January 6, 2026

Senate Ways and Means deadline is 28 January!

House Health Care Financing is meeting on 15 January!

Legislators need to hear from everyone, not just psychologists.  PSYPACT (H.2528 / S.1487) is about making high-quality well-regulated mental health care accessible to everyone, and not letting legal technicalities force vulnerable folks to stop treatment, just when it's working for them.

Pick up your phone!  Ask to speak to a legislative director, a chief of staff, but any live human being is better than any voicemail or email.

Tell them how important it is to you that they get these bills advanced ASAP so that they can finally pass.  

Include a quick vignette from your own experience -- how has their ongoing failure to pass PSYPACT harmed you, or your clients, or someone you love?

Remind them that the cost is minimal and there is literally no opposition!

If you are a resident of a town they represent, make sure to mention that fact prominently!

Once you've done that, follow up with an email, post your heart out on social media, and get all your friends and relatives and neighbors to join in.  Get your local newspaper to publish an Op-Ed, or submit a Letter to the Editor yourself.  Make lots of good noise!  Embarrass them into actually doing their jobs!

Here is a basic phone / email script. 

Many more resources are available in the Advocacy Toolkit and under the PsyPact Explainers page.

“Hello, my name is [Name], and I am a constituent, living in [Town]. I’m calling to urge [Representative/Senator X] to help us pass the PSYPACT bills (H.2528/S.1487).  Both bills were reported favorably out of committee on the merits, and now are in fiscal-impact review. 

PSYPACT is very important for Massachusetts residents.  It expands access to high-quality mental health care, maintains all of the legal protections we already have, and eliminates a huge source of disruptions to therapy.  This is particularly crucial to those who come from vulnerable populations or who need specialty care.  There is literally no known opposition to PSYPACT, and 43 other states have already passed it, including all of the other New England states.

Here's something that really happened to me / someone I know / someone I love... (don't go on at length, but make it clear that real people are really being denied access to therapy and/or being forced to spend a lot of money and time and effort to get around this problem which has such an easy fix).

We need [Representative/Senator X] to help us move these bills forward out of committee ASAP.  Not only is PSYPACT not expected to present any substantial additional cost to the Commonwealth, it will likely save money and let the Board of Registration focus on their important work of protecting the public.

More examples of sample text you can use:

No one should be forced to lose their therapist just because they move to another state, whether to go to college, get another job, take care of family emergencies, or even just enjoy summer vacation..  But in Massachusetts, that’s exactly what happens — because we still haven’t joined PSYPACT, the interstate compact that 43 other states already use to protect continuity of care and client choice.  

Massachusetts is behind the curve.  Forty-three other states have already joined PSYPACT, a bipartisan solution that makes mental health care far more accessible across state lines and greatly increases the options for vulnerable clients who need high-quality specialty care.

Both sides of the Joint Committee on Public Health reported the bills favorably.  Now, we are in the fiscal-review stage -- both the House Committee on Health Care Financing and the Senate Committee on Ways and Means need to understand that the direct cost of these bills is trivial (just $10 per participating psychologist per year, capped at $6000 -- that's couch-cushion money!) and that they streamline administrative burdens such that it will likely save money.

Both chambers’ Public Health committees have already agreed: PSYPACT is a good bill.  Now the fiscal committees simply need reassurance that the price tag is tiny—about $10 per psychologist per year, capped at $6,000—and that the administrative efficiencies will likely save money in the long run.  A small investment unlocks huge gains in access, continuity, and client wellbeing.

Massachusetts families shouldn’t have to choose between staying with a trusted therapist and handling real-life transitions like college, job changes, or caregiving. PSYPACT offers a ready-made, bipartisan framework — already embraced by 43 states — that protects continuity of care and expands access to specialized mental health services. It’s time for Massachusetts to finally catch up.

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Welcome! This site is a central hub for Massachusetts psychologists and allies who want to help move key legislation forward — especially the PSYPACT bills, which will expand access to mental health care, strengthen our profession, and bring Massachusetts in line with 43 other states (and counting!) which have already implemented this simple and inexpensive legislative improvement to the outdated and fragmented licensing system.

We know it’s hard to keep track of deadlines, drafts, and legislative updates. That’s why everything you need to take action — background info, timelines, scripts, letter templates, and one-pagers to share with colleagues and friends — is gathered here.

Quick Links:

• Key Towns and Committees

• Advocacy Toolkit

• PSYPACT Explainers

• Other Bills Related to Psychology in MA