Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. I look forward to continuing our work together in the 15th Suffolk/Norfolk District and in the State House! Yours in Service, Jeffrey Sánchez State Representative
We’re all hands on deck entering year
two of the legislative session. 2018 marks the start of my first budget as Chair of Ways & Means. On the legislative front, we authorized funding for affordable housing programs and
improved how we treat Alzheimer’s
Disease. The holidays were a fun time as we hosted events in Mission Main and Bromley-Heath. We also celebrated the legacy of Christine Cooper and Jamaica Pond. The coming months will only get busier as spring gets closer. There continues to be a dark cloud over Washington. While we monitor how actions in DC affect Massachusetts, we must focus on the work that remains in our communities. There are so many activists working on youth violence prevention, access to open space, arts & culture, economic justice, and affordable housing. How we support and enhance these endeavors is an important conversation that we must continue in our living rooms, our schools, the State House, and beyond.
Budget
In addition to representing you on Beacon Hill, I have a new task as Chair of the Ways & Means Committee: to write the annual state budget. The first step of that process began in Decem-ber with the consensus revenue hear-ing. At this hearing, we convened econ-omists and researchers to estimate
Massachusetts’ economic growth, so
we can better plan for the coming fiscal year. We worked with our colleagues in the Senate and Office of Administration & Finance to project 3.5% growth, $933 million in gross new taxes, and $674M in net taxes after required transfers. A large part of that increase will be needed just to keep the lights on in state govern-ment. Much of the remainder is spent on increases to core pro-grams like education, debt service, the MBTA, and MassHealth. The remaining amount must then be spread across the myriad of programs and priorities. In January, the Governor filed his budg-et recommendations. Now, we are conducting hearings on that budget, seeking input from agencies and mem-bers of the public across the Common-wealth as we in the House write our budget. These are exciting and challeng-ing times. I look forward to working with my colleagues to produce a budg-et committed to our shared values and helps the most vulnerable among us.
Legislative
Building on our 2017 successes, the House rang in 2018 with a number of initiatives. We authorized a $1.7 billion housing bond bill to ensure the preser-vation and construction of affordable housing over the next five years. More details on this bill are on page 3. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) has seen an increase in cases and requests for train-ing. The House passed a small funding package that would enable MCAD to hire two new trainers and one new investigator as it takes on new cases. Also in this budget was funding for schools who have taken in students from Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane María. Over 4,200 students have enrolled in public schools across Massachusetts, and these funds will ensure they are able to continue their education. We had an important victory for our elders with the passage of H4116, which would improve the coordination of treatment and care of individuals
with Alzheimer’s Disease.
There are a number of issues coming down the pike that I anticipate the House will take up before the end of the legislative session: early education, civics education, Airbnb taxes/regulations, and ensuring that people have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare through healthcare reform.
Friends and Neighbors:
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Budget Updates
1
#MeToo
1
New Artist Exhibit
2
Celebrating Jamaica Pond
2
Affordable Housing
3
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4
Spotlight: Equifax
4
Legislative & Budget Updates
Jeffrey Sánchez
FEBRUARY | 2018
State Representative
PAGE 2
Winter Coat Giveaway
Given the frigid temperatures are here in Massachusetts, it is para-mount everyone has the necessities to stay protected from extreme tem-peratures. With the help of Opera-tion Warm and the Boston Fire De-partment, we held a coat drive for residents across the district. Over 100 coats were distributed to resi-dents of Bromley-Heath, Mission Main, and the High Street Veterans development in Brookline.
Bromley Holiday Celebration
After collecting hundreds of toys for kids of all ages, Santa made a stop at Bromley-Heath for our annual Holi-day Event. Thanks to countless do-nations from partners around the community and a toy drive event held at the Frogmore, all kids at the party received a gift. We are grate-ful to our community partners that helped us spread holiday cheer - ABCD, Boston Police, JP Neighbor-hood Development Corporation, Hyde Square Task Force, Boston housing Authority, Martha Eliot Health Center, and Il Panino.
New Artist Exhibit
Jamaica Plain photographer Robin
Radin’s work is the latest to be dis-
played in my State House office.
Robin’s photographs capture both
the cultural and natural landscape of JP. Local jewels such as Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, and the Emerald Necklace, and the vibrant, diverse street life of commercial districts and community gathering places are highlighted in the exhibit. Stop by my office and see the exhibit before it concludes in April!
Celebration of Jamaica Pond
In late January, I was joined by Rep. Liz
Malia, City Councilor Matt O’Malley,
leadership from the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and the De-partment of Conservation and Recrea-tion in a community forum to celebrate the Jamaica Pond, our work on the Parkways, and to reflect on the passing of a JP icon
–
Christine Cooper. With pond renovations on the horizon, the forum was a recognition of the
community’s accomplishments to uphold the pond’s natural beauty and an
acknowledgement of what lies ahead to maintain its legacy. JP cornerstone and conservation advocate, Gerry Wright, organized the forum alongside Andy Pond.
WGBH Forum
I joined WGBH for the inaugural epi-sode of Inside Boston to discuss Jamai-ca Plain. Leslie Bos from JPNDC and I talked affordable housing, while Rick Berlin spoke about the JP music scene and Kate Latye from Papercuts talked about her experience owning an inde-pendent bookstore. To view it on Facebook, go online and enter: bit.ly/wgbhinjp.
District Events
$1.7 Billion Approved for Affordable Housing
PAGE 3
Affordable housing continues to be at the center of our conversations here in Boston, Brookline, and across Massachusetts. We know and feel the impact of the housing crunch first hand. In many ways, we are victims of our own success
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our thriv-ing small businesses along Centre Street, our unique arts and culture scene, and beautiful parks have people flocking to our vibrant neighborhoods, but with these perks come higher costs and space limitations to present renters and owners.
This is why the Massachusetts House of Representatives took action to address the affordable housing crisis by passing a bill that authorized $1.7 billion for state programs to construct and preserve affordable housing.
Below is a summary of the programs we authorized in the bill. View more info at www.jeffreysanchez.org/housingbondbill.
$125 million $400 million $50 million $45 million $100 million $60 million $65 million $150 million $55 million $650 million Extended & Expanded Extended & Expanded