Joan serves on the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Joint Committee on Export Development, and Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity. She is appointed to the Metropolitan Beaches Commission and the Ocean Advisory Commission. She is also a co-chair of the newly formed Massachusetts Legislative Climate Alliance Caucus, and she serves as a Board Member of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, where she works alongside her fellow legislators to encourage and support women in government and pursue women’s economic advancement.
Representative Joan Meschino is a leading champion on Beacon Hill in the fight against climate change. Her signature legislation during the 2019-20 legislative session was An Act to create a 2050 Roadmap to a Clean and Thriving Commonwealth, also known as the 2050 Roadmap Bill. The bill updates the Global Warming Solutions Act to change the state’s carbon emissions reduction goal to net zero emissions by 2050. It requires that the state set strong intermediate goals for 2030 and 2040 as well, and requires the state to create a plan to reach those goals. The 2050 Roadmap bill was passed by the Massachusetts House in July 2020, at which point it entered a conference committee with the Senate. The bill was released as S.2995, An Act creating a next-generation roadmap for Massachusetts climate policy, and subsequently passed by the House and Senate in early January 2021. After the Governor vetoed the bill and the 191st session came to a close, the Chairs Golden and Barrett refiled the conferenced bill as S.9. The Governor proposed amendments, and the Legislature ultimately rejected efforts to slow the rate of progress toward net-zero emissions by 2050, while accepting a number of substantive and technical amendments that improve the bill. The final bill was signed by the Governor on March 26th, 2021. But the climate crisis is already upon us, and Massachusetts communities also need resources to adapt to the changing environment. When it comes to community resiliency in the face of looming climate change, Representative Meschino’s focus is forward. A fierce supporter of the House’s GreenWorks proposals, she has long been advocating for policies and funding to support local infrastructure projects that address impacts of sea level rise and other effects of climate change. In the 191st legislative session, she voted for GreenWorks which would provide $1.3 billion bonding authorization to fund $100 million per year in grants to municipalities for the construction of adaptation and mitigation measures. This includes repairs, upgrades and adaptations to seawalls, culverts, bridges, roadways, energy, utilities, and communications infrastructure. For residents of Massachusetts’ South Shore, where her district lies, “climate change and sea level rise are real to us right now. We need to address the impacts as individuals and as communities working together,†said Rep. Meschino. “We have to make sure that our local communities have the resources to prepare for, and respond to, increasingly powerful storms.†Rep. Meschino has helped secure grant funding to towns in her district to address the effects of coastal flooding and extreme storms.
Moving forward together means investing in the transportation network we need to meet the challenges of the future. Representative Joan Meschino understands how our economy and communities’ vitality depend on top-notch transportation. Investing in our transportation infrastructure is one of her major priorities. She has consistently voted for state budgets that fund roadway and transit with a goal to build the robust transportation network our region needs. She supports adequate funding for our roadways (including Complete Streets upgrades), and bridges through appropriations for state highway maintenance and construction. She has fought for increased essential Chapter 90 funds for repair and construction on municipalities’ local road networks. She has consistently voted for requested levels of funds for MBTA transit infrastructure and services. She also spearheaded the effort to establish a new board of directors responsible for overseeing MBTA operations. Passed in July 2021, the legislature’s supplementary budget included provisions from Joan’s bill An Act relative to transportation governance (H3542), which codifies in statute many of the benefits and positive work of the Fiscal Management Control Board (FMCB). The legislation expands the governance board’s expertise and experience and is designed to build on the FMCB’s work to change cultural expectations at the MBTA. “Our communities’ vitality depends on our building transportation networks that meet our future needs,†she says. “I’m fighting for increased boat, rail and bus services because I know this is essential to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) production and interrupting climate change. Investments in transportation should also de-carbonize our networks. Operating electric buses and converting state, municipal and other vehicle fleets to electric is an example of investments that eliminate GHG production from our transportation portfolio. Increased transit is essential for affordable mobility. Transit services are also a big boost for community cohesion.†Support for the South Shore’s iconic ferry service to Boston Harbor will always have Rep. Meschino’s full attention.
For Representative Joan Meschino, advocating for senior citizens and veterans is an unshakeable priority. She has supported initiatives to provide property tax assistance for veterans and their families, a measure to create a path for veterans with medical skills to become emergency medical technicians after their service, and an increase in death benefits to assist the families of veterans who have lost their loved ones. She was proud to work on legislation which provides support for research into Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, sets standards for elder protective services social workers, and creates a continuing education requirement for medical professionals who diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s and other related diseases. Her emphasis on serving seniors and veterans comes to the fore in every budget process, year after year. “Every time the Legislature prepares the budget, I am particularly concerned about protecting services for seniors and veterans,†says Representative Meschino. “Cutting or underfunding programs that help these groups ignores our obligations to them. When we stand up and support our seniors and veterans, our local communities become stronger, closer, and better places to live. I will continue to work with our community members to get more funding and services for our district.â€
Representative Joan Meschino puts a high priority on supporting public libraries, saying, “We need to fight for proper state aid for our public libraries. Public libraries are essential to vibrant local communities. They are centers for early educational programs, research for students, job search programs, cultural and historic programs, and many other activities and resources that bind our communities together. Our libraries are gateways to information and exploration that give people of all ages the opportunity to be lifelong learners. Critically, public libraries also provide an equal opportunity for all to learn about the world, socialize with others in their community, and prepare themselves for work in a modern economy.†The state budget includes support for public libraries every year, and Rep. Meschino leads advocacy to secure library resources to meet community needs through every budget cycle.
Representative Meschino says, “Opiate addiction is an urgent public health crisis. The Legislature has taken significant first steps to stem the tide of addiction and overdose, but we must continue the work. I strongly support community-based intervention programs and prevention strategies.†Rep. Meschino has supported legislation in the past to strengthen community-based prevention of substance abuse disorders. In the state budget, she seeks to provide substantial funding for opioid addiction treatment and prevention. These measures will provide resources at the community level, where Rep. Meschino believes such services are to be the most effective. “This epidemic has affected so many individuals and families. Communities and organizations close to home may be best situated to interrupt the tide of addiction,†she says.
The livestream for the FMCB meeting on December 14th at 12:00 PM at which the final service cuts proposal will be made and voted on.
The Hingham/Hull Ferry services and the Greenbush commuter rail line are in danger of being eliminated! The MBTA and the Fiscal Management Control Board (FMCB) are considering proposals to eliminate the Hingham/Hull ferry service and drastically reduce the Greenbush commuter rail service. The FMCB is scheduled to meet virtually to hear and vote on the final proposal for service cuts on Monday, December 14, 2020.
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