Massachusetts lawmakers plan to vote today on a proposal to limit immigration enforcement and bolster protections for immigrants.

The big picture: The proposal would codify due process protections for immigrants, including Haitians who recently lost Temporary Protected Status, at a time when federal agents are reportedly ramping up immigration enforcement.

Driving the news: A panel of House and Senate lawmakers announced a deal on the bill, known as the PROTECT Act, Wednesday.

• The legislation would codify and expand on protections enshrined in the 2017 Lunn decision, barring police from detaining people solely on civil immigration violations or asking about their immigration status in most cases.
• It would also codify protections for immigrants in "sensitive locations" like churches, schools, daycares and hospitals and includes other provisions that immigrant rights advocates have spent years pushing for on Beacon Hill.

What they're saying: "The hour for studies has passed. The hour for speeches? Passed. The hour for political calculation? Passed," said Daphne Germain-Laroche, an associate pastor at the New Covenant Church of Cambridge in Waltham, before learning about the deal.

• After hearing from lawmakers, Germain-Laroche tells Axios she's cautiously hopeful but will need to see what's in the final bill.

Threat level: The Massachusetts Senior Care Association estimates that 2,000 of its members will lose their jobs as a result of TPS expiring for Haiti.

• Thousands more work in health care and other industries.
• Fewer families are going to church or taking their children to school, says Rev. Dr. Dieufort Fleurissaint, also known as Pastor Keke.

The fine print: The fate of TPS for Haiti remains uncertain, with lawyers and the Department of Homeland Security arguing over whether the designation actually expired on Monday.

• It was the U.S. Supreme Court's self-imposed deadline to send its judgment remanding the TPS case to a federal appeals court after its ruling in June, but the court has blown past that deadline.

Reality check: Even with a new law in place, Massachusetts officials can't stop federal agents from trying to detain immigrants on civil infractions.

• "Whether we like it or not, we're in a harm-reduction mode here," says state Rep. Andy Vargas, chair of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.

What we're watching: State officials, employers and organizations like Mass Senior Care are trying to get clarity on whether TPS really expired.

• In the meantime, they're pushing for congressional intervention, says Tara Gregorio, Mass Senior Care's president.

Spread the word

Earth Funeral, a human composting company, plans to expand into Massachusetts, Axios confirmed.

The big picture: While some companies are moving out of Massachusetts, Earth Funeral wants to break into the Bay State — as long as lawmakers legalize its work.

State of play: Human composting could be the next frontier for funeral services in a state pressed for space, but its future hinges on whether lawmakers plan to update state burial laws.

• Two Western Mass. lawmakers, Rep. Paul Mark and Sen. Jake Oliveira, filed a bill to do that, and it was voted out of the Public Health Committee and sent to Senate Ways & Means in January.

How it works: Human composting, or "natural organic reduction," is when a corpse is converted into nutrient-rich soil over a 45-day period.

• Earth Funeral conducts the process in stainless steel vessels using renewable energy.
• The company tests the soil to ensure it's below the federal limits for pathogen levels before clearing it for environmental use.
• From there, loved ones can take home the soil, share it with others and spread it in meaningful places, like a memorial garden, per a press release.

What they're saying: "We created Earth Funeral because we wanted to help others make their last act on Earth good for the planet," CEO Tom Harries said in a press release.

• He calls the process, which relies on renewable energy, a natural alternative to burial and cremation.

Zoom out: Earth Funeral got its start in Washington and has expanded to Nevada and Maryland.

Tell an environmentally conscious friend

Boston Scientific, a Marlborough-based medical device firm, lowered its sales growth projection for 2026 and expects layoffs to happen. (BBJ)

The ACLU of Massachusetts is suing the Department of Defense for sending active-duty military judges to preside over federal immigration courts. (GBH News)

Police accused a Beacon Hill man of calling in a bomb threat Tuesday at the AMC Theatre near the Boston Common, showing sharpened chopsticks and then threatening the manager. (WCVB)

• A judge ordered Christopher McFadden to go to Suffolk County Jail unless he comes up with $10,000 in cash bail and, if he does, to undergo drug screenings and mental health evaluations.

Boston-based architecture firm MASS was selected to transform a former Confederate monument in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Banner)

Some of Boston's leading burn doctors are seeing steady, serious burn injuries tied to a viral trend of microwaving gel-filled fidget toys.

Why it matters: Shriners Children's Boston reports treating at least one patient with burns related to microwaving the toys each week over the past six months.

• They say cases are rising as kids spend more time at home over the summer.

State of play: The Shriners doctors say microwaving these toys for as little as 15 seconds can superheat the internal gel. It can expand and rupture the silicone shell, spraying hot gel onto skin like hot glue.

Between the lines: Knockoff versions of the spinners raise added risk.

• Health care providers say cheaper toys may use unpredictable internal compounds that make ruptures, deeper burns and chemical exposure more likely.
• Heat isn't the only danger. Leaving toys in hot cars, or freezing them, can crack the shell and release corrosive gel onto skin or eyes.

Go deeper

👋🏼 Steph here. I finally tried All'Antico Vinaio, the Florentine sandwich shop, at its second Boston location.

What I got: L'Inferno, a massive sandwich with porchetta, nduja, spicy eggplant, spicy zucchini and arugula.

My six-word review: The freshest sandwich I've had recently.