2022 hasn’t just proven to be a busy year for Beacon Hill; it’s also been a busy six months for communities in the Norfolk & Plymouth District.

After two years of postponed events and remote participation, loosening COVID guidelines meant we could once again celebrate many of our annual traditions in full. Abington, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, and Rockland all rang in the summer with a beautiful Memorial Day weekend filled with parades and music. Quincy’s Flag Day and Arts Fest celebrations drew big crowds of locals and visitors alike. The Town of Holbrook commemorated a very special 150th birthday with its sesquicentennial anniversary, and Abington and Braintree residents enjoyed summer concerts.  

This more relaxed return to normal has also meant that constituents living in the district have been coming back into the State House to visit, advocate, and share their thoughts regarding ongoing legislation. My office was lucky enough to host North Quincy High School’s championship quiz team and the school’s debate team. We also had a visit from Holbrook Middle-High School’s mock trial team. 

Among all the bills we have worked on so far this year, the Work & Family Mobility Act has perhaps drawn the most attention from advocates and community members. Endorsed by the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police Association, the AFL-CIO, The Boston Bar Foundation, The Irish International Immigrant Center Big City, District Attorneys, Sheriffs, and dozens of businesses and organizations, and supported by data showing its positive public safety impacts, this bill allows undocumented immigrants living in Massachusetts to apply for driver’s licenses in the same manner as others.

This legislation does not allow these new license holders to vote, but it will make the roadways we all share so much safer. Based on the success of similar bills in other states, Massachusetts will likely see a sharp dip in hit-and-runs and traffic fatalities as a result of this legislation. 

This summer also saw the Senate passing legislation to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts, opening the door for an influx of millions of dollars in new revenues for our state. My focus when working on this bill was to protect minors from exposure to sports betting advertising and to increase restrictions prohibiting minors from taking part in online gambling.  

In a year full of challenges for the Legislature to address, one of the most consistent topics of conversation has been public transportation. 2022 has been punctuated by ongoing headlines of accidents and injuries, particularly on the MBTA, giving the Transportation Committee, of which I am the Senate Vice-Chair, a lot to work on.

Change needs to take place. Exactly what that change will look like is still being determined. Through a series of oversight hearings, we are focusing on the most immediate areas of concern, the most important being safety. With this being an election year, we also have to take into account the many changes that will likely be implemented by whoever becomes our next governor. 

We need a public transportation infrastructure that is safe, reliable, and affordable. That is the bare minimum of what we must do, and work is already underway to meet this goal thanks to $1.5 billion in budget transfers to the MBTA included in the FY23 budget. Additionally, our spending plan includes another $266 million to further support safety improvements and workforce initiatives.  



As frustrating as ongoing closures are, they are a necessary inconvenience as we rebuild sections of our network that have fallen into disrepair. Roughly 2,400 feet of new track have already been installed since the Orange Line shutdown began. Approximately five miles of track were recently replaced along the Green Line’s E branch, with similar work scheduled for the D-branch later this fall.

The work is long overdue and will result in only a fraction of the needed improvements, but I am encouraged by the current efforts being made. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that the MBTA gets the attention and resources that it needs, and that the riders of the Commonwealth deserve.