News Archive
Aug 14 2018
A Look at the State of the MBTA
NECN
Visitors to Boston's City Hall Plaza got a look at what riders of the MBTA's Red Line can look forward to next year — shiny new trains.
The update is long overdue, based on the comments of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack.
"The average Red...
Aug 14 2018
Press Release: Jehlen Expresses Frustration Over Crumbling Conditions at Alewife Garage
BOSTON - On Monday, Senator Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) joined Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington) and Rep. Sean Garballey (D-Arlington) to ask the Fiscal Management Control Board for immediate action on a long-term solution for the Alewife MBTA station parking garage....
Aug 13 2018
Local pols vent over state of MBTA’s crumbling Alewife parking garage
State House News Service/Wicked Local
A trio of state lawmakers on Monday pressed transit officials over the condition of the parking garage at the MBTA’s Alewife Station, which reopened in the morning after deteriorating concrete forced a weekend shutdown for repairs and assessment.
Saying she was...
Aug 10 2018
Press Release: Legislation to Help Families Struggling with Alzheimer's Signed Into Law
BOSTON – Legislation to help the hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia and their families was signed into law yesterday by Governor Charlie Baker.
The bill, which passed the Massachusetts Senate unanimously,...
Aug 8 2018
Mass. lawmaker: Losing jobs over cannabis is 'counter-productive'
Boston 25 News
BOSTON - A woman who was fired from her job for using marijuana at home is firing back by lobbying state legislators to protect workers who engage in what is, in Massachusetts, legal behavior.
Bernadette Coughlin was a good employee who did not show up at work...
Aug 8 2018
Worker Fired For At-Home Marijuana Use Seeks Legislative Response
WBUR/State House News Service
Bernadette Coughlin hopes she is the last person in Massachusetts to be fired for having a toke of pot at home off work hours.
The 55-year-old former patient services manager at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen visited the State House with her lawyer on Tuesday, hoping to...
Aug 8 2018
Legislator calls for workplace protections on pot
Eagle Tribune
BOSTON — It won't get her job back, but Bernadette Coughlin said the potential for a bill being filed in the Massachusetts Legislature providing workplace protections for recreational pot users is a significant step forward.
Coughlin, 55, of Methuen, lost her...
Aug 1 2018
Tempering The Cost Of Aging, Dying In Prison With The Demands Of Justice
NPR
A Massachusetts state prison is expanding the graveyard where it buries inmates who die in custody, one consequence of the state's huge increase in aging prisoners. And as more inmates age and die behind bars, the cost of their care is skyrocketing, fueling new efforts...
Jul 27 2018
Press Release: Senate Passes Bill to Provide Warning During Sewage Spills
BOSTON – Yesterday the Massachusetts Senate passed S.2617, An Act promoting awareness of safe recreation in public waterways, filed by Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville) and Representative Denise Provost (D-Somerville).
The bill addresses a major problem for...
Jul 26 2018
Pot Regulators Asks Cities and Towns to Restrain Demands
Associated Press
By BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts cannabis regulators urged city and town officials Thursday to keep within the boundaries of state law when negotiating local agreements with recreational marijuana businesses.
The Cannabis Control...
Jul 20 2018
Are cities and towns demanding too much from marijuana operators?
Boston Globe
By Dan Adams GLOBE STAFF JULY 20, 2018
For more marijuana news, sign up for our newsletter, This Week in Weed.
Want to open a marijuana business in Massachusetts? Prepare to open your wallet — wide.
In Salem, prospective recreational pot...
Jul 20 2018
Rep. Clark Hosts Medford Senior Center Ice Cream Social
Patch Medford
MEDFORD, MA – On Friday, July 20th, Congresswoman Katherine Clark hosted an ice cream social at the Medford Senior Center. During the hour-long event, Clark served ice cream, greeted locals and took questions. She was joined by State Representatives Christine Barber,...
Jul 19 2018
Massachusetts budget leaves out provision repealing tax break for K-12 private school tuition
MassLive
By Shira Schoenberg
sschoenberg@repub.com
BOSTON -- Massachusetts lawmakers have chosen not to act to prohibit Massachusetts tax breaks from helping families pay for private school.
