A beaming Sen. Barrett greets climate activists outside the Senate chamber minutes after the body’s final approval of the 2024 climate bill on Oct. 24. Credit to Steve Wenner for the photo.
A beaming senator
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For people with disabilities, the workplace can be tough. We must stay vigilant.
Honored to be named a Legislative Champion at an event promoting disability awareness in employment. Despite the progress, the particulars of the workplace can be tough for anyone, and one’s disability often leaves a person at an additional disadvantage. Your employers and your coworkers can believe that they’re behaving well, but bias and discrimination are insidious. The result, whether intended or not, can add considerable stress to the day-to-day of holding down a job. We have to stay vigilant and we have to be insistent on receiving reasonable accommodations.
Massachusetts may again lead on climate change. The state (finally, almost) has a sweeping climate bill.
Boston Globe
Months after the close of the formal legislative session, when lawmakers on Beacon Hill came oh-so-close to passing significant reforms only to fall short at the eleventh hour, House and Senate negotiators announced a comprehensive bill on Thursday that addresses the climate crisis and promotes more clean energy adoption. The legislation would again put Massachusetts near the front of the pack of state houses fighting climate change.
Marching for a good cause
Despite the rainy weather, it was all smiles at Minute Man Arc’s annual march in Concord. The event brought in over $160,000 for the 1,400 people with disabilities served by Minute Man. Big shoutout to everyone who helped make it happen.
Lexington Honors Quock Walker Ahead Of Massachusetts Emancipation Day
WBZ
The audacity of actually believing in the American Dream and the idea that all men and women are born free, we have Quock Walker to thank for that courage and for that persistence. Terrific job to all the folks in Lexington who helped commemorate the occasion.
Mass. Senate advances energy reforms
GBH
The Senate on Tuesday approved another complex set of reforms to accelerate the spread of clean energy in Massachusetts, along the way hearing concerns about potential ratepayer burdens and embracing an expansion of the state’s bottle redemption law.
“The energy grid needs updating. It needs renewing every 30 years. But it’s pretty boring stuff,” said State Senator Mike Barrett, adding that it’s decarbonization of buildings and vehicles that gets his constituents excited. “It’s a source of emotional reinforcement, to the people who vote for me, that we’re not only doing the esoteric thing — which is the grid; important, but exotic — we’re also getting off fossil fuels with respect to cars and houses.”
Less gas, quicker permits, and a lot more EV chargers — Massachusetts’ next climate law is taking shape
Boston Globe
State Senator Michael Barrett, who helped write the last two laws and is taking the lead in the Senate on this one, said the latest bill will be voted on later this week. But the aim is clear: “Here in Massachusetts, we have a number of medium-sized and small-sized discrete problems that we need to address,” Barrett said. “We have an opportunity to address them now.”
Money for early relationship programs included in Senate budget
For at-risk infants and their families, early relationship support services can be a major help. In the Senate budget, I offered a successful $500,000 amendment for two early relationship programs. Project NESST helps new mothers in early recovery from opioid abuse and provides education and training services for clinicians. Fragile Beginnings, the other program, supports parents of premature infants.
Energy comes from a hole in the ground
In nearby Framingham, a first-in-the-nation clean energy project is set to come online this summer. Networked geothermal involves a connected system of heat pumps that use the heat from underground to warm buildings. In this case, it’s a pilot program that includes 31 homes and 5 commercial buildings. This is one to keep an eye on.
Money for pre-trial mentoring program included in Senate budget
One way to reduce recidivism in the criminal justice system is by diverting young people who are awaiting trial from pre-trial detention. In the Senate budget, I secured $600,000 for the Detention Diversion Advocacy Program, a mentoring program that provides supervision in place of pre-trial detention.