We are now reminded that freedom isn't free, that rights aren't permanent, and that elections have consequences.
Many people today can't remember the time when abortion at any stage was illegal. They never searched an underground network looking for a "doctor" who would provide an unknown substance that might or might not cause a miscarriage, or one who would provide a procedure that might or might not be safe. Abortion has never been an easy choice. Neither were some alternatives.

We can be proud that Massachusetts passed the ROE Act, anticipating the Court's decision, and protecting those rights. There are many ways to support people in other states who have lost reproductive rights -- and voting rights. We should do that.

Last week, the Senate passed another climate bill, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward. WBUR had a good summary of its many provisions. Combating climate change is an issue that so many people in our communities have written, called, and met with us about, and the bill takes important steps.

Last Monday, as you have certainly read and heard, the first new station on the Green Line Extension was opened in Union Square. I was asked to speak at one of the three ribbon-cuttings as a representative of the state legislators. This newsletter starts with a version of those remarks, and then has some more notes on the GLX and the day's events, including a rally for affordable housing.

The consensus: It’s past time to eradicate, at least in Massachusetts, period poverty and the inequity of having fully half the state’s population wonder if their bodily functions will be met when they visit a public restroom.

It's time to "Free the Pad," the menstrual pad.

On Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed my bill to provide free disposable menstrual products in prisons, homeless shelters, and public schools "in a convenient manner that does not stigmatize any persons seeking such products."

The Massachusetts State Senate passed a bill that would direct the state to provide menstrual products free of cost in schools, correctional facilities, and shelters.

It's already election time again. I need your help to get on the ballot, and to let other people know about my work.
Due to redistricting, state senate, state representative, and Congressional districts have changed. For my district, the change is in parts of Cambridge, but some of you will have other changes. There's information on redistricting at the end of the newsletter.

My last newsletter included Boston Globe articles explaining the problems with "clawbacks" and "overpayments" in unemployment benefits.
This one tells about broader problems in the unemployment system, how my staff helped individual constituents, and what I have done as Senate chair of Labor and Workforce Development to solve problems.

The problems with unemployment insurance are many and complex. This is the the first of two newsletters on people being asked to repay "overpayments" even if they did nothing wrong. It's based on important reporting by Larry Edelman and Shirley Leung of the Globe's Business section.

Some recent items in the media help show some of my work.

First, the UGLY: watering down the CSO law
You may remember that, after many years of work, on January 4, the last night of the last session, Rep. Denise Provost, Rep. Linda Dean Campbell and I passed a bill requiring notification of the public when sewage is discharged into rivers. Here's one report on the bill and a previous newsletter on the issue.

Speculators are driving up prices, blocking new home-buyers, and promoting destabilization of neighborhoods, displacement of long-time residents, and gentrification.

Is this inevitable?