Big day today:

The Senate Ways and Means Committee will release its budget , triggering a full-court press focused on local, regional, and state-wide amendments and funding.

And the Joint Committee on Public Health , where I'm the Senate chair, is also holding its first hearing of the session focused on important bills coming back from last session, like the Prevention Wellness Trust Fund and one focused on strengthening local health systems.

Our Senate team has been engaged in budget preparation for weeks, digging in to shape issues ranging from education to transportation and more. Lots more. For example, in April we worked with the Collaborative for Educational Services to bring the House and Senate chairs of the Education Committee to western Massachusetts for two productive meetings with school superintendents, school committee members, educators, and advocates. (The photo below captures the end of the Chairs' meeting with school officials and Reps. Blais, Carey, and Domb.)
What else?

  • The legislature has scored some wins in the last weeks, passing an override to lift the so-called 'family cap' and passing a ban on conversion therapy. The Senate also passed the gender ID bill I filed, which is one of the most sweeping LGBT civil rights bills in the nation. (The picture at the top is of a press conference immediately following the passage with Senate President Karen Spilka and my colleague Senator Julian Cyr.) I dedicated my inaugural remarks to this legislation. You can watch my speech on the Senate floor here.




  • As Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, I've heard bills on campus sexual assault and presented the Cherish Act, which restores cuts to public higher education. As a member of the Revenue Committee, I've participated in a Fair Share Amendment hearing. As a member of the Committee on Cannabis Policy, I've participated in a hearing on growing hemp, which would benefit our local farmers. And as a member of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, I've participated in an oversight hearing on the Global Warming Solutions Act. (Check out a few pictures from those hearings, below the P.S.)

There's so much more. If you're on Facebook and/or Twitter, I post there regularly. You can also always check out the People's Blog, here.

Sending warmest wishes on this spring day,
P.S. Wishing the blessings of Ramadan to all those who are celebrating. (Below, District Director Elena Cohen and I visited the Hampshire Mosque last week for Friday prayers. Pictured with members of the community.)
Senator Jo Comerford
State House, Room 70C
Boston, MA 02133
Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov
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