Sen. Barrett notes new funds for Weston

The State Senate and House recently marked the end of the first stretch of their two-year session. According to Weston’s State Senator Mike Barrett, the Legislature has made progress despite troubling developments on the federal level.

One major piece of progress, Barrett said, is the passage of the so-called Shield Act 2.0. The law protects patients who access reproductive or transgender care, doctors and nurses from having their information accessed by other states or private companies. And it prevents the federal government and insurance companies from targeting residents who access such care.

“The idea is to make sure that in Massachusetts we have a haven,” Barrett said. “You can be sure that, when you exercise your personal right to private health care, things stay private.”

The Senate and House have also changed the internal rules by which they operate. According to Barrett, the new provisions are a useful step towards transparency. And they give each branch more freedom to handle its own priorities.

“In debate on the floors of the Senate and the House, votes have always been recorded and public, but now the votes legislators take in the various policy committees that consider bills before they hit the floor will be public, too,” said Barrett, who has supported the changes. “When committees hold their hearings, there will be more advance notice. And committees will issue their final recommendations earlier, making it less likely that all the important stuff piles up at the end.”

The Legislature also passed its annual budget package for the upcoming year, which includes a Barrett-sponsored amendment directing $45,000 to essential programs run by a local food pantry. The St. Vincent de Paul Weston and Lincoln Food Pantry provide food to those who live, work or attend school in Weston and Lincoln.

Unfortunately, Barrett said, due to federal funding cuts, the Healey-Driscoll administration has announced that dispersal of some local earmarks will likely be delayed.

In response to a surge of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement activity in Massachusetts communities, the annual budget commits $5 million towards an immigration legal services program. Immigration is more important in Massachusetts than elsewhere because our native population is dropping year by year, Barrett said.

“We need the workforce additions that immigrants bring, and we need the sales and property tax revenue they pay. They often pay income taxes, too,” Barrett said. The money will be used to boost access to legal representation for immigrants and refugees in the commonwealth.

The Legislature is set to return from its recess this month. Barrett expects the Senate will hit the ground running.

“We’re pushing forward despite the federal administration’s best efforts,” Barrett said. “Massachusetts is going to get through the next several years, its values and sense of direction intact. No despondency, no paralysis; I expect us to meet every challenge and gain ground on every problem.”