Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This summer, my staff and I welcome two summer interns to our work in the Legislature and for the people in Needham, Dover and Medfield, Ryan from Needham and Carina from Dover. Ryan and Carina are both college students who are committed to increasing their knowledge of government policies and practices, understanding public service, and supporting their communities. These students will spend the summer completing projects important to public policy, attending briefings with leaders in state Government through the Summer Intern Speaker series, attending hearings related to public policy, and learning the legislative process through the lens of the critical Committee on Bills in Third Reading.
Yours in Service,
Denise
District Updates
- On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women honored Carol Read of Medfield as a Commonwealth Heroine. the Town of Needham’s Public Health Department, Carol has dedicated her life to the health and well-being of others. Carol’s work has uplifted our communities and has supported us in the last year through her public health leadership.
- In Dover, I have been working with the town administrator and the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in response to recent occurrences of water discoloration for residents whose water is supplied by Colonial Water Company. The DEP is encouraging residents who have experienced water discoloration within the past seven days to email divris@mass.gov with your name, address, and dates of water discoloration. I will continue to work with DEP until the cause of this issue has been identified, and will send out updates as they are available.
- In Needham, the Town of Needham is welcoming Wesleaf Designs & Décor to 1020 Great Plain Ave and Seaspray & Shorelines by Starboard to 1110 Great Plain Ave as part of Project: Pop-up, a pilot program aimed at filled vacant storefronts with small retailers, restaurants, and artists.
- In Medfield, the Medfield Outreach Advisory Board will be meeting on Monday, June 18 at 6:00 PM via Zoom to discuss updates on Outreach and ideas for Medfield Day.
Legislative Updates
- On Tuesday, I joined with my colleagues in the House of Representative on voting in the affirmative on H.3903 – An Act Financing Improvements to Municipal Roads and Bridges. This legislation directs funding to the Chapter 90 program, supports towns for their road and bridge projects, and directs funding to grant programs to support local small bridge repairs and local public transit.
- On Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Transportation held a hearing on H.3456 – An Act relative to work and family mobility during the subsequent to the COVID-19 emergency. This legislation removes barrier to receiving medical care, obtaining employment, and even accessing basic necessities by allowing qualified Massachusetts Residents to acquire a standard Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card. As part of this hearing, I submitted written testimony to the Committee in support of this legislation.
Statewide Updates
- Massachusetts is hosting the VaxMillions Giveaway for fully vaccinated residents 12 years of age and older. Eligible individuals will be able to register starting Thursday, July 1, 2021. Five residents ages 18 or older will win $1 million and five residents ages 12-17 will win a college scholarship.
- The MBTA will resume all weekend service on all Commuter Rail lines effective Saturday, July 3. Passengers must continue to wear face coverings when riding any MBTA service or when visiting a station. Weekend tickets are available to purchase on mTicket, on board, or in ticket offices for $10.
