Karen Spilka

The state Senate unveiled new employee salary ranges, an expanded career ladder, and additional employee perks Wednesday in an effort to better recruit and retain staff members.

The Massachusetts Senate and President Karen Spilka joined a growing exodus Tuesday from X

Amid debate over how to keep Massachusetts competitive and how tax cuts figure into that goal, Senate President Karen Spilka emphasized Thursday the importance of "shoring up and expanding" the state's middle class.

Legislation the Senate plans to take up next week is built around the idea that "mental health is just as important as a person's physical health," Sen. Julian Cyr said Tuesday.

Sports betting does not feature on Senate President Karen Spilka's list of priorities for the fall lawmaking rush, and a string of high-profile incidents on the MBTA did not appear to move the Senate leader's needle on transportation funding.

The House and Senate on Monday passed legislation extending the state's COVID-19 emergency paid leave program, which is currently scheduled to expire on Thursday. Under the bill (H 4127), which also speaks to a public education campaign to promote the program's availability, the program would be extended until April 1, 2022.

The pressure on the Baker administration to require masks in classrooms this fall gained a strong voice Friday when Senate President Karen Spilka formally called on the governor to require universal masking in schools.

A new state public awareness campaign aims to encourage people to check in with their friends and loved ones and remember that there may be "more to the story" when it comes to someone's mental health.

The Senate overcame a difficult rollout and several false starts to pass a far-reaching reform of policing in Massachusetts on Tuesday that would ban chokeholds, limit the use of tear gas, license all law enforcement officers and train them in the history of racism.

There are many possibilities for how lawmakers might tackle next year's budget, Senate President Karen Spilka said, but the pandemic's shocks to state revenues may mean the idea of passing one-month budgets while a full spending plan is developed would need to look different than it has in the past.