State House Spotlight: Community advocates and addressing federal issues

Statehouse lawmakers spent the week hearing from advocates and continuing work towards the fiscal year 2026 budget. 22 News Statehouse reporter Olivia Ray has a look at this week on Beacon Hill. This week at the Statehouse in Boston, lawmakers split their time between budget hearings and federal issues and hearing from advocates from their communities. Lawmakers came together early in the week to commemorate Transgender Day of Visibility in a time where the presidential administration is targeting transgender people via executive orders. We are seeing a hateful effort to erase trans people from public life. These are coordinated deliberate attacks. The State Senate announced a targeted response plan to Trump's federal actions called Response 2025 that tasks a pre-existing committee with speaking to other senators and putting forth bills. We know how to do this, we know how to get together, get the best ideas surfaced, move as quickly as we must do to meet the acute challenges of this time. The committee in charge of response is already meant to speak with senators and pitch bills, but the Senate president says naming Trump as a priority will allow a faster and more targeted approach. On Thursday, youth advocates took to Beacon Hill to speak out against the influence of nicotine and tobacco on their communities. We all have power. No matter who we are, what we look like, or where we come from, we will always have the power of our voices, our minds, and of each other. Also this week, Governor Healey filed a $756 million supplemental budget meant to provide urgent relief to some state-sponsored services like food access, housing, and child care. The supplemental budget will need to pass the House and the Senate before being implemented and is expected to cost the state about $545 million. Working for you from the Statehouse in Boston, I'm Olivia Wray, 22 News.