Second Term Agenda
This past week, we in the legislature have been working at a feverish pace to file bills for the new session. I personally sponsored over 46 bills and co-sponsored numerous others pertaining to a spectrum of other issues.
My broad legislative agenda carries forward a clear goal: to make Massachusetts a better place to live and work. We can do this by making our state more affordable for people and employers. We must also continue to provide cities and towns with enough resources to keep them safe and financially secure. In addition, reforming government is a top priority because we must restore the public's faith in a system that is meant to work for them.
The bills I have filed will work specifically to strengthen public safety and education, hold the line on taxes and unnecessary spending, as well as allocate local aid more fairly.
Last session we were successful in passing laws restricting convicted sex offenders and allowing victims more time to report crimes. I’m hoping to do more in the new session.
This new law extends the statute of limitations on sex crimes to 27 years after a victim turns 16. I’d like to eliminate this statute of limitations on sexual offenses. The new law also prohibits Level 3 sex offenders from living in a nursing home or rest home and attaches criminal penalties to this offense. My legislation to create buffer zones around schools, nursing homes and approved day care facilities will work to keep our most vulnerable citizens safe from predators.
To keep our election system reliable and trustworthy, I’ve filed legislation that requires that enough ballots be available for each registered voter in a precinct and also for voters to present identification at polling places in order to receive a ballot.
The public voted overwhelmingly to roll back the income tax to 5%, and the legislature should follow suit. I’ve also filed legislation that would repeal the nursing home tax that was included as part of the 2002 budget and limit Proposition 2 ½ overrides by allow cities and towns to pass a ballot question to reduce the amount of real estate and personal property taxes to be assessed the following year.
Eliminating certain taxes for veterans and broadening the definition of a veteran for retirement purposes are also top priorities. Other legislation would require nursing homes and other care facilities to do background checks on potential residents in order to ensure a safe living environment for our seniors.
These are just a few of my proposals for this session. The bottom line is that we need to make common sense decisions that will benefit the people of Massachusetts in order for our state to thrive. I will continue to work hard for my constituents. As always, if you ever have opinions or concerns, please contact me. Knowing what’s important to you helps me serve you better.