Saturday, May 19, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) writes about the importance of early childhood education and how Massachusetts is investing in early literacy.
- OPINION
-
Saturday, May 19, 2012
[The following was submitted by State Sen. Katherine Clark.] Last week I co-hosted a legislative briefing on the importance of early childhood education with Arthur Rolnick of the University of Minnesota’s Human Capital Research Collaborative and a former economist at the Federal Reserve. Professor Rolnick’s research makes the economic case for early childhood education through new data and a comprehensive 40-year study. Professor Rolnick and his colleagues have quantified the returns on investment in early education: boosting labor productivity, increasing tax revenue, and reducing by up to 50% costs associated with special education services and crime. Their essential argument is that if children show up to Kindergarten ready-to-learn …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
State senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) writes about the recently passed Valor Act and what it does to support veterans in Massachusetts.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Saturday, May 12, 2012
[Note: The following was submitted by Katherine Clark, D-Melrose.] Last week the Massachusetts Senate passed the Valor Act, new legislation that will expand benefits and increase access to a range of services for veterans, active-duty military members and their families. The bill was sponsored by Senator Mike Rush (D, West Roxbury), a lieutenant in the United States Navy, who returned in December from a 10-month deployment to Iraq as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve. As a community, we share a responsibility to honor the tremendous sacrifice and courageous service of our veterans, our servicemen and women, and their families. And, as a Member of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, one of my most solemn …
Saturday, April 14, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark shares her thoughts on what can be done in the legislature to address the high cost of electricity in Massachusetts.
- NEWS
-
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Last week the State Senate acted to address the high cost of electricity in Massachusetts. The Senate unanimously passed energy legislation that supports job creation, economic recovery and innovation by encouraging the growth of our renewable energy sector. By creating more competition for energy contracts, this bill will bring down prices and lead us further down the path to a cleaner, more diverse and sustainable energy supply. The average electric rate in Massachusetts is 14.24 cents per kilowatt hour, which ranks as seventh highest in the U.S. and well above the national average of 10 cents. These rates are a major cost driver for businesses and families. Our rates are high for several reasons: fossil fuel prices are high, and …
Saturday, April 7, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) writes about autism and how awareness can be raised in our communities.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the prevalence of autism in the United States has risen to 1 in 88 children. The estimated prevalence for boys is approximately 1 in 54, and 1 in 252 for girls. The CDC report confirms that rates of autism – specifically called autism spectrum disorders (or ASDs) – have continued to rise in recent years. As the CDC points out, whatever the reasons for the increase, this is “an important public health concern in the United States, underscoring the need for continued resources to identify potential risk factors and to provide essential supports for persons with ASDs and their families.” The report was timely. Because April is National Autism Awareness Month and …
Saturday, March 31, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) writes about a recent hearing by the Joint Committee on Public Health on drug shortages.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Shortages of drugs for some types of cancer and other serious medical conditions are affecting the health and safety of patients in the Commonwealth. Insufficient supplies are also driving up the costs of healthcare. A “shadow” market now exists where scare drugs are stockpiled and sold, legally, at a much higher price to hospitals desperate for these medicines. The U.S. government has reported that while only a small number of drugs experience a shortage in any given year, that number nearly tripled between 2005 and 2010, from 61 to 178. This is an alarming trend. As a member of the Joint Committee on Public Health, I recently had the opportunity to hear from a panel of experts on this subject, including doctors, patient advocates, an…
Saturday, March 24, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) writes about a proposed law in Massachusetts to keep students in school until age 18.
- OPINION
-
Saturday, March 24, 2012
During the last school year, nearly 8,000 Massachusetts high school students dropped out. As with any pervasive challenge, the reasons are not always clear: some students left school to pursue work; others indicated they would transfer to another school, but never did. But for the majority of these children, we really do not know why they dropped out or where they ended up. According to data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), though males and minority students have higher drop-out rates, this problem runs across gender, race and ethnicity lines – and even across grade levels. Over 2,000 (26%) of the students who dropped out last year were ninth graders. It is true that our drop-out rate in …
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) writes about how students are bombarded every day with images in the media, and what legislation can do to help then navigate the digital world.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Saturday, March 17, 2012
March is Women’s History Month, a time when our school children learn about the women who have shaped the progress of our nation and our world. These education efforts teach students about the many ways that women have pioneered advances in education, civil rights, science and engineering, sports, business and government. They also send an important message to all children: there is no limit to what you can do. But as we discuss this message of empowerment with our children, our families also face a barrage of media images that too often send a very different message. It is a challenge to any child – and any parent – to sort through the messages we receive from television, movies and digital media about how women and girls are perceived…
Saturday, March 10, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark writes about how the legislature is attempting to ensure nutritious meals are available for those in need.
[The following was submitted by State Senator Katherine Clark.] March is National Nutrition Awareness Month, a nutrition education campaign created annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to promote informed food choices and healthy physical activity. This year’s campaign encourages families to use the “My Plate” concept developed by the USDA. It endorses a healthy diet that: emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and is low in saturated fats, transfats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. You can learn more at www.choosemyplate.gov. Ensuring healthy families and a healthy community also means providing …
Saturday, March 3, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark outlines the challenges of setting the Fiscal Year 2013 budget.
Budget season is upon us on Beacon Hill. As we plunge into the budget debate for Fiscal Year 2013, which begins July 1, 2012, we again face a constrained fiscal environment. While the Massachusetts economy is recovering and our unemployment rate is improving, we still face significant challenges: getting people back to work in good-paying jobs, growing local businesses, and supporting our schools, cities and towns as they work to provide vital services. In late January, Governor Patrick made his budget recommendations to the legislature, at a level of 32.3 billion, a 2.98 percent increase from this year’s estimated spending level. Working with the Governor and my colleagues in the legislature, and with your ongoing input, I believe we …
Saturday, February 18, 2012
State Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) writes about what the legislature is doing to prevent prescription drug abuse in Massachusetts.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Saturday, February 18, 2012
[The following was submitted by State Senator Katherine Clark.] The abuse of prescription painkillers has reached alarmingly high levels in our state, and this month the State Senate acted to mandate strict oversight of these powerfully addictive drugs. We all are too familiar with the heartbreaking stories of opiate addiction, and we have seen the tremendous toll that drug abuse takes on too many families in our communities. And unfortunately, the problem is getting more severe. A 2009 report by the OxyContin and Heroin Commission found that Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of opiate abuse in the nation, causing 3,265 deaths from 2002 to 2007 and 23,369 hospitalizations in 2006 alone. Opioid-related deaths are now the …
Laurie Hunt
5:43 pm on Sunday, March 25, 2012
I agree with your thoughts Melissa, however, I do like the age being 18 in this case. Maybe a good topic for the PAtch Moms.... more ›