State Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues (left) and Sen. Lydia Edwards speak to reporters before the start of the second day of budget deliberations on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Photo by Alison Kuznitz | State House News Service

More than 400 Bay Staters have filed petitions for their eviction records to be sealed since a new law took effect earlier this month, Sen. Lydia Edwards said Wednesday.

Edwards, who sponsored the provision embedded in the Affordable Homes Act, added that 122 petitions have been granted so far.

Supporters of the law hope it will remove a barrier to housing, since publicly accessible eviction records can prevent tenants from securing stable housing arrangements.

Opponents among the state’s landlords argued it would make it harder for them to screen out troublemakers from among prospective tenants, and could force landlords to make their screening criteria more stringent in other areas.

The Boston Democrat offered an update on the record-sealing law, which launched May 5, shortly before the Senate adopted her amendment (#864) to pump an additional $7.23 million into the Trial Court to support workforce and lease expenses, according to Senate President Karen Spilka’s office. Trial Court Administrator Thomas Ambrosino had previously warned Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed funding level for fiscal 2026 would force the court to resort to a hiring freeze – and ultimately lose 400 workers.

The Senate also adopted an Edwards amendment (#863) that boosts funding for the Committee for Public Counsel Services and attorney fees for cases involving murder and mental health, as well as Superior Court cases, according to Spilka’s office.

“We’re seeing an incredible increase in the court systems in usage and access for people without counsel,” Edwards told reporters before the second day of budget deliberations got underway. “We’re hopeful that this amendment will meet the growing need of our courts. And we firmly also believe that investment in our court system, in our CPCS and public defenders, is an investment in due process.”