A federal tax law change will for the first time this year allow 529 plans, tax-...
Jul 19 2018
Tax, equity concerns swirl around advancing benefit district bill
State House News Service
By Colin A. Young
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
BOSTON -- The Senate beat back a volley of amendments Wednesday as fresh doubt emerged when lawmakers considered legislation that has been passed by the Legislature in each of the last two years, both times rejected by the governor...
Jul 12 2018
Bill would let Massachusetts candidates use campaign funds for child care
MassLive
By Shira Schoenberg
sschoenberg@repub.com
A dad running for U.S. Senate can use his campaign fund to pay for child care expenses. A mom running for state Senate in Massachusetts cannot.
But a bill pending in the Massachusetts Legislature would allow...
Jul 12 2018
Mass. political candidates can expense a tuxedo, but not child care. That needs to change
Boston Globe
By Shirley Leung GLOBE STAFF JULY 12, 2018
As a single mom running for office, Lee Erica Palmer racked up thousands of dollars in baby sitter bills, but she could not tap any campaign funds to defray the cost.
She probably would have been fine with that...
Jul 12 2018
Press Release: Senate Passes Archaic Language Bill Addressing Persons with Disabilities
BOSTON - The Massachusetts Senate today passed S.2594, An Act eliminating archaic language pertaining to individuals with disabilities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts¸ filed by Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville).
The bill updates the language used for...
Jul 12 2018
Press Release: Massachusetts Senate Passes Automatic Voter Registration
BOSTON – Today, the Massachusetts Senate passed H.4671, An Act automatically registering eligible voters and enhancing safeguards against fraud.
“Voting amplifies our voices, giving us a way to both inform policy and express how it will impact...
Jun 29 2018
Press Release: MA Senate Passes Bill to Allow Non-Binary Gender Option on State Licenses
BOSTON—The Massachusetts Senate passed Senate Bill 2562, An Act relative to gender identity on Massachusetts identification. This bill would establish a non-binary gender identity option for Massachusetts licenses.
The bill requires the Registry of Motor...
Jun 15 2018
Press Release: Senate Passes an Act to Promote a Clean Energy Future
BOSTON – Senator Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate in voting to pass S.2545, An Act to promote a clean energy future, sponsored by Senators Marc Pacheco and Mike Barrett. This legislation represents a firm stand by the...
Jun 8 2018
Press Release: Jehlen, Friedman Appointed to Pay Equity Special Commission
BOSTON – Today, Massachusetts Senate President Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) appointed Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville) and Senator Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington) to serve on the Pay Equity Special Commission. The special commission will investigate, analyze and...
Jun 7 2018
Press Release: Senate Passes Extreme Risk Protection Order Legislation
BOSTON – The Senate on Thursday passed H.4539, An Act Relative to Firearms. This extreme risk protection order (ERPO) legislation would expand upon current Massachusetts gun laws by establishing a legal framework to prevent individuals, if deemed a threat to...
Jun 5 2018
Press Release: Somerville Representatives Celebrate Longfellow Bridge Reopening, Advocacy Successes
BOSTON, MA – The Longfellow Bridge reopened to traffic last week, after five years of reconstruction. The bridge, which connects Cambridge and Boston, has two lanes for inbound motor vehicle traffic, broadening to three at Charles Circle, and one lane for...
May 31 2018
4 dissenters, but Senate whisks through life sciences bond bill
State House News Service
By Colin A. Young State House News Service
May 31, 2018
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Senate passed a bond bill Thursday meant to re-up the $1 billion, 10-year initiative launched by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2007 to support the...
May 25 2018
Press Release: MA Senate Rolls Back Tax Subsidy for Private K-12 Tuition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2018
Contact: Tara Smith
Tel. (617) 722-1578
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Senate passed a budget amendment that would preserve the Massachusetts 529 savings plan, a way to save for college.
In 2016, Massachusetts adopted a...