Bringing Beacon Hill to You

It may have been the shortest month of the year, but we packed February with plenty of important debates on Beacon Hill and enlightening conversations in the district. Office hours and visits to cable access stations throughout the Norfolk & Plymouth District provided great opportunities to connect with folks on the local level, while debates over Senate and Joint rules allowed me to convey concerns about how we do work at the State House. 

Here’s a look at what I’ve been up to the past few weeks. 

At the start of each two-year legislative session, the Senate puts forward proposed rules to govern how it will conduct itself over the following months. The Senate and Joint rules debates took on a new degree of significance this time given the heightened public scrutiny over transparency and efficiency. These were the two issues I repeatedly raised during debate. 

In past sessions, the Joint Rules prohibited members of the Legislature from purchasing stocks or securities based on the privileged information they receive through their legislative work. This rule did not apply to legislators selling stocks.  

My amendment, which was adopted into the Senate’s proposed version of the Joint Rules, stipulates that legislators can neither purchase nor sell stocks based on information obtained as a result of their work, and extends this restriction to their immediate family members, who could potentially act on behalf of legislators. 

The principle of keeping personal financial gain as far from government and politics as possible may seem like an obvious one, but the current national political climate and activities in Washington are showing us otherwise. While I cannot control what goes on in Congress, please know I will do whatever I can to promote trust in our government here in Massachusetts.   



Current utility bills are too high. I’ve heard it from constituents during office hours, in emails, and phone calls, and from friends and family. Work has been done to address this problem, but we also need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.  

Following a directive from Gov. Maura Healey to the state’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU), several of the state’s largest utility companies were tasked with lowering their bills by at least 5% for March and April. Eversource and National Grid responded by unveiling proposals to drop their delivery fees by 10% for March and April.  

This cut will help many people struggling to heat their homes, but there are some important things to keep in mind. These price improvements will be offset by slightly higher bills during the off-peak months of May through October. Additionally, we need to do more to consider the root causes of this situation.  



I have joined colleagues in sending a letter to Massachusetts Attorney General asking her to investigate the rate increases. We should also consider finding ways to ensure Mass Save, the Commonwealth’s program to financially assist homeowners looking to make homes more efficient by way of better insulation, heating systems, products, and appliances, does not suffer along the way. Currently, a portion of delivery fees from utility companies goes toward supporting Mass Save. We need to prevent harmful rate increases and at the same time encourage people to make their homes more energy efficient.  

As you may recall, the Governor signed my budget amendment into law mandating the installation of publicly available naloxone at MBTA Red Line stations. This over-the-counter treatment for potentially fatal overdoses is now available at five Red Line stations where overdoses are statistically more likely to occur.  

Based on this past success, we are taking a bigger approach with a bill to require naloxone be made available at all T stations.  

We have all been touched by the opioid epidemic in different ways. I’m sure m Just last week, while waiting on the Downtown Crossing station for a Red Line train home after work, I observed discarded needles on the track, showing, unfortunately, that drug use does occur in MBTA stations. Many reading this newsletter have seen individuals in public spaces under the influence of narcotics, or even in need of some form of resuscitation. It’s one of the cruel realities of our day-to-day life. Addiction isn’t something we will ever fully stamp out, but we can change how we handle it. Keeping people alive long enough to enter recovery is a big part of dealing with addiction. 

If this legislation is passed, we would see boxes containing naloxone placed at stations much in the same way we see fire extinguishers and heart defibrillators available in public spaces. These boxes will be regularly monitored and resupplied, and there is little concern of abuse as naloxone is not addictive. This would be a simple change. And it will save lives.  



As someone who represents six distinct communities, I make a point to meet with the people from all across the district as regularly as possible. In recent weeks, I’ve been back and forth across Abington, Braintree, Hanover, Holbrook, Rockland, and Quincy, hosting office hours where I can talk one-on-one with constituents, dropping by senior centers, meeting with local elected officials, attending community events, and visiting local cable access stations to answer questions on state and municipal issues.

I enjoyed hearing from constituents about concerns ranging from housing, migrants, transportation and the opioid crisis, to what we can do at the state level to support local residents in response to what’s happening in Washington. Thank you to all the folks who stopped by to talk! For anyone who could not attend, I recommend watching my recent interview on your local cable access channel. I visited with all of them this month, with the exception of Holbrook, but I hope to get there soon.  

In Hanover I met again with members of the Route 139 Action Committee to discuss MassDOT’s most recent proposal for the project, and I look forward to following up with Committee members in the Spring to ensure community concerns and ideas are considered by DOT. I also recently met with Hanover’s veterans service officer to discuss proposals he has to help those who served our nation. 

I enjoyed spending some time with students at Braintree High School as part of their National Honor Society’s leadership speaker’s series. Any time I get to check in with younger people who are interested in government is a good day, and this one was especially good. During times like these, I draw so much inspiration from the younger generations who care and want to be involved. 

A big thank-you is once again owed to Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. for hosting another fantastic Lunar New Year Festival. We kicked off the year of the snake at North Quincy High School with some great music and performances, an annual tradition I’ve really come to love.  

The State House celebrated Black History Month with the Black Excellence on the Hill Awards, an opportunity for legislators to recognize Black constituents making extraordinary contributions. This year I nominated the Chair of the Hanover Select Board, Vanessa O’Connor, an exemplary public servant and advocate for her community for so many years. 

It's almost time to get back out on the water!

Commuter ferry service is about to return to Quincy, and with some great new additions. The MBTA just announced that weekday service from Marina Bay will resume Monday, April 28. Unlike previous years, Quincy ferrys will now be available directly to Boston, cutting down on travel times even more. Weekend service is scheduled to begin Saturday, May 24.

To anyone living in or around Quincy who commutes into Boston, this is a real hidden gem. It costs only $6.25 per ride and is comparatively much faster than travelling by car. You don't have to worry about parking, traffic, or accidents, and personally, I find it very relaxing.

The more people use this service, the more we can expand it. The more we expand it, the better it will be for everyone's transportation experiences.