Greetings,

In April, I wrote to you that I was like a grizzly bear in this time of great upheaval. Many of you wrote back that I was actually a momma grizzly, which are generally more protective and unrelenting. So be it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the purpose of these letters to you. As you know, I believe that my job is to engage constituents as deeply as possible in the work of the state, because when you’re informed, there’s nothing stopping you. (Or me and our team for that matter, as we’re as strong as all of our constituents who care about an issue combined.)

But in this time, I must also share the impact of federal actions. Right now the suffering in all corners of our district is profound. Constituents are afraid for their safety. Terrified for their families, friends, and neighbors. They’re worried about retaining their health care. Their nonprofits, campuses, farms, and small businesses are compromised because of federal cuts and rising tariff-related costs.

Equal to the current suffering and chaos is the dread and anxiety about what may come next. 

Not all federal funding cuts are immediately evident. Many will affect future projects, now derailed. Disaster preparedness that won’t happen. Public health resources that won’t exist. Cancer and Alzheimer's research that won’t continue. A market for farm produce that’s no longer available. 

They represent a future foregone. For now. 

***

In April I wrote to you about the Senate’s Response 2025 initiative. You’ll see some of this work show up in the Fair Share supplemental budget, through investments in transportation and higher education — as federal cuts threaten crucial forward momentum. (More on that below.) Similarly, the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget will fully restore funding for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), a lifeline for food security and farmers — as the federal Supplemental Nutritional Food Assistance Program (SNAP) is threatened and local Farm to School grants are cut. 

As we continue to respond strategically to federal funding cuts and craft necessary policy change, I’ll do my best to make these kinds of decisions clear, so you can better understand the Senate’s efforts to help in the wake of actual or anticipated federal losses.

Let’s get into it.

But FIRST our entire team sends love and appreciation to the educators working and living in our district, in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week!

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

• In Memoriam: Honoring the life of Molly McGovern 
• Update on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and Fair Share funding 
• Committee hearings on bills we care about
• Ensuring a fair share for western Massachusetts in the PILOT formula
• Forging pathways to rural prosperity  
• Preserving our natural resources: the Quabbin and beyond 
• Strengthening the judicial system in western and central Massachusetts
• What comes next for the FirstLight Power relicensing process
• Celebrating one year of blue envelopes in Massachusetts
• Timely and important ways to engage
• My team and I were out and about

In Memoriam: Honoring the life of Molly McGovern

My team and I are sending every ounce of love we have to Congressman Jim McGovern, his wife Lisa, and their son Patrick as they mourn the loss of their daughter and sister, Molly McGovern. Molly was a beautiful, fierce human. May her memory forever be a blessing. More on her life here. Both the wake and the service in celebration of Molly’s life were deeply moving, as was seeing so many from western and central Massachusetts in attendance.

Fiscal Year 2026 budget and Fair Share budget

Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget: 

In the last newsletter, I wrote about six Joint Committee on Ways and Means hearings, held across the Commonwealth in March to consider Governor Healey’s FY26 proposal. 

The Committee held the final two hearings on April 6 and 7. On April 6 in Attleboro, we heard from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. At this hearing I pressed for answers on proposed cuts to the Department of Mental Health, with a focus on case managers, and the possible closure of a program run by Cutchins Programs for Children and Families.

On April 7, we were in the State House to hear from the public. I joined Representatives Mindy Domb and Lindsay Sabadosa to welcome Amherst and Northampton High School students, where they demanded equitable funding for regional, rural, and declining enrollment school districts. 

This video captures a snippet of the testimony from the Amherst students. 

The Northampton students are pictured below. 

Join me in cheering for these students as they use their voices to advocate for education funding reform!

The House just debated and finalized its FY26 budget proposal, and on May 6, the Senate Ways and Means Committee released its FY26 budget proposal.

As Vice Chair of the Committee, through the hearings described above and over months' worth of meetings, it was an honor to grapple with these difficult spending decisions on behalf of constituents and the Commonwealth. You can read a summary of the Committee’s proposal here.

This FY26 budget proposal restores full Healthy Incentives Program benefits, it continues a commitment to public education (yet we must do more), it increases aid to municipalities across the board — all while avoiding potentially devastating cuts to health care and mental and public health services.

