Thursday, October 21, 2021
Today in the formal session of the Senate, I was pleased to stand in bipartisan support of two bills offered by my legislative colleagues. They are: Senate Bill 2557, An Act Concerning Genocide Education, will provide education to middle and high school students on the history of genocide and to promote the teaching of human rights issues. Each middle school and high school in the state will include instruction on the history of genocide under the provisions of the bill. We must ensure next generations can be good stewards of this democracy and be leaders in our society. Genocide is horrible, unthinkable, and because it's difficult to discuss and sometimes difficult to understand, it must not be ignored or allowed to fade into history.
You can read the language of the bill here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2557
Senate Bill 2558, An Act Relative To Military Spouse-Licensure Portability, Education And Enrollment Of Dependents, supports military families who relocate to the Commonwealth by providing career stability for the spouses of service members and quality education for their children. The Senate has always advanced bills to expand our efforts to care for of our service members and veterans. We have passed landmark legislation to support family members and veterans and provide them with needed resources and this bill continues in that tradition.
You can read the language of the bill here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2558
This legislation, known as the SPEED Act, would speed up the professional licensure process for military spouses to ensure they can continue their careers, allow for advanced and virtual enrollment for military children to minimize disruptions in education, provide in-state tuition continuity for military-connected college students, and establish a Purple Star Campus designation to identify public schools that show a major commitment to military families. The bill would also help Massachusetts meet criteria used by the Department of Defense and military officials when considering basing assignments and federal investments for military installations.
Thanks to Senators Senator Michael Rodrigues , the lead sponsor of S. 2527, and Senator John Velis, who is the lead sponsor of S. 2558. The Senate approved these bills by a vote of 39-0, and I am glad to be one of those votes.
