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The 10th
Plymouth District
includes all of
West Bridgewater,
Easton Precinct 3,
Brockton:
Ward 6 A, B, C, D;
Ward 5 B, C, D;
and
Ward 4 B and C
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Meeting President Clinton |
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July 2, 2007
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Recently, I was privileged to meet former
President, William Jefferson Clinton. When
invited by Senator Hillary Clinton’s Presidential
Campaign Committee to be a part of a small group
to hear remarks by her husband, I was thrilled to
accept. As you know, I am a huge history buff and
meeting any historical figure in person is a big
deal to me.
I managed to sit in the front row of the small
meeting room. How lucky is that? As a result, my
photos were pretty unobstructed. My first
impression was that he wasn’t as tall as I
expected. My husband is 6’3” and I had read that
Bill Clinton was 6’ tall. I guess I expected him
to be bigger than life! Seems to be that way with
most people we only know from our television sets,
isn’t it? Also President Clinton was so thin. He
had a great pale yellow necktie as I recall and
his hair was all white.
He smiled a lot and was very polite to all who
wanted a quick photo, and that was everyone in
attendance. My picture was taken with my camera
by a friendly bystander but as you can see, she
was not very good at centering it! Ah well.
Things could have been worse.
I have met David McCollough, John Kenneth
Galbraith, Julia Childs, Archbishop Fulton J.
Sheen, Vanessa Redgraves, Richard Chamberlain and
even Bette Davis, to name a few quickly, but none
gave me the sense of history that President
Clinton did. Meeting and listening to this former
President was as if I was standing within the
pages of an open history book. I couldn’t help
thinking of the world leaders he has talked to or
the nuances of diplomacy he has had to smooth over
in an effort to retain peace in the world and
prosperity here at home. Bill Clinton knows more
about the state of world affairs and the
capabilities of foreign countries to go on the
offensive than I could ever hope to know or absorb
in a lifetime.
Such history. Such knowledge. Such
intelligence. I felt privileged to be part of a
moment that I could one day tell my grandchildren
about.
Please enjoy the
pictures I have taken of the event as well as
the ones I took of
Boston as I walked from the State House to the
Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. |
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GIC Insurance Program |
June 21, 2007
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Today, in an effort to help reduce the reliance on
property taxes for local communities, I voted for
H. 4110, legislation that would allow cities and
towns across the commonwealth the option of
joining the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC).
This legislation, sponsored by my colleague and
good friend, Rep. Rachel Kaprielian (D-Watertown),
was approved by the Massachusetts House of
Representatives by a vote of 149-1.
With this legislation, cities and towns across the
commonwealth have the option of joining the GIC,
provided that it is agreed to by public employee
unions. Most state employees are covered by the
GIC and experts argue the state’s buying power
explains why GIC rates have only raised slightly
compared to those of individual communities.
Over the past few years, the communities of
Brockton, Easton and West Bridgewater, along with
many others throughout the state, have become
increasingly reliant on property taxes in order to
balance their budgets. This factor, coupled with
the skyrocketing municipal health insurance costs
has made it very difficult for communities to
continue to provide for the bread and butter
services, such as schools, fire, police and
libraries, that are critical to all residents.
Our goal in the legislature is to give
cash-strapped communities another option – another
tool in the toolbox – to address their individual
needs. When you look at a town such as West
Bridgewater, for example, and learn that they have
been hit with a 121% increase in health insurance
costs compared to the GIC’s increase of 48% from
FY 2001 to FY 2006, I would be remiss not to
consider this bill as a viable option for
communities in my district to manage their costs.
Next week, the Senate is scheduled to pass their
version of the GIC bill. Both the House and
Senate leadership are committed to working along
with Governor Patrick so this bill can be signed
expeditiously into law.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding
this latest initiative, please feel free to
contact my office. |
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Statement on Senate
Budget
Amendment |
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May 30, 2007
– I am pleased to announce that the Massachusetts
State Senate has included an amendment in their
budget that would provide $250,000 in additional
funding to metabolic disorder clinics for the
treatment of individuals with PKU (phenylketonuria).
