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Legislative Accomplishments
Bills filed by Representative Balser that have been signed by the Governor this session

  • An Act relative to mental health parity. This legislation significantly expands access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. The Mental Health Act of 2000 had extended full coverage to 9 serious mental health conditions but maintained caps on coverage on all other disorders. The 2008 legislation adds substance abuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and autism to the list of conditions with full parity. It was signed by the Governor on August 5, 2008, and is now Chapter 256 of the Acts of 2008.

  • An Act relative to equitable coverage for annuity policies. This legislation ends gender discrimination in annuity insurance products. As a result, women will no longer receive lower monthly retirement payments than men after purchasing the product for the same price. It was signed by the Governor on July 31, 2008, and is now Chapter 230 of the Acts of 2008.

  • An Act relative to primary elections in the City of Newton. This legislation authorizes the City of Newton to alter its charter to allow more flexibility in scheduling certain municipal elections. The policy change comes as a result of concerns that the City might be forced to schedule an election on a religious holiday. It was signed by the Governor on June 25, 2008, and is now Chapter 152 of the Acts of 2008.

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  • An Act to Protect Patient Confidentiality. This legislation protects confidential communications between clients and licensed mental health counselors (LMHC). This gives the clients of licensed mental health counselors the same protections enjoyed by clients of other mental health professionals such as psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists. It was signed by the Governor on October 25, 2007, and is now Chapter 142 of the Acts of 2007.

  • An Act relative to antique cars. This bill would create a special exemption to certain seatbelt requirements for antique cars. This bill was filed when a constituent who is an antique car hobbyist called to the Rep's attention a law that interfered with the value of the cars such hobbyists collect. It is not uncommon for the Rep to file bills that solve problems for individuals in the district. It was signed by the Governor on July 31, 2008 and is now Chapter 225 of the Acts of 2008.

    • Additionally, these bills have been passed by the House and Senate and are on their way to the Governor’s desk:

  • An Act relative to Children's Mental Health. This omnibus children’s mental health bill will improve inter-agency coordination and will ensure the early identification and screening of behavioral health issues in children.

  • An Act to provide access to information for parents' evaluators. This bill would protect the independent evaluations requested by the family of a special needs student by ensuring that the parent-designated independent evaluators and educational consultants have adequate access for observations of a child’s current program.

  • An Act to Improve Access to Mental Health Services. This bill would prevent the use of restrictive covenants for limiting the practice area for social workers so that they may continue to see clients upon leaving a particular practice.


The following Massachusetts statutes are the result of bills filed by Representative Balser during previous sessions:


An Act Clarifying the Enforcement of Fence Viewers’ Rulings
This act addressed a weakness in the system of enforcing rulings in neighborhood/boundary disputes. It ensures that the fence viewer’s rulings will be enforced by making explicit that challenges may be heard in the district court in the city where the property is located.  It was signed by the Governor on November 11, 2006, and is now Chapter 366 of the Acts of 2006.
An Act Relative to Enhancing the Health of School Children
This act requires private schools to notify parents if they do not perform the routine health examinations that are required of public schools such as vision testing. The act ensures that families with children who attend private schools will be aware that they need to arrange for certain public health screening privately in order to ensure the early detection of certain disorders. It was signed by the Governor on October 26, 2006, and is now Chapter 333 of the Acts of 2006.
An Act Providing for an Investigation and Study by a Special Commission Relative to the Workforce in Those Agencies Serving Persons with Mental Retardation
This act authorized a study to address the severity of the workforce crisis in agencies serving people with mental retardation, to determine if the health and safety of consumers receiving services from the Commonwealth were in jeopardy. It was passed into law as SECTION 358 of the FY05 Budget.
An Act Directing the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to Issue a Distinctive Plate
This act created an opportunity for the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) to produce a specialty license plate directed at motorist safety regarding bicyclists sharing the road.  It was and signed by the Governor on July 28th, 2004 and is now Chapter 220 of the Acts of 2004.
An Act Clarifying Restrictive Covenants
This act clarified restrictive covenants in professional relationships with licensed psychologists. It rendered null and void any restriction on the right of a psychologist to practice in a certain geographic area after the professional relationship that created the covenant had ended. It was signed by the Governor on July 26th, 2004 and is now Chapter 209 of the Acts of 2004.
An Act Relative to Granting of an Easement by the City of Newton to the Metropolitan Water Resources Authority
Signed into law by the Governor, November 26, 2003 and is now Chapter 121 of the Acts of 2003.
An Act Relative to Safety of School Sponsored Travel
The act required the Massachusetts Department of Education to develop a model policy for school committees concerning school sponsored overnight travel within one year of enactment. It was signed into law by Acting Governor Jane Swift on October 9, 2002 and is now Chapter 346 of the Acts of 2002. Regulations were subsequently developed by the DOE.
An Act Establishing a Certain Voting Subprecinct in the City of Newton.
This Home Rule petition corrected a mistake that would have resulted in Newton voters traveling to 2 different voting locations on the same day for a local initiative and an alderman's special election. Newton voters' rights and convenience were protected by this bill. It became Chapter 91 of the Acts of 2002.
An Act Further Defining Confidential Communications with a Psychologist
This act extended the protections and responsibilities regarding confidentiality that psychologists and other mental health professionals enjoy to psychology graduate trainees. It was signed into law on December 21, 2000 as Chapter 348 of the Acts of 2000.
An Act Relating to Disposition of Certain Surplus Waterworks Facilities of the Water Resources Authority and the Metropolitan District Commission Located in the City of Boston
This act allowed for the protection and preservation of the historic Chestnut Hill Waterworks. It was signed into law on August 10, 2000 as Chapter 218 of the Acts of 2000.

An Act Further Defining Unfair Practices by Insurance Companies
This act requires that insurance companies make timely payments to providers. It was rolled into the omnibus managed care reform bill, which was signed into law by the Governor on July 21, 2000 as Chapter 141 of the Acts of 2000.

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