Greetings,

The news coming from Washington D.C. is terrifying.

Every day, our team endeavors to meet this moment with policy and budget work, constituent engagement, and organizing strategies that are equal to this dangerous and volatile time.

I wrote to you in December that I believe our efforts at the state level must do three things all at once: protect and defend our people and Commonwealth, maximize the regional equity momentum we’ve built, and still find time to push forward innovative and transformative legislation — demonstrating what’s possible to other states and to the federal government.

I won’t minimize the havoc we’re seeing — the frightened constituents or the negative impacts on services, the state’s economy, and people's lives as a result of a dangerous president and his administration. 

But I promise you this: We’re fighting on all levels. We will remain as connected as possible to our communities and our federal delegation to weather this time. 

And we will keep relying on you to let us know how we can help and how we can do better. 

While I wish the days were three times as long, I’ve never been prouder of my team and their unwavering commitment to our region.

There’s no roadmap. No existing playbook. It’s on all of us to stay engaged and vigilant.

Let’s get into it.

TL;DR (that's a "too long; didn't read" digest)

• Celebrating Gloria Matlock and Black Excellence on the Hill
• Hearing your co-sponsorship priorities
• Receiving committee assignments 
• Senate and Joint rules have cleared the first hurdles
• Providing funding for the emergency assistance shelter system 
• Fighting back to stop outrageous heating bills
• Advocating for remote meeting provisions 
• Supporting grandparents raising grandchildren 
• Pushing back against the draft FirstLight water quality certificate
• Celebrating effective constituent advocacy
• Launching Cup o’ Jo podcast 
• Engaging constituents on immigrant and refugee rights 
• New flag, seal, and motto for the Commonwealth
• Additional ways to engage
• My team and I were out and about 
• Recognizing the importance of regional colleagues and partnership

Celebrating Black Excellence on Beacon Hill

The Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus holds an annual event to celebrate Black excellence. This year, Representative Natalie Blais and I asked our colleagues to recognize and honor Gloria Matlock.

Gloria is the founder and director of Twice as Smart and Música Franklin, two inspired student-centered programs that enrich the lives of young people in Franklin County — academically and musically.

Here’s what Gloria has to say about her transformational work:

Witnessing our students thrive and become active citizens has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. This passion drives me to open my heart and home to students who aspire to achieve higher academic standards while participating in civic activities and music performances. My true motivation lies in helping these students understand the role they play in their communities’ growth and development. I am committed to continuing this work, nurturing the potential of every child through the gift of music and education. 

Join me in cheering for Gloria!

An update on co-sponsorship

In my last letter, I shared that legislators filed more than 6,800 bills for the 2025-2026 legislative session. Since then, we have heard from over 400 constituents via phone, email, district events, and State House office visits letting us know about smart bills they support that weren’t yet on our radar and asking me to co-sponsor. (Co-sponsoring means signing my name onto a bill filed by a colleague, publicly endorsing that bill.) 

Find the list of all the bills I am co-sponsoring this session here. (Note: If you don’t see a bill listed, it could be that we’ve asked to co-sponsor, but the request has not yet been processed, so please just check in.)

My team and I are continuing to consider legislation, so please email jo.comerford@masenate.gov to let us know the bills you’re supporting.  

Committee assignments are out. What happens next?

Each legislative session, legislators receive new committee assignments. You can find a comprehensive update here. This session (2025-2026), I’ve been appointed to the following committees:

Last session, as Senate Chair of the Committee on Higher Education, we made community college universally free and invested majorly in financial aid for four-year colleges and universities. I am pleased to return as Chair this session to continue working on faculty and staff salaries, college affordability and student completion, college infrastructure, transfer between two and four-year schools, FAFSA completion, and helping our higher education institutions navigate potential federal changes.

As Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, I will be well-positioned to drive work on budgets and any bill that costs money — work that will be much harder and more complex given the state’s slowing revenue growth and the perilous and uncertain federal landscape. 