The graphic below highlights (with a red star) where we are in the process: 

Fair Share surplus supplemental budget: 

On May 1, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means released our version of a supplemental budget to allocate $1.3 billion in surplus revenue from the Fair Share amendment. 



My team and I have been working on this supplemental budget for months, pressing for regional equity. The Governor’s proposal would have allocated 90% of transportation spending to the MBTA, and only 2.9% to regional transit authorities (RTA).

That was just not fair enough for me. You can watch my pointed exchange with the Transportation and Administration and Finance Secretaries during an April 3 Ways and Means hearing here.

I’m heartened that our calls for equity have been heard. The Senate Ways and Means Committee’s Fair Share supplemental budget proposes: 

• $175 million for higher education deferred maintenance, including $10 million specifically for lab resources for community colleges and $10 million specifically for an expansion of the UMass Amherst school of nursing training center.

• Transportation funding:
• $50 million for improvements to equipment and facilities at Regional Transit Authorities;
• $25 million to improve workforce recruitment and retention at the RTAs;
• $10 million for on-demand micro-transit shuttles and last mile grants to foster innovation in a multimodal transit system; 
• $25 million for small bridges and culverts; and
• $165 million for supplemental Chapter 90 funding, including $82.5 million to be distributed based on a road-miles only formula.

• $248 million in additional funding for special education, including circuit breaker reimbursements to local school districts.

• $100 million to expand capacity and accommodate additional career and technical education opportunities focused on vocational schools.

We’ll vote on this supplemental budget in the Senate on May 8, and then it will need to be reconciled with the House’s proposal before a final bill can be sent to the Governor.

Bill hearings and advocacy in full swing

Public hearings on bills that have been filed this session are well underway, and will continue throughout the summer and fall. 

If you would like to be notified about opportunities to testify on legislation, sign up here to be added to an email list corresponding with your priority issue area(s). 

I’ll share just a few highlights.

Encouraging food donations

On April 8, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard a bill I filed in partnership with Representative Hannah Kane, S.1043/H.3154 – An Act encouraging the donation of food to persons in need. 

Food insecurity levels across the Commonwealth remain high, with one in three households reporting experiencing food insecurity. At the same time, food waste accounts for more than one fifth of Massachusetts’ trash. 

Many farmers want to donate their excess crops, but donating excess crops requires storage, time, and labor, all of which cost money. 

The bill facilitates the donation of food from farms, grocery stores, and restaurants by extending liability protections to allow for direct food donations, and creates a tax credit of up to $25,000 for the donation of food to non-profit organizations.

Read my joint testimony with Representative Kane here. 

Toxic-free kids

On April 29, I testified before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure in support of a bill I filed in partnership with Representative Jim Hawkins, S.195/H.384 – An Act relative to toxic-free kids. 

Young children are particularly vulnerable to chemical exposures, including an increased risk of the development of cancer and other disabling health conditions. 

The bill requires the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Toxic Use Reduction Institute to create a list of toxic chemicals to be prohibited in any children’s product, and it establishes processes to ensure that manufacturers report on and remove any toxic chemicals in their children’s products. The bill also bans PFAS from being intentionally added to any children’s product, ensuring that children are safe from these toxic, forever chemicals. 

In a time of dangerous deregulation at the federal level, Massachusetts must act to protect our residents.

Read my testimony here and watch my testimony here. 

Decommissioning and recycling solar and batteries

On May 6, the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard a bill I filed in partnership with Representative Natalie Blais, S.550/H.904 – An Act relative to solar and battery decommissioning and recycling. 

Solar panels and batteries contain metals and chemicals like silicon, cadmium, copper, lithium, and more. 

Massachusetts is counting on solar and battery facilities to help meet its renewable energy goals and emission reduction requirements, but the Commonwealth does not have a plan for decommissioning or recycling this infrastructure. 

The bill directs MassDEP, in collaboration with a stakeholder working group, to develop a statewide plan with preferred methods for managing solar and battery end-of-life, including reuse, refurbishment, recycling, and procedures for the disposal of any hazardous waste. The bill also tasks the working group with considering whether any fees on installers or manufacturer take-back programs are needed to help decommission and recycle retired systems. 

Read my testimony here. 

Rethinking sewage sludge

For decades, sewage sludge — a byproduct of wastewater treatment — has been promoted as a safe, sustainable fertilizer. But striking evidence shows that spreading sewage sludge can poison farmland, food, and water with toxins like PFAS (‘forever chemicals’), microplastics, and other dangerous household and industrial contaminants.

