A love letter to the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district
Last week, days before the close of the current 2023-2024 legislative session, the Governor signed an omnibus substance use disorder and recovery bill into law, which included legislation I filed to support those who are pregnant and in recovery.
This means that 21 bills that my team and I filed this session on behalf of constituents have either been signed into law, implemented through regulation, or passed on the ballot. Although I have no right to use a sports metaphor, our team’s Chief of Staff, Jared Freedman, suggests that this batting average of .296 would have put us sixth in the running for the American League batting title.
That’s a solid success rate and we have the best constituents in the Commonwealth to thank. You called us to file this critical policy and your advocacy powered it forward.
Given how much uncertainty we face and how much hard work lies ahead — and given that we’re in the midst of a holiday season — we felt this called for a little celebration.
We also appreciate that this is a powerful reminder of the power of people to change the direction of government.
Let’s look at 24 times we locked arms to win in the 2023-2024 legislative session:
#1 – 21: Bills signed into law, implemented through regulation, or passed on the ballot
In early December, I wrote to you about 20 bills that had crossed the finish line successfully. You can see the list here.
But our team kept pushing and since then, another bill that I filed has been signed into law:
An Act to support families
Modifies reporting requirements so that a substance-exposed newborn no longer triggers an automatic referral to the Department of Children and Families (DCF). It further directs the Department of Public Health, in collaboration with DCF, the Office of the Child Advocate, and other stakeholders, to lead the creation of new regulations related to care, treatment, and reporting of substance-exposed newborns.
Massachusetts was the only state in New England in which a report of child abuse/neglect was mandated regardless of whether the substance was prescribed to the pregnant individual for addiction treatment or whether the healthcare provider believed an infant was at risk for abuse or neglect. This practice, now altered, presented a barrier for pregnant individuals seeking prenatal or postpartum care.
As I’ve said before, it’s not enough to pass a bill, you have to see it through — so now we have 21 policies to see through during the coming session (which begins tomorrow as I’m sworn in for a fourth term). These legislative wins build on the others we’re tracking since I first took office in 2019.
#22: Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district on the move
Only looking at legislation passed during the 2023-2024 legislative session misses the hard-fought wins for the district this session — from bringing home budget and bonding earmarks; to right-sizing and amending legislation to make sure it works for western and north-central Mass; to seeing through millions in grant funding for cities and towns thanks to the painstaking and tireless work of municipal officials; to ensuring critical funding for small businesses and nonprofits; to inviting 43 state officials from eastern Massachusetts to visit our region to meet with local leaders and tour our communities; to joining dozens of meetings between our team and town councils, city councils, and selectboards; to leading and wrangling work on regional issues, including:
- K-12 education
- Primary care and healthcare access
- Quabbin Watershed
- Natural and working land
- Affordable housing and shelter
- Solar and battery siting
- Disaster relief
- FirstLight hydro relicensing
- Regional rail, RTAs, and microtransit
- Municipal infrastructure
- Municipal first responder services
It takes time to move the needle on many of these complex issues and my team and I are committed to working shoulder to shoulder with our constituents and communities to see this work through.
#23: Engaging deeply
Throughout 2023-2024, my team and I engaged deeply with people across the district in person and virtually, via office hours; events; email, phone, and text; and through our newsletter, social media, and website. Thank you for being among the most tenacious and informed advocates in the state.
We:
- Resolved 834 cases on behalf of constituents facing issues with state agencies;
- Organized three town halls in different formats (in person, family-focused, and online) to share and answer questions about the work we are pushing forward (these don’t count the many others we attended at the invitation of community groups);
- Posted 122 blogs on SenatorJoComerford.org, sent 22 newsletters, and sought constituent engagement in the legislative process over 110 times.
We are as strong as the 175,000 people and the 25 cities and towns we represent combined. Your people power is the only thing that makes democracy work. And right now, as I type, our team is finalizing work plans for 2025 that will have us on the road (virtually and literally) to engage you even more fully.
#24: Our remarkable team
As we close, I am also celebrating our current team as well as former Legislative Director Brian Rosman. I’m convinced that they are simply the best in the State House. I’m grateful every day to work with them — and happier still that we’ll enter the new year — with you — as a team, together.
