BOSTON (8/11/2020) – The Massachusetts Legislature recently passed legislation to fight childhood hunger and boost participation rates in school breakfast programs in schools with high percentages of students from low-income families in the Commonwealth. The bill, An Act regarding breakfast after the bell, would require all public K‑12 schools with 60 percent or more students eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the federal National School Lunch Program to offer breakfast after the instructional day begins. The bill was signed into law shortly after.

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Representative Ken Gordon (D – Bedford) and his colleagues in the House of Representatives concluded a busy last week of traditional formal session by passing three major bills aimed at bolstering the economy, addressing the healthcare challenge brought on by COVID-19, and combatting climate change.

Read the full article on BCAT.

BOSTON (8/3/2020) – Representative Ken Gordon (D – Bedford) and his colleagues in the House of Representatives concluded a busy last week of traditional formal session by passing three major bills aimed at bolstering the economy, addressing the healthcare challenge brought on by COVID-19, and combating climate change.

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 Last night (Friday) the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing historic and sweeping reform to police oversight, training, certification and certain practices. While the approach of our bill differed from the Senate in many ways, they share the same goals. The branches will likely establish committees that will conference in an attempt to resolve the differences in our approach.

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I voted in favor of this bill because I heard the voices of our Black and Latino friends and neighbors, the Native and Asian members of our community, who described their fear each time they are confronted by police.  Maybe the officer does not intend to put them in fear.  Maybe the approach is reasonable, but the fear is real and it is understandable.  These residents, young and old, explain how they are approached by police while driving more often than the rest of us.  They explain how in many towns and cities they receive looks of suspicion for simply being there.  Like my parents told me and I told my son, they tell their children to respect the police.  But they also tell their children to fear the police.  And they give their children “the talk” about keeping their hands in plain view, and not asking questions.

Read the full article on the Bedford Citizen.