State House News
“The level of support is coming on a little faster than I expected, but then global warming is heating up a little faster than we all expected,” said State Senator Mike Barrett, the bill’s chief sponsor.
Lawmakers seek to block sheriff from sending inmates to work on Trump’s wall
State House News
“I think that one likely development we’ve got to keep an eye on is the appearance of mini-Trumps all around the country,” Barrett told the News Service. “I think the Trump era is not just about the new president, it’s about a style of policymaking by provocation and outrage. You’re going to see mini-Trumps arise in Massachusetts. Politicians are amply rewarded for stirring the pot, and I think our approach here should be fundamentally different, more level-headed, more even-handed.”
Boston Women’s March – Jan. 2017
State Senators, ready to march. What a crowd. What a day. What spirit! What a way to mobilize for the next four years!
Senate takes the oath
I recently took the oath of office to begin a new two-year term in the Massachusetts State Senate. Thanks for letting me serve. Trust me: I’m there, right in the middle.
Mass. law can compel presidential candidates to release their tax returns. So let’s do it.
This Massachusetts bill could block Donald Trump from the ballot in 2020
Boston.com
“Until recently many Americans just assumed that the stature of the Office of the President ensured the observance of certain practices that are unwritten but responsible and well-established, one of which is the disclosure by candidates of recent tax returns and, by extension, possible conflicts of interest. The 2016 election shattered this confidence. I hope we can come together to rebuild it.”
Beacon Hill proposal targets tax returns of presidential candidates
Press Release
BOSTON — State Senator Mike Barrett (D-Lexington) wants the Massachusetts Legislature to tell future presidential candidates that they cannot appear on a primary or general election ballot in the state until they release their tax returns and disclose potential conflicts of interests.
“Until recently,” Barrett wrote in a Dear Colleague letter to House and Senate members inviting cosponsors of the bill in the upcoming 2017-2018 session, “many Americans just assumed that the stature of the Office of the President ensured the observance of certain practices that are unwritten but responsible and well-established, one of which is the disclosure by candidates of recent tax returns and, by extension, possible conflicts of interest. The 2016 election shattered this confidence. I hope we can come together to rebuild it.”
Read moreNo place in Mass. for prisoners of poverty
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe’s Editorial Board weighs in on my committee’s recent report on “fine time” in Massachusetts — the practice by district court judges of incarcerating defendants solely for failure to pay fines, fees or court costs.
State Senate investigates “Fine Time”
Press Release
BOSTON — The State Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight has completed a first-of-its-kind investigation of “fine time” in Massachusetts — the practice by district court judges of incarcerating defendants solely for failure to pay fines, fees or court costs.
State Sen. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington), Chair of the Committee, called the findings “eye-opening.” He and Committee staff identified 105 instances of fine time in 2015 in just three Massachusetts counties — Essex, Plymouth and Worcester. In 60% of the cases, the defendant had at some point been verified as indigent; ten were described as unemployed; five, as homeless. Yet all 105 individuals were imprisoned for failure to pay fees and fines.
Read moreNew Thermo Fischer HQ in Waltham
Thermo Fisher Scientific supplies scientists with cutting-edge tools — things like gene sequencers to map DNA. The company will be coming up with the latest breakthrough tech. at its new global headquarters in Waltham. Here, welcoming Thermo Fischer alongside Senior VP Alex Stachtiaris; Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy; Travis McCready, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and State Rep. Tom Stanley.
