Kevin was born and raised in Allston-Brighton. He continues to live and work in the neighborhood he represents. Prior to representing Allston-Brighton in the legislature, Representative Honan served his community by coordinating Summer Youth Employment Programs in Boston and working at ABCD educating low-income and elderly residents on weatherization and fuel assistance programs.
Massachusetts is facing a housing crisis. Our world-class higher education institutions and our strong job market makes Boston one of the most desirable places in the country to live.
We know that building more housing is only one piece of tackling our existing housing shortage. I support a multi-pronged approach to affordable housing production and preservation. I remain committed to fighting for rent control, public housing expansion, real estate transfer fees, zoning reform, transit-oriented development, and right to counsel for tenants. This is how we ensure that everyone in our state can keep or find a safe and affordable place to call home.
Housing is a human right. I will continue to advocate for budget increases for rental vouchers, tenancy preservation programs, workforce housing development, and emergency assistance for both families and individuals.
As Chair of the Housing Committee from 2003 to 2020, it was my job to bring everyone in the housing field — renters, landlords, advocates, property owners, developers, shelter providers and more —together to make housing affordable and accessible for all. I sponsored the four largest bond bills in the history of the state, including a $1.8 billion affordable housing bond in 2018 and $600 million for the revitalization and subsidy of public housing in 2014.
One of my proudest accomplishments as Chair of Housing was helping to secure $46 million in funding for the Brighton Marine development project which will bring more than 100 mixed-income apartments to Boston for Veterans and their families.
I sponsored the Eviction Moratorium in March 2020 to protect thousands of residents hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill inspired dozens of similar laws across the country and made sure no one had to lose their homes during a difficult period.
Any issue that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities is a form of violence. I am in full support of all 10 points in the 10 point plan for racial justice as laid out by the Black and Latino Caucus and all of the reforms that the plan calls for. I have joined my federal and local colleagues in calling for meaningful policy changes at the federal, state and municipal level.
The current criminal justice system disproportionately targets and affects low-income communities of color, people with untreated mental illness, and those who experience homelessness. The criminalization of substance use disorders plays a role in these disparities. I support measures that will repeal mandatory minimums for drug-related crimes, expunge drug-related criminal records, reclassify lower-level crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, decrease investments in jails and increase investments in education, quality jobs, public health improvements and infrastructure within communities of color and other communities harmed by the criminalization of drugs and mass incarceration.
In July of 2020 I co-sponsored and the House passed Police Reform legislation that bans the use of chokeholds, rubber bullets, tear gas, and other tactics known to have deadly consequences. In addition, it establishes a duty to intervene when an officer witnesses an abuse of force, makes public disciplinary investigations of police officers, requires independent investigation of officer-related deaths, and requires data collection and reporting on race regarding all arrests and police use of force by every department.
In July of 2020 the House acted on a number of measures meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by passing the House Climate Roadmap Bill to increase required greenhouse gas reductions to 50% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 75% below 1990 levels by 2040 and require net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas by 2050. I co-sponsored adopted amendments to House Climate Roadmap Bill to:
• More than double the amount of offshore wind power the state must purchase (to 3,600 Megawatts)
• Increase the Renewable Portfolio Standard to require 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
• Enhance energy efficiency standards to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 271,000 metric tons, the equivalent of taking 57,000 cars off the road.
• Defined Environmental Justice community in state law to better protect black and brown communities, lower-income communities, and immigrant communities from harmful development projects.
I am an active co-sponsor on the Rep. Decker and Rep. Garballey bill H. 2836, the 100% Renewable Energy Act, to transition Massachusetts to 100% renewable electric power by 2035 and 100% renewable energy sources for heating and transportation by 2045, and will continue to work towards implementing economy wide carbon pricing on fossil fuels in amounts that are sufficient to foster the elimination of fossil fuel use from all economic sectors while ensuring that low- and moderate-income families are protected. Additionally, I will work to amend the authorizing legislation for the state building code to allow each city or town to withhold building permits from new buildings (and significant renovations of existing buildings) if those buildings include new natural gas or fuel oil infrastructure for heat, hot water, or certain other purposes. I co-sponsored the Offshore Wind and Clean Energy bill in March 2022 to further enable the state to reach its goal of net-zero emissions.
