AARP Bills to Watch On Beacon Hill

In this legislative session, AARP Massachusetts is advocating for what matters most to Massachusetts residents 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. We are working on bills that support family caregivers, fight fraud and help make Massachusetts communities great places to live for people of all ages.

Supporting Family Caregivers

AARP believes in supporting family caregivers as they take on the costs and responsibilities associated with caring for loved ones. Every day, family caregivers assist their older parents, spouses, siblings, grandparents and other loved ones so they can live independently in their homes—where they want to be. Family caregivers spend about $7,000 each year on out-of-pocket costs. Family caregivers need commonsense solutions that will save them time and money and provide them with more support. An Act Supporting Family Caregivers would do that.

An Act Supporting Family Caregivers
HD3456/SD1509
Representative Michael Kushmerek - 3rd Worcester
Representative David Rogers - 24th Middlesex
Senator Joanne Comerford - Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester
The Act will provide family caregivers with a variety of supports including an income tax credit to cover expenses incurred by a taxpayer for the care and support of a qualifying family member; respite care vouchers; unemployment insurance eligibility; addresses workplace discrimination; and establishes a permanent commission to focus on family caregiving needs.
Click here to ask your legislator to support An Act Supporting Family Caregivers
Read our Fact Sheet Here

To find AARP resources in Massachusetts for your journey as a family caregiver, Click Here.
To view recordings from our latest online series for family caregivers, Click Here.

Fighting Fraud

Cryptocurrency kiosk fraud is rising, exploiting unregulated ATMs in stores, gas stations, and bars. Scammers trick victims into depositing cash, stealing hundreds of millions annually. In 2023, the FBI received 5,500 complaints, reporting $189 million in losses. Over 45,000 crypto ATMs now operate nationwide. That's why we're backing a bill that would regulate crypto kiosk/ATMs here in Massachusetts.

An Act Relative to Preventing Fraud and Establishing Regulations on Certain Virtual Currencies
HD935/SD968
Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian - 32^nd Middlesex
Representative Tom Stanley - 9^th Middlesex
Senator John Cronin - Worcester and Middlesex
The Act would strengthen consumer protections in Massachusetts, already some of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country. The legislation would prevent Massachusetts residents from losing their savings to criminals through crypto currency kiosk and ATMs. The measures include licensing cryptocurrency ATM operators, imposing daily transaction limits to mitigate risks, posting visible fraud warning notices with steps to take if fraudulent activity is suspected, creating a special commission to study blockchain technology for better regulation and benefits, and ensuring residents have access to educational materials to manage their finances and safeguard their financial well-being.
Click here to ask your legislator to support An Act Relative to Preventing Fraud and Establishing Regulations on Certain Virtual Currencies
Read our Fact Sheet Here

To find resources to protect against fraud and learn about our next Fraud Talk Tuesday, Click Here.

Making Massachusetts Even More Livable

Older adults prefer to age in their communities but often stop driving and rely on walking. In Massachusetts, pedestrian infrastructure doesn't always accommodate their slower walking speeds, leading to unsafe crossings. That's we we're working on a bill that would change that.

An Act to Improve Pedestrian Safety
HD1806/SD2015
Representative Tommy Vitolo - 15^th Norfolk
Senator Paul Mark - Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire
To improve safety, this legislation would require municipalities to assess their city or town for areas where vulnerable pedestrians who need more time to cross the street are most likely to be. After that assessment, local governments would be required to account for people needing more time to cross the street safely and adjust their crossing signals accordingly.
Click here to ask your legislator to support An Act to Improve Pedestrian Safety
Read our Fact Sheet Here

To learn how AARP is helping to make Massachusetts even more livable, Click Here.

How Else is AARP showing up for you?

Social Security
AARP is committed to protecting Social Security for seniors and protecting and saving it for future generations. AARP knows that you work hard and pay into Social Security, so it's only fair for you to expect to get the money you've earned.
Social Security is your money - you earned it through a lifetime of hard work. Social Security is essential for helping to cover living expenses and pay your bills. If politicians don’t take action to protect and save Social Security in the next 10 years, your Social Security could be cut by 20 percent – an average of
$4,000 a year.
For all your Social Security questions and our fight to protect it, check out AARP's Social Security Resource Center:
https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/

Rx Prices
AARP led the fight to lower drug prices, and we're winning. Millions of seniors are saving money on their medications. After decades of calling on Congress to make prescription drugs more affordable, AARP won the fight for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and help seniors save money on their medications. AARP will keep fighting big drug companies’ out-of-control prices, and we won't back down.
For more on our fight to lower drug prices check out
https://www.aarp.org/rx

This year, in Massachusetts, Governor Healey signed “An Act Relative to Pharmaceutical Access, Costs, and Transparency," which will cap co-payments at $25 on a 30-day supply of prescription medications for diabetes, asthma and certain heart conditions starting July 1. It will also ensure consumers aren’t charged a co-pay if it’s cheaper to buy the drug without insurance.
Learn more about the law here.