Government

State Sen. Brownsberger is Looking for 2 State House Interns

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following information came from State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s office:

Senator Will Brownsberger has announced that part-time unpaid internships will be available in his State House office to students from the 2nd Suffolk and Middlesex District for the summer of 2019. Internships are open to undergraduate college students and high school students who will have completed their junior year. All applicants must have a permanent residence or attend school in the Senator’s district. Internships require a commitment of 8-10 hours a week for a minimum of five weeks, with possible added research work outside of scheduled hours. A cover letter and resume should be sent to Anne Johnson Landry, at annejohnson.landry@masenate.gov, or mailed to Senator William Brownsberger, State House Room 504, Boston, MA 02133.

Government

LETTER: State Legislature Should Pass Rep. Hecht’s Transparency Amendments

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To the Editor:

Please note, this is my personal position not that of the Library Board of Trustees. The Massachusetts Legislature is the second oldest deliberative body in the world (after the U.K. Parliament). But far too often, no deliberation actually happens there. 

Thursday, Watertown State Rep. Jon Hecht fought to change this by filing three common sense transparency amendments to the House rules. His amendments focused on insuring that legislators have time to read what they’re voting on, and insuring that testimony at hearings and recorded votes in closed-door committee meetings are available to the public. They would have made a more democratic and transparent House — good government principles that Watertown residents like myself expect.

Government

State Rep. Hecht to Meet With Residents Twice in Coming Weeks

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State Rep. Jonathan Hecht

The following information was provided by Rep. Hecht’s office:

Representative Jonathan Hecht will hold office hours twice in Watertown in the upcoming weeks. Constituents are invited to meet with Representative Hecht at the following time and location:

Thursday, January 31, 5:00-6:00 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St, Raya Stern Trustees Room

Thursday, February 7, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Watertown Town Hall, 149 Main St, 3rd Floor hallway

Anyone unable to attend these office hours can call Representative Hecht at 617-722-2140 to schedule an appointment at another time.

Citizen's Legislative Seminar

Watertown Residents Can Apply to be in Citizens’ Legislative Seminar

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The following information was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s office:

Senator Will Brownsberger announced that he is seeking nominees to participate in the 82nd Citizens’ Legislative Seminar (CLS) to be held Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20 at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. CLS is a semi-annual educational seminar geared towards adults of all ages interested in learning more about state government and the legislative process. Established in 1976 through a collaborative effort of the Massachusetts Senate and the University of Massachusetts, Boston, the two-day seminar features engaging presentations by Senators and staff on aspects of the day-to-day experience of legislators in the Commonwealth. Topics will include the history and process of the Legislature, the State Budget, the parliamentary role of the Clerk of the Senate and the future of the Legislature. The Seminar will walk participants through the legislative process including how bills are introduced, debated, and passed.

Government

Meet With State Rep. Jonathan Hecht During his December Office Hours

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Representative Jonathan Hecht’s office announced that Hecht will hold office hours once in Watertown this December. Constituents are invited to meet with Representative Hecht at the following time and location:
Monday, December 10, 5:15-6:15 p.m.
Lucia Mastrangelo Meeting Room, Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown
Anyone unable to attend these office hours can call Representative Hecht at 617-722-2140 to schedule an appointment at another time.

Environment

OP-ED: State Senate Passes Energy Bill Aimed at Addressing Climate Change

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{The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger (D – Belmont) who also represents Watertown}

After a long day of debate, the Senate passed the Barrett-Pacheco omnibus energy bill on Thursday — significant legislation to continue movement in Massachusetts towards a cleaner energy future. Addressing climate change is a core priority for me and I am glad to move this legislation forward. The next step will be action by the House of Representatives.   After that, the branches will need to reconcile their differences and get the bill to the Governor’s desk.  We should expect the bill to continue to evolve. As mentioned in a previous post, I am most enthusiastic about the provisions that will lead to carbon pricing in the transportation sector. A summary of the major provisions appears below, excerpted from the Senate press release on the bill:

Increasing the percentage of Class I renewable energy that must be purchased by retail electric suppliers under the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard from an additional 1% annually to an additional 3% annually. Requiring the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to establish market-based compliance mechanisms to maximize the ability of the Commonwealth to achieve its greenhouse gas emission limits for: (i) the transportation sector not later than December 31, 2020; (ii) the commercial and industrial building sectors not later than December 31, 2021; and (iii) the residential building sector not later than December 31, 2022.

Government

OP-ED: Details of Gun Control Legislation Being Considered on Beacon Hill

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{The following piece was written by State Sen. Will Brownsberger (D – Belmont) who represents Watertown in the Massachusetts State House}

The House and Senate have both now given initial approval to legislation to make it easier to take guns away from people who are a risk of harming themselves or others. It will likely be finalized and enacted before the end of this session. We already have strong laws that allow a person to seek protection of the court, including removal of firearms, when he or she fears violence from a partner. And school shootings are hard to predict. The best argument for the new legislation is that it will reduce the dominant but least visible category of gun death: suicide.

Government

Comprehensive Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Moves Forward in State House

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger, from Belmont who represents Watertown, announced that House and Senate have released legislation that would reform the criminal justice system in Massachusetts. Brownsberger included a detailed summary of the legislation on his website. Some of the changes would be:

Strengthen mandatory minimum penalties for opiate trafficking offenses
Reducing minimum mandatory penalties for non-opiate drug offenses
Creating alternatives to prosecution or incarceration for minor offenses
Decriminalizing some minor offenses
Strengthen protections for public safety, including penalties for some types of crime, including corporate manslaughter, homicide by motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a credit card scanner, and high number of repeat OUIs. Improving prisons, and reducing the use of solitary confinement

(Read the entire summary on Brownsberger’s website by clicking here)

Below is the press release from legislators who worked on the legislation:
House and Senate legislators filed their final criminal justice reform conference report with the Senate Clerk on Friday. The consensus legislation is a comprehensive review of the Commonwealth’s criminal justice system.