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Lawmakers poised to open up state disability records to families, researchers

senmikeb
GBH

Massachusetts lawmakers have reached an agreement on a bill that would make it easier for family members to obtain records of their disabled loved ones who lived in institutional housing. The governor is expected to sign it into law.

State Sen. Michael Barrett, who spearheaded the legislation in the Senate, said the goal of the bill is to serve families who have long been left in the dark while balancing privacy concerns.

“I’m feeling very good, that the House and the Senate made sure that this good, kind, sensible idea did not get lost,” he said. “This should give us more confidence that government works once in a while. It certainly is working in this case.”

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State institutions report calls for action on patient records

senmikeb

A new report sheds light on the troubling history of Massachusetts facilities for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Rep. Sean Garballey and I joined a panel hosted by the Harvard Law School Project on Disability to discuss it.

The report, written by the Special Commission on State Institutions, found that barriers persist for members of the public — including relatives and researchers — who have tried and failed to access the records of people who lived and died in these institutions. Most of these records remain in the custody of the state, but due to privacy laws, they remain largely inaccessible to the public.

One of the commission’s recommendations: pass a bill that Rep. Garballey and I have filed to open these records to the public after a certain amount of time has passed. Thanks to the commission, a similar provision was filed by the Governor and included in a recent Senate bill. I’m pushing to get it across the finish line.

Thanks to Alex Green, Anne Fracht, and Hezzy Smith for a wonderful conversation.

Senator Barrett, Rep Sean Garballey, Alex Green, Anne Fracht, Hezzy Smith, and others
Senator Barrett, Rep Sean Garballey, Alex Green, Anne Fracht, and Hezzy Smith

Temple Emunah marks five years of solar power

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Trump is slowing down offshore wind. Solar can step in and fill the vacuum. A great example: Temple Emunah in Lexington hosts the largest solar installation of any synagogue in Massachusetts. And half of the energy generated goes to a community solar program that others can buy into. I joined community members at the temple to mark the fifth anniversary of the canopies’ installation.

Senator Barrett speaks at Temple Emunah.
Solar canopies at Temple Emunah.

Barrett, local organizers rally against Hanscom jet hangars 

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A coalition of community groups, legislators, and concerned citizens rallied at the State House on Tuesday against building multiple private jet hangars at Hanscom Field. They urged Massport to reject a proposal “to house private jets that would let a handful of super-rich people super-pollute,” in the words of State Senator Mike Barrett.

“No way can you put in a bunch of garages for private jets and still claim ever again to be concerned about climate. This is it. This is the inflection point for Massport,” said Barrett, who represents the four towns adjacent to Hanscom. “In seriously entertaining this proposal, Massport is on the verge of a terrible two-fer: aiding and abetting the warming of the planet and pandering to the concentration of private wealth.”

Thanks to the efforts of a statewide coalition, Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE), the State House rally drew residents from across Massachusetts. In addition to Barrett, speakers included State Rep. Carmine Gentile, Chuck Collins of the Institute for Policy Studies, Claire Karl Müller of Mass Power Forward, and Alex Chatfield and Lara Sullivan of SPJE.

Photo credit: Marilyn Humphries