Rep. Lawn's OUI dominates Beacon Hill chatter while a new health care shield law passes

Integrating clinical departments and collaborating across disciplines allows Mass General Brigham to elevate the quality of patient care across our system. Patients have access to world-class physicians and care informed by cutting-edge research and innovations—all for one seamless experience.

While House lawmakers moved Wednesday to strengthen the legal shield for abortion and transgender care in Massachusetts, one of their own — a key figure in health policy — was preparing for his day in court where he quickly admitted to the facts following his drunk driving arrest outside the State House.

Rep. John Lawn, a Watertown Democrat who co-chairs the Health Care Financing Committee, was arrested just after 1:45 a.m. Wednesday for drunken driving and leaving the scene of a crash near the State House. Police say Lawn hit a parked car, damaged his SUV, and circled the area before being stopped — with, as the arresting officer put it, a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” on him.

Lawn entered a not guilty plea Thursday morning, then returned to court 40 minutes later and "admitted to the facts." He’ll avoid a conviction if he keeps a clean record for a year, but will pay fines, complete alcohol education, and lose his license for 45 days.

“I deeply regret my actions... I own it,” he said outside court. He didn’t take questions but told reporters he was at a "private residence" Tuesday night. WCVB, first to report the arrest, said Lawn had told police he’d been at a State House event.

Whether it was the State House or a private residence, the arrest raised questions about Beacon Hill’s after-hours culture — especially as two other lawmakers have also been arrested in recent years for driving under the influence shortly after business at the State House wrapped up.

Speaker Ron Mariano, who gave Lawn the chairmanship, said he was "disappointed." After Lawn's day in court, Mariano's office confirmed he was still leading the committee Thursday and gave no word on his future.

Jobs continue below the fold — post a job

Lawn was absent from a House session just a few hours after his arrest, where the chamber took up a major health care shield bill. The bill (H 4271), approved 136-23, would shield providers of abortion and transgender care from out-of-state legal actions, limit the release of sensitive data, and ensure emergency abortion access.

However, as is often the case in the House, it didn’t come down to a strict party-line vote: three Democrats voted no, while five Republicans supported the bill.

"Déjà vu all over again," said Judiciary Co-Chair Michael Day, channeling Yogi Berra to underscore how Massachusetts is again defending rights under threat elsewhere. 

As the new normal unfolds, it's easy to lose sight of how unusual it once would have once been for a state Legislature to pass laws to protect people from infringements from other states and the U.S. government. 

The Senate has already passed a similar bill; final negotiations loom.

In a win for public workers, Department of Mental Health case managers appear to have secured their jobs. Healey’s budget proposed cutting half the workforce, sparking months of union pushback. SEIU Local 509 says it’s now reached a deal with the administration that avoids layoffs, contingent on a supplemental budget.

"This agreement guarantees no layoffs... and protects us from 9C mid-year budget cuts," union president Dave Foley told members.

That’s a relief for front-line staff. But for fiscal leaders, the specter of 9C cuts still looms.

As lawmakers brace for potential shortfalls, Healey has requested new authority to make unilateral midyear cuts. Her supplemental budget includes language expanding her budget cutting powers, but legislative leaders seemed cool to the idea when asked about it this week.

Mariano told reporters, "It's giving away some power, and we're going to have to think long and hard about making changes like that." Senate budget chief Michael Rodrigues echoed the skepticism: "We generally are resistant to giving up legislative prerogative over issues... once we have conversations with our colleagues, we'll have more to say about it."

Next week, the Senate plans to take up a bill to replace 362 instances of outdated and offensive disability-related language in state law. The effort, championed by Sen. Pat Jehlen and advocate Melissa Reilly, has taken years of review and revision.

“I just don’t want us to be described as the R-word,” said Reilly, who has Down syndrome and has spent a decade advocating for the change.

The bill would swap in terms like “persons with disabilities” and update signage. The Senate also advanced a second long-stalled cleanup bill to repeal laws criminalizing “unnatural acts” and blasphemy.

Maybe 2025 will be the year Massachusetts laws leave the 19th century behind.