Work on the fiscal year budget begins for the legislature with a series of eight Ways and Means hearings across the Commonwealth. (See the graphic below.) For the last two years, I’ve had the ability to bring the Committee to our region and we’re coming back again this year. Join us at the University of Massachusetts on March 24 as we dive into the education and local aid sections of the budget. More updates to come.

Rules, rules, rules: Across the finish line

On February 13, the Senate debated and passed the rules that govern the way we operate for the 2025-2026 legislative session. 

The Senate President appointed me to serve on the committee that developed this rules proposal, where I advocated for transparency, accountability, accessibility, efficiency, and productivity — having heard a clarion call from constituents. I summarized my work here. 

The final rules package includes the following: 

• All votes taken by Senators in committees — as well as testimony submitted to Senators (excluding sensitive personal information) — will be made public. 
• Every bill before the Legislature will now include a summary so you don’t have to parse legalese to understand the bill’s impact. 
• To ensure legislators and the public have more time to gear up for hearings, the Senate proposed a minimum of five days' notice in advance of a bill hearing.

Note that I have always posted my votes on my website, as well as summaries of the bills my team and I file. You can view my votes here (there have not been any committee votes yet this session) and summaries of our bills are available here.

The Senate’s rules have been adopted. The Joint Rules, which govern the interactions between the House and Senate, will be brokered between the two branches. The House has some good proposals of its own, and I look forward to the new Joint Rules going into effect as soon as possible.

Reforming the emergency assistance shelter system

On February 12, I voted Yes on a supplemental budget to provide additional funding for the emergency assistance shelter program. 

The bill contained some limits on who is eligible for the emergency assistance shelter program and how long they can remain in the shelter program. 

I would have much preferred that the final legislation included fewer barriers for families to access shelter, with more onus placed on the state to secure stable housing for people who are currently in shelter and to track and report on outcomes and program efficacy. The limits in the final bill represent the compromise necessary to ensure that we could pass the funding.

Much more work on shelter policy will be done in the FY26 budget. 

Here at home, we’re seeing hotel shelters close and families transition to housing in our region — as their children attend our public schools and as the adults fill long-empty jobs. Nothing about this is easy or simple, but if we look for them and if we’re open to seeing them, there are countless moving stories to be told.

Gratitude to the social service providers, educators, school officials, municipalities, employers, and all who have put their hearts, minds, and sweat equity into this work. Our future is uncertain because of federal actions, so we’ll all have to stay dialed in.

Outrageous heating and energy bills

We have heard from rightfully angry constituents daily about their exorbitant winter energy bills from Eversource and National Grid — with delivery charges in some cases being significantly higher than the usage charges. Constituents are making impossible decisions between heating their homes and buying food or medications. 

For three sessions, I have filed An Act protecting consumers from unreasonable utility rate increases with Representative Blais. Our bill prohibits the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) from approving any rates that would result in a utility earning a higher profit than what is allowed in neighboring states.

On February 14, I joined colleagues to write to the DPU and demand it address these outrageous bills. Read the letter, led by Senator Jake Oliveira, here. 

You may have heard that the DPU ordered a minimum 5% reduction in gas bills starting in March, however, DPU has also proposed to allow those costs to be recovered during the summer — plus interest. No. Way.

We’re pushing hard to pass our legislation and codify — once and for all — a prohibition on exorbitant energy rates. 

Remote meeting provisions

My team and I have been speaking with municipal officials from across our district — all of whom are asking that the remote public meeting provisions which enable hybrid and remote participation get extended past the March 31 expiration date.

And we’ve been listening. Since the first weeks of the legislative session, I have been engaging with Senate leadership — asking that remote municipal meeting options be extended and that the Legislature acts as quickly as possible to save municipalities and volunteer committees any extra stress. (Have mercy. They don’t need any more.)

I will keep pushing. 

Coming together to support grandparents as guardians

On February 10, I partnered with Representative Blais, Congressman Jim McGovern, and The United Arc to host a discussion with grandparents from Franklin County who are raising their grandchildren. 

