Joan serves on the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Joint Committee on Export Development, and Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity. She is appointed to the Metropolitan Beaches Commission and the Ocean Advisory Commission. She is also a co-chair of the newly formed Massachusetts Legislative Climate Alliance Caucus, and she serves as a Board Member of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, where she works alongside her fellow legislators to encourage and support women in government and pursue women’s economic advancement.
Representative Meschino says, “Opiate addiction is an urgent public health crisis. The Legislature has taken significant first steps to stem the tide of addiction and overdose, but we must continue the work. I strongly support community-based intervention programs and prevention strategies.†Rep. Meschino has supported legislation in the past to strengthen community-based prevention of substance abuse disorders. In the state budget, she seeks to provide substantial funding for opioid addiction treatment and prevention. These measures will provide resources at the community level, where Rep. Meschino believes such services are to be the most effective. “This epidemic has affected so many individuals and families. Communities and organizations close to home may be best situated to interrupt the tide of addiction,†she says.