Senator Rausch: November Beacon Hill Recap

Policy updates, COVID boosters, and a great start to the holiday season.

View this email in your browser Senator Rausch State House Briefing    Part 2, Chapter 11 (November 30, 2021)    Dear friends,    From our family to yours, I hope you had a restful, restorative, and educational Thanksgiving, and to all who are celebrating this week, happy Chanukah. I wish you a bright, joyous, and healthy Festival of Lights.  Chanukah is about finding light in the darkness. As I reflect on the holiday in new ways and ever-changing circumstances, I hope my service as your State Senator has been akin to the shamash, the helper candle that kindles the other lights. I aim to serve you effectively, support our communities, and ignite a fire within others to get involved in community service and local activism. Nothing compares to the impact of multiple candles working together to light up a room. In this month's newsletter I have plenty of updates from Beacon Hill: legislation on the move, a final redistricting update, COVID-19 booster shots, district events, local elections, and office hours. For real-time updates, please follow me on Twitter and Facebook. If you are a constituent and need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me and my team via phone (617-722-1555) or email (becca.rausch@masenate.gov). We are here to help.     I wish you and your loved ones strength, health, resilience, and joy.     Yours in service,     Senator Becca Rausch    November was jam-packed with policymaking. Here are some legislative updates from the Senate floor: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) – The Massachusetts Senate passed a $3.82 billion bill on how to spend ARPA funding coming to our Commonwealth. This legislation will make equitable investments and ensure that communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering broad spectrum supports to health care, mental and behavioral health, housing security, environment, and workforce development.   I secured numerous amendments to this bill that will support our district and the Commonwealth at large, including:  Explicitly requiring that the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund directly support women re-entering the workforce both through upskilling and addressing barriers to entry like transit and childcare Specific language providing for the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to manage tree health along the Commonwealth's parkways for human and environmental health and safety  $1,000,000 for post-traumatic stress care for medical personnel   $650,000 for water infrastructure projects in the towns of Millis, Norfolk, Plainville, Sherborn, Wayland, and Wrentham    $100,000 to renovate North Attleboro's Allen School to create a food pantry regional hub for the town and its neighboring communities $150,000 to support public transit and accessible, affordable senior housing in Franklin $200,000 for a feasibility and design study for a bicycle/pedestrian trail connecting Newton Upper Falls and Needham Heights.  The Senate plan must now be reconciled with the House version of the bill before heading to the Governor's desk.   Office Hours    Sign up for a 15-minute appointment here.     My team and I host virtual office hours every month. Residents from any part of the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District, as well as residents of the new Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex District (which takes effect in January 2023), are welcome to share their questions and opinions on state issues with me and my team via video chat or phone call. Office hours are available to discuss any matter.          Upcoming virtual office hours:     Friday, December 10, 10-11 AM  Friday, January 7, 10-11 AM  Friday, February 11, 10-11 AM  Our mailing address is: The Office of Senator Becca Rausch Massachusetts State House, Room 218                     24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133

This newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, follow this link ->  https://mailchi.mp/8fb5d09292dc/reopeningupdate-15227664?e=0c2c9810fe