Hello Westfield and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Before I get into this week’s topic, I wanted to first give a huge congratulations to the 2019 Sons of Erin Colleen, Hannah Jury, and her court, Fionnuala Matthews, Maura Wurster, Kaitlin Sicard, and Shaunessey Lambert. You have all done a great job representing Westfield so far this year and I look forward to marching alongside you in the parade tomorrow!
As I mentioned last week, we received our committee assignments for the current legislative session in late February, and before we get too far into the legislative session, I wanted to give a brief overview of the committee process and the specific committees I sit on.
First, as a refresher, committees are a core piece of the legislative infrastructure. They are responsible for sorting through the thousands of bills that are filed every session and conducting hearings to gather the evidence for and against their relevant legislation before voting on whether to recommend bills for passage. In addition, they can be responsible for drafting new legislation or conducting oversight of legislative business like personnel administration, ethics, and intergovernmental affairs. Most committees are made up of both Representatives and Senators and are called “joint committees” and are responsible for their own specialized subject matters. They are led by four members: a Chair and Vice Chair from each chamber.
This year, I am proud to announce that I have been named the House Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs for the second time. This committee has been tremendously important to me since I was first elected and I have served on it since 2015. Among the committee’s most vital work is to oversee the administration of veterans’ benefits within the Commonwealth by recommending legislation that improves existing programs or creates new ones. This involves a lot of knowledge gathering from veterans, their families, and other stakeholders within the military community. As a veteran and member of the Army Reserve, I am truly honored to serve as the Vice Chair and to work to keep Massachusetts the best state in the country for veterans.
In addition to the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, I have been appointed to both the House and Joint Committees on Ways and Means. If you read my column last week, you will already know that these committees are responsible for the formation of the annual state budget and that we are already several weeks into what is often a 9-month process. The annual budget and any supplemental budgets needed throughout the year form much of the committee’s work, but the committee is also responsible for analyzing any bills involving the finances of the Commonwealth. With few exceptions, bills that are recommended for passage by their original committee are sent to Ways and Means as a second step, where the committee must consider the legislation with regard to its associated costs. In effect, this means the vast majority of bills that are going to pass this session need to make it through Ways and Means first. This responsibility, along with the budget process, make Ways and Means one of the most important and active committees in the legislature and I am excited to take on this added challenge.
I will also be sitting on the Joint Committee on the Judiciary this session, which hears legislation concerning crimes, penalties, and the administration of the Trial Court. As you can imagine, with this broad brief, the Judiciary is also a very busy committee, hearing more bills by far than any other committee in the legislature. This is the third time I have been appointed to this committee since being elected and as a criminal defense attorney by trade, the subject matter is one I find particularly interesting.
Finally, the last committee I will serve on is the Joint Committee on Financial Services, which hears bills regarding banking and insurance in the Commonwealth. This is a new committee for me, but another one whose work I find critical, as it affects the daily lives of all the residents of Massachusetts. There has been a lot of talk in the last decade surrounding banking regulation and it’s role in shaping our economy, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to weigh in on this topic as part of the committee.
As always, I will keep you all updated on the work of these committees as the legislative season progresses, and of course, feel free to reach out at any time with questions concerning committee work or any other issues. My office can be reached at 413-572-3920 or [email protected]. Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day and if see me at the road race or parade, come say hello!
