Massachusetts State Senator
More than 135,000 people in Massachusetts are living with Alzheimer’s — and that number is expected to keep growing. Members of the Alzheimer’s Association dropped by for a State House lobby day. Their advocacy led to a recent landmark law in 2018 to fight the disease. One new priority: a bill to require insurers to cover testing that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s early.
The Youth Climate Coalition showed up in big numbers for their State House lobby day. I met with a group of constituents who shared their priorities, including a bill to set a statewide “Farm to School” program. The idea is to direct grant funding to schools. The funds would be used to buy produce from local farms and promote food literacy programs. Impressed by the smart and spirited talk.
Sean Osborne, official historian of ABCL, the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, provides the narrative to accompany a performance on Martin Luther King Day in Lexington by members of the Boston Community Gospel Choir. He was eloquent and they were gorgeous.
CAAL, the Chinese American Association of Lexington, rang in the Chinese New Year with a dazzling display of music, dancing, and jaw-dropping performance. This year’s show highlighted 2025 as the 250th Anniversary of 1775, the year that launched the battle for American Independence. It was not to be missed.
Grateful to be honored by LexCAN, the Lexington Climate Action Network, at its annual meeting earlier this week. Lisbeth Bornhofft, Charlie Moore, Ricki Pappo, and others are also linking up with climate-conscious citizens throughout Middlesex and Essex Counties. On everyone’s mind: Trump is term-limited but climate change isn’t. Events at the national level will take a deeply discouraging turn for a time, but grassroots activists in New England will keep doing the work.
On New Year’s Day, I was sworn into the Senate for the new legislative session. Here’s me and my wife, Nancy, in the Senate Chamber for the swearing-in ceremony.
“I hope that Massport appreciates that what is done today on climate is inadequate, and I hope it also appreciates that the policies have changed,” Barrett said. “I don’t pretend to be able to predict particular outcomes on particular projects, but I do know that Massport needs to take this seriously.”
After months of writing, rewriting, and negotiating a major climate bill, it was nice to take a victory lap with climate leaders as we gathered to watch the Governor sign it into law. (I’m the one on the left with the slightly misshapen head.) There are multiple pathways to clean energy, and the superpower of this legislation is that it’s bulked up and versatile. If climate bills were gadgets, this one would be a Swiss Army Knife. When the fossil fuel interests lock up one tool, we’ll flip open another and keep working. Credit to Josh Qualls for the photo.
Watch my remarks: https://www.youtube.com/live/FUjoio2rP7w?si=pV-2gf8NN9OHfzul&t=2010
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.
