Greetings from your State House:

Yesterday was action-packed . Eight of the bills I filed (and many more that I co-sponsored) had hearings. It was also Hunger Action Month Lobby Day. I was delighted to join colleagues at a rally in front of the State House (pictured in the P.S.) to demand the passage of Breakfast After the Bell, full funding for the Healthy Incentives Program, and more. 

Later in the day the Joint Committee on Public Health (of which I’m the Senate co-chair) held a five hour hearing on a range of important bills from nurse staffing ratios to hospital safety to banning non-consensual pelvic exams ( which is a bill I filed with Rep. Mindy Domb ).

I’m also tremendously proud that the Public Health committee voted out a bill to ban flavored tobacco in the Commonwealth as a bold response to the vaping epidemic .
Some big wins!

I'm delighted to report that the following five bold bills I filed on your behalf have been voted favorably out of their respective committees. This is the major first step in getting these bills through the legislative gauntlet:

  • S.2154: An Act providing for timely reimbursement of cities and towns for veterans’ benefits, which would strengthen services for veterans in the western Massachusetts region.
  • S.1935: An Act establishing a net zero energy code, which would change the current building stretch code adopted by green communities to include a net zero building mandate.
  • S.28: An Act allowing spouses to serve as caregivers, which would mandate that Medicaid reimburse spouses (as they do other family members) who choose to work as caregivers for a person who requires that service.
  • S.668: An Act supporting equal access to community care for elders and the disabled, which would ensure that those receiving care don't fall prey to what's called the "cliff effect," where people make just a little more money which tips them into not receiving any services.
  • S.667: An Act improving access to dental care in the Commonwealth, which would increase the Medicaid reimbursement for dental care and benefit our essential community health centers.

But let's be clear: These are YOUR wins. The legislation I filed and fight for is rooted in our community. It's your advocacy, your ideas that is making these bills move. I talk about how we win in remarks I shared last week at the Council of Social Agencies (COSA). You can read them here .
What else is happening?!


  • The People’s Office had our first Amherst office hours at our district office at the Isenberg School of Management on the UMass campus. We will be doing office hours at our UMass office the last Wednesday of every month. You can find the full People's Office schedule here.

  • As the graphic at the top indications, I’m hitting the road on an all-out democracy tour, holding public meetings at a public library in every city/town in our district. I can’t wait to bring Beacon Hill to your community. First stop, Montague on October 19.

  • And finally, if you’re interested in food security and public health, Greenfield Community College will be the place for you on Friday. The Joint Committee on Public Health is holding a formal oversight hearing on the intersection of nutrition and health. Huge thanks to the following for helping make this ground breaking hearing happen: Joint Committee on Public Health, Massachusetts Food System Caucus, Baystate Health, Cooley Dickinson Health Care, CISA, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Greenfield Community College, Massachusetts Farm Bureau, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Northeast Organic Farming Association-Massachusetts Chapter, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. More information in the flyer, below. (And keep reading after that for more updates!)
More upcoming district events ( Find more here.)

Rural Public Health: A Path Forward Oversight Hearing
October 18 @ 11:30 a.m.
John W. Olver Transit Center, Greenfield

Hadley Town Hall with Rep. Dan Carey
October 21 @ 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Town Hall

Warmest wishes to all.
P.S. Here are a few recent pictures from top to bottom: Friday's massive climate rally in Amherst and Northampton, Community Action's three county kick off of a program to end homelessness, a food security rally at the State House, yesterday's packed Joint Committee of Public Health meeting, our latest team picture
Senator Jo Comerford
State House, Room 70C
Boston, MA 02133
Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov
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