Massachusetts State Senator
Packed room at a recent Chelmsford Board of Selectmen meeting. I joined the town’s House delegation to report on the successful passage of local bills, troubling shortfalls in state “non-tax revenue” once expected from the operation of a new casino in Southeastern Mass. and pending legislation to help homeowners and businesses deal with gas leaks.
January 1st brought a measure of relief for many working families in Massachusetts. The state minimum wage bumped up to $10 per hour and the state Earned Income Tax Credit grew by more than 50%.
“Since the early 1980s there’s been a widening gap between pay for people at the top and pay for everyone else,” said State Senator Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, Senate Vice Chair of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. “These initiatives will help bridge that gap.”
Read moreMany baby boomers want to age on their own terms, among friends and as part of a larger community. Lexington at Home is a creative exercise in mutual assistance, a growing network of people committed to helping one another as the years go by.
“State Senator Michael J. Barrett, chairman of the Senate’s Post Audit and Oversight Committee, said he isn’t surprised that other companies have followed Mapfre and Safety, given a regulatory system that allows little public scrutiny and comment on rate proposals. Barrett has called on the insurance division to reconsider the increases granted Mapfre and Safety and open hearings on whether they are justified.”
Taking the long view, Nancy and I joined Bill Durkee and Alexi Joannidis (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay) for a New Year’s Day climb up Prospect Hill in Waltham.
The Massachusetts Legislature’s labor committee has voted to approve a bill setting a $15 an hour minimum wage for fast food and big box retail workers.
“People have got to make a living if they work full time,” Barrett said.
The Boston Globe’s Scot Lehigh writes, “Although carbon dioxide emissions are the primary contributor to manmade global warming, the price of carbon-based energy doesn’t reflect the environmental harm it causes.” His favored solution: “put a price on carbon.” My bill, S.1747, would do just that. I want us to lead the way on an approach that other states — and eventually the entire country — can adopt.
“The chairman of a powerful state Senate committee on Wednesday called on the Division of Insurance to reconsider the substantial rate increases granted to two of the state’s largest home insurance companies and open hearings on whether increases are justified.
“Barrett, chairman of the Senate’s Post Audit and Oversight Committee, said the rates deserve further scrutiny and public hearings, something consumers have urged, but the Division of Insurance has rarely held.”
Read the article on Sen. Barrett’s work on homeowners insurance rates
Full-time caretakers for the elderly and people with disabilities often don’t have the support they need. That’s where the Chelmsford Companion Respite Care program comes in. Run by the Council on Aging, the service lends a hand by providing temporary supervisory work so that caretakers can take time for themselves. The initiative recently won praise from the Mass. Office on Elder Affairs for its distinguished work. From left to right: Annie Smith, Council on Aging Board Member, Companion Coordinator Betty Chaput, and Colleen Normandy, Supportive Day Program Manager.
