Updates from Beacon Hill & MetroWest | | Delivering tax relief for residents who need it most. | | | Dear Friends –
June has been quite the month. We passed progressive tax relief, spent joyful hours celebrating pride with our LGBTQ+ community, and commemorated freedom for all at Juneteenth events around MetroWest. To top it off, our local farmers' markets are in full swing—one of my favorite summer activities. | | | Our work on Beacon Hill has been truly historic. The tax relief package that the Senate unanimously passed will reduce income inequality, make Massachusetts more competitive nationally, and lessen the crippling impact of rising prices, inflation, and economic uncertainty. It delivers relief for workers, families, and elderly residents who are bearing the brunt of the rising costs of healthcare, housing, education, and basic goods. It is permanent, progressive, smart, and sustainable tax relief for the people who need it most.
It was an equally exciting month in MetroWest. My team and I joined Juneteenth celebrations in several of our communities, cut ribbons on educational and public safety facilities, and visited the MetroWest Visitors Bureau to discuss our incredible region—something I could talk about forever. | | | As always, my office is available if you need assistance or wish to share your opinion. You can email me at karen.spilka@masenate.gov or call 617-722-1500.
And if you see me by the tomatoes at one of our local farmers' markets—don't hesitate to say hello.
Warm regards, | | Speaking to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Forum | | | I had the privilege of speaking to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce this month, and my message to them was: there's no place like home.
We have everything we need here to create a thriving, multiracial, diverse and welcoming Commonwealth that can be the envy of the other states. But we must tackle head-on the challenge facing the rest of the nation – that of shoring up and expanding our middle class.
By expanding access to the middle class, we can help the people who do some of our most important jobs – like home health aides, child care providers, and human service workers, among others – achieve the American dream.
That's why I'm proud the Senate has focused on the fundamentals, like access to housing, health care and higher education, among many other things, in our Fiscal Year 2024 budget and our recent tax relief package. | | | On June 15, the Senate unanimously passed a $590 million tax relief bill which delivers support to low- and middle-income earners and chips away at the headwinds that threaten Massachusetts' competitiveness.
Focusing on providing relief to residents across Massachusetts while upholding fiscal responsibility, the Senate's tax relief package will provide relief to renters, seniors, and parents struggling with high early education costs while also increasing much-needed housing production.
As I have said from the outset, tax relief should go to the workers, families, and elderly residents of the Commonwealth who need it most.
LEARN MORE | | Juneteenth: Liberty and Justice for all Americans | | | Three years after the Senate voted to make Juneteenth a state holiday, I am thrilled to see it being celebrated around MetroWest and all around the country. This day reminds us that none of us are free until we are all free, and that it is incumbent on us to do the work of dismantling systemic racism in Massachusetts and nationwide.
Juneteenth is a celebration of all Americans finally being truly free - and a reminder of the important work that lies ahead. I am immensely grateful to my colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate who work to uplift Black voices and strive to create a more equitable society for all. | | From outdoor painting, to live music, to book recommendations and great food, MetroWest was full of lively Juneteenth celebrations this year! Thanks to the many community organizations who stepped up, including Ashland Residents for Equity and Action, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network in Framingham, and organizations in Natick, including Natick for Black Lives Matter, Spark Kindness, and others. | | It was a joy to celebrate Pride in MetroWest and at the State House alongside friends and leaders. We rejoiced in our diverse identities and unity as a Commonwealth, and stood firm in our commitment to equity and protecting the rights of our LGBTQ+ community. Making Massachusetts a place for everyone is not just a moral imperative—it is our competitive advantage. To LGBTQ+ folks and their allies around the country who are facing renewed discrimination, I say, come to Massachusetts! | | | I am especially proud of how residents of MetroWest cities and towns have come together to celebrate love, diversity, and equality with local Pride celebrations. Our communities must be places where everyone can live authentically and thrive.
Photos are of Pride celebrations in Hopkinton, where I was joined by Congressman Jim McGovern, Framingham, and Ashland. | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment