Currently holds the office of Massachusetts House of Representatives - 8th Essex District until January 6, 2027.
Candidate for Massachusetts House of Representatives - 8th Essex District in 2026 Massachusetts Primary Election.
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.
Get StartedWe must expand protections to those from other states seeking access to reproductive care services. This includes protecting our own in-state providers as well as non-Massachusetts patients from out-of-state investigations, and preventing the forced disclosure of out-of-state patient’s medical records. It also includes strengthening our state’s privacy laws to ban techniques such as keyword search engine warrants or geofence warrants that enable the digital tracking of people who seek information about abortion or abortion providers. Connecticut, California, and New York are already beginning to take action, and we must do the same in order to stay a national leader in the fight to protect women’s reproductive freedoms. Learn more
Reduce existing cost barriers to prenatal and abortion care. Due to the frequency of high-deductible insurance plans, many people face high costs when seeking the full spectrum of pregnancy care. As such, I would support legislation such as An Act Ensuring Access to Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care (H1196, S673) that would “require health insurance plans to cover all pregnancy care–including abortion care, miscarriage management, prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care–without any kind of cost-sharing.” This problem is particularly salient for black women in Massachusetts, who are nearly twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Learn more
Get the funding we need to increase access, infrastructure, and security. I will always work to ensure that our promises to protect women’s rights are fully funded. Fortunately, the state Senate recently proposed 2 million to expand access to abortion services in its budget. This funding would take the form of grants to providers – the Jane Fund of Central Massachusetts, the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts and the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund – to improve access, infrastructure, and security. Additionally, we must increase MassHealth reimbursement rates for family planning and abortion care services, so that providers are properly compensated and can continue to offer such critical care. We can’t ever take our eyes off the ball – laws are often only as good as the resources allocated to implement them. Learn more
Support early college programs in our high schools. These programs allow high school students to take career-oriented college classes during the course of their school day – at no cost. They accrue credits that can save them time and money later, and they develop skills and habits that enable them to be successful once they enter college or a profession. Those not heading to a four-year degree program can also earn certifications that enable them to find well-paying jobs after graduation. Learn more
Continue the push for equity in our schools. In 2019, Massachusetts enacted the Student Opportunities Act, which updated the foundation budget formula and brought a much-needed infusion of resources and support to school districts across the Commonwealth. This law is essential to achieving educational equity, especially for low-income students, students with special needs, and English Language Learners. I fully support this law, and will work tirelessly to ensure that it is adequately funded. Moreover, with research showing the adverse effects of segregation in Massachusetts schools, I will support measures – such as this bill by our district’s Senator Crighton – that work to further school integration and create diverse school environments that are welcoming to all. Learn more
Additional adjustment counselors in schools to meet individual student needs, including wrap-around services that provide targeted support. These counselors could create mental health programming for the wider school community, including educators and parents. Professional development to help teachers build supportive relationships with students. Community-based and school-based activities that help our youngest learners learn social/emotional skills. This includes after-school programming. Learn more
Buildings represent 27 percent of the state’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. How we build matters, which is why the state must give communities the option of experimenting with all-electric building codes. Net zero building codes for new construction is low-hanging fruit that should be picked immediately. For older buildings, which is a large part of our district's housing stock, incentivizing and subsidizing retrofits, and requiring and subsidizing additions and renovations to meet Net zero building codes are hugely important steps to reduce emissions. Learn more
First, we need to tackle the damage that has already been done by climate change, shoring up coastal structures that are badly in need of repair, incorporating sea level rise projections by 2070 so that we are not caught in a cycle of spending taxpayer dollars to repair the same locations repeatedly. New waterfront development needs to be thoughtfully considered, perhaps avoided when possible. Critical infrastructure vulnerable to sea level rise and increasing storm intensity needs to be protected or repositioned. Learn more
We need to ensure a rapidly increasing supply of renewable energy—wind, solar, hydroelectric sources to reach a 100% carbon free electric grid- (near term this will require continued use of existing nuclear plants) along with immediately incorporating battery storage as a major part of the grid. It is imperative that we put the brakes on the Peaker plant being built in Peabody for the provision of power to 14 communities, including Marblehead. There is a much greater capacity to use large batteries to store energy than when the Peaker plant was designed in 2015. Evaluating using a battery energy storage system (BESS) (as is being done in many other states to supply electricity during times of peak demand) instead of a gas and oil fueled plant, should be done before the Peaker plant project moves forward. Learn more
The price of renewables is higher than fossil fuels because we fail to incorporate the social and environmental costs of carbon emissions into the cost of “natural” gas, oil, diesel, gasoline. There are different ways to do it: a cap-and-trade system, or taxation at the source and rebates to lower income households. And there are a variety of considerations: How much does emitting a ton of carbon cost? Who pays? These questions need to be explored at the state and national levels. Learn more
The cost of prescription drugs is sapping family budgets. No one should ever be forced to dangerously reduce intake of medicine they need due to high prices. It’s immoral – and it places pressure on our health care system. Fortunately, the state Senate has recently passed legislation that empowers the Health Policy Commission to review the cost of various drugs and identify price levels that pose a public health risk. The bill also brings much-needed relief to those who suffer from diabetes – permanently capping co-pays for insulin at 25 per 30-day supply. I support this measure, and urge the House to follow suit and send the bill to the Governor’s desk. As our next State Representative, I will be vigilant in pushing for greater drug price transparency and work with consumer advocates and public health experts to improve access to affordable medicine and care. Learn more
We have to use all the tools at our disposal to increase the housing supply and make housing more affordable. This includes, but is not limited to, making the most of our affordable housing laws (such as Chapter 40B and Chapter 40R) and implementing the state’s 2021 Economic Development Bill that gives local communities greater flexibility to change zoning laws and incentivises the creation of transit-oriented housing in MBTA communities. But we can’t just stop there. We need a new infusion of funding that works to increase the housing stock. To that end, I support the HERO Coalition’s efforts to pass a bill that would double the deeds excise tax and generate as much as 600 million in new revenue each year – 50% of which would be geared toward affordable housing programs. Learn more
We can help accelerate sales of EV’s by boosting the state rebate and by installing many more EV charging stations. State government itself needs to end its own purchase of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. Learn more
For the North Shore, a cleaner, faster MBTA line would make rail commuting a more attractive option for workers. State Senator Brendan Crighton’s amendment to the Senate’s recently-passed climate bill creates a much-needed hard stop at 2030 for purchasing diesel-powered trains. Converting the MBTA buses to electric is another urgent step forward. Learn more
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.