With the end of the 2017-2018 legislative cycle fast approaching, Beacon Hill’s agenda for the coming months has begun to take shape. All major policymaking will need to be concluded by the end of formal sessions on July 31, and lawmakers have a long to-do list they hope to complete before that date.

Governor Charlie Baker outlined some of his administration’s top priorities in his State of the State speech on January 23. The Governor called for the legislature to pass the CARE Act, the bill he introduced in November addressing the state’s ongoing opioid epidemic, and move quickly on legislation making it easier to arrest and prosecute fentanyl traffickers. Baker also discussed his administration’s work to improve the performance of the MBTA, create new housing units, and increase the state’s consumption of renewable energy.