Government

State Sen. Will Brownsberger Named to Senate Leadership Position

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

State Sen. Will Brownsberger has been named the Senate President Pro Tempore, one of the top leadership positions in the Massachusetts Senate. Brownsberger, who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston, was named to the post by Senate President Karen Spilka. He became a State Senator in January 2012 by winning a special election to replace Steven Tolman. He currently serves as chair of the Senate Committee on Redistricting and vice chair of the Joint Committee on Revenue. Previously he served as chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

Government

Job Opening in State Sen. Brownsberger’s Office

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

State Sen. William N. Brownsberger is seeking applicants for the position of District Director. The District Director will provide assistance to constituents, local officials and organizations with issues relating to state government. The position requires the ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule to attend frequent evening and weekend meetings in the district. The position is based at the State House but 25-50% of time will be spent in the district. The ability to travel throughout the district is required.

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.

Environment

Sen. Brownsberger Hosts Discussion on the Future of Energy, Environmental Policy

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

Senator Will Brownsberger will host – alongside Senator Michael Barrett (D-Lexington), Transportation for Massachusetts‘ Executive Director Chris Dempsey, and the Environmental League of Massachusetts‘ Legislative Director Casey Bowers – a town hall discussion on the future of energy and environmental policy in Massachusetts. WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 8 from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown, MA

This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend to learn more and ask questions. For more information, contact Quinn Diaz at 617-722-1280 or quinn.diaz@masenate.gov

Letters

OP-ED: Changes to Traffic Signal Timing Will Make Mt. Auburn St. Bus Lanes Work Better

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

Thousands of commuters on Mount Auburn Street and on Fresh Pond Parkway had a very rough ten days starting on Monday, November 5. That is the day that a contractor swapped in a new controller for the traffic signals and failed to properly program it. The new Siemens 60 signal controller is so sophisticated that only a few engineers have the expertise to properly program it. Commuters endured ten days of bad timing until the right specialist was able to get it working as intended. As of Thursday, Nov.

Government

Sen. Brownsberger Seeks Residents to Apply for Citizens’ Legislative Seminar

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

Senator Will Brownsberger announced that he is seeking nominees to participate in the 81st Citizens’ Legislative Seminar (CLS) to be held Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 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.

Government

OP-ED: State Senator’s Long Effort to Pass Non-Compete Agreement Reform Comes to Fruition

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The following piece was provided by State. Sen. Will Brownsberger, D — Belmont, who represents Watertown:

Ten years ago, a friend in Belmont told me how her career had been derailed by an unfair contract.  She asked for a legislative remedy — not for herself, but to protect others. I agreed to work with her. The project became a central focus for me across five sessions of the legislature. Finally, last week, the Governor signed legislation limiting the use of “non-competition agreements.” The legislation is not the complete remedy she sought 10 years ago, but it is a big step forward.

Government

OP-ED: End of Session Crunch in the State Legislature

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger (D – Belmont) who also represents Watertown and parts of Boston, provided the following piece:

It has already been a productive legislative session, but negotiations underway have the potential to make it especially significant. In April, we enacted  a transformational set of criminal justice reforms. Last month, we settled a major package to reduce economic inequality — raising the minimum wage, providing paid family and medical leave and also resolving a dispute over the sales tax. Several measures that have significant resonance in the current national political climate have crossed or should shortly hit the Governor’s desk: Extreme risk protective orders to reduce the risk of gun suicides, automatic voter registration and the repeal of archaic anti-abortion laws. Another measure that resonates nationally is still up in the air — “safe communities” legislation that would assure that local police focus on maintaining order and protecting residents rather than doing the immigration enforcement work of ICE. The safe communities measure is pending as part of the state’s budget for fiscal 2019which is now a couple of weeks late.