On April 30, the Coalition for Sludge Free Land — a new national alliance working to end the land application of sewage sludge and sludge-derived products — held a webinar launching this new national coalition. The coalition is calling for urgent action to protect water, soil, food, farms, and communities from toxic contamination.

This session I filed a bill in partnership with Representative James Arena-DeRosa, S.56/H.109 An Act protecting our soil and farms from PFAS contamination, to prohibit the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer and strengthen liability protections for farmers.

Learn more about the coalition launch here. Watch the full coalition launch here.

Launching the Indigenous Legislative Agenda

On May 12 at 1 p.m. you are invited to help launch the Indigenous Legislative Agenda. The event will take place in Room 428 of the State House, but you can also join via Zoom here. 

Our team is honored to be the lead Senate office on bills to prohibit Native mascots and to establish Indigenous Peoples Day.

Speakers will include Indigenous leaders from across the Commonwealth representing Massachusetts Tribal Nations, the Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda, the North American Indian Center of Boston, the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs, the Massachusetts Mascot Coalition Steering Committee, and other key stakeholders who will speak to the impact of the Agenda’s bills, including: 

• An Act prohibiting the use of Native American mascots by public schools in the Commonwealth (H.575/S.312) 
• An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day (H.3292/ S.2113)
• An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American cultures and history (H.628/ S.444)
• An Act providing for the creation of a permanent commission relative to the education of American Indian and Alaska Native residents of the Commonwealth (H.649/S.412)
• An Act to protect Native American Heritage (H.3597/S.2335)

We will also provide an update on the progress made to date on the important work of the Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission.

Learn more about the Indigenous Legislative Agenda here: http://maindigenousagenda.org/.  

Hope to see you there!

Ensuring financial equity for western and north central Massachusetts in the PILOT formula

On April 25, Representative Blais and I sent a letter to Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll pushing for them to include reforms to the State-Owned Land Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) reimbursement formula in the Governor’s forthcoming Environmental Bond Bill. 

This letter builds on the many, many meetings and conversations we’ve had with the Administration over the last two years.

More than twenty-two percent of the land in my 782 square mile district is owned by the state. That means our municipalities don’t collect property tax revenue on nearly one quarter of the property in our district. The state-owned land PILOT program reimburses municipalities for the loss of property tax revenue due to tax-exempt state-owned land within their borders.

Despite the fact that state-owned land in our district is some of Massachusetts’ most valuable land when it comes to sequestering carbon dioxide, growing food, providing pristine water, preserving biodiversity, and fighting climate change, the current PILOT formula does not value any of those things. 

The current PILOT formula means that Warwick is reimbursed $13 per acre for Mount Grace State Forest, but Suffolk County receives $5,504 per acre on average. Our municipal budgets have reached a breaking point, and meanwhile the state needs to conserve more land in western and north central Massachusetts to meet our climate goals. That’s why reforming this formula is so urgent.

Read the letter here. 

Preserving our natural resources: the Quabbin and beyond

I joined Representative Aaron Saunders to send a letter to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) Board of Directors regarding the Quabbin region. 

Similarly, this letter builds upon years of advocacy.

In the letter, we express our concern about the MWRA Advisory Board’s stated opposition to equity for the Quabbin region. 

Responding to recent testimony from the MWRA Advisory Board, we wrote: 

“...Given that the vast majority of the members of the MWRA Board of Directors and Advisory Board hail from inside of I-495, we wonder how the Advisory Board could possibly attempt to define “balance” with any seriousness. Eighty-seven years ago the state disincorporated and flooded four towns in western Massachusetts expressly so that eastern Massachusetts could have access to potable water — an invaluable resource for economic growth and public health. We have heard Quabbin water described as priceless by eastern Massachusetts stakeholders, and the economic growth it has unlocked in eastern Massachusetts may, in fact, be priceless. Yet western Massachusetts towns are begrudged modest sums to help them survive the eternal fracture and freezing of their economies.”

Representative Saunders and I conclude the letter by asking for the MWRA to work with us to right historic wrongs, to provide equitable access to potable water, and to ensure that all regions in Massachusetts have the opportunity to grow and thrive. 