➼ WHALE ON SPECTACLE ISLAND: Salt, a life-size inflatable humpback whale, will be on display on Spectacle Island and available for tours of its inflatable organs and biology. The Event is a partnership between Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. (10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor)

➼ ECOTARIUM BIRTHDAY: EcoTarium, a museum of science and nature in Worcester, celebrates the 200th day of its 200-year anniversary. Admission is free, and the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jim McGovern attends at 11:45 a.m. (10 a.m., 222 Harrington Way, Worcester)

➼ ECONOMIC MOBILITY GRADUATES: Economic Mobility Pathways holds a ceremony for nearly 50 participants who are graduating from two of the nonprofit's "Mobility Mentoring" programs. AMP Up, a three-year program, helps low-income Boston families reach their goals tied to education, career and finances. Attendees include Kim Janey and Kenzie Bok. (11 a.m., Roxbury Community College, Building 3, 1234 Columbus Ave., Boston)

➼ W.E.B DU BOIS SCULPTURE: Ceremony is held for the unveiling of a life-size bronze monument of W.E.B. Du Bois in front of the Mason Public Library in Great Barrington, where the historian and founder of the NAACP was born. The project was a partnership between the town and the nonprofit Embrace Boston. Deval Patrick, author David Levering Lewis, and Embrace Boston CEO Imari Paris Jeffries give remarks. (2 p.m., 231 Main St., Great Barrington)

➼ WORCESTER BIKE FOR PEACE: MassBike hosts a "bike for peace community ride" in Worcester, with the aim of fostering community-building and helping individuals get involved with cycling. The event is a partnership with WalkBike Worcester, Worcester Earn-A Bike and Seven Hills Wheelman. It starts at Coes Pond Park. (3 p.m., Coes Park, 30-98 Coes St., Worcester)

➼ NORFOLK SHERIFF ON KELLER: MASSterList columnist Jon Keller talks to Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott, head of the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, about the potential impact of federal budget cuts on rehabilitation work, reentry programs, and potentially giving sheriffs control over prisoners for longer periods of time. (8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV)

➼ FERNANDES ON THE RECORD: Sen. Dylan Fernandes, who represents Plymouth and part of Cape Cod and chairs the Agriculture Committee, is the guest on the weekly "On The Record" program. (11 a.m., WCVB-TV)

➼ MIDDAY MASS CASH: Mass. Lottery holds its first midday drawing in the Mass Cash game, essentially expanding the game by double. Rather than just a 9 p.m. drawing, Mass Cash numbers will be drawn at 2 p.m. and again at 9 p.m. each day starting Sunday. The game began with two drawings per week in 1991. To play Mass Cash, a bettor pays $1 to select five numbers between 1 and 35. Matching three of the numbers drawn wins $10, matching four wins $250 and matching all five wins the player $100,000. The Lottery says the overall odds of winning are 1 in 72, or 1 in 324,632 to win the grand prize. (2 p.m.)

➼ GOLDBERG IN MALIBU: Treasurer Deb Goldberg attends the 2025 National Institute of Public Finance conference at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School in Malibu, Calif., through Wednesday. "It is essential in this challenging and ever-changing environment that we continue to empower public-finance leaders with the right resources to effectively assess, navigate, and manage the key risk areas facing today’s high-performing public-finance organizations," Goldberg, who is listed as the organization's co-chair, says in a quote on the conference website. (Sunday through Wednesday)

Do you have an open job you'd like to feature here? Click here to place a job board order, or email Dylan Rossiter at [email protected].

Assistant Town Attorney- Land Use and Litigation, Town of Barnstable

Director of Human Services, City of Newton

Manager of Police Information Technology, City of Newton

MTF Mid-Career Fellow, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation

Regional Director, Greater Boston, Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren

Policy and Strategy Specialist, Boston Public Health Commission

Digital Communications Associate, Conservation Law Foundation

Senior Government Relations Specialist – City/Civic Relations, Boston Children’s Hospital

Senior Proposal Manager, GZA Geoenvironmental

Regional Operations Coordinator, MA Commission on the Status of Women

Research Specialist, MA Commission on the Status of Women

Vice President, Policy & Government Relations, United Way of Massachusetts Bay

Planning Director, Town of Easton

Transportation Engineer, City of Newton

Senior Director of Offshore Wind, Environmental League of Massachusetts

Senior Human Resources Generalist, City of Newton

Administrative and Operations Coordinator, Health Equity Compact

Paralegal, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

Deputy Division Chief, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

Managing Attorney, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

DUA Board of Review Member, Department of Unemployment Assistance

Major Gifts Officer, UTEC

Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

Senior Reporter, CommonWealth Beacon