Will Brownsberger — State Senator, Democrat, 2d Suffolk and Middlesex District

The conversation about Citizens United continues.

After over a year of hearings and discussions, the House and Senate have both released global health care cost control bills. The highest level institutions in Boston – government, business, major hospitals and insurers – are all deeply engaged in the conversation about the options.

The Senate President’s Office released S. 2660, the Health Care Reform Bill.

The conversation about Citizens United continues.

Senator Brownsberger is pleased to announce that Bill S.2241, An Act relative to veterans’ access, livelihood, opportunity, and resources – referred to as The Valor Act, was passed unanimously by the Senate on Thursday, May 3. The Senate’s official press release appears below. State Senate Approves “The Valor Act”  Improving Benefits and Services for Veterans, [...]

Thank you for your careful attention to the “Three Strikes” legislation.  Persons struggling with drug addictions need treatment, not incarceration.  You correctly point out that we need to increase the funding for treatments, which, when successful, can reduce the chance ofBoeing sent back to prison? In addition, I highly recommend the book, The New Jim [...]

The House and Senate are still conferencing their conflicting versions of a crime bill for this session. The Senate version of the bill included a number of positive elements that merit study.

The Senate passed a bill that generally forces greater accountability on utilities for keeping costs down. At the same time, it extends our commitment to transition to more use of renewables in electric power generation.

Even knowing about the tragedy that cost Trayvon Martin his life in Florida, and despite less well publicized shootings where such laws protected assailants, Massachusetts may try to join the trend with its own “stand your ground” legislation. According to the Wellesley Patch, State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, proposed a stand your ground gun, [...]

A recent analysis released by the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission reinforces concerns about the prison population impacts of the habitual offender bill.

Will, I’ve been meaning to write and thank you for working to tighten rules for prescription pain medication.  As a social worker, I have encountered tragic situations of families ruined by prescription drug addiction.  Most poignant was a juvenile court investigation for a family involved with DCF.  The mother was getting monthly prescriptions for her [...]

I think that Senate 304 and 305 are great ideas. I really do not see why publicly traded corporations should be involved in the political process in the current fashion. It is highly questionable.

I firmly support Senate Resolution 772.

The current use of the Citizens United ruling is just plain wrong with the result of extensive negative campaigning and no accountability. I do not favor an amendment to solve this but a more carefully crafted approach is needed to eliminate or penalize such campaigning -Gene Record

Will, thanks for the email.  I believe we should go back to Austin and overturn Citizens.  Corporations have distinct differences and are not people, though they can act like a person.  For example, they do not vote. Sam Ellenport

I’m looking for input on Senate Resolution 772 which would respond to the Citizens United case which removed limits on corporate spending to influence elections.

Dear Will, I searched the site but didn’t see your support for the Constitutional amendment resolution to overturn Citizen’s United.  Just wanted to make sure you are supporting this and to be aware of the Judiciary committee vote.  Is there any concern that this may not pass out of the committee?  I have spoken with [...]

A discussion on Sentencing Reform will be held at the Watertown Library on Monday, March 12 at 7PM.

On Thursday, the Senate passed legislation that should improve transition for students with special needs.

On February 14 the U.S. Senate H.E.L.P. Committee will hold a Congressional hearing to review the Institute of Medicine’s 2011 report on pain, Relieving Pain in American: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research. A little piece of Massachusetts trivia about this report.  The chairperson of the IOM committee was Philip Pizzo, MD, [...]