The People's Blog

On May 31, my team and I met constituents across the Commonwealth from Beacon Hill to Greenfield.  Chief of Staff Jared Freedman met with the Starlight Girls Club during their […]

Just like pollen, there is lots of high-stakes policy in the air this spring!  As we continue with the 2023-2024 legislative session, please find our combo April and May newsletter […]

On May 25, the Massachusetts Senate approved a $55.9 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Over four days of debate, the Senate approved 478 amendments, adding $82.2 million in […]

On Monday, May 22, as Assistant Vice Chair of Ways and Means,  I spoke – during opening speeches – to the historic investment in higher education outlined in the Fiscal Year […]

District Director Elena Cohen had the pleasure of visiting JFK Middle School in Northampton to see Project Bread’s free lunch program for everyone in action.  This was a special visit […]

I wanted to update you on a promising new development in the End of Life Options Act, the bill I filed along with Representatives O’Day and Philips to provide autonomy […]

This morning, I was so pleased to offer this testimony in support of S. 596, An Act Relative to Trans-Inclusive Health Care Access. I introduced this bill in partnership with […]

The Quabbin Reservoir is an invaluable resource in western Massachusetts that provides pristine drinking water to millions of people in eastern Massachusetts, as it is one of the largest [...]

Just to be the legislator who drove 1,000 miles to represent you.  Last week, I traveled about 1,020 miles all across the Commonwealth to attend important events and advocate on […]

Now that spring has sprung, let’s celebrate our beautiful planet by cleaning up the parks in our district on Earth Day.  This year, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) […]

We are in full swing over here at Team Comerford!  District Director Elena Cohen and I began the day at the Delaney House in Holyoke, talking with Fire Chiefs from […]

Last week, I had the privilege of joining leaders from western Massachusetts to host a progress report on ending hunger in our region.  Folks on the frontline of ending hunger […]

The Boston Globe recognizes the powerful benefits of midwifery care and the need for policies that will enable access to midwives and birth centers [...]

District Director Elena Cohen recently visited Quabbin Harvest Food Co-op and took a tour of their beautiful store in Orange. Elena is pictured below (on the left) with deeply dedicated […]

The year has circled round again and it’s sugaring season. So very glad to mark this season — which kicks off growing and producing in our region — at Williams […]

Now that Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll’s proposed budget is public (read more here), the Joint Committee on Ways and Means is holding hearings across Massachusetts over the [...]

Off we go! We’re two months into the 2023-2024 session. Read about what my team and I were up to in our March 2023 newsletter. This newsletter includes important updates […]

The Healey-Driscoll Administration released its $55.5 billion Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal on March 1. Below we’ve unpacked just some of the funding highlights. Learn more about the budget [...]

This week I had the opportunity to host a briefing with Rep. Hannah Kane and the Food System Caucus, on the projected end of the SNAP emergency allotments for Massachusetts […]

I had the privilege of joining fellow legislators and advocates from around the Commonwealth to launch the End of Life Options Act. The bill allows someone who is terminally ill […]

My team and I are thrilled to launch “Toward the Future,” our legislative agenda for the 2023-2024 session.  We’re releasing this on Valentine’s Day because policy is one of the […]

Happy Valentine’s Day!  This Valentine’s Day, I am celebrating my love and appreciation for the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester District. There are so many reasons why our district is my [...]

One of the first Senate committees appointed at the start of a new Massachusetts legislative session is a temporary Committee on Rules. It is formed to consider and deliver both […]

In Massachusetts, when homeowners fall behind in their property taxes, cities and towns can foreclose and take ownership of the entire property. We’re among just 12 states in the nation […]

Written in partnership with Representative Natalie Blais  On any given week, our email inboxes reflect the concerns of our constituents. For years, emails have poured in about COVID-19, [...]

Powerfully launched! As we begin our work for the 2023-2024 legislative session, please find our January 2023 newsletter through the link below. This newsletter includes important updates on our [...]

The State House was booming on Wednesday, January 25 with “Hands Together for Climate Justice” as mothers, grandmothers, caregivers, and their children clapped and sang their way to [...]

On Wednesday, January 25, I joined a forum sponsored by State House News Service, Project Bread, The Greater Boston Food Bank, and many others focused on ending hunger in the […]

On Wednesday, January 18, I was delighted to welcome authors, advocates, and legislative colleagues to the State House to celebrate great writing.  I represent that part of the Commonwealth which [...]

Good news for traffic safety advocates and anyone who walks, bikes, uses a wheelchair or motorized scooter, and/or works on the roads in MA. Strong legislation to increase road safety […]

I offered the following remarks on Jan. 4, 2023 to second the nomination of Senator Karen Spilka for another term as Senate President for the 193rd Legislative session. Thank you […]

Last summer, two remarkable interns – high school students Lila Nields-Duffy and Jasper Graham – hit the road to photograph and celebrate the places in our district that you told […]

Director of constituent services, Rachel Klein, reflects on our work in 2022. As the year comes to a close, I’ve looked back on the constituent cases we’ve resolved this year […]

In mid-November our team celebrated work with 100 interns and fellows over the past four years I’ve been in office and the team has been working on behalf of our […]

The Community One Stop for Growth grants for the Fiscal Year 2023 were recently announced. Our district has been awarded a whopping $8.25 million. The Community One Stop grant process […]

The House and Senate reached agreement on $3.76 billion spending package that will help ease the financial strain brought on by challenging economic conditions in Massachusetts and across the [...]

On September 28 more than one thousand people from across the United States with the stated goal to end hunger in the United States by 2030 and tackle preventable, nutrition-related […]

Greetings from your State House, Election Day 2022 and the beginning of the next session (the 193rd session of the Massachusetts Legislature) are fast approaching. This newsletter is packed with [...]

I offered the following remarks at the September 18 celebration of the life and work of Dr. Marty Nathan in Florence:   “Every moment is an organizing opportunity. Every minute […]

The following are remarks I delivered at the UMass Amherst Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation’s first annual symposium on nursing and engineering innovation on September [...]

I offered this reflection at the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy kick off on September 1, 2022. Thank you to the School of Public Policy for inviting me to […]

Written remarks offered at Pioneer Valley Regional School District’s school year kick off on August 29, 2022. (I cut them a bit on the spot for time!) So honored to […]

There is an upcoming opportunity to provide comments about the way the Commonwealth’s public lands are managed.  The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is holding public listening [...]

Greetings, I’m still catching my breath from the final month of our two-year legislative session. July was a sprint at the end of a marathon as the House and Senate […]

Right before we finished our work for the year, the legislature passed a sweeping mental health bill, titled the Mental Health ABC Act: Addressing Barriers to Care (ABC) with my […]

We’re writing about a both timely and time-bound opportunity to engage in a process, the outcome of which has the potential to affect the health of the Connecticut River Valley […]

Yesterday, in the final days of the legislative session, the House and Senate both passed legislation that makes key reforms to the governance structure of the state’s veterans’ homes. The […]

I offered the following remarks in a floor speech on July 29, 2022 to support a bill I filed to transform public health in Massachusetts:   Thank you Mr. Presdient, […]

Today, the Senate and House passed H.5090, An Act expanding protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care. I was delighted to vote YES and proud that many of the Senate’s equity-driven [...]

Yesterday, the Senate passed a comprehensive $4.4 billion economic development bill that invests equitably in local communities and in people across the Commonwealth. I was proud to secure 11 [...]