2025-2026 Legislative Platform Overview

State-level legislative advocacy is a critical component of the work of The Arc of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts legislature operates on a two-year cycle, and we are actively engaged throughout each session, from drafting bill language to advocating for bills to become law.

January 2025 was the beginning of the current legislative session, which will run through 2026. We engaged in a priority-setting process, informed by our community. This session, our advocacy is focused on the workforce crisis, health equity, and community inclusion.

Questions? Contact Nora Bent, Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, at nbent@arcmass.org.

Top Legislative Priorities: Uplifting the Workforce

The human service field is in the midst of a significant workforce crisis. Staff are often underpaid and have inadequate benefits and training opportunities. This leads to recruitment and retention challenges, while leaving thousands of individuals with IDD and autism on waitlists for services. These programs are critical to connect individuals to their community, grow their skills, and prevent caregiver burnout. The Arc of Massachusetts seeks to uplift the workforce’s wages, benefits, and training, with the goal of improving the availability, quality, and safety of programs.

Top Legislative Priorities: Health Equity

Healthcare is a fundamental human right, yet gaps exist for many marginalized communities, including individuals with IDD and autism. Many interact with a healthcare system that wasn’t designed for them, struggling to find adequate insurance coverage and available providers who can treat complex medical and behavioral challenges. The Arc of Massachusetts seeks to improve access to quality insurance coverage, meaningful therapies and supports, and increasing access to inclusive healthcare.

Top Legislative Priorities: Community Inclusion & Empowerment

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism deserve the right to participate and thrive in their own communities whenever possible. True inclusion requires community support, tailored services, and a society that understands and accepts all. The Arc of Massachusetts seeks to expand access to affordable and accessible housing, meaningful education, reliable transportation, technology tools, family support, and employment opportunities.

Endorsed Legislation

Uplifting the Workforce

• H223/S130 “An act relative to a livable wage for human services workers”

Health Equity

• H1401/S888 “An act increasing access to MassHealth dental providers”
• H1278/S210 “An act expanding wheelchair warranty protections for consumers with disabilities / An act relative to wheelchair repair requirements and consumer protection”
• H1366/S866 “An act to protect medically fragile children”
• H1254/S754 “An act relative to the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder”
• S946 “An act creating a scholarship fund to increase the number of medical providers who are knowledgeable in autism”

Community Inclusion & Empowerment

• H277/S153 “An act relative to cueing and supervision in the PCA program”
• H520/S320 “An act relative to the training, assessment, and assignment of qualified school interpreters in educational settings”
• H276/S150 “An act relative to persons with developmental disabilities”
• H2403/S1560 “An act establishing the human service transportation (HST) consumer advisory board”
• H245 “An act regarding the use of aversive therapy”
• H3335/S2102 “An act relating to public access to historical records”
• H1852/S1164 “An act prohibiting discrimination against adults with disabilities in Family and Juvenile Court proceedings”
• H650/S436 “An act relative to affirming and maintaining equal access to public education for all children”
• H514/S418 “An act to improve augmentative and alternative communication opportunities for children with disabilities”