Senator Patricia Jehlen is currently serving her second term in the Massachusetts Senate.

In 2006, Sen. Jehlen passed the first reform of child labor laws since the 1930s. With new enforcement powers, the Attorney General has taken action in the cases of over 100 minors working in violation of child labor laws, after decades of inability to enforce the laws.   (Herald and Journal reports on new enforcement)

In this year’s budget, Jehlen, as chair of Elder Affairs, increased the Personal Needs Allowance for people in rest homes and nursing homes for the first time since it was cut in 1990 (more info). She also got $6.2 million in additional funding for homecare, allowing 260 nursing home-eligible seniors to stay in their communities.

Among many local earmarks in the FY 08 budget, Jehlen and the rest of the delegation have obtained money for

  • a master plan for the Mystic River Watershed
  • a study of the Amelia Earhart Dam
  • substance abuse programs in Somerville, Winchester and Woburn
  • Teen Empowerment and Just-A-Start teen programs

She is Chair of the Committee on Elder Affairs, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government and Vice-Chair of the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. She also serves on the Committee on Children and Families, Committee on Healthcare Financing, Committee on Labor and Workforce Development and the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.

Her top legislative priorities are equitable and excellent education, universal and affordable health care, jobs with decent wages and benefits, and paid family leave.

In the area of elder services, her priority is "making equal choice real," so that seniors of all income levels can choose needed services that meet their needs, whether in the community or in institutions. This means making sure everyone receives counseling before entering long-term care, funding home care and all levels of care adequately, and training and maintaining a skilled workforce.

Education and Experience

Jehlen, a former history teacher and VISTA volunteer, graduated from Swarthmore College, received a Masters degree in teaching from Harvard University, and completed Master's course work in history at University of Massachusetts Boston. She currently teaches a course in Health Politics and Public Policy at the Boston University School of Public Health.

From 1976 to 1991, she served on the Somerville School Committee, as chairman in 1980 and 1988. She was among the founders of the CHOICE program, a public school alternative elementary program. On the state level, she helped found the Council for Fair School Finance, which brought the successful lawsuit which led to the education reform of 1993, and brought hundreds of millions of dollars in new state aid to communities.

Jehlen served from 1991 to 2005 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where she served as Co-Chairman of the Progressive Legislator's Group (PLG), Co-Chairman of the Elder Caucus, and Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Elder Affairs. Among her successful legislation were bills to increase literacy for blind people, ensure the rights of people living with mental illness, and provide compensation for the wrongfully convicted.

As chair of the Progressive Legislators Group and member of the Working Families Agenda in the House, Jehlen helped raise the minimum wage and won tax cuts for working families like increasing the earned income tax credit and adopting the senior circuit breaker.

Awards in 2007

  • The Mass. Department of Mental Health for “compassionate leadership on behalf of children, adults and families living with mental illness”
  • Teens Lead @ Work, Mass. Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health for her work on child labor reform
  • The Peggy Munroe Home Care Advocacy Award from the Mass. Council of Home Care Aide Services
  • The John Philip Sousa Award from Somerville Cambridge Elder Services for “outstanding advocacy efforts on behalf of Cambridge and Somerville Elders”
  • The Heart in Hand Award from CASPAR for helping obtain funding to continue their shelter program

Awards in 2008

  • Ben Gill award from Mass-Care for activism for Single-Payer Health Care

Family

Pat Jehlen lives in Somerville with her husband, Alain, a writer for the National Education Association. The Jehlens have three children, who all graduated from Somerville High School. Nick, a graphic designer, lives in Madison and Davis Square. Peter, a program manager for medical trials, also lives in Davis Square. Wendy, a dancer/choreographer and ASL interpreter, lives with the Jehlens, her husband Nandlal Nayak, and their daughters Anika and Kayala.  

Pat’s favorite extracurricular activity is teaching stilting and tumbling-for-two with the OPENAIR Circus, which she helped start 22 years ago.

Pat was born in Austin Texas, and moved to Massachusetts at the age of 6. Her father, Paul Deats, is a retired Methodist minister and professor of social ethics at the Boston University School of Theology, who now lives in assisted living in Newton. Her mother, Ruth, was a community activist, Girl Scout leader, and Sunday School teacher/trainer. Together they formed one of the first Parkinsons’ Support  Groups. Jehlen had two sisters, Carolyn and Fran, and a brother Randy. She has a niece and nephew, Kathleen and Chris Poe.