seat‑belt use on New England routes is extremely low.

Researchers from the UMass Transportation Center described multi‑year studies showing that low‑cost measures — signage in terminals and on coaches — can increase seat‑belt use by a substantial factor in before‑and‑after trials. John Kallura of the UMass Transportation Center said pilot work with Greyhound, Peter Pan and other carriers showed usage increases from very low baselines to much higher rates when simple interventions were employed.

Speakers noted that both New York and California already have laws requiring motor‑coach passengers to wear seat belts and urged Massachusetts to follow that trend rather than wait for a fatal crash in the Commonwealth. \"At present, motor coach seat belt use is extremely low — on the order of less than 5% on many routes in Massachusetts,\" Anne Shewey told the committee.

The committee did not take a vote during the hearing. Supporters asked lawmakers to consider the bill as a public‑safety measure that would align Massachusetts with states that have acted following high‑profile crashes.

Why it matters: Proponents framed the bill as a straightforward highway‑safety measure with potential to reduce serious injuries and fatalities in coach crashes by increasing occupant restraint use.","Advocates with Sarah’s Wish Foundation and researchers from UMass told the committee that seat‑belt use on motor coaches in New England is extremely low and urged passage of House Bill 2601 to require passengers to buckle up.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6203146,"Fire Chiefs, Labor Groups Back Bill to Centralize Technical‑Rescue Teams Under State Oversight",715,1266000,1981000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd&start=1266&end=1981","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd/thumbnail_1266000.jpg","/articles/6203146/Massachusetts/Fire-Chiefs-Labor-Groups-Back-Bill-to-Centralize-TechnicalRescue-Teams-Under-State-Oversight","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203146-abee0407958f1742d7f049d45f617ddf/orig.mp4?Expires=1775124798&Signature=ErCa86jJszcOPNWyUgk72JTvou9EdUj6JErc8Or9TPMt~Dzy2nZ0z9GELO~HzE9KG4OJ~tpvtuOg8nuAO7ihI7x3PwVvdzWM1GxhiNBIrk1tGGUiFqkARJgct32lMEXpIliJosWUSbO~Vh-~TIqTZZbmMq4WVWU6l5uYYAm5NjYuXRzE7Xbe3HgT9jj1AkkOzK46Qf4Fdk43VMavClJjDV0WlR0IigOApy6bpyLrZAZQZfxd-9SCHBLh17DdkfYLxxU~3yrRaSKMMgUaTtWLZvVKQSTXMr5uWOEEApHRtp-gUoq-0j0UcGXO7rVXa1VaGb79Ib6NvVn4KNhaVFw69w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fire chiefs and firefighter representatives told the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on Oct. 11 that Massachusetts should centralize its regional technical‑rescue teams under the Department of Fire Services and a statewide council to standardize response, training and funding.

\"This will not only help with coordination amongst those teams, it'll assist with training... and it will assist with compensation as well as equipment purchases,\" said Chief Chris Nardelli, speaking for the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts during testimony supporting the technical‑rescue bill (filed as House Bill 2565 and Senate Bill 1742).

Speakers said the proposal would mirror the state HAZMAT model and create a council to advise the state fire marshal on operations, training standards and resource allocation. Patrick Purcell, president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts and chief in Westborough, told the committee the effort has been under discussion for years and that earlier work in 2018 created a steering committee and standardized some practices; the bill would be the next step to formalize statewide technical‑rescue capabilities.

Ian McGregor, a Melrose firefighter and vice chair of the Massachusetts Coordinating Technical Rescue Council, and Paul Jakes of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts asked the committee to consider suggested edits but expressed broad support. \"We are at the point where... it is time that we need to pass this piece of legislation so that it can truly make it a mirror of our HAZMAT response system,\" McGregor said.

Supporters told lawmakers that technical rescue incidents often present immediate life‑safety threats requiring rapid, coordinated responses across county and district boundaries; they contrasted that urgency with many HAZMAT responses, where mitigation sometimes allows more time for planning. Committee members voiced support for regionalization and standardization during the exchange.

The committee did not take a vote. Fire chiefs and firefighter groups said the bill would reduce the financial burden on individual communities and improve statewide readiness for events such as severe weather and complex rescues.

