Joan Meschino, Author at Joan Meschino

Over $500,000 Awarded to Multiple South Shore Organizations to Support Food Security

BOSTON, MA – Recently, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs completed the awarding of the summer Food System Infrastructure Grants. The goal of the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program is to ensure that individuals and families throughout the Commonwealth have equitable access to food, especially local food. The program also seeks to ensure that farmers, fishermen and other local food producers are better connected to a strong, resilient food system to help mitigate future food supply and distribution disruption. As part of the announcement, organizations and businesses across the South Shore were awarded over $500,000 to help them grow their operations to support food security in their area. “Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen food insecurity intensify across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “This funding will allow our local fishing, farming, and assistance organizations on the South Shore the ability to provide . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-08-27T13:00:34-04:00August 27th, 2021|Budget and Grants|

Representative Meschino’s Priority Legislation Receives Key Endorsements

(BOSTON) – This summer, Representative Meschino’s (D-Hull) priority bills have received endorsements from influential caucuses and advocates. Representative Meschino’s top priority piece of legislation, An Act to create access to justice (H. 1792), was endorsed by the Massachusetts Bar Association’s House of Delegates on May 19th. This legislation would empower an individual to seek redress against discrimination by government policies; it would restore the right of an individual to bring a claim in state court when a government policy creates disparate impact, an unintended discriminatory effect on individuals of a protected class. The bill would provide access to justice for numerous constituencies, including people seeking to enforce environmental justice, language access, fair housing, equitable healthcare, and access to high-quality education. “The Massachusetts Bar Association is pleased to proactively partner with members of the legislature to create a more level playing field for victims of discrimination,” said Martin W. Healy, . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-08-23T16:35:35-04:00August 20th, 2021|Energy + Environment, Other Topics, Public Health|

Representative Meschino Reacts to Recent IPCC Report

(BOSTON) - Today’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underscores the need for urgent action to combat the climate crisis. The report, authored by 234 leading scientists from more than 60 countries, documents that the world has quickly warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels and is moving rapidly toward the 1.5 degree threshold, a limit decided upon by scientists that could avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Without large-scale reductions in emissions, the report finds, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will not be possible. The report presents five scenarios demonstrating the paths our planet could take in response to the climate crisis, all of which see the globe warming at least 1.5º Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Only one - the lowest emission scenario in which emissions decrease to net zero by 2050 - sees the planet’s warming eventually move below . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-08-10T08:59:18-04:00August 9th, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Part of Broader Push to Electrify Transportation Sector, Representative Meschino’s Bills Promoting Transition to Electric Vehicles Receive Support at Hearing

(BOSTON) – At a hearing held today by the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined colleagues and advocates to support her legislation promoting the electrification of fleets and vehicles. Efforts to advance a transition to electric vehicles in statute are part of a broader trend that recognizes the pressing need to decarbonize the transportation sector, both within and beyond the United States. Massachusetts and California have already indicated commitments to have all new cars sold in each state be electric by 2035. The United Kingdom and Norway have made similar commitments, making plans for car sales to be zero-emission by 2035 and 2025, respectively. Automakers have also recognized the significance and urgency inherent in the transition, with Volvo planning to go fully electric by 2030, Honda setting a goal of all electric vehicles by 2040, and General Motors aspiring to zero emissions in . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-07-28T16:29:51-04:00July 28th, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Legislature Approves Supplementary Budget, Including Language from Representative Joan Meschino’s Transportation Governance Bill

(BOSTON) – Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues in the House and Senate in a vote to approve the final conference committee report on the FY21 Supplemental Budget: H.3973, An Act making appropriations for fiscal year 2021 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects. In addition to certain budget appropriations, the conference committee report revives the pandemic state of emergency measures for both mail-in voting and early voting in person through December 15, 2021. The conference committee report also includes language from a bill filed by Representative Meschino in the House (H.3542) and Senator Joseph Boncore (D-Winthrop) in the Senate (S.2266) related to transportation governance. For the past six years, the Fiscal Management Control Board (FMCB) has worked to address a host of operational challenges plaguing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The FMCB has elevated the management and operations of . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-07-26T16:57:22-04:00July 26th, 2021|Budget and Grants, Transportation + Infrastructure|