The United Arc Director Fred Warren provided a welcome, and then I helped to facilitate a conversation between state and federal agency experts and grandparents. The event began with the personal stories of two grandparent speakers, Sandra Vecchio and Karen Gardner, which helped illustrate the numerous and pressing challenges that grandparents face when raising grandchildren. 

Their stories were followed by responses from the Child Advocate Maria Mossaides, representatives from the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and from the Social Security Administration, each of whom spoke to the programs and resources that their offices offer. Yet, as many resources as there are, systemic communication and coordination challenges abound. 

I’m grateful to the grandparents and organization representatives who joined this meeting, and my team and I are all in to join them in the necessary work that’s still to come to improve services and outcomes for grandparents and grandchildren.

Democracy in action: FirstLight relicensing hearing

On February 19, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) hosted a public hearing on the draft Water Quality Certification which is part of relicensing process for FirstLight Power. We have been engaged for almost five years now on this relicensing process, thanks to advocates who made it clear from the jump that this relicensing affects miles and miles of the Connecticut River in our district— from Northampton to Northfield.

I joined Representative Blais and many constituents at Greenfield Community College to advocate for much stronger protections for our environment than are currently embodied in MassDEP’s draft Water Quality Certification, which regional experts believe does not yet meet federal water quality standards. 

Read my full comment which I submitted along with Representative Blais and Representative Mindy Domb, here. 

We’re not stopping. We’ve spoken with Governor Maura Healey, Congressman Jim McGovern, Senator Ed Markey’s team, Energy and Environment Secretary Rebecca Tepper — and we’re meeting soon with MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple.

Feeling the people power throughout February

February was punctuated with passionate and hope-filled constituent advocacy. 

I summarize the second week of this tidal surge here. Multiply this advocacy by four, and that is what February looked like in the State House and the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district.

Take a look at some of the great moments in the State House from February:

'Cup o' Jo' gets underway

This month, I kicked off a new podcast called Cup o’ Jo, a conversation-based show where I speak with leading experts on timely policy and budget issues. It’s a new way for our team to engage constituents and get you the information that you deserve. 

I started this series on February 4 with Senator Cindy Friedman. We discussed the two critical health care bills Senator Friedman helped pass into law at the end of 2024 and talked about the work ahead this session with respect to primary care.

Catch up on my conversation with Senator Friedman here. 

On February 26, I Zoomed with Senator Jason Lewis, to discuss K-12 education funding and policy reform.

We covered everything from the launch of the Joint Committee on Education to the major funding reforms needed for school districts like those in our region. 

Watch my conversation with Senator Lewis here. 

Stay tuned for more conversations, and let me know who you want to hear from by emailing me at jo.comerford@masenate.gov.

A briefing on immigrant and refugee rights

On the evening of March 4, I partnered with Representative Domb to host the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), legislative colleagues, and immigration experts to brief community members on state legislation and timely actions to support immigrants and refugees in Massachusetts.

Here is the recording of the briefing. 

Onward to a new flag, seal, and motto for the Commonwealth

In last year’s budget, I worked with Senator Lewis to establish an advisory commission, reporting to the Governor, to complete the work of drafting a new state motto and choosing new designs for our state’s flag and seal. We also secured a $100,000 appropriation to facilitate the commission’s efforts. I spoke on the Senate floor during debate about my unequivocal support for this next — and what I believe will be the final — push.

But, as I say all the time, it’s not ever enough to pass a law, we have to see it through. So I’ve been pressing for the commission to begin its work and just sent a letter with Senator Lewis to the named co-Chairs to let them know of my ongoing support and hope for this work.

You can read it here.

Ways to engage

• Office hours in March 2025
• Director of Constituent Services Jessie Cooley will be hosting remote office hours in March via Zoom on Tuesday, March 11 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sign up here. Thanks to Jessie for leading.
• If you are interested in receiving emails from our office with updates and opportunities to engage in specific areas of our work, fill out the form here and indicate your policy topics of interest.

