2024 State Senate Norfolk & Middlesex District
The Senate is comprised of 40 members, with each Senator elected to represent a district of approximately 159,000 people and each elected for a two-year term. As required by the Massachusetts Constitution, the Senate meets year-round in either formal or informal sessions to consider legislation. The Massachusetts Senate is led by the President of the Senate who is elected by the members of the body at the beginning of each two-year legislative session. Base salary for each Senator is approximately $66,256.
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Cynthia Stone Creem
(Dem)
Do you support election day voter registration? Why or why not?
What actions should the legislature take to address the climate emergency?
What should the legislature do to increase the supply of affordable and middle-market housing in Massachusetts?
What measures would you support to deal with the needs of the large number of immigrants coming to Massachusetts?
What are your priorities for dealing with transportation statewide and in your district?
I am a strong supporter of Election Day voter registration and am the lead sponsor of legislation to implement it in Massachusetts. We should not erect unnecessary barriers to participation in the democratic process, particularly barriers that disproportionately exclude disadvantaged communities. Election Day registration is already safely and securely implemented in 22 states and the District of Columbia. We can do it here too. Election Day registration would also have the benefit of reducing administrative burdens for Massachusetts’ election officials who process provisional ballots. Of the rejected provisional ballots in the 2022 statewide election, 99 percent could have been counted if Massachusetts allowed Election Day registration.
As the chair of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, responding to the climate crisis is one of my top priorities as a legislator. I am the lead sponsor of the Future of Clean Heat Act, which stops imprudent expansion of and investment in the gas system, and instead paves the way for the adoption of clean forms of heating such as networked geothermal and air-source heat pumps. I also sponsor legislation to transform Mass Save into a decarbonization program, to modernize our outdated bottle deposit system, to address emissions from building materials, to promote resilience against flooding and other impacts of climate change, to promote equitable access to solar, and to expand municipal tree canopies.
I was proud to support the recently passed housing bond bill, which authorizes $5.16 billion in funding for a variety of housing production, public housing, and affordable housing programs. The new law also legalizes accessory dwelling units (also known as in-law apartments) statewide. In addition, I voted for the MBTA Communities Act and helped amend the law’s implementation guidelines so that they fit the needs and circumstances of Brookline, Newton, and Wellesley. I have repeatedly secured funding to upgrade and renovate public housing in Wellesley, including the recent passage of a home rule petition, and I will continue to be a champion for the Wellesley Housing Authority.
There are no easy answers to the migrant crisis. I support the right-to-shelter law, but the Commonwealth has run up against the bounds of our capacity to house migrants without incurring severe fiscal consequences. That is why the governor and Legislature have made difficult choices to impose limits on shelter stays. As we await long overdue federal action on reforming our broken immigration system, I support providing migrants with assistance in receiving work permits, continuing to offer mental health care for those who experienced significant trauma, directing additional resources to school districts welcoming children from migrant families, and expanding the Commonwealth’s housing stock and shelter capacity for all residents.
Supporting climate-friendly transportation is a top priority of mine. I have advocated against cuts to Wellesley’s commuter rail service, for accessibility improvements at Wellesley’s stations, and for an additional track that will enable operational flexibility along the Framingham-Worcester line. I have also secured funding for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in Wellesley. At the state level, I have championed improved access to electric vehicle charging, expanded EV rebates, the electrification of Uber and Lyft vehicles, and funding for electric school buses. I look forward to the report of the governor's Transportation Funding Task Force so that we can support investment in public transit, roads, and bridges next session.
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