State Representative Jeff Roy: What's happening in the district - May 2024

View this email in your browser What's happening in the district? In the House, we just completed the budget for FY25. I was proud to deliver local aid to Franklin and Medway that will assist the Franklin Food Pantry ($50,000), the Medway Village Food Pantry ($50,000), the Franklin Performing Arts Company ($100,000), the SAFE Coalition ($50,000), the Franklin Downtown Partnership ($25,000), and the Medway Community Farm ($25,000). I was also happy to file an amendment that added $500,000 to the Genocide Education Trust Fund. We voted to send $29,717,993 to Franklin and $11,042,877 to Medway for school aid through Chapter 70, which represents an increase of $104 per student over FY24 (nearly triple what the Governor proposed in her budget) and $2,983,453 for Franklin and $1,473,066 to Medway in Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA). This is on top of our vote to provide $939,828 to Franklin and $395,457 to Medway, critical tools to make improvements to local transportation infrastructure. Overall, the FY25 House budget funds UGGA at $1.283 billion, and Chapter 70 education funding at $6.863 billion, representing a $309 million increase over the funding provided for Chapter 70 in the FY24 budget. The budget also funds the fourth year of a six-year implementation plan for the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), which was enacted in 2019 to ensure that public schools have the necessary resources to provide high-quality education to students, regardless of zip code or income level. Click on the image below for the video of the highlights of the environmental and energy provisions in the budget from remarks I made on the House floor. It was an amazing budget in challenging times and I am will keep you updated as the budget moves to the Senate later this month. Jeff Copyright (C) 2024 State Rep Jeff Roy. All rights reserved. State Rep Jeff Roy State House Room 43 Boston, MA 02133 The newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, please follow this link -> https://mailchi.mp/ee89e676c7e5/march-2021-newsletter-9107342

Rausch Report: Springtime on Beacon Hill (April 2024)

Your monthly Beacon Hill update from Senator Becca Rausch. 

View this email in your browser Dear Neighbor, Earth Month is a beautiful time of year on Beacon Hill! If you've never been to the State House, or even if you have droves of times, I encourage you to come for a visit and check out everything the people's house offers, inside and out.  Last week I welcomed 10 talented high schoolers hailing from across our district to the State House for our Spring Youth Summit. This annual event gives young adults direct access to the workings of our democracy. The Summit featured an intro session with me and my team, a State House tour, a pizza and policy lunch, and deep discussions on a range of issues including homelessness, AI and social media, youth mental health, and health care access and coverage. With guidance from my staff, students developed and debated ideas, insights, and proposals, culminating with policy pitches to me and my Legislative Director. Take it from me: there is promise in our future leadership.       Youth Summit participants pose on the Senate rostrum with Senator Rausch (left) and present their policy pitches (right). Bringing students together to analyze the issues that matter to them is a great hands-on civics workshop, but that's not the only reason these events are so important. Hearing the concerns of our youth is a key component of representing all of my constituents' needs and interests. During a virtual youth town hall session I convened in 2021, young people spoke courageously about mental health challenges and the need for better and different supports. Working with Samaritans, Inc., within a few weeks I secured funding for a youth mental health text line called Hey Sam. This confidential, peer-to-peer resource has been a tremendous success, connecting thousands of young people to the help they need. Hey Sam is your tax dollars at work, saving lives and helping our youth, both those who text in and those who volunteer.   Read on in this month's Rausch Report for more info about Samaritans' 50th Anniversary celebration, legislative updates, a roundup of upcoming May events and activities in our district, 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    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 contents, please visit ->   https://mailchi.mp/masenate/monthlynewsletter-17763604?e=409dce3a6f

Franklin Senior Center: Get your "Connection" Newsletter for May 2024

Franklin Senior Center Connection Newsletter May 2024

Check out our May Newsletter here! 
You won't want to miss what we have happening at the Franklin Senior Center in May. 

