Rep. Gordon joins House in vote to raise tobacco sales age to 21

  

Wicked Local Bedford

Rep. Kenneth Gordon joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass legislation that seeks to reduce tobacco use and nicotine addiction among youth across the Commonwealth.

An act to protect youth from the health risks of tobacco and nicotine addiction, H.4479, will prohibit the sale of all tobacco, including nicotine delivery products and other vapor products to individuals under the age of 21. Additionally, the bill expands Massachusetts’ Smoke-Free Workplace Law to include e-cigarettes and vapes, thereby ensuring that all tobacco and vapor products will be banned in establishments where the use of traditional tobacco is currently prohibited.

More than 170 cities and towns in Massachusetts have already raised the minimum sales age for tobacco products to 21 years old. With this legislation, Massachusetts will join five other states who have established a statewide minimum sales age of 21, including California, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey and Oregon. Needham pioneered this movement in 2005 by becoming the first municipality in the country to raise the tobacco sales age to 21.

“Plenty of research shows at 18 years old our brains may be more susceptible to addiction,” Gordon said. “I’m especially pleased this bill covers e-cigarettes or ‘vaping’ which introduces a sweet tasting and highly addictive form of nicotine attractive to young people.”

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Rep. Gordon Joins House to Pass Balanced FY19 Budget

The Bedford Citizen

Representative Ken Gordon (D-Bedford) joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing its budget for the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) last week. In addition to local aid, the over $41.065 billion spending bill targets areas such as education, health and human services, housing and homelessness, and veteran services.

In addition to funding important programs and services throughout the Commonwealth, the House FY19 budget included important local aid and Chapter 70 Education funding increases for the Twenty-First Middlesex District.

“I am proud of this fiscally responsible budget that ensures our cities and towns have the resources they need to operate at the highest standard. We are once again following through on our promise to protect local aid and assistance to our schools” said Rep. Gordon.

A $15,000 allocation was included to support renovations at Burlington Council on Aging. “I am happy to see that the House budget includes funding for the Burlington Council on Aging so that Burlington can continue to provide improved services for our seniors,” said Rep. Gordon.

The House appropriated funding pursuant to another Rep. Gordon amendment, which will be used for the education of the children of military families who live on Hansom Air Force Base and attend Bedford Public Schools.  Rep. Gordon joined Senator Mike Barrett in the 2015 session to pass a law that requires the Commonwealth to reimburse the town for the education of the military students, but the law is subject to appropriation.

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Gov. Baker, Congressman Moulton to join Rep. Gordon in honoring LCpl Travis Desiato and PFC John Hart

The Bedford Citizen

Bedford will kick off Memorial Day this year in a special way, as Gov. Charlie Baker and Congressman Seth Moulton will come to town to honor two fallen heroes, Pfc John Hart and Lance Corporal Travis Desiato, by naming a bridge in their honor.  The ceremony will commence at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 25, at the boat launch beside the bridge on State Road 225 that spans the Concord River.

The dedication was arranged by Senator Mike Barrett (D-Lexington) and Rep. Ken Gordon (D-Bedford), who carried the bill dedicating the bridge in honor of these heroes through the legislature.  Governor Baker signed the bill into law in December.

The soldiers were killed within 13 months of each other in Iraq, fighting the war on terror.  Hart, who served in the Army, lost his life in an ambush in Tikrit on October 18, 2003.   He graduated from Bedford High School in 2002.  Desiato joined the Marines after his graduation from Bedford High in 2002.  He was lost on November 15, 2004, in Fallujah.

“Each year we remember our fallen heroes on Memorial Day, but this year will be special in Bedford,” said Rep. Gordon.  “This year we will pause to be with a family and recognize a town that has given so much.  As Memorial Day weekend approaches and the tumult of travel begins for some, Bedford will slow down and reflect.”

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Rep. Gordon supports criminal justice reform bill

Wicked Local

State Sen. Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, and Rep. Ken Gordon, D-Bedford, both of whom represent Bedford in the state legislature, joined their colleagues in passing criminal justice reform legislation that will lead to a more equitable system that supports young and vulnerable residents, reduces recidivism, increases judicial discretion and enhances public safety.

The bill, an act relative to criminal justice reform, includes many provisions championed by Barrett to address fines and fees that engulf criminal defendants, a problem he has highlighted in his own work. It also includes reforms led by Gordon that allow first-time offenders in some situations to avoid prosecution in a program called Restorative Justice. The legislature also passed an accompanying bill, an act implementing the joint recommendations of the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Review, which is designed to complement the comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation. This bill allows individuals to earn early release by participating in recidivism-reduction programs.

“The compromise states that a defendant may not be incarcerated for failure to pay fees if paying would cause severe hardship,” said Barrett. “People are guaranteed a right to a lawyer at ‘fine time’ hearings and defendants deemed indigent will have an associated $150 fee waived.”

“This compromise legislation takes a measured approach to criminal justice, increasing the penalty for such offenses as trafficking in fentanyl and carfentanil, synthetic opioids that threaten our community, while providing an avenue for people with low-level, non-violent drug offenses to get the help they need,” Gordon said. “It increases the penalties for serial offenders convicted of drunk driving but eliminates mandatory-minimum sentences so that discretion can be restored to judges who preside in our courts.”

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Rep. Gordon hits the road for March for Meals campaign

Representative Ken Gordon, Minuteman Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels Volunteer 1st Lt. John Bennion – Courtesy image (c) 2018 all rights reserved

The Bedford Citizen

Representative Ken Gordon prepares to deliver meals to homebound seniors in Bedford for Minuteman Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels Program, a valuable community service that provides a safety check and friendly visit as well as a nutritious meal.

Community Champions nationwide are volunteering their time this month in an outreach effort designed to draw attention to senior hunger in our communities, to recruit volunteer drivers and to raise needed funds.

Call toll-free 888-222-6171 for more information or to volunteer to be a Meals on Wheels Driver.

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