Here is the update issued this afternoon (Monday, February 9), titled Situational Awareness Statement #9 – Long Duration Winter Storm with Moderate to Heavy Snow through Late Monday Night. It has updates from the Department of Public Safety, MEMA, MassDOT, and other state agencies.
Author Archives: Will Brownsberger
GMOs: Revisited
Now that last session’s legislation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products has been refiled, I’m trying to gauge interest in a local symposium on the subject. We could put together a program of informed presenters on the science and the legal framework and have a discussion someplace in my district. I’d also welcome further discussion at this site.
The State’s Budget Woes
Unlike previous economic recoveries, revenues aren’t growing as fast as the state has budgeted. For the next couple of years, this will have an impact both on state spending–we have to work very hard to stretch available dollars–and on how revenues are estimated when state budgets are built.
Blizzard News
As a legislator, I receive updates from the Department of Public Safety. These updates detail weather events and emergency response actions across the state. I’ve posted them here as they come in. Some are pasted in and some are just posted as links.
The New Jim Crow
As Senate Chair of the state legislature’s Judiciary Committee, it is my top personal priority to lighten the footprint of the criminal justice system on communities of color. Even in Massachusetts, where I believe that most police leaders take an enlightened approach to community policing — certainly, our own police chief and District Attorney Ryan do — the New Jim Crow is a real problem.
Sex Offender Recidivism Commission
In 2013, the legislature created a commission to study “the most reliable protocols for assessing and managing the risk of recidivism of sex offenders.” Our goal is to make recommendations that will better protect the public from dangerous people, while being fair to offenders who pose little risk. The subject is difficult and emotional and we are trying to proceed in a step-by-step way to gather a full understanding of the subject before we reach any conclusions about public policy.