Showing posts with label Senator Rausch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Senator Rausch. Show all posts

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Rausch Report: Leaping Ahead (February 2024)


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Dear Friend,

Happy Leap Day! The Senate marked the occasion by leaping into a formal session to once again pass the Healthy Youth Act, a bill that codifies critical updates to schools' sex and relationship education curricula (more on this below). February may be short on days but it's long on legislative strides and district activity, including constituent meetings, numerous legislative and in-district events, and shepherding my legislative portfolio even closer to the finish line. 

  

This month is also Black History Month, which the Senate celebrated by welcoming a permanent bust of Frederick Douglass to the chamber in a memorable unveiling ceremony. Among the distinguished speakers in attendance was Dr. Noelle Trent, President and CEO of the Museum of African American History, who spoke about Douglass' life, work, and connections to Boston, where his legendary oratorical career began. This bust of Douglass, complementing his quote on the chamber's back wall and the first bust to be added to the chamber in 125 years, recognizes a true founding father of the civil rights movement and our nation. It was a privilege to be present for the unveiling. This month also marked an important milestone on the legislative calendar: Joint Rule 10 Day, the deadline for all bills to receive a committee report or an extension. I'm proud to say that 22 of my bills have been reported favorably out of committee so far and are advancing through the legislative process! The Senate already passed one of my bills earlier this term and another 18 are still moving through the committee process. Our legislative portfolio is achieving great success.

As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, I have been hard at work in partnership with my House Co-Chair Dan Cahill, issuing reports on more than 300 bills by the February 7 deadline. The bills we reported out favorably cover a wide range of policy areas, from wetlands protection to hazardous waste management to air quality and water access equity. 

Read ahead in this month's Rausch Report for legislative updates, a roundup of district events, a call for nominations for Women's History Month, a look ahead at upcoming youth engagement opportunities, and more. 

For real-time updates, please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you are a constituent and need assistance, please don't hesitate to call me and my team at (617) 722-1555, email me at becca.rausch@masenate.gov, or attend upcoming office hours. We are here to help.     


Yours in service,  

 
Senator Becca Rausch   

This newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, please visit -> View this link in your browser

Our mailing address is:
The Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts State House, Room 215
24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Veterans Coffee Social with Senator Rausch, Rep Roy, & Secretary Santiago at the Franklin Senior Center - March 6 at 10 AM

Save the date!!!      March 6 at 10 AM

State Rep Jeff Roy, State Senator Becca Rausch and Secretary of Veterans Service, Jon Santiago

Veterans Coffee Social with Senator Rausch, Rep Roy, & Secretary Santiago at the Franklin Senior Center - March 6 at 10 AM
Veterans Coffee Social with Senator Rausch, Rep Roy, & Secretary Santiago at the Franklin Senior Center - March 6 at 10 AM

Friday, February 9, 2024

Veterans Coffee Social at the Franklin Senior Center

Save the date!!!

March 6 at 10 AM.

State Rep Jeff Roy, State Senator Becca Rausch and Secretary of Veterans Service, Jon Santiago



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Saturday, December 23, 2023

Rausch Report: Looking back and Forging Ahead - (December 2023)


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As we near the end of the year, I'm taking this moment to look back at everything we've accomplished together. From one-on-one conversations with constituents to district events and advancing legislation, it has been a busy and fulfilling year.  

This year has also been challenging. We've witnessed a rise in hate crimes and antisemitism, continued attacks on reproductive health care across the country, and an increase in climate-related disasters. These challenges, however, fuel my commitment to this work, our communities, and the Commonwealth. It's an honor to serve you in the State Senate, and I will continue working hard for you and your families on Beacon Hill.  

This month's Rausch Report includes a look back on a successful 2023 and a look forward to the work still ahead, a roundup of district events, a snapshot of upcoming community happenings, and more. 

For real-time updates, please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you are a constituent and need assistance, please don't hesitate to call me and my team at (617) 722-1555, email me at becca.rausch@masenate.gov, or attend upcoming office hours. We are here to help.   

Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy holiday season and good things to come in the new year.

