Acton has two state reps. State Rep. Simon Cataldo (14th Middlesex) represents Precincts 1, 2, 6, and 7 of Acton, while State Rep. Danillo Sena (37th Middlesex) represents 3, 4, 5, and 6A of the town. So, some voters think our community’s political clout is split in half, while others believe we have twice as much influence on Beacon Hill.
Nevertheless, in an email conversation, I asked both members of the Massachusetts General Court to share their legislative priorities for 2025. Below are my questions and their answers.
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Greg Jarboe: What are your legislative priorities for the coming year?
Rep. Sena: My number one goal this session is to pass legislation that will stop President Trump from hurting our communities. In the past few weeks, I’ve heard from hundreds of constituents who are concerned for our climate, our immigrants, and our LGBTQ+ neighbors.
We need to protect our vulnerable communities by passing bills that will keep our immigrants safe, like the Safe Communities Act, and the Immigrant Legal Defense Act, which establishes the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund in Massachusetts to provide free immigration legal services to eligible immigrants. I myself have a bill that would increase funding to legal services to immigrants. We must also pass legislation that will defend our climate, which is why I’ve filed bills to protect our wildlife management areas and to stop the use of dangerous lead ammunition. We must reduce our carbon emissions, which is why I’ve cosponsored bills that increase access to solar panels and encourage the use of clean energy. I also support legislation to protect access to gender-affirming care and defend the rights of LGBTQ+ folks across the state.
Now, more than ever, it’s vital that we ensure our students are educated. The Massachusetts Constitution charges us “to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries of them,” noting that these pursuits are vital to preserving the rights and liberties of the people. To do that, our schools must be properly funded. This year, the legislature must take a serious look at the Chapter 70 funding formula and build a system that works for all schools. I support legislation to increase the amount of state aid, raise the per-pupil funding, and to fully fund regional district transportation costs. In addition to funding, we must ensure our students receive the best education, which is why I sponsor legislation to improve literacy education, increase access to language education and robotics through new grant programs, and to simplify the higher education state financial aid process.
Rep. Cataldo: I’m excited to embark on what I believe will be a critical and promising session in the Massachusetts Legislature. I’ve filed 29 bills on topics big and small, ranging from clean energy infrastructure to supporting the direct care workforce, to early education literacy, to tax relief for low-income seniors, to closing campaign finance loopholes, to allowing families to buy diapers with the state’s version of food stamps. Also among these 29 bills are a number of home rule petitions in the towns I represent, including Acton, each of which has been sent to the Legislature by votes at Town Meeting.
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The Governor’s $61.5 billion state budget proposal includes several positive investments in municipal government, although they reflect a budget year with only modest revenue growth expected at the state level.
Greg Jarboe: What do you think of the Governor’s state budget proposal?
Rep. Sena: There is a lot to unpack in Governor Healey’s proposed budget. I applaud the $420 million increase in Chapter 70 funding, as well as the 10% increase in funding for early education and childhood care. Much of these investments were made possible by the Fair Share Amendment, and I am happy to see this funding used effectively. I support the increase in transportation funding, which I hope will make major improvements in our infrastructure.
I do wish we could see higher investments in health and human services. With the closure of hospitals, including the Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, I believe we should shift more funding to essential health services. However, we’re still at the very beginning of the budget process, and a lot can change between now and the beginning of the next fiscal year. The budget is nowhere near finalized.
Rep. Cataldo: Regarding the budget, increasing Chapter 70 state funding for “minimum aid” communities like Acton remains my first priority. Last year, thanks to our collective advocacy, the state’s budget included a historic increase in per pupil funding for public K-12 schools. However, the increase has not kept pace with the rising costs due to inflation and other economic conditions, causing great strain upon school district and municipal budgets (and resultingly, taxpayers). In this season of rising costs within a post-Prop 2 ½ world, I believe that easing the increasing burdens on both taxpayers and municipalities, while strengthening our public schools and basic services, remains our greatest fiscal challenge moving forward.
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My next question concerns the Governor’s five-year, $1.5 billion Chapter 90 bond bill which would authorize investments of $300 million per year for local road and bridge maintenance.
GJ: What do you think about the Governor’s Chapter 90 bond bill?
Rep. Sena: While I haven’t been able to examine the entire bill, I absolutely support increasing investments in the MBTA [Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority], in local infrastructure, and in regional transit systems. We need to stabilize the MBTA to keep it on track, and we need to ensure our municipalities have access to the funding they need to improve roads and bridges.
Rep. Cataldo: Locally, the Route 2 rotary remains a top priority of mine. I wrote the legislation that kicks off the redevelopment of the MCI [Massachusetts Correctional Institution] Concord parcel, and secured state earmark money to initiate the redevelopment process. I’m meeting with MassDOT [Department of Transportation] and other state partners, in addition to local leaders, on an ongoing basis. At a recent meeting with MassDOT, it was announced that MassDOT has now hired its project manager for the redesign of the rotary. That process is occurring in lockstep with the Town of Concord’s redevelopment.
The Attorney General’s Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free Education for Youth (STUDY) Act is a bill that would prohibit student access to personal electronic devices during the school day and regulate social media companies to combat harmful effects on youth.
GJ: What do you think about the Attorney General’s STUDY (Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free education for Youth) Act?
Rep. Sena: I’m proud to cosponsor the STUDY Act, as I believe this is an important way to ensure our students receive a high quality, distraction-free education. Eight states have already banned cell phones, and many others have proposed similar legislation. I think students must be able to focus on their studies, free of the distractions that phones cause. Passing this bill will help our students learn in a supportive, engaging environment.”
Rep. Cataldo: I’m a strong supporter of the STUDY act, lobbied for its filing, and was one of the bill’s first cosponsors. On a recent episode of my show The Whole Truth on Acton TV, guest expert Will Austin delivered a strong case for why we need a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools. Cell phones and social media in particular have been conclusively shown to have a severe detrimental effect on learning for children across the board, but especially for adolescent girls. Local attempts to make this change without strong state support have faltered, so we need state leadership on the matter.
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The Governor’s Municipal Empowerment Act is a multifaceted package of reforms and local options aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of local government operations.
GJ: What do you think of the Governor’s Municipal Empowerment legislation?
Rep. Sena: I think it’s important that our towns have the tools they need to succeed, and I think that enabling them to diversify revenue streams will be helpful. Local leaders know their communities the best, and I think we need to ensure they are able to support their municipalities.
Rep. Cataldo: Finally, my top environmental legislative priority – the revision of Massport’s charter to force the agency to consider environmental impact in all of its decision-making – was enacted this fall in our omnibus clean energy bill. I am now working with local leaders and advocates to ensure that Massport complies with the letter and spirit of that law, which must include a reconsideration of the ill-advised proposed expansion of private jet hangars at Hanscom Airfield.
Greg Jarboe is beat reporter for senior issues but writes about a lot else for the Acton Exchange as well.