Jackson’s Bill Now Law

Major legislation to increase organ donation in Massachusetts was signed into law today by Governor Patrick. Known as “Jackson’s Bill”, I authored the legislation in collaboration with the family of 4 year old pediatric organ transplant recipient Jackson Altieri, the New England Organ Bank and others. At the bill signing, Jackson, his mother Nicole Altieri, and grandparents Fran and Rebecca Aliberte were in attendance alongside Tammy Silveira and John Nicastro, J.J. Nicastro’s mother and father.

Today’s signature by the Governor culminates months of intense work by courageous family members who have turned loss, hardship and suffering into a law that will save and transform lives. We have been led by the indomitable spirit of 4-year-old Jackson Altieri to a new place in the history of Massachusetts, one in which our organ donation laws are stronger and the chances that a child will be lost waiting for a transplant are less than ever before.

Nationwide, there is a serious deficiency of organs available for donation. As of June 21, 2010, more than 108,000 people were in need of an organ, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, with less than 7,000 transplants performed in a preceding three-month period. Massachusetts is an unfortunate laggard in organ donation rates; while some states have organ donation rates over 70 percent, Massachusetts is below 40 percent. This bill would take several steps to increase adult donor rates, including:

 Establish a means to register as an organ donor when renewing a registration or license online.

 Includes an option to become an organ donor on all registration renewals mailed out by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

 Adds on license and registration renewal forms an optional donation of no less than two dollars to the Organ and Tissue Donor Registration Fund.

The bill stems from the work of Jackson’s parents and grandparents to improve the odds for children who need donated organs to survive. Jackson’s story, in conjunction with that of fellow Gloucester resident J.J. Nicastro, brought together the Cape Ann community and raised statewide awareness of the need for Massachusetts to do better in terms of pediatric organ donations.

While Jackson is now doing well, J.J. was not as fortunate. Living from day to day through the use of an artificial heart, he succumbed to the effects of myocarditis before a heart became available for transplant.

In 2007, the Cape Ann community mobilized to support both of these boys with blood drives, get well cards, charitable fundraising and a benefit concert at Gloucester High School’s Newell Stadium, known as the “Concert from the Heart”.

Pediatric organ donation rates are particularly difficult to raise, both because parents are uncomfortable confronting the possibility of their child’s passing and because no commitment to donate a minor’s organs is legally binding. To address these concerns, the bill repurposes and revitalizes an outdated administrative advisory council as the Advisory Council on Organ and Tissue Transplants to develop strategies to increase donation rates and establish a website within the Department of Public Health to raise awareness of the need for organ donors, with a special focus on increasing pediatric donation rates. The council would also be responsible for setting concrete goals and baselines for pediatric and adult organ donation rates in Massachusetts.

An Act Establishing an Organ and Tissue Donor Registration Fund (S.2515) was co-sponsored by Senator Thomas McGee (D-Lynn), Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester), and has received strong support from the family members of pediatric organ recipient Jackson Altieri, the Nicastro family, Senators James Timilty (D-Walpole) and Steven Panagiotakos (D-Lowell), former Representative Anthony Verga (D-Gloucester), and the New England Organ Bank.

The original bill was also co-sponsored by Gloucester City Council President Jacqueline Hardy, U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA), Senators Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield), Michael Knapik (R-Westfield), Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth), Anthony Galluccio (D-Cambridge), Susan Fargo (D-Lincoln), Karen Spilka (D-Ashland), Steven Tolman (D-Brighton), Robert O’Leary (D-Barnstable), Susan Tucker (D-Andover), Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge), Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), John Hart (D-Boston), and Brian Joyce (D-Milton), and Representatives Katherine Clark (D-Melrose), Mary Grant (D-Beverly), James Vallee (D-Franklin), Cory Atkins (D-Concord), Kay Khan (D-Newton), Bradley Jones (R-North Reading), Peter Kocot (D-Northampton), Theodore Speliotis (D-Danvers), and Christine Canavan (D-Brockton).

Below is a copy of the signed bill.


07292010 Chapter190Actsof2010

An Interview With WBZ-TV

Yesterday I had the opportunity to discuss with WBZ-TV’s Jonathan Elias about several pieces of important pending legislation, that has been languishing before the House and Senate for weeks and months and now face expiration on Saturday, July 31st. To view Jonathan’s report please click here.

Media Alert: On The Air With WBZ-TV

Today I spoke with reporter Jonathan Elias of WBZ-TV Channel 4 to discuss the growing list of bills languishing in the last days of this legislative session. Please tune in to tonight’s news broadcast on WBZ-TV Channel 4 to see the interview.

Votes to Note: National Popular Vote (H.4156)

On Thursday, July 15th the Senate debated and voted to engross H.4156, which would seek to create a system where the president of the United States is elected through a national popular vote rather than through the current method of the Electoral College.

While the U.S. Constitution clearly establishes the procedure for making such a change, the proponents of H.4156 are seeking to circumvent that process by securing an agreement (compact) among several states to cast their Electoral College votes according to the national popular vote for president. This could well result in the members of the Electoral College (electors) representing Massachusetts being forced to cast their votes for someone other than the candidate that the majority of Massachusetts voters actually voted for. Among other problems with this bill are:


 The proposed compact has no mechanism for a nationwide recount, and given the disjointed nature of the compact, states may have a perverse incentive NOT to recount a close vote if their preferred candidate is currently winning.
 States can withdraw from the compact as late as July 20 of the election year, meaning that three months before the election occurs, individual states or groups of states can completely change the method by which we elect a president.
 The bill does nothing to change the primary system, meaning under its provisions the country would select two candidates with a state-by-state method and then pick between them with a totally different system.
 The compact, pursuant to Article 1, Section 10 of the United States Constitution, requires the consent of Congress, making the attempt by this legislation to circumvent the constitutional amendment process ultimately futile.
 Because of legal standing issues, any court challenge to this compact can only occur when someone is harmed – in other words, once the compact has affected an election. The Supreme Court will then have to hear this case directly following the contested election. This could lead to chaos similar to that which occurred in the case of Bush v. Gore.


An editorial published in the Salem Evening News and the Newburyport Daily News highlights the problems with this legislation. You can read it in the posting below. The actual votes of Senators on this bill can be viewed by clicking on “Read more.”

Newburyport News Don't Shut Down the Electoral System




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Brown Comes to Gloucester, Commits Support to Fishing Industry

Recently U.S. Senator Scott Brown came to Gloucester on a visit that grew out of our continuing dialogue about the commercial fishing industry and his commitment to taking action to ensure its viability. This story in the Gloucester Daily Times chronicles the visit.


GloucesterDailyTimes Brown Vows Hearings on NOAA Legals

Media Alert: Fox 25’s “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” Segment

Yesterday I made a guest appearance on Fox 25’s “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” segment with former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger. Scott and I discussed a wide range of topics with host Kim Carrigan, including small business health care concerns, the financial regulation bill moving through Congress and Senator Brown’s role in that legislation, issues involving the national Tea Party movement, and the controversy surrounding President Obama’s vacation in Maine. To see the entire segment please click here.

Media Alert: On the Air With Fox 25

On Monday, July 19th at approximately 7:15am I’ll be analyzing four of the top State and Federal issues from this week on the Fox 25 Morning News segment “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” with former Attorney General Scott Harshberger. Please tune in to watch what is certain to be a lively discussion.