On the Issues
Affordable Housing
As Chair of the Housing Committee from 2003 to 2020, it was my job to bring everyone in the housing field together to make housing affordable and accessible for all. I sponsored the four largest bond bills in the history of the state, including a $1.8 billion affordable housing bond in 2018 and $600 million for the revitalization of public housing in 2014.
I sponsored the Eviction Moratorium in March 2020 to protect thousands of residents hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill inspired dozens of similar laws across the country.
Public Transit
A reliable, low-cost, non-fossil fuel-powered, and accessible public transit system that supports workers and is funded by our government is essential. That is why I have supported and worked for the passage of a $18.28 billion transportation bond bill to improve our state’s roads, bridges, and public transportation systems, including $250 million for the Allston Multimodal Project, and H. 4508 to invest up to $600 million annually in transportation funding statewide. I also co-sponsored millionaire's tax constitutional initiative that would bring in $1.9 billion annual for transportation and education infrastructure.
I continue to support legislation to upgrade Massachusetts’s outdated zoning laws to encourage more mixed-use and transit-oriented development and walkable communities.
Healthcare
It is critical that residents in the Commonwealth have access to affordable and high-quality healthcare services. To build on the progress made by passing our historic healthcare reform law in 2006, I support creating a single payer health insurance system in Massachusetts that guarantees access and is publicly administered to lower the cost of healthcare for both employers and residents – something that is particularly necessary because of the COVID-19 Emergency. In 2020 the House passed healthcare legislation to facilitate the use of telemedicine as well as strengthen community hospitals and legislation aimed at eliminating racial inequities in maternal health that have resulted in women of color dying of pregnancy-related causes at more than double the rate of white women. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, I supported legislation to further strengthen reproductive and gender-affirming health care laws.
Climate Change
Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to our community. I am an active co-sponsor on the Rep. Decker and Rep. Garballey bill H. 2836, the 100% Renewable Energy Act, to transition Massachusetts to 100% renewable electric power by 2035 and 100% renewable energy sources for heating and transportation by 2045. I also co-sponsored H.4515, An Act advancing offshore wind and clean energy, to further enable the state to reach its goal of net-zero emissions. I will continue to work towards implementing economy-wide carbon pricing on fossil fuels in amounts that are sufficient to foster the elimination of fossil fuel use from all economic sectors while ensuring that low- and moderate-income families are protected. The ability to produce our own clean energy while generating economic growth puts us on the right path to securing our green future.
Racial Justice
Any issue that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities is a form of violence. Major reform must be made at the institutional level to correct centuries of racial discrimination that persists today. I support measures that will repeal mandatory minimums for drug-related crimes, expunge drug-related criminal records, reclassify lower-level crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, decrease investments in jails and increase investments in education, quality jobs, public health improvements and infrastructure within communities of color and other communities harmed by the criminalization of drugs and mass incarceration.
LGBTQ+ Rights
LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. I have voted to support the LGBTQ community on every single issue that has ever come before the House during my tenure. In 1987, I supported legislation then called the "Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill" which prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations. In 1989, when the bill was enacted, MA was only the 2nd state in the nation to pass such a law and voting for it was considered highly controversial. Back then, I received heated criticism from many of my constituents for my support of the legislation, but I was and remain proud of my votes. I remain committed to fighting for issues important to the health and wellness of our LGBTQ+ community.
