Senator Joan Lovely is in her fifth term as State Senator for the Second Essex District, comprised of Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem and Topsfield. Senator Lovely has been serving in the Massachusetts Senate since January 2013. After raising a family in Salem with her husband, Senator Lovely went back to school to earn degrees from Salem State University and the Massachusetts School of Law. She began her activism at the local level when she collaborated with neighbors and volunteers to rebuild a local playground for children and families in Salem.
The Legislature has continued to fully fund the Student Opportunity Act, which passed in 2019, to ensure public schools have adequate resources for high-quality education to students across the state, regardless of zip code or income level. This session, the Senate advanced legislation to expand access to affordable early education and care, ensure today’s students are educated on the history of genocide and human rights, and to provide greater access to free breakfast and lunch for students.