Massachusetts is not “in the vanguard” when it comes to addressing toxic “forever chemicals,” according to the Senate sponsor of a bill meant to help municipalities and water systems clean up related contamination.

It’s the second time House Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan and Senate Assistant Majority Whip Julian Cyr have filed legislation that would phase out the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of chemicals that do not break down fully in the environment and are linked to harmful health issues like thyroid disease, liver damage, some cancers and immune system suppression.

The bills gained favorable reports last session from the Joint Committee on Public Health and Health Care Financing, but died in House Ways and Means Committee last session.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that more than 99% of people in the U.S. have detectable levels of PFAS in their blood, according to Laurel Schaider, a senior scientist at Newton-based Silent Spring Institute who spoke at a State House briefing on Thursday.

PFAS are often used in nonstick, stain-resistant, waterproof and grease-resistant products. Well owners and users, farmers and firefighters from across Massachusetts have testified before the Legislature in recent years and gathered at the State House Thursday to discuss the illnesses and other issues that have resulted from water and soil contaminated with PFAS and firefighting gear designed with PFAS in it.

“I think there’s two hurdles here. One is that we’re talking about complex policy related to environmental science, and the more that we learn about PFAS, the more we understand its ubiquity,” Cyr told the News Service. “As you build a statutory and then a regulatory scheme around it, this isn’t easy policymaking.”

A group of common items with and without per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in them, displayed at the State House briefing.

The Legislature in 2024 passed a few measures, according to Hogan, including those phasing out PFAS in firefighter protective gear and increasing funds to MassDEP to provide support for PFAS testing.

Other lawmakers have filed varying forms of legislation this session aiming to address different PFAS-related issues. A delegation of Massachusetts lawmakers visited Maine in August in an attempt to better understand how the state tackled contamination caused by PFAS specifically related to sewage sludge on farms.

“Massachusetts, we like to be in the vanguard of public health, of environmental health and safety. We are no longer in the vanguard. I think there are 13 or 14 other states that have passed some form of legislation related to PFAS. So we’re losing ground a bit,” Cyr said.

Alaska, New Jersey and New Hampshire also recently passed laws specifically addressing PFAS used in firefighting equipment. States including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont have passed varying laws phasing out the use of PFAS.

New York State Police said a Massachusetts man charged with kidnapping and raping an underage girl in Steuben County was taken into custody after troopers staked out a location where he allegedly planned to have a second encounter with her.

On Oct. 8, Hornell-based state police arrested Estefan D. Henriquez, 29, of Lynn, Massachusetts. Henriquez was charged with two counts of felony second-degree rape, one count of sexually motivated second-degree kidnapping and one count of misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.

In an Oct. 10 news release, troopers said an ongoing investigation determined Henriquez had engaged in sexually explicit communications with a 14-year-old girl in Steuben County and made arrangements to travel from Massachusetts to meet with her.

Investigators learned Henriquez had previously met the victim in person in the town of Jasper and had sent numerous sexually explicit messages through a social media platform in the days leading up to his arrest.

Much of Massachusetts will be under a freeze, frost or flood warning overnight Thursday as the coldest air so far this season arrives via a high pressure system, according to the National Weather Service.

Widespread frost is expected, and many communities further inland are predicted to see freezing temperatures, the weather service said. Coastal areas, Cape Cod and Nantucket are the only regions not expected to experience frost.

Temperatures are predicted to reach their lowest point around sunrise on Friday, which will occur shortly before 7 a.m., according to the weather service. Both the freeze warning and frost advisory go into effect at 11 p.m. Thursday and end at 9 a.m. on Friday.

The freeze warning affects all of Berkshire, Bristol and Hampden Counties, as well as eastern Hampshire County, western Essex County, southern Worcester County, all but the northwestern-most tip of Middlesex County and Plymouth and Norfolk Counties aside from communities along the coast. Subfreezing temperatures as low as 25 degrees are expected in these areas.

The frost advisory affects areas of Plymouth, Norfolk, Essex and Suffolk Counties along the coast, as well as Martha’s Vineyard. Temperatures as low as 33 degrees are expected in these communities.

Residents living in areas affected by the freeze warning or advisory should take precautions to prevent crops or sensitive vegetation from the cold temperatures, which could damage or harm them, according to the weather service.

Daily highs on Friday are expected to reach the low 60s across Massachusetts amid sunny skies, according to the weather service. Overnight lows on Friday are predicted to dip into the low 40s and upper 30s.

Saturday is expected to be warmer, with highs in the mid 60s amid mostly sunny skies, according to the weather service. Overnight lows on Saturday are predicted to reach the low 50s and upper 40s in most the Massachusetts.

A chance of showers begins across the state after midnight on Sunday, according to the weather service. The rain is expected to continue through both Sunday and Monday amid daily highs in the low 60s and upper 50s and overnight lows in the upper 50s and low 40s.

A coastal flood watch is set to go into effect for areas around the Massachusetts coast beginning Sunday morning and lasting through late Monday night.