Out and about

As always, we’re only able to share a few highlights of the past month. But as you scroll through, please know that my team and I have also attended legislative briefings at UMass Amherst, Greenfield Community College, and the Department of Developmental Services Holyoke office; met with the Board of Directors at LifePath; spoke with providers at the Human Service Forum annual gathering; cheered the opening of Community Legal Aid’s Greenfield office; attended a Montague Selectboard meeting; attended a donor appreciation event at Forbes Library in Northampton; and much more. 

On February 25, I joined Senator Peter Durant in Hardwick to speak with municipal officials from New Salem, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Shutesbury, Barre, Hardwick, and Ware about the bill I filed with Representative Aaron Saunders — An Act relative to the Quabbin watershed and regional equity.

Together, we're working to make sure Boston understands that we need just recompense for our communities' work and service in the watershed.

I'm grateful to Justine Caggiano, Town Administrator from Hardwick, who organized the pretty darn historic and inspirational meeting and to everyone in the room for the robust and energizing conversation.

#StrongerTogether for regional equity in western and central Mass.

On February 27, I joined Governor Healey in Conway, alongside Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, Representative Blais, and Senator Paul Mark for a transportation roadshow event. Most of the Franklin County towns in my district were represented. This discussion, expertly facilitated and framed by Franklin Regional Council of Government’s executive director Linda Dunlavy, highlighted the recently proposed $8 billion transportation funding plan, with special attention paid to changes that specifically benefit rural communities. 

Kudos to this Administration for listening to the lifetimes of inequities — and there’s much, much more that’s needed to right historic wrongs. But we’re gaining some ground and we’ll keep pushing forward. 

While I was out west meeting with the Governor, Lieutenant James Sullivan of the UMass Amherst Police Department was in the building attending a press conference for a bill Senator Jake Oliveira filed and I co-sponsored to ensure campus police officers, among others, have access to the same benefits for those living with heart disease as any other police officer. 

On February 28, I joined Congressman McGovern, Representatives Blais, Saunders, and Barrett; staff from the offices of Representative Domb, Senator Mark, Senator Warren, and Senator Markey; Greenfield Mayor Ginny Desorgher; Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski; and dozens more at the Olver Transit Center for a packed-room briefing from MassDOT Secretary Tibbits-Nutt and representatives from the Rail and Transit Division on the progress made on Northern Tier Passenger Rail.

MassDOT has committed to continuing work to move the project forward, including readying a federal application. (Of course there are many unknowns and potential upsets, but we’ll navigate them in the weeks and years to come. What’s important is that through HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of calls and emails over many months to the Governor, western and central Mass voices have been heard.)

A recognition of Anne, Kristen, Linda, and Jessye

Western and north central Mass are hours from Boston. There are fewer of us out here, and our needs and opportunities can be too easily overlooked. But then along comes Western Massachusetts Director for Governor Healey Kristen Elechko; Rural Affairs Director Anne Gobi; FRCOG Executive Director Linda Dunlavy; and Franklin County Chamber and Regional Tourism Council Executive Director Jessye Deane. These women are unparalleled forces of nature — leading, bolstering, advising, and strategizing with the delegation every day, both with regard to the big picture and on specific projects.

Our team couldn’t work without them and we wanted to send big <3 and cheers for all they do.

In closing: Struggle

I struggled with this newsletter as I know that many constituents are consumed with the horror of national news. My team and I are as well, but we also have responsibilities at the state level that we must see through. And we believe it’s our job to engage our constituents in what’s happening in our region and across the Commonwealth. 

Please know that we’re trying to find the right balance between our own federal advocacy and holding our state accountable to do much better for our people.

We’ll end here and send our love to you. 

Onward, 

Jo, Jared, Jessie, Elena, Rachel, and Katelyn 

P.S. It's really hard to believe. This month marks the five year anniversary of the formal onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our team will be sharing much more about the work we've done over the last five years to strengthen health equity and local and regional public health. For now, join me in celebrating and thanking local officials in western and central Mass whose work is on display in the State House in an exhibit titled Public Health Saves Lives.

P.P.S. For timely updates, you can always follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky (no longer Twitter/X), and LinkedIn. Never hesitate to email jo.comerford@masenate.gov to let me know what matters most to you.

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