By: Senator Katy Ives – Nov. 2017 The State Senate unanimously passed a comprehensive bill that would require higher education institutions in Massachusetts to set in place requirements on how campus police report and disclose an incident of dating violence, sexual assault or stalking. S.2191 filed by Senator Moore. An Act Concerning Sexual Violence on […]
By: Don Jarvis – Oct. 2017 For the third year in a row Preserving Newbury is hosting Wreaths Across America in Newbury, Massachusetts. Wreaths Across America is a national nonprofit organization founded in 2007, which continues to expand their annual wreath-laying ceremony. The wreath laying ceremony began at Arlington National Cemetery and now stretches to […]
By: Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives – October, 2017 I recently testified on a bill I filed S733, “An Act Relative to Access to Housing for First Responders,” This legislation would allow MassHousing, an independent, quasi-public state agency focused on providing financing for affordable housing, to create a special home loan program for first responders who […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives I recently testified before the Joint Committee on Public Health to encourage the favorable report of H1170 “An Act to Protect Little Lungs,” filed by Representative Paul Heroux. This bill would ban smoking in a car if a child is small enough to be in a car seat and carry […]
UPDATED: 9-8-17 LAWRENCE – Lawrence Police have apprehended a violent felon who was wanted by multiple area law enforcement agencies on numerous charges. In the early morning hours of Sunday September 3, 2017 – with the assistance of State Trooper Dolan of the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Squad – the Lawrence Police Department’s Emergency Response Team […]
By State Senator Katy Ives – Aug 2017 The Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Mental Health license youth group homes throughout the state that house adolescents removed from their families. Over the past few years, the City of Haverhill has seen a significant surge in calls from group home staff, […]
BOSTON – Today, the State Senate passed an omnibus property tax relief bill S2124 – An Act improving real property tax abatements, application deadlines, and deferrals. This bill improves the property tax deferral program for active military personnel, senior citizens and for persons who are deaf. O’Connor Ives filed a bill for an Amesbury resident […]
By: State Senator Katy O’Connor Ives – June, 2017 The Massachusetts State Senate debated the Fiscal Year 2018 state budget last month, where I advocated for key provisions that will be beneficial to the constituents of my district and the Commonwealth. One of the amendments in the Senate Fiscal Year 2018 budget, which I co-sponsored, […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – April, 2017 Early Voting passed into law in 2014 and this past presidential election was the first in which residents were allowed to vote before Election Day. This is an advantageous concept for many people that want to vote but can’t get to the ballot box on one given […]
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a resolution Thursday to condemn the recent Executive Order issued by President Donald J. Trump which bars entry to the United States for certain nationals from seven Muslim-majority nations. The resolution recognizes the unique importance of immigration to the history of Massachusetts since its founding, through the present. […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – Dec. 2016 The sight of military-style vehicles barreling down the narrow streets of Boston is a common one to those who live or work in the city. People may wonder how the iconic duck boats can safely manage to navigate the streets with bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians, all while […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – Nov, 2016 Leading up to the beginning of a new formal legislative session in January, I’m focusing in on which bills will be priorities for me to file, re-file and co-sponsor. My column over these next months will be focused on a number of those bills. This month’s column […]
Cesiah Albarran of Lawrence came to this country in 2013 from Puerto Rico with a recently earned bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and limited English skills. With the help of family members, she quickly landed a job with Bradford & Bigelow (B&B), a $31M specialty printing company with 140 employees […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – Oct. 2016 On July 31, the formal legislative session technically ended, meaning that between August and January, no formal voting on major bills takes place. In the months leading up to the beginning of a new formal session in January, I’m focusing in on what bills are priorities for […]
Boston- State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) was named a Legislator of the Year on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 by the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA) for his work on a wide range of criminal justice issues, ranging from effectively penalizing repeat violent offenders, to addressing the ongoing opiate abuse crisis facing Massachusetts. […]