I have served as a State Senator for the Middlesex and Worcester district since January 2009. I devote all my work as State Senator to delivering for those I represent. On Beacon Hill, I serve as the Senate-Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws. I also am the Senate-Chair of the Clean Energy, Criminal Justice Reform, Medicare For All, and MBTA Caucuses.
An Act to Reduce Financial Barriers to Renting Homes (S.D.123)
This bill helps alleviate the burden of exorbitant rental costs, especially for low-income prospective tenants. Whereas according to current law, landlords can charge upwards of four month's rent upfront, this bill will essentially halve that. This bill also will shift the burden of the broker's fee to the landlord if the landlord opts to use a broker.
An Act relative to the Massachusetts lead law and promoting equal access to lead-free housing (S.D.2347)
This bill protects our children from lead poisoning and related housing discrimination by taking preventive steps to remove lead from homes. Current law usually only requires landlords to delead a property if a child under the age of 6 resides there. This bill updates the lead law to require landlords to delead properties, regardless of whether children under the age of six will reside in the property. Lead poisoning remains a widespread issue in Massachusetts. Across the state, only 10% of housing built before 1970 has undergone a lead inspection - meaning children are at risk in 1.8 million homes in the Commonwealth. This issue disproportionately impacts minority communities, with black and brown children 2.5 times more likely to have lead poisoning than white children.