j ust the facts
M TA G O V E R N M E N T R E L A T I O N S
H456 – AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN EDUCATIONAL MANDATE TASK FORCE
LEAD SPONSOR Rep. Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley)
CO-SPONSORS
REPRESENTATIVES
Brian Ashe
Cory Atkins
Ruth Balser
Jennifer Benson
Tricia Farley Bouvier
Michael Brady
Paul Brodeur
Thomas Calter
James Cantwell
Gailanne Cariddi
Leah Cole
Edward Coppinger
Claire Cronin
Daniel Cullinane
Mark Cusack
Josh Cutler
Michael Day
Stephen DiNatale
Michelle DuBois
Carolyn Dykema
Lori Ehrlich
John Fernandes
Ann Margaret Ferrante
Carole Fiola
Sean Garballey
Denise Garlick
Colleen Garry
Kenneth Gordon
Danielle Gregoire
Patricia Haddad
Jonathan Hecht
Kate Hogan
Bradley Jones
Louis Kafka
Jay Kaufman
Peter Kocot
Robert Koczera
Stephen Kulik
John Lawn
David Linsky
Timothy Madden
Paul Mark
Paul McMurtry
James Miceli
Mathew Muratore
James Murphy
Harold Naughton
Shaunna O’Connell
Keiko Orrall
Jerald Parisella
Sarah Peake
Elizabeth Poirier
Denise Provost
Angelo Puppolo
John Rogers
Jeffrey Roy
Paul Schmid
Alan Silvia
Frank Smizik
Todd Smola
Theodore Speliotis
Thomas Stanley
Benjamin Swan
Steven Ultrino
John Velis
RoseLee Vincent
Christopher Walsh
SENATORS
William Brownsberger
Cynthia Creem
James Eldridge
Jennifer Flanagan
Anne Gobi
Kathleen O’Connor Ives
Patricia Jehlen
John Keenan
Barbara L’Italien
Eric Lesser
Jason Lewis
Michael Moore
Richard Ross
James Welch
BACKGROUND
Related to the issue of unfunded mandates (i.e., state laws or regulations that impose requirements on local school districts,
including reporting requirements, but without providing any or sufficient state funding to comply with the law or regulation)
is the concern about excessive mandates. Especially in recent years, as new state and federal laws and regulations have
proliferated, administrators and educators, superintendents and school committees, have felt the increasing burden of
mandates, which takes time, energy and resources away from teaching and learning. While no one doubts the need for some
mandates, it is important to examine all existing state mandates to determine whether some can be consolidated or eliminated. .
WHAT THIS BILL DOES
■■ Establishes an 11 member educational mandate task force to review existing state mandates placed on public school and
districts.
■■ Charges the task force with developing recommendations to streamline, consolidate, or eliminate outdated or duplicative
mandates, including reporting requirements; considering creating a single master reporting form; and, ensuring new state
laws or regulations do not duplicate existing reporting requirements.
■■ Requires the task force to hold at least one public hearing and to file its report and recommendations with the legislature no
later than 12 months following its first meeting
Kate Donaghey, Lobbyist | Catherine Fichtner, Lobbyist | Julie Johnson, Lobbyist | Sean King, Lobbyist
617.878.8119