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The following is a list of inquiries that my office often receives from constituents throughout the district, as well as the answers to those questions. I n\will continue to update this over time, but I would welcome any suggestions for content that you might have.

Q: How does a bill become law in the Massachusetts legislative system?
A: The lawmaking process in the Commonwealth involves both branches of the legislature, the House and the Senate, as well as the Governor. The majorioty of bills are filed by Representatives, Senators, and the Governor, though other avenues also exisit, such as voter- sponsored ballot initiatives. Filed legislation undergoes a thorough review process by the various legislative committees before heading to the floor for a vite. If approved by both branches and subsequently signed by the Governor, the bill then goes on the books as law. For a more thorough description of this process, please visit the legislature's "Lawmaking in Massachusetts" web site.

Q: How many members make up the Massachusetts Legislature?
A: The legislature is comprised of 200 members - 160 Representatives in the House and 40 Senators in the Senate.

Q: What district do you represent in the State House?
A: I represent the 15th Suffolk/Norfolk District which includes the Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston as well as Precinct 5 of the Town of Brookline. For a complete breakdown of this information, please click here.

Q: What committees do you sit on in the legislature?
A: I am the Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. For information about this committee, please click here.

Q: If you are not my Representative, then who is?
A: You can look up all of your voting and ballot information online at www.wheredoivotema.com. Just enter your address information in the listed fields to access a list of all of your elected officials.

Q: How does the budget process work in Massachusetts?
A: Crafting the state budget is perhaps the most important and complex task shared by every member of the legislature. As each year's budget is a piece of legislation, the process is similar to the lawmaking description outlined above, with a few differences.

The process essentially begins when the Governor releases the first set of recommendations. A few months later, the House Committee on Ways and Means will draft its own version, followed by an amendment process in which House members will seek to adjust certain portions of the bill either through adding new items or increasing/reducing existing ones. Once the House has completed its budget debate, the Senate then goes through a similar process.

When both branches have agreed to a final compromise between the two versions, which is accomplished through the work of a Conference Committe (typically 3 members from each branch who work to resolve the variations between both bills), the final version gets sent to the Governor who must then act on it. The Governor can then sign the bill, veto it, or simply veto some sections by reducing line-item amounts before sending it back to the legislature for consideration, at which time both branches have the option of overriding some or all of the Governor's vetos (which requires a 2/3 majority in each branch.)

When all is said and done, the final legislation becomes law, thus laying out the state's spending plans for the upcoming Fiscal Year which begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th.