Read our letter in full here. (We go so far as to wonder if the MWRA is endeavoring to provoke another Shay’s Rebellion.)

If you haven’t yet seen two documentaries about the four lost towns, I urge you to take 30 minutes each to watch a film by Larry Hott, here and an NBC feature here. They are absolutely riveting.

It’s important for constituents to understand the constant pressure from eastern Massachusetts to divert the Connecticut River into the Quabbin for more water to send east — even as the MWRA says there’s no help coming for western and north central Massachusetts.

Pathways to rural prosperity

I hit the road in early April for a Council of State Governments conference focused on Rural Prosperity and Small-Town Resilience. 

Representative Blais and I joined state legislators from across New England to learn about and discuss work to stem population loss and revitalize local economies, address primary care deserts and challenges, find affordable housing solutions for rural regions, and make public transit work in rural communities.

There is innovative work happening in states like Pennsylvania, which has a Center for Rural Excellence. And in Maine, which published an entire book of pre-approved housing blueprints. We’re stronger because of the regional connections we’ve made — and the examples of progress on pressing issues that we’ve brought home to western and central Massachusetts.

Our judicial system in the spotlight

In the last newsletter, I noted a letter I sent alongside my western Massachusetts colleagues, calling on the Healey-Driscoll Administration to address judicial vacancies in the western part of the Commonwealth. 

I am happy to share that since I last wrote, Governor Healey nominated two western Massachusetts-based attorneys to the Superior Court. 

More here. 

What comes next in the FirstLight relicensing process

As part of FirstLight Power’s federal relicense application, it had to apply for a 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) from MassDEP. 

My team and I have engaged with FirstLight, MassDEP, and constituents throughout this 401 WQC process. Read our latest update on the process here. 

On April 22, MassDEP issued the Final WQC with Conditions for FirstLight. You can find the full document here. 

My team and I are still digesting the report — though, at first glance, we are concerned about a number of issues. We are engaging with constituents and advocates on possible next steps and will provide updates as we have them. 

Celebrating one year of blue envelopes in Massachusetts

April 9, 2025 marked the one year anniversary of the Blue Envelope program rollout by the Massachusetts State Police (MSP), in coordination with Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts (AFAM), the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and The Arc of Massachusetts.  

Through the Blue Envelope program, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can visit MSP barrack locations or request an envelope online. A driver’s license and registration can be placed inside the envelope, which can then be handed to a law enforcement officer in the event of an accident or traffic stop, alerting the officer to the driver’s diagnosis. The envelope also includes information on best practices for communication for the law enforcement officer and the individual with ASD. 

Since the launch of the program one year ago, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police have distributed over 4,000 envelopes, and the State Police have distributed over 8,000 envelopes, indicating that more than 12,000 blue envelopes are now in use in the Commonwealth.

This program closely aligns with legislation I file alongside Representatives Mindy Domb and Sean Garballey, An Act facilitating better interactions between police officers and persons with autism spectrum disorder (S.2348/H.3655), which would codify the program and require the RMV to also make blue envelopes available. Last session, this bill passed the Senate but did not reach the Governor’s desk. This session, the bill is again pending before the Joint Committee on Transportation. 

Ways to engage

New opportunities to engage and take action on the issues that matter most. 

• K-12 Graduation Council Listening Sessions — The Healey-Driscoll Administration is hosting a series of listening sessions across the state on graduation requirements in the wake of the ballot question which ended high stakes testing in the Commonwealth. It’s really important for western and north central Massachusetts families and educators to engage. There was a listening session in Worcester last week and another will be held in Holyoke on June 5. There is also a virtual option on June 3. Please engage! More here. 

• Accessible Trails Public Forum — Don’t miss the upcoming Accessible Trails Public Forum on May 8, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This meeting, hosted on Zoom, will be an opportunity to share your experiences on Massachusetts trails and ideas for making trails more accessible. I’m thrilled that this work is fully underway thanks to the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation, supporters of Trails for All, and so many who have advocated for fully and equitably accessible outdoor access. I’m grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for implementing the bill I filed last session, and I’ve filed the bill again (here) with the hope that we can enshrine the Trails for All Initiative into statute.