Why it matters: Proponents argue that centralizing standards, training and funding will reduce response disparities across Massachusetts and provide smaller departments with timely access to highly specialized technical‑rescue resources without bearing the full cost individually.","Officials from the Fire Chiefs Association, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and the Technical Rescue Coordinating Council urged the joint committee to pass legislation that would standardize training, equipment and funding for regional technical‑rescue teams by bringing them under the Department of Fire Services.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6203150,"Boston Fire Officials Tell Legislature Local Chiefs Should Enforce State Fire Code on State Properties",36,341000,377000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd&start=341&end=377","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784198-32f0dd0f4401a67004019c079514dcdd/thumbnail_341000.jpg","/articles/6203150/Massachusetts/Boston-Fire-Officials-Tell-Legislature-Local-Chiefs-Should-Enforce-State-Fire-Code-on-State-Properties","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203150-1866727f27a01856f5def403a87d5a49/orig.mp4?Expires=1775124798&Signature=lnIdTV6~0Cu8slo8MnycI76AgFik7nfUmhRwvnI-tpqoM4eOFto5WUsYH~xDO9f8UAynjsa96nmtYw~ZP4WS5H5y9asfPp2B1aXMwF23HvAz09wySWX2vU-6LNV2gKcDSpEP0WWmtq-wSpyeC~fEoeEQ3pohVdE4b4mliIzhpRlBT06UuzvYrQuPVBOyjvtfMYbqMS3Vuv~ju0THFUveYlNH83WqzUetaKT09mhpOm2YuaVRgfHWRxUXX63-9TGIA7OLZ48GrlgNbvWMA-7c0zdMM2x2w0UT1gk9QNJruRxXu86JhyQsW24GeOeQYNsMw1h6zXRTZJkwoyJHuZzK6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Boston Fire Department officials told the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on Oct. 11 that local fire departments should be allowed to enforce the state fire code in state‑owned buildings.

\"When I learned the state properties were not under any obligation to comply with state fire code, I was shocked,\" Pat Ellis, chief of operations for the Boston Fire Department, told the committee while urging a favorable report on House Bill 2577, which would close what supporters described as a decades‑old loophole.

Ellis said the current arrangement leaves state agencies to regulate their own facilities without routine local oversight, creating inconsistent life‑safety outcomes. \"It makes no sense that the local fire officials that routinely respond to medical and fire emergencies in the properties... do not have the ability to enforce\" state minimum standards, he said, arguing that local plans reviewers often see recommendations ignored by state projects.

Testimony listed examples of wide variation in the condition of state buildings — \"from state‑of‑the‑art high‑rise properties down to properties built in the century,\" Ellis said — and recounted incidents in which life‑safety systems had fallen into disrepair. He cited a campus where standpipe and sprinkler systems froze about 14 months earlier, leaving students at risk, and said state building inspectors have heavy workloads and are not authorized to enforce nuances of the state fire code.

Ellis urged the committee to give local chiefs authority to abate dangerous conditions in state buildings and to standardize protection across all properties. He said the bill would allow local officials to address hazardous material storage, life‑safety system maintenance and other violations that currently may go uncorrected.

Committee members did not take votes at the hearing. The Boston Fire Department and its fire‑safety allies asked lawmakers to approve the bill, and Ellis said several state fire marshals and municipal leaders are aligned in support.

Why it matters: Testimony framed the issue as one of uniform public safety across communities and suggested that allowing local enforcement would reduce the chance that dangerous conditions in state properties go unaddressed. The bill would alter the division of enforcement authority between state inspectors and municipal fire jurisdictions.","Boston fire officials and lawmakers urged the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security to give local fire chiefs authority to enforce the state fire code at state‑owned buildings, saying current gaps create safety risks and inconsistent standards across the Commonwealth.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lawmakers Hear Yearslong Push to Require More Adaptable Housing for Seniors and People with Disabilities

Union Group Backs Bill Requiring Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Public Buildings

Families and Researchers Urge Lawmakers to Require Seat Belts on Motor Coaches

Fire Chiefs, Labor Groups Back Bill to Centralize Technical‑Rescue Teams Under State Oversight

Boston Fire Officials Tell Legislature Local Chiefs Should Enforce State Fire Code on State Properties