Senator Patricia Jehlen was elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 2005. She represents Medford, Somerville, and parts of Winchester and Cambridge.Senator Jehlen serves as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, and as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy. Senator Jehlen also serves on the Committees on Ways and Means, Revenue, and Community Development and Small Businesses.
Inspired by movements in schools both in her district and around Massachusetts, Senator Jehlen filed this bill to make menstrual products available in schools, prisons, and homeless shelters free of charge. The bill is a priority for MassNOW and the Commission on the Status of Women.
After the tragic death of Laura Levis, her husband Pete DeMarco discovered that with some changes to signage and lighting her death might have been prevented. In Laura’s memory, Senator Jehlen filed legislation to create standards for emergency room signage so critical time to receive medical attention is not lost.
Currently, candidates for state and local office cannot use their campaign funds for childcare. This issue came to Sen. Jehlen’s attention when a single mother in Somerville ran for School Committee, a seat the Senator one held, and faced the same challenges as a parent and a candidate. The Commission on the Status of Women made this a bill a priority, as it has the potential to help more women run for office.
Too many adults in Massachusetts do not have enough saved for retirement. As our aging population grows and puts strain on public supports and services, there needs to be another way to help people save for retirement. This AARP priority would require a portion paychecks to go into a state fund and accessible after 65.
Senator Jehlen has been a long-time supporter of compensation for those who have been wrongfully convicted. This bill adds upon the policy passed in the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform to make it easier for exonorees to access compensation as they rebuild their lives after sometimes decades in prison for crime they did not commit.
There are a number of overflows in Massachusetts where sewage spills into our waterways after storms or flooding. As climate change brings great storms with more frequency, overflows or “CSO Events” are becoming more common.
This legislation proposes increasing the local option cap to $80,000. Certain homeowners 65 years of age and older currently have the option to defer paying their property taxes. Under existing law, this is a local option that is capped at the maximum allowance under the senior circuit breaker for a single person who is not head of household ($57,000 for t/y 2016). Given the high cost-of-living in MA, this is low & penalizes "house rich & cash poor” seniors living on fixed incomes which exceed the threshold.
The legislation would protect senior homeowners by preventing the sale of their tax liens to third-party collectors. Other tools remain for municipalities to collect property taxes but the use of third-party debt collectors often use tactics that confuse and intimidate elderly homeowners.
I am deeply concerned with the deadly opioid epidemic. Since most people who become addicted to opioids start with prescription drugs, reducing opioid prescriptions is extremely important. http://time.com/4404697/marijuana-opioid-epidemic/ We have initiated other programs, such as limiting initial prescriptions, reporting of prescriptions and academic detailing for doctors. We have created new treatment beds. But giving people another legal and less dangerous alternative is important.
Climate change is a real and serious challenge for the commonwealth. One of the best ways to fight climate change is to switch to renewable energy as quickly as possible. It is vital that we invest in renewable energies, especially solar and off-shore wind. Investing in renewable energy not only decreases our impact on the environment, but the industries created to support these investments produce innovative jobs for the Massachusetts economy. In order to further grow the solar industry, net metering must expand. Stability and...
Too often, those at the bottom of the economic ladder are not given the opportunity to raise themselves up to a better life. I believe in investing in our working class, by ensuring a fair wage, access to proper sick and parental leave, and ensuring that people working in our homes have the same protections as people working in our offices. We have had some recent victories in these areas, by enacting in law an increase in the minimum wage to $11 and protecting domestic workers with a bill of rights. In addition, after years of work, one of...
An efficient and reliable transportation system is critical to the continued growth of my district. I have fought for years for the Green Line Extension (GLX) as a major benefit and necessity for my constituents and the progress we have made should not be tossed aside. Somerville and Medford have suffered from the exhaust, traffic and debris spread across our cities as a result of using Somerville and Medford as the pathway to Boston. The GLX represents an equitable investment in our communities as valuable places to live and raise a family and we...
I have been honored to serve as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs for over 10 years as well as the co-chair of the LGBT Aging Commission and the Elder Economic Security Commission. Older adults (60+) currently represent 22% of the state’s total population and that percentage is growing. We all aspire to have the opportunity to live to a “ripe old age,” but the path each of us takes there differs greatly. The question becomes: what must we, as policymakers and as a community, consider in order...
Criminal justice reform has long been a top priority of mine. I will continue to fight to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences, reform solitary confinement, increase programing and drug treatment to prepare individuals for reentry, and end the practice of locking up individuals awaiting trial just because they can’t afford a minimal cash bail. While we still have a long way to go before our criminal justice system is truly just, we have been making progress. So far this year the Senate has passed two of my bills, one that...