The People's Blog

As we close out the year, take a look back at some of what my team and I got up to in 2025, through pictures.  ***** January  On January 1, […]

Thoughts from Legal Fellow Janine Nanez, 2L Northeastern Law, reflecting on the importance of higher education following their time working on higher education policy in our office.    Like [...]

On November 19, the Legislature voted to enact the FY25 closeout supplemental budget (the “supp”) and send it to Governor Maura Healey for her consideration and signature.  Like other closeout [...]

Written by Chief of Staff Jared Freedman   What do Trump’s tariffs and persistent inflation mean for state budgets? Why are so many states moving to decouple from the federal […]

On November 14, I spent my Friday focused on two of the most important issues facing our rural communities in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district.  In the morning, I joined […]

In the first two weeks of November, I travelled across the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district to advocate for our farms and highlight  the deep connection between food, health, and [...]

On November 6, I joined many western Massachusetts community members and elected officials to testify before the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Division of Local [...]

On November 3, I was honored to receive the inaugural Policy Trailblazer Champion Award, along with Representative Brandy Fluker-Reid, from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development [...]

Public hearings on bills that have been filed this session are well underway — 64 of the 68 bills we filed on your behalf this session have now had a […]

On October 23, the Massachusetts Senate debated and unanimously passed a $2.3 billion close out supplemental budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025. (The net cost to the state will be […]

On October 16, I was honored to receive the Thomas Menino Award for Public Service from the statewide Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) at DPC’s annual John Winske Memorial Awards ceremony.  [...]

On October 16, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a bill I share with Representative Natalie Blais, An Act relative to menstrual product ingredient disclosure.  Menstrual products have [...]

On September 15, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced this year’s grantees through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program.  Congratulations to the many entities in the [...]

On October 7, I was honored to give the legislative welcome at the 25th Annual Massachusetts Book Awards hosted by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.  I was also deeply […]

Tuesday, September 30 we covered issues ranging from local public health, to K-12 education funding, to the issues facing municipalities, to meetings with nurses and Northfield .  I began my […]

Public hearings on bills that have been filed this session are well underway — 53 of the 68 bills we filed on your behalf this session have now had a […]

On September 16, I debuted a video series titled “Keeping Hope Alive.”  It’s 11 videos featuring community changemakers from across the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district who are leading [...]

On September 21, I had the honor of joining the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust’s annual meeting in Montague, where I was invited to speak.  Read on for the remarks […]

On September 6, I published an op-ed in MassLive about legislation I filed with Representative Jim Hawkins to ban PFAS and other toxic chemicals in all children’s products.  Click here […]

In late August, several constituents reached out to my office with concerns about receiving this year’s COVID-19 booster vaccine. Many were unable to schedule appointments at their local [...]

On September 5, I joined District Director Elena Cohen and Constituent Services Director Jessie Cooley from our team at the launch of a new Campus Pantry at UMass Amherst.  This […]

On August 28, my team and I debuted All Aboard, a series of five videos featuring local officials and advocates from western and north central Massachusetts discussing the multiple benefits […]

On August 13, Governor Maura Healey signed an Executive Order establishing a Commission on Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for State-Owned Land (SOL) to explore and recommend program reforms.  [...]

On August 19, I joined my colleagues in the Franklin County state legislative delegation alongside the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and Rural Development Inc. to host Lieutenant [...]

On August 12, I joined colleagues from the Legislature along with representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental [...]

Can you take a very important action to support Northern Tier Passenger Rail?  MassDOT is completing an application to the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and [...]

Written by Lily Frank, Summer 2025 intern On May 29, 2025, the UMass Campus Center was transformed into an ecosystem of conservation organizations, sustainability infographics, and an air of [...]

July 26 marks the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act — the centerpiece of Disability Pride Month.  My team and I wanted to share some […]

We are hearing from more constituents than ever before with concerns about deportations, ICE activity in Massachusetts, and in support of legislation to protect immigrants, refugees, and asylum [...]

On June 24, Governor Maura Healey filed An Act to build resilience for Massachusetts communities, or the Mass Ready Act, an environmental bond bill that will invest in the state’s […]

I have long shared a desire with constituents to see a more transparent, accountable, and productive state legislature. For years, we have advocated together to make committee votes public, [...]

On June 11, the Joint Committee on Public Health heard testimony on three bills that I filed with fierce colleagues in the House:  An Act to reduce incidence and death […]

On June 3, my team and I faced a potentially impossible task: I was Chairing a hearing of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, at the exact same time two […]

On Thursday, May 22, after months of work and four days of debate, my colleagues and I passed the Senate’s fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget. You can watch my opening […]

On May 21, I received the 2025 Senate Champion for Children Award from the Children’s League of Massachusetts. It was a heartfelt honor and meant a great deal to me. […]

On May 12, my team and I helped launch the Indigenous Legislative Agenda.  Speakers at the launch included Indigenous leaders from across the Commonwealth representing Massachusetts Tribal [...]

On May 15, I received the Senate Legislator of the Year Award from the Disability Law Center. It was a tremendous honor and meant a great deal to me personally—and […]

On May 8, I joined my colleagues in the Senate as we debated a proposal to spend $1.33 billion in surplus funds generated by the Fair Share Amendment. Amid waves […]

On Friday, April 25, I had the distinct pleasure and privilege of giving a keynote speech at “Policy in Action: I Am a Policy Maker, Now What?” an event hosted […]