BOSTON - The heavily scrutinized right-to-shelter law in Massachusetts would change significantly under a new proposal shared by Gov. Maura Healey Wednesday. The policy that became law in 1983 guarantees emergency housing to homeless families and pregnant women.

Governor Maura Healey said the right-to-shelter laws' “original intent” was not to cover the “waves and waves of people,” including migrant families, who have come into the state in recent years.

The proposal comes a day before her State of the Commonwealth address and as Republicans are seeking greater oversight of the troubled system.

The "changes are appropriate and needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the state shelter system," Gov. Maura Healey said Wednesday.

"I believe these changes are appropriate and needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the state shelter system," she said.

The Bay State will spend upwards of $8 billion over the next ten years improving its roads, bridges and regional transportation services if a proposal announced by the governor Tuesday is passed by the legislature.

The governor of Massachusetts on Wednesday proposed that at least one member of a family staying in emergency shelters be in the country legally, hardening her stance at a time when concerns are being raised about the safety at the facilties.

Gov. Maura Healey proposed a series of major changes to state-run emergency shelters Wednesday that attempt to cordon off the maxed-out system from individuals who are not Massachusetts residents, including by implementing a three-month residency requirement.