Among Senator Creem’s “dozens” of recently filed bills is An Act relative to the future of clean heat in the Commonwealth (SD2330). An article in the Boston Globe about the warming winters demonstrated that New England is experiencing record high temperatures. In general, New England is warming faster than any other part of the planet, with Massachusetts as the fastest-heating part of New England. With growing concerns about the greenhouse gas emissions in the Commonwealth and across the nation, Senator Creem’s legislation, which incentivizes the use of “networked geothermal and air-source heat pumps,” is attracting support from climate activists and local residents. According to Senator Creem, “the bill creates programs and regulatory processes” that will promote the transition from fossil fuels to “clean heat.”
Along similar lines, Senator Creem submitted a bill, An Act promoting access to zero-emission school buses (SD647). As she notes in describing the bill, diesel-powered buses not only pollute the atmosphere but are especially harmful to their young riders. The bill provides state-funded grants to help Massachusetts school districts to replace their diesel buses with zero-emission buses.
A third climate/environment related bill, An Act establishing the Municipal Reforestation Program (SD1214), recognizes the importance of mature trees in protecting the environment. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, cool the air and ground temperature on hot days, and prevent flooding by absorbing ground water. Senator Creem’s bill will provide funding for local initiatives to rebuild tree canopies.
An Act relative to ghost guns (SD2031) adds an additional tool to Massachusetts’s strongest-in-the-nation gun laws by making it illegal to “manufacture, sell, or purchase any firearm without a valid serial number, and by making it illegal to 3D print firearms without a license.” Given the onslaught of gun fatalities in Massachusetts and across the nation, this legislation takes aim at the untraceable “ghost guns” that find their way to local communities.
An Act related to rehabilitation, re-entry, and human rights for incarcerated persons (SD1406) focuses on guaranteeing basic rights to Massachusetts inmates, most of whom (95%) will be released from prison. Senator Creem’s bill provides inmates with “access to programming, the right to continue [their] education, and the right to daily time spent outside of a cell.” The bill seeks to end the use of solitary confinement. Education programs allow inmates to earn a high school diploma and to learn income-earning skills before they are released.
“Mitigating climate change, defending reproductive rights, and reforming the criminal justice system are priorities for the residents of Brookline, Newton, and Wellesley, and they are also priorities of mine,” said State Senator Cynthia Creem. “I’m proud to have a legislative agenda that meaningfully addresses all three of those issues. By passing these bills into law, we can make Massachusetts a healthier and more just place, for both current and future generations.”
Residents may view all Senator Creem’s proposed legislation here and sign up for her electronic newsletter here.
Fig City News will be updating reports on Sen. Creem’s legislative initiatives and also reviewing those of State Representatives Ruth Balser and Kay Khan.