As the sponsor of the original amendment, I worked
with my colleagues in the House last month to
successfully secure the funding in the House
budget to provide for additional resources for
those with this disorder.
The funding provided by this amendment will be
included in the Massachusetts Department of Public
Health’s budget and will be distributed to
Massachusetts metabolic disorder clinics for the
purpose of providing education, support, and
greater access to health services to those with
PKU.
As an advocate for heath care policy, often
focusing on diseases and disorders that others
overlook, I have filed
5 bills this
session
that direct attention to the pressing needs of
families who carry the genes for inherited
metabolic disorders.
The support of my colleagues has been particularly
valuable and important to me as we continue to
provide for sound health care, specifically for
those with metabolic disorders, throughout the
Commonwealth. I am particularly grateful to
Senator Robert Creedon and pleased that he was
able to successfully secure the House amendment
language in the Senate budget. Senator Creedon is
an ally who shares my sentiments on health care
issues. Both of us are now working to see that
the funding survives the conference committee and
Governor Patrick’s veto pen.
As it makes its way to the conference committee, I
urge those affected by metabolic disorders, their
caregivers, health care providers, and other
like-minded individuals to contact their State
Representatives and State Senators at the State
House and ask them to continue to fully support
this health care initiative. |
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PKU Awareness Day at the State
House |
May 24, 2007
– Today, with the support of my colleagues and
Governor Patrick, I hosted PKU (phenylketonuria)
Awareness Day at the State House. PKU is a
lifelong, inherited, recessive genetic disorder
which all newborns are tested for at birth.
People with PKU are unable to process the amino
acid phenylalanine. Their only treatment is a
lifelong, restricted, and costly diet that is
limited in phenylalanine.
During the event, my colleagues and I welcomed
people diagnosed with PKU and their friends,
family and caregivers to help bring legislative
awareness to the disease. We listened to their
personal stories related to living and caring for
people with the disease and assured them that they
have our full support in government.
Talking to the group I noted that for the first
day of an organized campaign to bring awareness to
the issues surrounding PKU today was a tremendous
success. I also told them that the diverse
coalition that has been formed consisting of
lawmakers, medical professionals, parents, and
individuals with the disease will only continue to
grow as more people are educated about it.
During the current legislative session, I have
sponsored
five pieces of
legislation
that would
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help address many of the challenges that many
people diagnosed with PKU and their
caregivers face. These include designating May
24 as PKU Awareness Day in Massachusetts, and
increasing the amount of insurance coverage
for food that is modified to be low in
protein, for example.
Although I have championed numerous successful
initiatives relating to health care, PKU is of
great importance to me because my one-year old
grandson, James, is diagnosed with Classic PKU.
While it has |
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personally affected my family, my grandson’s
diagnosis has allowed me to continue to learn
more about health care policy and its affect
on citizens. |
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Announcement of New Staff Members |
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May 11, 2007
– I am pleased to announce that I have recently
hired John Harding and Michael Mullen as
Administrative Aides in my State House office.
John is a terrific addition to my staff. He is a
2006 graduate of
Providence
College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in
Political Science with minors in Business Studies
and Public Administration.
Michael has a keen knowledge of the 10th
Plymouth District and brings valuable and
practical political experience to the office. A
Rockland resident, Michael is a 2007 graduate of
Bridgewater State College and holds a bachelor’s
degree in Political Science with a minor in Civic
Education and Community Leadership. Prior to
joining my staff, he worked for U. S.
Representative William Delahunt in his Washington
D. C. and Quincy offices. Michael is also a
newly-elected member of the Rockland School
Committee.
Both John and Michael’s responsibilities will
include managing coordinating my schedule,
managing constituent services, and organizing and
participating in district events.
At the State House, John and Michael join my Chief
of Staff, Abby Keane in continuing to work hard on
behalf of the residents of Brockton, West
Bridgewater, and precinct 3 of Easton.
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THANK YOU FOR
YOUR CONTINUED
SUPPORT &
FRIENDSHIP!
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