Yours in service,  

 
Senator Becca Rausch   

On the legislative front, my team and I have accomplished a lot this year for our constituents, our communities, and the Commonwealth: 

Local and statewide funding wins: I'm proud to have secured millions of dollars in the FY 2024 budget for local and statewide initiatives, including funding for the continued implementation of a universal mental health screening program for students in grades 7 and 9 in Franklin, Town Common playground upgrades in Bellingham, fire department improvements in Norfolk and Plainville, a sustainability coordinator in Medfield, and much more. I am particularly proud of securing full funding for the Hey Sam mental youth text line, highest-ever funding of $350,000 for the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, and similarly highest-ever funding of $2.5 million for civics education for Massachusetts students.  

Legislative wins: The legislative process is moving along and bills are beginning to progress through their respective committees. I filed more than 60 bills this term and all but 3 of them have had their hearings already. My legislative portfolio covers reproductive care, personal and public health, climate action and environmental justice, election reform, education, good governance, and more.  

Committees must take some type of action on all bills timely filed this session by February 7, 2024, so we anticipate an increase in floor votes and activity in both the Senate and House chambers in the months ahead. You can track the status of a bill moving through the legislative process here. (Find some handy instructions here, under "how to track bills"). 

The Senate has already advanced some critical bills this term, such as tax relief, pay equity, and increasing health care access to pharmaceuticals, PrEP, and disposable menstrual products. This is in addition to our $56 billion annual budget and the recently finalized 2023 close-out budget, which funded collective bargaining agreements, special education tuition rate increases, disaster relief for municipalities impacted by storms and natural disasters that occurred in 2023, and more. 

Committee Progress: I was also reappointed by the Senate President to serve as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Working collaboratively with my House co-chair, we've done initial assessments on more than 350 bills and held 10 hearings on topics such as plastics and waste management, environmental justice, air and water quality, animals, parks and open spaces, climate change, and waterways, oceans, and wetlands. In addition to this significant body of work, the Committee has been out in the field, touring Boston Harbor to advance discussions about preserving and protecting our harbors, coastlines, and waterways, and visiting Revere, Lynn, and Marblehead to bring focus to coastal resiliency, remediation, and carbon sequestration. 

Caucus Leadership: I am honored to serve as an at-large board member of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators. Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll met with members of the Women's Caucus this week to discuss the Caucus's strategic priorities to uplift and support women and girls in the Commonwealth.  

Hate Crimes Task Force: I was recently appointed to the Hate Crimes Task Force and attended my first meeting this week. The Task Force's collective work to combat identity-based hatred and bigotry is profoundly important, and I am proud to be part of it.  

Looking ahead: We have more work to do in 2024. My team and I continue to shepherd our bills through the legislative process with the goal of enacting good law and strong policy across a multitude of issues. Also, as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, I am eager to continue my strong partnership with my House co-chair as we move through next level reviews and assessments of the hundreds of bills under our jurisdiction, utilizing the lenses of climate action and environmental justice. 


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Our mailing address is:
The Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts State House, Room 215
24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133                   

This  newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, please visit this link ->   https://mailchi.mp/masenate/monthlynewsletter-17626353?e=0c2c9810fe        

Friday, December 1, 2023

Rausch Report: Sharing Light This Holiday Season (November 2023)


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Dear Friend,

I hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving. The holiday season is a chance to spend time with the people we love, eat nourishing food, reflect on the year behind us, and look ahead with full hearts.  

These last 8 weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for so many of us. I decided over the course of these many days that I needed to do something with these emotions and use my platform to address what we've seen unfold since October 7.

In my last newsletter, I shared that I co-authored the Massachusetts Senate resolution supporting the people of Israel, the victims of Hamas's terrorist attack, and those who are being held hostage. Since then, I have continued to vocally denounce and condemn antisemitism in our communities, our Commonwealth, and our nation. I also led a bipartisan nationwide open letter to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and all Members of Congress signed by nearly 300 state lawmakers from more than half the states in the country denouncing antisemitism and Islamophobia and committing to further educational efforts to expose and reduce anti-Jewish prejudice and extremism. In addition, I hosted an open community space for people impacted by the terrorism and violence in Israel and the attendant antisemitism, communicated with all the superintendents in our district about the drastic rise in antisemitism, collaborated with our partners in the Healey-Driscoll Administration to secure the near-immediate remediation of antisemitic graffiti on the Mass Pike, and have been in conversation with local, national, and international leaders including Israel's Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism about productive next steps for this critical work. 

