In the News

New Congressional bill aimed at confronting NIL challenges facing NCAA athletes released By Steve Berkowitz Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., on Wednesday are formally relaunching their legislative efforts concerning college athletes’ ability to make money from their name, image and likeness, introducing a bill aimed at widening those opportunities in a… Read more »

NEW NIL BILL PUSHES ATHLETES’ RIGHTS, INCLUDING GROUP LICENSING By Michael Mccann The crowded world of name, image and likeness (NIL) bills in Congress expanded on Wednesday as U.S. Rep. and former Georgetown University volleyball player Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) reintroduced an NIL bill.  The College Athlete Economic Freedom Act… Read more »

Legislation to help students working maintain Massachusetts SNAP benefits By Duncan Maclean Senator Markey and Representative Lori Trahan have introduced a bill called the “Bridging the SNAP Gap Act” which would change how young adults’ income is counted in their household totals to make sure they are fed and families get their full benefits all while not discouraging students from… Read more »

Cambodian elections: Free and fair or done deal? By Melanie Gilbert  LOWELL — National general elections in Cambodia take place on July 23, but nobody is holding their breath on the outcome of the contest. That’s because former Khmer Rouge commander and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has held power for more than 38 years, has threatened, outlawed or arrested away his… Read more »

Methuen gets $500K for pollution cleanup plans By Monica Sager  METHUEN — The city has been selected to receive $500,000 for a pollution assessment grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop clean up plans throughout the community. The EPA selected 14 communities in Massachusetts to receive grants that will total $8.74 million in competitive EPA Brownfields… Read more »

‘A devastating blow’: Lawmakers, higher ed officials react to Supreme Court’s repeal of affirmative action By Cameron Moresberger The Supreme Court decided Thursday to strike down affirmative action, a long-held college admissions policy that permitted race to be factored into a potential student’s acceptance. In the cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College and… Read more »

Lori Trahan: $21.4 million in federal funding for 4 Lowell bridges By Melanie Gilbert  LOWELL — The city of Lowell will become a bridge to somewhere thanks to more than $21 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to support four bridge rehabilitation and preservation projects across the city. The legislation provides $550 billion from 2022 through 2026 of new… Read more »

Lawmakers renew effort to force data brokers to delete private information on request By Suzanne Smalley   A bipartisan bill to protect Americans’ private online data by establishing a system for people to compel data brokers and companies to stop collecting it was reintroduced in Congress on Thursday after a similar measure died last year. The latest… Read more »

Chemical Used in Suicides Faces Sales Ban Under Proposed Law By Kaustuv Basu A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is introducing legislation to ban the sale of highly concentrated sodium nitrite, a chemical sold by Amazon.com Inc. and some online retailers that has been used by dozens of teenagers and others to kill themselves. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lori Trahan… Read more »

‘Lives would have been saved’ – Disease X Act would change the way U.S. prepares for pandemics By Laura Geller WASHINGTON — The country has a lot of work to do to save lives before the next pandemic hits -- That’s the focus of new legislation on Capitol Hill. This bill is called the Disease X Act of 2023. Lawmakers use the “X” because we don’t know yet what pathogen will… Read more »