A reliable, low-cost, non-fossil fuel powered and accessible public transit system that supports workers and is funded by our government, a millionaire’s tax and other progressive taxes - not fare increases – is essential. That is why I have supported and worked for the passage of a $18.28 billion transportation bond bill to improve our state’s roads, bridges, and public transportation systems, including $250 million for the Allston Multimodal Project, and H. 4508 to invest up to $600 million annually in transportation funding statewide. I also co-sponsored millionaire's tax constitutional initiative that would bring in $1.9 billion annual for transportation and education infrastructure. Funding and reforming the MBTA was a major element of the FY23 budget
Transportation is also responsible for 40% of MA’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it the single biggest source in Massachusetts. To meet the state’s mandatory greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction requirements, confronting transportation emissions will be critical as this sector’s GHGs continue to rise. I support legislation that would, through direct subsidies, tax relief, and other measures, promote electric and other carbon fuel free vehicles and increase revenue for transportation with an emphasis on transit, biking and walking and other innovative mobility options that would reduce greenhouse gases from the transportation sector. The transportation bond bill and e-bike bill passed in July 2022 directly addresses these needs, making e-bikes more accessible and extending passenger rail service from Boston to Western Massachusetts.
Along with Massachusetts’ own statewide carbon price on fossil fuel used for transportation, I also support our membership in and adoption of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) to set a declining, regional cap on transportation emissions and issue a fee on fuel imports to fund system improvements. If properly structured, policy created through TCI could mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, invest in much-needed public transit, alleviate congestion, and generate a revenue stream to fund future transportation improvements. I continue to support legislation to upgrade Massachusetts’ outdated zoning laws to encourage more mixed-use and transit-oriented development and walkable communities.
In 2020 the House passed healthcare legislation to facilitate the use of telemedicine as well as strengthen community hospitals and legislation aimed at eliminating racial inequities in maternal health that have resulted in women of color dying of pregnancy-related causes at more than double the rate of white women. We also provided supplemental funding for women’s reproductive health organizations as a result of federal cuts the Title X program, which was included as part of a supplemental state budget. And to address the complex health and wellness needs of the state’s 1.4 million children, the House passed legislation to ensure increased access to services and a more holistic approach to children’s health and wellness supports.
To build on the progress made by passing our historic healthcare reform law in 2006, I support creating a single payer health insurance system in Massachusetts that guarantees access and is publicly administered to lower the cost of healthcare for both employers and residents – something that is particularly necessary because of the COVID-19 Emergency. The purpose behind single payer health insurance, like the public health insurance option (the so-called “public option”) that was part of the federal healthcare reform debate in 2009 - 2010, is to make more affordable health insurance available people who are either unable to afford the premiums of private health insurers or are rejected by private health insurers because of a pre-existing condition. Such a government administered insurance plan could also pressure private health insurers to lower their premium costs and create more competitive plans with wider coverage. Also, in the likely event of federal cuts to MA Medicaid funding, I support establishing a “Pay or Play” payroll tax on companies that do not provide health coverage to their employees.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, I supported legislation to further strengthen reproductive and gender-affirming health care laws. The bill protects providers of reproductive & gender-affirming care from out-of-state legal action, offers liability protections to providers, declares reproductive & gender-affirming health care a right under MA constitution, and blocks MA licensing boards from disciplining providers of reproductive & gender-affirming care. I also voted for legislation designed to strengthen local and regional public health and ensure that every resident has access to foundational public health services, regardless of where they live, through the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) State Action for Public Health Excellence (SAPHE) program established by the Legislature in 2020. Public health services should be delivered uniformly across the Commonwealth and this bill ensures better oversight to raise healthcare standards in every region and locale.
LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. I have voted to support the LGBTQ community on every single issue that has ever come before the House during my tenure. In 1987, I supported legislation then called the "Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill" which prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations. In 1989, when the bill was enacted, MA was only the 2nd state in the nation to pass such a law and voting for it was considered highly controversial. Back then, I received heated criticism from many of my constituents for my support of the legislation, but I was and remained proud of my votes. I remain committed to fighting for issues important to the health and wellness of our vibrant LGTBQ+ community