The Massachusetts House of Representatives comprises 160 members, each representing a district of approximately 40,000 people and elected to a two-year term with no term limits. As required by the Massachusetts Constitution, the House meets year-round in either formal or informal sessions to consider statewide legislation. The Massachusetts House is led by the Speaker of the House, who is elected by the members of the body at the beginning of each two-year legislative session.
I supported a no-new-taxes/fees, bi-partisan and balanced state budget that included provisions addressing housing costs, primarily by passing legislation to cut red tape that slowed housing production. The budget also included investments in regional transit to sustain fare free service, it extends the ConnectorCare pilot that has provided more affordable health care to 115,000 residents, and it increased emergency food assistance investments as well as childcare funding in response to growth. Any response to the rising cost of living needs to recognize that wages of working people have simply not kept pace with increasing wealth of the top 1% or the cost of basic goods and services. That is why I am a strong supporter of organized labor.
I voted for the House energy affordability bill that is projected to save ratepayers $9 billion dollars over the next decade by adopting the "all of the above" approach. I support our efforts here in Massachusetts to be a national leader in the development of offshore wind and energy. Not only will this bring energy costs down by diversifying our energy portfolio, it has already created thousands of good jobs in southeastern Massachusetts and beyond. Washington is obstructing the development of offshore wind and other renewable energy initiatives while catering to the fossil fuel industry, basically surrendering a critical industry to foreign competition.
The first thing we need to do is recognize that federal cuts in health care will harm hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents in the coming years if they are not reversed. I am glad the Commonwealth has set aside money to help fill the gap the federal government is creating. Given that most people obtain their health insurance via their employers on a cost share basis, workers need to be empowered to negotiate better benefits and higher employer contributions.
The primary driver of municipal budget costs is employee health insurance. If we can get these costs under control, cities and towns will be able to plan for and manage around this challenge. That said, it is time for a serious reconsideration of the local school aid funding formulas to ensure communities are getting their fair share of funds. Such a review was included in the recently passed budget.
I remain confident in the integrity of Massachusetts elections and the state and local people who manage them. There are forces in Washington and other influencers that have been trying to undermine our trust in elections across the nation. Preventing such bad behavior requires a legal and a political response. I'm thankful that our Attorney General, Secretary of State, local election officials and millions of voters are paying attention. I am confident they will not let our elections in Massachusetts be corrupted.
I do not believe that local and state law enforcement should be pulled off investigations of violent crime, drug distribution and other legitimate public safety missions to help poorly trained federal officers deal with civil infractions of federal immigration laws. The immigration policies of the Trump Administration, in my view, are illegal and immoral. They are intended to scapegoat vulnerable people, and distract voters from the very real cost of living and war-related issues that are causing harm to people across the nation and in our own communities.
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