Summer updates from the statehouse

In this edition of the Policy newsletter, we share updates from the most recent meeting of the Agriculture in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century Commission, and track our priority bills in the state legislature.

Agriculture in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century Commission

The special Agriculture in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century Commission was created in 2020 with the goal of identifying areas of improvement for farmers in Massachusetts, particularly in regards to financial viability, adaptability, climate change resiliency, and energy production & usage.

The commission is made up of legislators from the Senate and the House; representatives from the state Departments of Agricultural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Fish and Game; and representatives from non-profit partners including NOFA/Mass. 

In July, the commission met to review its draft recommendations from working groups on Climate Change and Natural Disasters, Continuing Education and Technical Assistance, and Farm Energy.

Some of NOFA/Mass’s key priorities are addressed by these recommendations. The Climate Change and Natural Disasters working group, for example, emphasizes the promotion of healthy soils management practices and encourages the state to adopt all of the recommendations in the 2023 Healthy Soils Action Plan. The group also recommends that the legislature pass Senate bill S39, An Act Protecting Our Soil and Farms from PFAS Contamination.

However, as NOFA/Mass Board Member and Commission member John Duke pointed out in the Special Commission’s July meeting, there is a major gap in the draft recommendations. Namely, none of the recommendations reference the biodiversity crisis or pollinator population declines, two issues of obvious importance to the future of agriculture.

Biodiversity is itself an important indicator of overall ecosystem health, and agricultural ecosystems rely on healthy pollinator populations.

The recommendations presented in July were drafts, and final recommendations will be released later this Fall. NOFA/Mass will use our presence on this Special Commission to advocate for the inclusion of pollinators and biodiversity in the recommendations – calling for the recommendations to support the passage of two of our priority bills:

• “An Act relative to the pesticide board”

  • S.521/H.783, by Sen. Jason Lewis & Representative Mindy Domb

  • This comprehensive pesticide reform bill would establish a task force to be known as the “pesticide control modernization and environmental protection task force.” The task force would “review and make recommendations to improve the ability of the Commonwealth to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts of pesticide use on the environment and public health.”

• “An Act to protect pollinator habitat”

  • S.2728 / H.4562, filed by Rep. Mary Keefe and Sen. Jason Lewis

  • This bill would establish a commission to study statewide opportunities for improving pollinator health by increasing and enhancing native habitat, including both developed and natural areas, such as farm field borders, urban areas, and transportation corridors. The commission would also examine many issues relevant to pollinator health, including current laws and regulations, public awareness, funding, best management, practices, and the use of agricultural and non-agricultural lands.

Statehouse Update

This legislative session, NOFA/Mass focused on priority bills regarding PFAS contamination and protecting pollinator habitat.

Our farming community must not bear the burden of protecting our families and ecosystems from PFAS “forever chemicals.” Centering farmers in state-level PFAS reforms was one of NOFA/Mass’s top policy priorities for this legislative session.

The PFAS bill, H.4288, An Act Protecting Our Soil and Farms from PFAS Contamination, has received support from key members of the House and Senate, including the members of the Special Commission on Agriculture in the 21st Century, and key provisions of the bill were included in larger piece of legislation regarding PFAS. Unfortunately, despite having majority support in both the House and Senate, H.4486 got  stuck in the House Ways and Means Committee, and did not move on before the end of the formal legislative session on July 31st, 2024. This means it will need to be reintroduced in the new session next year.

Unfortunately, our key pesticides bill (S.487/H.825 “An Act Relative to Pesticides”) was also held up in committee. While it passed out of both chambers of the legislature, it did not move to the governor’s desk in time, and will need to be reintroduced next year to pass.

There is technically time to pass pollinator legislation this year during informal session, such as the two bills & resolutions highlighted above (S.521/H.783 “An Act relative to the pesticide board” and S.2728/H.4562“An Act to protect pollinator habitat”). After the end of the formal session on July 31st, we will keep our members posted on potential next steps, and we’re looking forward to reengaging with these important issues next legislative session as needed.

It has been a particularly challenging year for any progressive legislation at the State House. While we are disappointed to see that none of these essential bills have moved, we remain committed to pursuing a future where everyone in Massachusetts has access to healthy foods, grown here from living soils. Even if these campaigns are not successful in the legislature, it helps to raise awareness so that we can advocate for change through the regulatory process. It’s important to keep these important issues in front of decision makers – thank you for continuing to make your voice heard on these issues.