Paying Attention is hosted by Tom Duggan, Co-host Paul Murano and is produced by Chris Poublon. Paying Attention and airs on 980WCAP in Lowell on Saturday’s from 10am to noon. 1st Essex Senate Debate CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD DEBATE SEGMENT 1 Senator Katheen O’Connor Ives and Jessica Finocchiaro begin their debate talking about what it means to […]
Bu: State Senator Katy Ives – June, 2018 School shootings are becoming too common an occurrence across the country. The discussion of gun control and mental health treatment has surfaced as possible solutions and safety drills are now as common as fire drills. During this surreal time, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about a […]
By: State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – Jan. 2018 In the 2017 legislative session, I worked closely with Representative Frank Moran to get $1 million in state funding released that Northern Essex Community College (NECC) needed to move forward with plans to create a Hospitality and Culinary Arts Center in downtown Haverhill. This was a […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – Dec. 2017 I recently testified in front of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture on a bill I co-sponsored, S448 An Act Promoting Awareness of Safe Recreation in Public Waterways requesting that it be given a favorable recommendation. This bill will institute a statewide sewage discharge […]
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 […]
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 Kathleen O’Connor Ives – Feb. 2017 Last session, as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses, I was tasked with reviewing proposals for a major overhaul of the state’s zoning laws which have become strained under modern housing pressures. The goal of the comprehensive bill passed by the […]
By: Senator Katy Ives – Feb. 2017 As regular readers of this column may know, last session I filed a bill to reduce housing costs for veterans by offering a tax rebate to landlords who rent dwellings below market rate to individuals who receive state Chapter 115 veterans’ benefits. In the past legislative session, a […]
BOSTON – In one of the final legislative actions of the 189th legislative session, both the Massachusetts Senate and House enacted a bill on Tuesday night which calls for schools to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs). For years, advocates from across the Commonwealth have pushed for this common-sense requirement to make the life-saving devices accessible […]
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 […]
By: State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives August, 2018 In July, the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to promote the use of ignition interlock devices by OUI offenders, which test a driver’s blood-alcohol content before starting a car. Mothers Against Drunk Driving and AAA Northeast have endorsed the use of the devices as an effective means to […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – April, 2016 Recently, the State Senate unanimously, and in a bipartisan fashion, passed a bill I filed to protect consumers from unknowingly entering a credit contract and to limit instances of fraud resulting from the mailing of unsolicited and often predatory loans. Every day, residents across Massachusetts find what […]
BOSTON – The State Senate passed legislation on Thursday, by a 22-13 vote, which seeks to help students in all public schools in the Commonwealth. Senate Bill 2203 “An Act Enhancing Reform, Innovation and Success in Education,” or The RISE Act, renews the Commonwealth’s commitment to education by ensuring adequate funding of the public school […]
By Tom Duggan – 12-26-15 Hundreds of needy and underprivileged children in Methuen were shocked yesterday morning to find a present under their Christmas trees, thanks to the efforts of the Methuen Police, Fire, and the volunteers at Debbies Treasure Chest, which is headquartered in Lawrence. Methuen Officers Derek Licata and Mike Blanchette, as well […]