Massachusetts State Senator
Minute Man Arc, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities in the Concord area, just unveiled its new fleet of electric vans. I helped lift the giant scissors at the ribbon-cutting.
We can keep pushing forward on climate regardless of the headwinds coming out of Washington. Nonprofits like Minute Man are planting the seeds of progress that will enable Massachusetts to continue decarbonizing through the Trump years.
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.”
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.
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.
