Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. McKenna: Reflecting on 2015
Sunday, January 03, 2016
Looking Back on 2015
First and foremost is gratitude. Last week I took the opportunity while I was in Boston to simply sit in the historic House chamber and reflect. After four years working in the building, this past year as your Representative, I am still awestruck by the immensity of the history and the magnitude of the responsibility entrusted to those who are elected to serve. I want to once again thank the residents of Webster, Sutton, Douglas, and precincts 1 and 4 of Oxford for placing that trust in me; how humbling! This was driven home as I sat at my desk in the House chamber and watched several tours come in to visit; students enthralled as their excited teachers explained the significance of the building. This small and humbling moment ranks as one of my favorites of 2015.
I also feel pride. Pride in what I, working with countless others, have been able to achieve in my first year. As I promised while campaigning, I hit the ground running. I’m proud to say that I was the first of my fellow ‘freshmen’ legislators to rise in the House to speak and pass a bill. I was the lead sponsor of a bi-partisan resolution that passed which paves the way for life saving CPR training and AED placements in MA schools.
2015 Accomplishments
There are too many accomplishments of the Legislature as a whole to list here. However, I do want to highlight just a few significant pieces that I am particularly proud of:
- we passed a major fiscal overhaul of the MBTA including more oversight so Governor Baker can fix that broken system.
- at the urging of the public and legislators, the Department of Education decided not to pursue PARCC testing based on Common Core standards.
- we increased funding for measures to stem opioid addictions, including making illegal the trafficking of Fentanyl, a drug additive that is exasperating the lethality of the epidemic.
- we raised the cap on solar capacity to encourage more solar projects – we passed public records reform which gives the public and press more access to the activities of their governments.
- we strengthened laws around sex offenders so the public has more information and so an offender can no longer ‘stay’ their classification hearings for lengthy periods.
- and we passed several bills strengthening laws to protect the valor of our Veterans by increasing penalties for false claims of service or for stealing grave markers.
I’m also proud of my committee work. Serving on Labor and Workforce Development and Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure I leaned on my business background and economics degree to be a voice for common sense measures to help our small businesses stay and grow in MA. On countless occasions I’ve proudly voted for the interests of taxpayers and local business owners and against ideas that would add needless regulation and costs.
Looking Ahead
Looking at the upcoming legislative landscape I feel optimistic. I’m optimistic for what I hope is a busy and productive 2016. We have a number of issues lined up for discussion. I believe the most pressing on the agenda is taking more steps to battle the addiction crisis. Nothing is more important than providing life savings tools to our constituents battling this terrible addiction. A very close second is the need for a serious discussion of increasing school funding based on a report issued by a state education budget review commission, which concluded that MA needs to make a minimum additional investment of $432 million in public education. Finally, the Governor has proposed a number of initiatives that will give local cities and towns more autonomy and less regulation. This is a good packet of bills that I hope passes!
Joy and Satisfaction
Finally, I feel joy and satisfaction. As busy as my calendar has become, I absolutely love my job! As exciting as being on Beacon Hill can be, the most enjoyable part of my job over the past year has easily been staying busy in the district. This, to be honest, is often more rewarding! I have been privileged to attend ribbon cuttings at new schools and businesses. I’ve attended dances and shared meals at senior centers and human service organizations, and served meals at the Webster-Dudley food-share. I’ve attended numerous Eagle Scout Court of Honor - Cub Scout Arrow of Light - and Girl Scout ceremonies. And I’ve read to elementary school kids throughout the district. Waking up with these local events on my calendar is truly a privilege and it is this focus on the needs of the 18th Worcester District that bring me the most joy and satisfaction in my job. With that in mind, I am committed to push the legislature to continue the trend of increasing funding for our local communities, especially for schools across the state whose budgets are in dire straits.I believe our towns, not Beacon Hill Bureaucracy, should be entrusted with our hard earned tax dollars as they are able put limited resources to better use than the state ever can!
2016
As we kick off 2016, I again want to say Thank You to Webster, Douglas, Sutton, and Oxford for the incredible year that 2015 was, filled with pride, gratitude, and joy. I have been truly blessed that voters have entrusted me to represent them in Boston, and I look forward to continuing to serve!
Related Slideshow: 15 Biggest News Stories of 2015 in Central MA
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