State Representative Kay Khan, who has served the 11th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House, announced that she is leaving the legislature at the end of 2024. The longest-serving member of Newton’s delegation, Rep. Khan was first elected to office in 1994, succeeding Rep. Susan Schur. Her announcement follows Rep. Ruth Balser’s decision to retire from the House at the end of the year.
Rep. Khan, who is a psychiatric nurse clinical specialist, was House Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities for twelve years from 2009 to 2021. She also founded and co-chaired the Mental Health Caucus in 2000 (the first of its kind in the nation) as well as the Justice-Involved Women Taskforce under the Caucus of Women Legislators in 2000, which she continues to co-chair with Rep. Christine Barber to this day.
Among her many successful legislative initiatives are the prohibition against Conversion Therapy and the Ban on Child marriage, with no exceptions for those under 18 years of age. She has worked continually on criminal justice reform and juvenile justice reform. In 2013, she was successful in raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction from a teenager’s 17th birthday to their 18th birthday. She has continually championed the Massachusetts campaign to “Raise the Age” to go even further and increase the Commonwealth’s juvenile jurisdiction to an individual’s 20th birthday.
Honored as Legislator of the Year by a variety of statewide organizations, Rep. Khan has been a strong environmental leader and was named a “Champion” by the Environmental League of Massachusetts. She has been a leader in moving toward the upgrading of Newton’s three commuter rail stations and recently secured state funding for upgrading the Newtonville station.
Rep. Khan’s most recent recognition was from the Massachusetts Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives for her Midwifery advocacy over the years. She was also behind the legislation that allows all Advanced Practice Nurses to practice independently, which was passed in 2021 and successfully added a permanent position for a nurse on the state’s Health Policy Commission (HPC).
In announcing her retirement, Rep. Khan paid tribute to her constituents, who have been a source of inspiration and support. She shared, “After months of thorough deliberation, I have made the difficult decision to abstain from seeking re-election this fall. I love the work that I do, and being a legislator in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been the honor of a lifetime. It has been a privilege to serve as the State Representative of the 11th Middlesex District for over 29 years and tirelessly fight for progressive victories in the Commonwealth. While I am not seeking re-election, I am not ending the fight here. Since the Joint Rule 10 Deadline at the beginning of the month, I have a total of 32 bills this session that have either received a favorable report or an extension from their respective committees. There is still important work to be done, and I am determined to continue fighting the good fight until my final day in office comes to an end.”