 Get your digital (PDF) copy of the newsletter ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/may_2024_newsletter.pdf

Franklin Senior Center: Get your "Connection" Newsletter for May 2024

State Rep Jeff Roy: What's happening in the district - April 2024

View this email in your browser What's happening in the district? It's busy season on Beacon Hill as committees continue to report out bills and the Legislature takes action on them. Last week, the House advanced a bill that includes $200 million for the state's Chapter 90 program, providing municipalities with a funding source for transportation-related improvements, including road and bridge repairs. Under the bill, Franklin will receive $939,828 and Medway will get $395,457. Having passed the House of Representatives 155-0, the bill now goes to the Senate for their consideration. We also passed two bills that update the Massachusetts General Laws by removing out-of-date and offensive terms related to persons with disabilities, and by renaming the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) as MassAbility. The language in the first bill removes all variations of outdated terms such as "handicapped," "disabled," and "retarded" and replaces them with current terminology such as "person with a disability" and "person with an intellectual disability." As lawmakers, we know that words matter and this legislation is our latest effort to ensure that our state laws do not use antiquated words that carry negative connotations, or words that also serve as a reminder of past injustices. Removing archaic language in legislation plays an important role in reducing social stigma and ensuring that state agencies and courts view people with disabilities as entitled to full, equal, and integrated lives in the community. A few weeks ago, the House and Senate also passed legislation that I filed to help prevent abuse and exploitation, while also enhancing protections for survivors. The legislation addresses teen sexting and image-based sexual assault, commonly referred to as "revenge porn." It represents a coordinated effort and a holistic approach to address an increasingly prevalent behavior and provides mechanisms to protect individuals victimized by those who threaten, intimidate, and harass the subjects of these images. It will help those who have become entangled in the web and transmittal of images that can cause traumatic and lifetime harm. The Committee I chair (Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy) released a number of bills addressing clean energy generation, to promote transportation electrification infrastructure, supporting load aggregation programs in the Commonwealth, modernizing competitive energy supply, and to expedite permitting for electric decarbonization infrastructure projects. The bills have moved on to the Committee on Ways & Means and we look forward to taking further action on the bills as the session progresses. I will keep you updated on these and other actions in future issues of the newsletter. Jeff Copyright (C) 2024 State Rep Jeff Roy. All rights reserved. State Rep Jeff Roy, State House Room 43, Boston, MA 02133 This newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, please check this link -> https://mailchi.mp/081f80577706/march-2021-newsletter-9105218

Franklin Public Library News & Events for April 2024 (audio)

**LIBRARY NEWS**

Library Hours
The Library's hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Library will be closed Monday April 15^th for Patriots Day.

Franklin Public Library's 2024 Reading Challenge!
April: A book set in a place you want to visit/vacation!
Welcome to the Franklin Public Library's first Annual Reading Challenge! For each monthly prompt that you complete and submit on time you will receive a Free Book Coupon that's good at the library's Book
Submissions MUST be submitted by the last day of each month in order to qualify for that month's Free Book Coupon. If you complete all 12 months you will be entered in to win one of multiple grand prizes! For complete details and to sign-up, visit our website! Grand prizes made possible by the Friends of the Franklin Library!

FREE access to the New York Times (nytimes.com).
Enjoy free access to NYTimes.com. For both in-library and home access, create an account and log in using that account. Coverage includes 1981 to Current, plus historic coverage 1851-1922. Home Access includes NY Times App and 5 Premium Archive (1923-1980) articles per day. Go to the library's alphabetical list of Free Online Databases to access nytimes.com.

What you get:

• Unlimited access to NYTimes.com content
• International Edition and Chinese Edition
• Historic Coverage 1851-1922 and 1981 to Current
• Newsletters, Alerts & Times Wire
• Sharing & Commenting
• Times Topics
• Search and Cross Searching
• Real-Time Market Data & Company Research Pages
• Mini Crossword puzzles

Remote Access pass also includes:

• NYTimes App
• Today's Paper: Digital edition of today's print edition
• 5 Premium Archive (1923-1980) articles per day

Museum Passes
Now is a great time to reserve passes to the area's most popular museums, aquariums, and more! Passes are available to be reserved up to thirty days in advance.

Franklin Library Book Sale
Friday, April 19^th, 1:00-5:00 p.m.  Saturday, April 20^th, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon
All books are just one dollar!

Bag Sale - $5 A Bag - Saturday, April 20^th, from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Come fill a brown bag with all the books you can!

Franklin Library ESL & Adult Literacy Program
Volunteer tutors needed! To volunteer please be at least 18 years old, have a High School diploma, & speak English clearly.  No prior teaching experience needed!  Volunteer tutors and students do not need to be Franklin residents. If interested, please fill out the registration form on the library's website.

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/april-2024-franklin-library-news-events

Listen to Mitzi and I cover all the highlights for April 2024. The recording runs about 32 minutes, so let’s listen in. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1160-franklin-public-library-april-2024-event-highlights-03-18-24

one of the Library's April events we cover

Rausch Report: Celebrating Women's Herstory (March 2024)

Your monthly Beacon Hill update from Senator Becca Rausch. 

