Trapelo Road Construction Update

Recently, Senator Brownsberger hosted a meeting with officials from MassDOT to get an update on the Trapelo Road reconstruction project. The project, scheduled to be completed in September, will take longer than anticipated, but the most challenging work is already complete and MassDOT does not expect any further major delays. Here is Massport’s project update with additional detail and explanation.

Boston Strong on the Olympics — No Boston Olympics

While I’m a little saddened for dashed hopes, I’m mostly relieved by the decision to cancel Boston’s Olympics bid. For me, as for many others, the risks associated with the Olympics appeared too great for the Commonwealth to backstop. We should be proud for the robust debate we’ve had and I thank all who have participated in it — it looks to me like we just dodged a bullet.

As vote looms, concern raised over tax holiday

The Boston Globe reports on the upcoming vote on the sales tax holiday that, “a growing chorus of legislators and budget watchdogs from across the political spectrum is voicing sharp skepticism about the summer sales tax holiday, a decadelong Massachusetts tradition popular with consumers.” Senator Brownsberger plans to vote against the holiday and is quoted as saying on his website, “[h]olidays are festive and I am not by nature a grinch.”

Child Support Reform

Senator Brownsberger, I am writing to encourage your support of legislation that assumes 50/50 child custody and support, regardless of parental gender, in all cases unless abuse or neglect can be proven. This is not a woman’s issue or a man’s issue, this is a parental issue that needs to be addressed immediately to ensure our courts are working in a family’s best interest

Senate Passes Extension of Net Metering

Yesterday the Senate passed a climate adaptation planning bill, including an amendment to extend solar net metering for investor owned utilities. The Senate was eager to move this issue forward in part because some areas of the state have reached their current cap and solar installations are at risk of losing the federal subsidy which possibly expires at the end of next year. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where its prospects are unclear.