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

Did your office find whether the Kaiser Foundation report on Massachusetts funding of Mental Health was accurate?  In that report, Massachusetts was reported as paying significantly less per capita than any New England state, save Rhode Island, for Mental Health Services. The difference was startling. http://statehealthfacts.org/ A recent SAMSHA report stated that 1 in 5  (19.9%) of American adults [...]

I’m glad the local aid is being increased, but I’m very concerned about the cuts being made to other services that need to be funded at a state level, like gang violence prevention.  Mental health, the area in which I work, is still being badly hurt by previous cuts which have not yet been restored, [...]

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 [...]

Friday Night, April 13, 6 – 9 pm The Benton is open one Friday a month.  Browse, borrow and use the computers. School Vacation Week, April 17, 18, 19 The Benton will be open on Tuesday, April 17 from 10 – 3 and on Wednesday, April 18 and Thursday, April 19 from 2 -7.  The [...]

Last August, I rode a bicycle across the country from Belmont to Anacortes, Washington on the Pacific Coast. It was a big experience and I’ll be talking about it on Saturday, April 14 from 3-5PM at the First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Avenue.

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, [...]

Will, This the report I where I found state comparisons on mental health expenditures.  http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?cat=5&ind=278 Thanks for following up with DMH to see if it can shed some light. Pam

Hi Will, We talked on March 15 about the accumulated cuts of $55 million to mental health services in Massachusetts since 2009, more than any other New England state. Yesterday, I tried to verify on-line how much Massachusetts spends per capita on mental health, compared to the other New England states.  Recent facts were scarce, but the [...]

The MBTA’s “solution” is unacceptable.  There is no reason to raise any fares or cut any services.  There are five sources for enough money to cover this year’s shortfall, over $220 million, at http://www.ace-ej.org/node/3260/print  (see below). And that doesn’t count the $140 million savings we could have from shifting the debt off the T. Please [...]

Today, MBTA staff announced final recommendations that will be presented to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board for approval. The details are presented here.

Senator Brownsberger would like residents of his district to know that Treasurer Steven Grossman has an active Unclaimed Property Division with the mission of reuniting rightful owners with their unclaimed property.  In the past year the Treasury was able to return over $76 million to 35,000 residents, businesses and charities in the Commonwealth. Unclaimed property [...]

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 have a disability that prevents me from being as involved in disability issues as much as I would like – but I do try to stay on top of local issues. Apparently, Governor Patrick will give the money normally spent for snow removal to help the MBTA’s finances, which will help all riders on [...]

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

Q: If health insurance is something one can buy, why not let people buy what insurance they want? A: To call it insurance is a misleading misnomer. Since sickness befalls everyone sooner or later, unlike house fires or auto accidents, we are not protecting ourselves against an event which usually affects other people. The term [...]

Will, When the current Massachusetts nickle Bottle Bill was enacted into law in 1982 the smallest bottled water container was probably one gallon.  Today our playgrounds, parks, and roadways are littered with pint-size water bottles and 1982′s nickle is probably worth a penny or two.   An update of the Bottle Bill is long overdue.  [...]

Join us at First Parish of Watertown for the film, ‘Earth Days’  Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 7:30 pm The film will be preceded by a potluck supper at 6:30p.m.   Come see the story of the birth of the modern environmental movement on the big screen, and enjoy good food and fellowship! 35 Church Street, [...]