Representative Ken Gordon(D-Bedford)joined his colleagues in the House to establish a process for family, household members or licensing authorities (petitioners) to petition the court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) for individuals who “pose a risk of causing bodily injury to self or others” by owning, possessing or having a firearm.  An ERPO, if issued by the court, is in effect for up to one year and results in the immediate suspension and surrender of all firearms and ammunition.

Licensing authorities are required to provide the recipient of ERPO with a list of services “relating to crisis intervention, mental health, substance abuse and counseling.”

“This is a well-balanced and common sense approach to protecting our residents,” said Representative Ken Gordon.

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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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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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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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