We have much more to do to address the stark rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia and combat hatred in all its forms. I will continue these efforts in many ways, including my service as a member of the Hate Crimes Task Force. (In that capacity, I was honored to join the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and statewide leaders in equity and inclusion as Governor Healey announced new strategies for addressing identity-based incidents of hatred. One of these strategies is the creation of the "Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team" (HART), which is tasked with improving statewide data collection efforts to identify patterns and trends, developing training with the Municipal Police Training Committee, and improving coordination across all levels of law enforcement. As we experience record levels of hatred and bigotry, these strategies are both timely and sorely needed. Read more here.) 

This month's Rausch Report includes legislative updates, a roundup of district events, joyful events happening in our communities, and more.  

For real-time updates, please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you are a constituent and need assistance, please don't hesitate to call me and my team at (617) 722-1555, email me at becca.rausch@masenate.gov, or attend upcoming office hours. We are here to help.   

Wishing you and yours a happy, safe, and joyful holiday season. 


Yours in service,  

 
Senator Becca Rausch   

In Committee

As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, we held two hearings this month about animals, fishing, hunting, and trapping. Our committee has now held ten public hearings, all of which were hybrid for easier public access, and we have heard testimony on a whopping 348 bills. I look forward to working with my House Co-chair Dan Cahill to advance important environmental protection and preservation legislation. 

Also this month, I testified on five bills I filed as part of my legislative portfolio. These bills would expand abortion access (S.1114), protect people from doxing (S.1116), safeguard the freedom of the press (S.1115), prevent minors from overdosing on dextromethorphan (S.1456), and modernize birth certificates (S.1459).  
 



On the Floor

Earlier this month, I voted yes alongside my Senate colleagues to pass two important pieces of legislation before the winter recess: An Act Relative to Pharmaceutical Access, Costs, and Transparency (the PACT Act) and the Supplemental Budget to close out Fiscal Year 2023.  
 

Improving Pharmaceutical Access, Cost, and Transparency 

The bipartisan PACT Act would make urgent and much-needed reforms to the pharmaceutical system in the state by lowering the cost of drugs at the pharmacy counter and improving oversight of the pharmaceutical industry. It also creates more equitable access to life-saving medications by providing a free, no-cost sharing option for certain drugs used to treat chronic illnesses. I secured two successful amendments to enhance transparency and accountability. This legislation now moves to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for consideration. 
 

Supplemental Close-Out Budget 

The Senate's supplemental close-out budget totaled $2.81 billion and contained several provisions to support the ongoing operations of programs and services that benefit the residents of the Commonwealth, including $250 million to address the ongoing need for emergency housing. I joined my colleagues on a successful amendment to improve oversight, transparency, and accountability for contract compliance among emergency housing providers. The supplemental budget also included: 

  • $75 million for school districts impacted by special education tuition rate increases; 
  • $15 million for disaster relief for municipalities impacted by storms and naturals disasters that occurred in 2023; 
  • Funding to implement collective bargaining agreements; and 
  • $500,000 for the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Youth. 

I filed a single amendment to the Senate close-out budget that would have permanently fixed our state primary scheduling problem. As I said in my remarks on the floor, the statutorily dictated state primary date is so bad that the Legislature has had to change it every election cycle since 2012. Once again, this close-out budget moves the state primary date, and once again, it will be held on the day after Labor Day, yielding a host of problems for access to the ballot, engagement among candidates and voters, and logistics for our local clerks. Our current statutory law governing the scheduling of our last-in-the-nation state primary is a detriment to democracy and must be changed. While this amendment was unsuccessful, I will keep pushing for this necessary shift to align our state primary with the overwhelming majority of similar state primaries in the nation, which are held in late Spring. I've filed legislation to generate this change as well (S.435 and S.439).  

I am pleased to report that earlier today, after advocacy from me and many of my colleagues, an agreement was reached between the two chambers on a compromise bill. I look forward to its adoption in both the House and the Senate so collective bargaining agreements and other matters may be funded and finalized and the state comptroller can close the books on Fiscal Year 2023.



Our mailing address is:
The Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts State House, Room 215
24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133


 Note this newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, follow this link -> https://mailchi.mp/masenate/monthlynewsletter-17586993