• Flagging an important article via CommonWealth Beacon on Connecticut River resilience and the work in our region to build back stronger from the July 2023 storms. Read the article here. The state delegation along the Connecticut River has asked Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, and Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for a $100 million fund in the forthcoming Environmental Bond Bill to help the cities and towns along the river. Read the delegation letter here. We hope to see the Administration’s bond proposal soon and are grateful for all they’re juggling for this region.

• Office hours in May 2025 — Director of Constituent Services Jessie Cooley will be hosting remote office hours in May via Zoom on Tuesday, May 13 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sign up here. Thanks to Jessie for leading.

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 I have also attended Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture’s (CISA) annual meeting; joined Representative Susannah Whipps as she hosted the Atholl Highlanders at the State House; participated in a UMass Amherst poverty law class; joined a legislative breakfast hosted by Cooley Dickinson Hospital; spoke with 8th grade students at Pioneer Valley Regional School and elementary students at Sunderland elementary; participated in a meeting in Northfield focused on its water/sewer infrastructure; spoke at an Earth Day event at Energy Park in Greenfield hosted by the Interfaith Council of Franklin County; spoke in a webinar to build support for natural and working lands; attended Hadley Town Meeting; and much more. 

On Wednesday April 9, Chief of Staff Jared Freedman participated on a panel with Senator Bill Driscoll, Representative Steve Ultrino, and Corinne Coryat from Representative Blais’ office to discuss emergency management in Massachusetts. Jared talked about legislation Representative Blais and I filed to create a sustainable funding stream for the State Disaster Relief Program we established in law last year — because when disaster strikes, we cannot be left waiting and hoping for state funding to recover and rebuild.

On April 15, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and her team showed up in full force in Greenfield — attending a listening session with organizations leading substance use and recovery work using opioid settlement abatement funds in the North Quabbin, Franklin County, and the Berkshires. The innovation, tenacity, and collaboration in the room and the palpable sense of partnership from the Attorney General and her team were deeply inspiring. I’m grateful to AG Campbell for her commitment to regional equity and her understanding of the unique challenges facing our rural region. Thank you to the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin and Baystate Franklin Medical Center for working with the Office of the Attorney General to host such a powerful event and to all of the regional leaders who took time to share their work with her. So glad District Director Elena Cohen could represent our team.

On April 16, Legislative Director Rachel Klein attended an event celebrating 30 years of the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) which supplies nearly one-third of the food that the four Massachusetts food banks provide to our communities. Last year, over 50% of MEFAP funding supported getting food from Commonwealth food producers and farmers to food banks. At a time of rising food insecurity, MEFAP is one of the state's most important programs for supporting our residents and strengthening our local food system. Ashley Randle, Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is pictured speaking to a packed room.

On April 24, Elena and I joined communities along the Connecticut River in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties, convened by FRCOG and PVPC, for the first of seven meetings about regional flood resilience. I am heartened by this regional collaboration which is both critical and timely. 

On April 25, I had the real honor of delivering a keynote speech to graduate students at UMass Amherst at a Policy in Action Day held in partnership with the Civic Action Project (CAP). The students asked me to cover topics ranging from my own career journey to the impact of current federal actions to life lessons for rising leaders. You can read my remarks here.

In the selfie, I am pictured with three of our four BRILLIANT district interns from this spring (left to right), Bareha Abbas Naqvi, Megan Di Giovanni, and Tina Vo. 

Earlier that morning, I had the opportunity to visit with international students at the International Language Institute in Northampton. It was particularly moving to meet with these students and members of the staff, given these times. 

On April 29, Director of Communications and Engagement Katelyn Billings attended a legislative briefing on the ongoing crumbling concrete home foundation crisis. It was a powerful briefing, featuring heart-wrenching testimony from Winchendon homeowners Brian and Karin Forgues who detailed their work to remediate the crumbling foundation in their home (which is currently lifted six feet in the air). The legislature must act to support these homeowners. 

In beautiful synergy with Teacher Appreciation Week, hundreds of school committee members were in the State House on May 6, advocating for timely and necessary education funding. A few from the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district are pictured here with Chief of Staff Jared Freedman.

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

Onward, 

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

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.

P.P.S. Cheers for Chief of Staff Jared Freedman who finished the Boston Marathon on April 21, running an average 6:26 minute mile. We say that governing is a marathon not a sprint, but Jared demonstrated that you can sprint during a marathon. We need both now.

Boston office

(617) 722-1532

State House

Room 410 24 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02133