3rd Plymouth District Set to Receive Record Local Aid Through FY22 State Budget

(BOSTON) – On Friday, July 9, 2021, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget, which invests in programs and services across the Commonwealth. Funded at nearly $48.1 billion, the budget makes major investments in education, housing, substance use disorder services, health care, the environment, and other areas as the state pursues an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Though initial plans were made to withdraw more than $1.5 billion from the state’s Stabilization Fund, the final budget transfers $1.1 billion into the fund – bringing the total balance to more than $5.8 billion to safeguard the future of vital programs and services. In addition, the budget prioritizes funding for education, allocating $350 million to be utilized for the implementation of the state’s Student Opportunity Act (SOA) in the coming years. Locally, the budget includes the . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-07-15T16:59:04-04:00July 15th, 2021|Budget and Grants|

Bill Introduced by Hingham Youth Gets Broad Support at Hearing

(BOSTON) – At a hearing held last week by the Joint Committee on Election Laws, legislators and advocates testified on behalf of H.815/S.483, An Act relative to youth voter engagement filed by Representatives Joan Meschino (D-Hull) and Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). The legislation would allow seventeen year olds who will be eighteen by the general election to vote in the preceding primary, encouraging young people to develop strong voting habits early. These companion bills are refiles and were supported by dozens of letters by young people from a broad array of communities last session. This bill was initially introduced to Representative Meschino two summers ago by Samantha Bevins, a Hingham resident headed to Dartmouth this fall. Concerned that she would not have a voice in the primary election to select the party nominee for the presidential election, Samantha proposed filing legislation to make her and other voters in this . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-07-07T14:33:34-04:00June 29th, 2021|Other Topics|

Representative Meschino Leads National Briefing on Environmental Justice, State Climate Action

(BOSTON) — Today Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) led a special briefing of over 150 state lawmakers from across the country, focusing on Massachusetts’ progress in establishing climate change goals and promoting environmental justice. “It's important to take the next step on environmental justice, both in Massachusetts and beyond,” said Representative Joan Meschino. “We must ensure that all overburdened and underserved communities have real access to justice.” The event was organized by the State Climate Policy Network (SCPN), a project of Climate XChange that includes more than 15,000 advocates and policymakers across the country who are pushing for effective and equitable climate policies in their states. Climate XChange is a Boston-based nonprofit working to support state-level climate action through research, communication, and education “Given Representative Meschino’s history of passing climate legislation in Massachusetts, and her focus on environmental justice this session, she’s definitely a national leader on climate policy,” said . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-06-22T16:09:46-04:00June 22nd, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Legislators and Advocates hold Briefing for Legislation that Supports Community Media

(BOSTON) – Last week, legislators, advocates, and Massachusetts residents attended a legislative briefing for H.130/S.2200, An Act relative to a streaming entertainment operator’s use of the public rights-of-way/An Act relative to digital entertainment on public rights of way, jointly filed in the House by Representatives Joan Meschino (D-Hull) and Paul Tucker (D-Salem) and in the Senate by Senator Jason M. Lewis (D-Winchester). The bill would use funding from a new fee to support community media. In the 3rd Plymouth District, our community media centers are vibrant hubs of connectivity. In addition to covering news and providing trainings for residents interested in media, our media centers offer opportunities for public engagement and chances to learn about arts, culture, and history. During the pandemic, community media was critical to our efforts to stay connected and informed on the local level, and our centers continue to do great work as we emerge . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-06-21T16:41:17-04:00June 21st, 2021|Other Topics|

Bill Providing Resources to State Community Colleges to Tackle Student Food Insecurity Gets Broad Support at Hearing

(BOSTON) – At a hearing held this week by the Joint Committee on Higher Education, legislators and advocates testified on behalf of H.1350/S.847, An Act establishing a community college campus hunger pilot program filed by Representatives Joan Meschino (D-Hull) and Senator Joan Lovely (D-Salem). The legislation would create a $2.7 million noncompetitive grant program administered by the Department of Higher Education (DHE) to fund state community colleges’ pilot initiatives to tackle hunger on campuses. These companion bills are refiles and were reported favorably by the committee last session. The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) began campus surveys of student hunger and homelessness in 2014. A 2018 HOPE Lab survey of Massachusetts public college students found that 45% of students at two-year colleges had experienced some degree of food insecurity within the thirty-day period preceding the survey. Multiple studies and surveys have also confirmed that food insecurity is linked . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-06-11T11:17:39-04:00June 11th, 2021|Budget and Grants, Other Topics|

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