View this email in your browser At the beginning of Women's History Month, I attended the unveiling of a portrait of Abigail Adams, which now graces the entrance to the Senate lobby. It was cause for great celebration: a foundational woman taking her permanent place on the walls of our State House. As the Presidents of the Senate and the Massachusetts Historical Society spoke, I reflected on how far our Commonwealth has come, and how much farther we still have to go. More than 20,000 men have served in the Massachusetts Legislature. In 2019, the year I took office, my classmates and I finally brought the number of women legislators above 200. I have this honor and privilege thanks to the women who came before me, blazing trails and holding open doors. In that spirit, every year when Women's History Month comes in March, I recognize and uplift the diversity, dedication, and talent of women leaders across our district. Click here to learn more about some exceptional women making positive impact and change in our communities.  Top row from the left: Jignasa Patel, Norfolk; Becca Kahane, Needham; Carrie Galhouse, Needham. Second row: Sandra Elaine Scott, Millis; Liz Berthelette, Bellingham. Third row: Roberta Trahan, Franklin; Tina Powderly, Franklin. Fourth row: Laurie Mills, Medfield; Julie Garland, Wrentham; Amber DeGrandpre Wilson, Franklin.  You too can get involved and bring representation to the State House. To complement the portrait of Adams, the Senate will be installing a bust of a female historical figure in the last vacant alcove in the Senate Chamber. Nominate an influential woman with ties to Massachusetts by May 1!   Read on in this month's Rausch Report for legislative updates, a roundup of district events, and a look ahead at upcoming youth engagement opportunities, Earth Month activities, 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    ON THE FLOOR The Senate voted on several important pieces of legislation in March. I voted yes alongside my Senate colleagues to pass the following bills:  Preventing Abuse and Exploitation: The Senate unanimously passed this long overdue bill, which will criminalize the sharing of sexually explicit images or videos without an individual's consent. Online abuse is a serious problem for adults and young people, and this legislation brings a measure of recognition and justice to survivors. It also contains protections to prevent future harms, such as directing the Office of the Child Advocate to develop and implement an educational diversion program for adolescents on the consequences of sexting and posting indecent visuals online. This legislation must now be reconciled with the version passed by the House before heading to the Governor's desk for her signature.  Supplemental Budget: The Senate passed a supplemental budget to fund certain activities and projects, including the Emergency Assistance Housing Program and workforce training initiatives, and make permanent certain pandemic-era provisions like outdoor dining. Through a carefully crafted financial step-down program, the bill sent a strong message that the EA system is unsustainable in its current form and must be rectified and reined in, while simultaneously approaching this deeply difficult situation with care and compassion. I successfully championed an amendment to ensure postpartum women and newborns will not be tossed out into the cold. I was disappointed, however, that my amendment to mandate independent oversight of the program was rejected, despite bipartisan support. The bill is now in a conference committee. Early Education Act: I proudly voted yes to again pass the Senate's Early Education Act, which expands the accessibility and affordability of childcare and early education. Massachusetts is among the most expensive states in the country for childcare, with more than 19,000 children on a waitlist for subsidized care. As the only mom in the Senate with elementary school aged kids, I can personally attest to the extremely high cost of this care, and also its absolute necessity. This legislation expands the number of families who qualify for subsidies and helps providers through permanent operational grants. It also supports early educators with scholarship and loan forgiveness programs. I was honored to join Senate President Karen Spilka, Senator Jason Lewis, and several other Senate colleagues to announce this bill at a Head Start early education facility in Malden a few days before it came to the floor. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration.      Reading a picture book alongside Senator Lewis and meeting some of the Commonwealth's youngest students!    Hot Work Regulations: Today the Senate voted unanimously to strengthen regulations of hot work processes, like welding, cutting, brazing, and other flame-producing operations. Ten years ago, a tragic fire reportedly sparked by welding claimed the lives of two Boston firefighters. In the investigation, it became clear that the Commonwealth needs to establish and maintain standards of training, oversight, and accountability, and to back them up with enforcement. This bill will create a publicly accessible database that documents code violations and fines resulting from noncompliance with the state fire code. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration. Fairness in Debt Collection: This legislation protects Massachusetts consumers by imposing stricter regulations on debt collectors. The bill ensures that residents can repay their debt without the impediment of excessively high interest rates or the possibility of debtor's prisons.   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 contents, please visit -> View this link