Bringing Beacon Hill to You

August is a quiet time on Beacon Hill. Fewer people visit the State House and fewer hearings are scheduled. 

But we keep working. 



This newsletter highlights what has kept me busy over the past few weeks.  

Legislation..............................................

In September I testified on many of the bills I filed, two of which stand out in particular.  

At this month’s Committee on State Administration & Regulatory Oversight hearing on the bill, many current and former staffers shared their experiences dealing with low wages, long hours, and harassment; all issues that a union can address.  

This month also featured a harrowing Judiciary Committee hearing that focused on bills related to sexual assault, including a bill I filed criminalizing revenge pornography in Massachusetts. We can claim to be leading the country in so many ways, but not on this issue. We are only one of two states that has yet to criminalize the sharing of explicit media without the consent of the depicted individual. We heard horrifying stories from survivors that highlighted the fact that this issue can impact anyone, regardless of gender, age, or sexual orientation.  



We have come so close in past sessions to passing this bill. I am hopeful that this time we will succeed. Looking ahead, we are studying other ways we can help individuals targeted by revenge pornography, including ways of tracing the movement of files and identifying the best ways of scrubbing these images and recordings from the Internet.  

I am pleased the House and Senate recently came to an agreement on a tax-relief bill that will likely be signed into law in October. 

This $1 billion tax-relief package will help residents of the Commonwealth on so many levels. Notably, this legislation increases the Earned Income Tax Credit – a program designed to help working low-income families. The state’s seniors’ tax credit is set to double from $1,200 to $1,400 and the deduction for renters will increase from $3,000 to $4,000. Additionally, the bill increases the threshold for the estate tax from $1 million to $2 million. Also of interest, for some of the communities in my district tax credits for the repair or replacement of cesspool or septic systems will increase from $6,0000 to $18,000 in total, with the amount claimable per year increasing to $4,000.00. And, for families the tax credit for children, disabled adults or seniors will increase from $180 to $310 in 2023 and again to $440 in 2024. 



I am very happy to share that this bill also includes language from legislation I filed this session, S.1193, An Act expanding access to commuter transit benefits offered by employers. This bill makes public transit fares, as well as ferry and regional transit passes and bike commuter expenses, eligible for the commuter expense tax deduction. 

For a more complete list of some of the highlights from the tax relief bill, visit my website.  

My experiences as a regular Red Line rider greatly informs my work as a member of the Joint Committee on Transportation. With the arrival of Phillip Eng, the MBTA’s new general manager, we have an exciting opportunity to make some positive and long overdue changes. 

Since his arrival, I have worked with my fellow legislative colleagues to address concerns we’ve heard from riders and constituents by writing to GM Eng and meeting with T leadership.  

Reduced Commuter Rail fares presented a terrific alternative for many frequent riders of the T, as slow zones, track work, and long waits between trains have all made Red Line commutes longer and less predictable. Despite only limited service improvements, these temporarily reduced fares ended on August 31. I sent a letter, signed by five other local legislators to GM Eng arguing that we keep these reduced fares in place until there are noticeable improvements relative to slow zones and headway times. Access to the Commuter Rail will ensure T riders without other options can get to work on time and that those with cars will choose public transportation rather than clogging already jammed roads. 

Like many, I rely on an app to track trains to plan my commute, but lately the information feed to such apps has been incomplete. With wait times increasing, we need to give riders the tools they need to best plan their travels. This was another recent issue I’ve brought to the attention of the T’s leadership. 

Lastly, I noticed recently that many train cars seem to have an issue with their air conditioning, which unfortunately coincided with some recent stretches of warm weather. No one wants to arrive at work drenched in sweat, but this also has the potential to be a real safety concern for many riders with pre-existing health conditions. With the cooler weather arriving, it is equally important that the cars be neither too hot nor too cold. 

In addition to sending correspondence to GM Eng about the above issues, I raised them with him again at a recent meeting. He assured me that the T is aware of the issues and is working as fast as possible on reducing the number of slow zones, improving the feed of information to transportation apps, and working to ensure the rider experience is as comfortable as possible. Needless to say, I will keep pushing the T on these issues and others.  



Outside transportation, the Joint Committee on Election Laws – where I serve as chair – is wrapping up its hearings and getting ready to decide whether to advance the bills we have reviewed. 

In the District .................................

Each September 21, Massachusetts recognizes World Peace Day thanks to the work of a dedicated group of Holbrook students and their teacher, the late Mary Clougher. Seven years ago, Ms. Clougher’s students learned about the holiday, a United Nations sanctioned celebration of our shared pursuit of a conflict-free world. They also learned Massachusetts did not formally recognize the holiday. Bothered by this, they set out to make a change. 

I enjoyed working with Mary and her students to convince the Legislature that the Commonwealth should commemorate World Peace Day. Seven years later, I spoke with current Holbrook students about the experience. So much has changed in the intervening years, including the recent passing of Mary Clougher, but the curiosity and determination of our local students remains the same. Mary would be proud of them – I know I am.  



I recently joined Gov. Maura Healey, House Speaker Ron Mariano, Rep. Tackey Chan, Mayor Koch and local officials at Quincy’s Snug Harbor Elementary School to celebrate the success of the Commonwealth’s newly implemented universal free lunch program.

Like every Massachusetts community, Quincy has its share of low-income and food-insecure students. This program both provides free, nutritious meals to students who may otherwise go without a solid meal and reduces the stigma some may feel from participating in the program by making it available to all students.  



Earlier in September, I spoke with the Rockland Board of Selectmen regarding the town’s community host agreements with local cannabis businesses. These agreements outline the various payments a cannabis businesses must pay to host communities in addition to regular tax revenues. Some of these businesses have interpreted a recent law change to mean that they could void continuing making these payments even under an already executed host agreement. I met with officials in Rockland to hear their concerns, which I then communicated to the Cannabis Control Commission. 

. Miscellany of Note...........................

Since my last newsletter, Gov. Healey has toured Eastern Nazarene College with local officials, including myself, and a second public meeting on the arrival of local migrants took place.

Of the hundreds who attended that meeting, I appreciated that so many asked pertinent questions, spoke about their own personal experiences with immigration in its many forms, and were welcoming to those arriving at Eastern Nazarene College. 

September also saw the arrival of our office’s newest team member, Emerson Gagnon, as Legislative Director. Emerson joins us from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he previously served as a legislative aide for Representative Steve Owens. In his role as legislative director, Emerson will play a crucial role in drafting testimony and guiding bills through the legislative process.  

Looking ahead to October, we will continue our ongoing series of local office hours. Thus far, we have already held office hours in Quincy and Rockland. Still to come are Braintree on Oct. 2, Hanover on Oct. 4, Abington on Oct. 11, and Holbrook on Oct. 24. Stay tuned to my Twitter and Facebook accounts for more details on each.