The holidays are always a joyful, if hectic, time in the State House and I was thrilled to join my colleagues and those from across the Commonwealth in celebrating. The following pictures are from the Governor's annual tree lighting ceremony, a Winchester school field trip to the State House, and the annual Hanukkah celebration. This week, we also officially ended the 193rd legislative session, said goodbye to many wonderful colleagues departing the legislature, and began welcoming in the New Year! Despite a lot of change on the horizon, there is much to look forward to.

On November 20th, the Retailers Association of Massachusetts recognized Craft Food Halls, which operates Revolution Hall in Lexington, as the 2024 RAM Award of Excellence recipient for Creative Concepts in Retailing.

I was thrilled to nominate this excellent business and had a wonderful time at the RAMAEs luncheon. Thank you to RAM for honoring this innovative dining establishment and congratulations to Gardy Desrouleaux, Managing Partner, Owner, Melissa Ferriman, Co-owner, and Doug Ferriman, Co-owner.

Photo: Josh Qualls, Office of Governor Maura T. Healey

The Legislature has continued its deliberations this fall and advanced key pieces of legislation which the Governor signed into law during the last few weeks.

On Veterans Day, we honor all those who serve in our nation's armed forces. I was lucky to have the opportunity to speak in both Lexington and Woburn to express my appreciation for their selflessness. You can see the Woburn Veterans Day Ceremony below.

Thank you to Woburn Public Media for filming and sharing this excellent ceremony.

In support of my work as Co-Chair of the Legislative Trails Caucus, in 2023, I filed the House version of An Act expanding access to trails for people of all abilities. The bill called for a commission to study the current state of trails in the Commonwealth to evaluate their accessibility. The legislation enjoyed broad support and was reported favorably out of committee. While this legislation didn't pass this session, the Healey-Driscoll administration picked up the idea and launched the Trails for All Initiative, including the Trail Access Working Group, dedicated to enhancing trail accessibility and promoting inclusive outdoor experiences across Massachusetts. I plan to closely follow and engage with this working group and would encourage all of you who care about outdoor recreation and shared-use trails to do so as well.

You can learn more at the link below.

I was honored to win re-election for my fourth term serving as Representative for the 15th Middlesex District. Thank you to all who came out to vote and who continue to put your faith in me. I will continue to work hard to deserve your trust. 



I am currently planning for the 194th legislative session and would appreciate you taking the time to complete the form below to share your policy priorities and ideas for legislation.

If you would like to see bills that I filed last session, you can do so here.

Applications are now open for MassBioDrive, an accelerator program designed to advance breakthrough science while providing opportunities to innovators from all parts of the life sciences ecosystem.

You’re eligible to apply for MassBioDrive Spring 2025 cycle if:

• You have a therapeutic, biologic, or platform technology that you believe can become the next big biotech startup
• Your startup has access to the intellectual property for your science or technology, either through a license agreement or through an option agreement to negotiate a license agreement
• Your startup has raised less than $1.5 million in equity-based funding
• You will be able to participate in all cornerstone components of the program (curriculum, weekly mentoring sessions, and networking events)

The application deadline is January 17. Learn more.

The MLSC is pleased to announce that it is offering its 16th round of the Tax Incentive program. The 2024 program is open to companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in Massachusetts. The program provides incentives to companies, of all sizes, looking to expand their efforts by creating new, long-term jobs in Massachusetts.

The application period will run from Dec. 16, 2024 to Feb. 19, 2025 at 5 p.m. EST.

Info sessions will be held on December 18 and January 13. Learn more.

Plastic Water Bottle Ban (in Lexington)

Starting January 1, 2025, the sale of non-sparkling, unflavored water in a single-use plastic bottle is prohibited in Lexington.

This is the result of a bylaw passed at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting.

Exceptions:

• Containers larger than 34 fluid ounces (1 liter)
• Flavored, sparkling, or carbonated beverages
• Declared emergencies

You can find more information on this bylaw and other local regulations that limit the use of single-use materials on the Town website.

A wonderful Lexingtonian, Jeri Zeder, recently wrote the below post on the Lexington List and I wanted to share these resources here as well:

Several Lexington List-ers have asked how to become better informed about what’s going on in Lexington. We are fortunate to have many resources toward that end:

• We can read Lexington Times Magazine, which is delivered free to our snail-mailboxes each month.

• We can subscribe to the Lexington Observer, https://lexobserver.org/, and we can support this nonprofit independent news source by making a donation. The Observer is doing a wonderful job covering the Lexington High School Building Project. Imagine what it could do if everyone in town got behind it as our local news source of record.

• We can sign up for the Town’s newsletter Link to Lexington and for Town News & Alerts. 

• We can sign up for other Town email lists here.

• We can sign up for the LexMedia newsletter.

• Some 80% to 90% of us don’t vote in our local elections. We can receive reminders of our local (and other) elections by signing up for election reminders here.

• We can share the above resources with our neighbors so they can be informed, too.

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Urges Residents to Act Now and Plan Ahead for REAL ID Compliance

Due to federal requirement becoming effective on May 7, 2025, anyone traveling by plane domestically, or wishing to enter certain federal facilities, will need a REAL ID or Passport.

Additional information on required documents, making an

appointment, or renewing a credential can be found at Mass.Gov/REALID

Customers with a REAL ID-compliant credential expiring in 2025 should apply for renewal now if they want to avoid the peak demand for service that is anticipated next year.

Representative Michelle Ciccolo | Website

Thank you for your ongoing support so that I may continue doing this important work.