On the Issues
COVID-19
As the Coronavirus is having an enormous impact on our community and daily lives, I feel that legislators must support those who are most vulnerable. For this reason, I support legislation to guarantee housing stability during the COVID-19 emergency and recovery. Since COVID-19 has impacted the Commonwealth’s economy and closed businesses, it is necessary to protect families from losing their homes. I believe that providing small business relief is essential to helping our local economies grow since many small businesses have not received sufficient aid from the federal government. It is also imperative in these times of crisis that necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) is made available. That is why I am advocating to ensure eldercare and healthcare providers have access to appropriate PPE.
As the country gears up to end the lockdown and works toward getting more people back to work, my primary concern as a lawmaker is to ensure the transition process is safe and smart. To further combat the pandemic and the effects it has had on our economy, I have introduced a 21st Century Mass Works Progress Administration Bill. The WPA Bill was inspired by President Roosevelt’s Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration. The passage of this bill would stimulate the economy through the creation of jobs, serving local communities. The bill could enable efforts including contact tracing for COVID-19, infrastructure projects, and environmental conservation. To recover from the effects of COVID-19 on our economy, I believe it is imperative to invest in local businesses and people to help rebuild communities.
Medicare For All
Immigration Rights, Social and Racial Justice
100% Renewable Energy
Public Transportation
Transparency in our Government
The Legislature is desperately in need of more transparency. Whether it’s the lack of knowledge the public has about how their legislators vote, the lack of time that State Representatives receive before voting on bills, or limited access to testimony on bills, committee deliberations on legislation, or underwhelming vidoe or audio coverage of debate on Beacon Hill, more transparency in government is critical to the public knowing what the Legislature is working on, and therefore having a greater ability to influence their elected officials.
I have signed the Act On Mass Pledge on transparency. I will fight to make all my committee votes publicly available upon request, including electronic polls and study orders. I will move to make public all votes and testimony of committees of which I am Chair, including electronic polls and study orders. If the committee rules prevent me from doing this, I will motion to amend the rules to make all votes and testimony public, and ask for a roll call vote on that motion. I will stand for roll calls when a member asks for a recorded vote on any bill or amendment which I have co-sponsored or which deals with substantively the same issue as a bill I have co-sponsored.
Reproductive Rights
I fully support a person’s reproductive rights, and believe that abortion is healthcare, and that the Legislature must guarantee a person’s right to an abortion. We must strive towards a future where there is support for the right of each person to manage their own sexual and reproductive health. We need to pass the ROE Act in Massachusetts as well as the Healthy Youth Act. If the Federal Government takes away a woman’s right to choose an abortion, Massachusetts government needs to take action.
My support for abortion and reproductive rights is a key reason why I am such a strong supporter of making healthcare a right. Last session, the Legislature had to pass the ACCESS bill, to require health insurance companies to provide free birth control to their members, and the PATCH Act, to protect the health information of young people on their parents’ health insurance plans. These two bills were only necessary because of our broken private health insurance system. If healthcare was a right, every Massachusetts resident would have healthcare, including reproductive healthcare.
Election Reform
Progressive Taxation
LGBTQ Rights
Affordable Housing
Free Universal Pre-K
Protecting the environment
Thank you for your support!
Campaigning in the time of COVID was uncharted territory for us all, but with the support of our amazing volunteers and the voters of the 37th Middesex, Dan Sena has been elected!