On Beacon Hill, Lawmakers Work to Pass Priority Bills Before the End of the Session: Governor Healey Signs Executive Order for Emergency Abortions in Massachusetts; House and Senate both Approve Bond Bills with Differences Left to be Ironed Out; Uber and Lyft Reach Settlement for Higher Wages and Benefits; WWLP-22News Continues to Provide Local News in Western Massachusetts”.

On Beacon Hill this week, lawmakers worked tirelessly to pass priority bills before the session ended. On Monday, Governor Healey signed an executive order to protect access to emergency abortions in Massachusetts.

Late Thursday night, the House of Representatives passed a broad economic bond bill that aligns with Governor Healey’s plan to revitalize the Commonwealth. The bill includes significant investments in life sciences initiatives, live theater tax credits, climate technology, and more.

The Senate passed their version of the housing bond bill on Thursday, which includes an amendment to create a relief fund for homeowners dealing with extremely expensive crumbling foundations. The bill is now moving to a conference committee to iron out differences between the House and Senate drafts, including the crumbling concrete amendment.

Uber and Lyft reached a settlement on Thursday with Attorney General Andrea Campbell that will require them to give their drivers higher wages and better benefits.

WWLP-22News has been broadcasting since March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. The 22News Digital Edition can be watched weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com