A key part of my role as a State legislator is supporting the businesses in our District and helping them thrive. A major element of that support is a robust transportation system. Employers need workers and customers to be able to get from other areas to our District. This is especially true for our high-tech companies, which rely on younger employees who may live in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston — and we are competing with those municipalities for talented workers. This is true for the restaurants, that need transportation to get their workers from other areas. There are short-term fixes to this problem, such as a private-public partnership where the Commonwealth can provide more bus and shuttle service to businesses. We have begun to put those fixes in place. There are long-term fixes that will require funding, such as straightening out the intersection of Routes 128 and 3 and creating a transportation hub. Our efforts resulted in $800,000 in federal funding to begin to address the intersection bottleneck. I will continue to work with leadership to find a solution to these important problems. We must also build back the MBTA. It has fallen into disrepair, and it is getting worse all the time. It has been neglected by the Administration. While I do not believe in fare-free transportation for all, I do believe in reduced cost access for students, seniors, people of limited financial means and others. This reduction in cost must include a reduction in the cost of MBTA parking to make a meaningful difference.