10 Great Moments From 2014

2014 is almost in the history books, but it was a good year for Senator Rosenberg, his district, and the Commonwealth! Here's a look at 10 of his top moments of 2014.

1. Election Laws Reform

Shira Schoenberg

This is the most significant election law reform the Commonwealth has seen in about 20 years. The last time the Senate took up such a major reform package I was Senate chairman of the Election Laws Committee, and that was when we implemented ‘Motor Voter’ registration. This bill took a number of steps toward making voting as simple and as streamlined as possible

2. Senator Rosenberg Profiled by Commonwealth Magazine

Kathleen Dooher / Via commonwealthmagazine.org

Commonwealth Magazine wrote an in-depth profile!

3. Campaign Finance Reform

Historically, Massachusetts has been recognized as one of the most progressive states in the nation when it comes to the transparency of our political process and the restrictions placed on campaign contributions. This bill demonstrated that we continue to live up to that well-earned reputation.

4. Senator Rosenberg hosts 2014 Municipal Conference

Rosenberg Staff / Via stanrosenberg.com

On Saturday April 12th, I hosted our annual Western MA conference for municipal employees. Over 200 people attended and heard from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and many others on issues such as water infrastructure, municipal pension reform, green energy, and Community Innovation Challenge Grants. For the first time ever, the event was live-streamed on the internet, and through the use of Twitter we were able to take our conversations online to engage a wider community (search #municon14 to read some of the conversations!)

5. New Domestic Violence Laws

The Senate and House passed new anti-domestic violence legislation which created new criminal offenses and elevated penalties, boosted prevention efforts, sought to empower victims, and established new employment rights. The legislation represented some of the strongest, most comprehensive domestic violence legislation in at least a generation.

6. Western MA one step closer to securing universal high speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities.

Rosenberg Staff / Via stanrosenberg.com

The Western Mass. legislative delegation met with representatives from the Franklin Council of Governments (FRCOG), the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at the MassTechCollaborative, and WiredWest to discuss the next phase of the Last Mile Solution to secure universal high speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities.

7. The Senate Moved Swiftly To Protect A Woman's Right To Choose Following The "Buffer Zone" SCOTUS ruling

The Senate believes that a woman's right to access health care without fear of intimidation is sacred. My colleagues and I believe that the overwhelming majority of Massachusetts citizens believe that, too. This bill re-established that closely held belief with a foundation in law.

8. Yehuda Yaakov Visited the State House

Via stanrosenberg.com

The Consulate General of Israel is the official representative of the State of Israel to New England and serves as the liaison between the residents of New England and the State of Israel. This is the second year we’ve set this up, and for the second time members and guests were thrilled to hear from the Counsel General. The visit really emphasizes one of the many great international communities we have in Massachusetts, and I look forward to continuing this tradition in years to come.

9. South Hadley New Plains Elementary School Groundbreaking

Jim Russell / Via masslive.com

It's always a pleasure to help open a new facility that will help to improve the lives of parents and children in my district. The $28M new building being constructed in South Hadley is a testament to the Commonwealth's ongoing commitment to improving education for all of our children.

10. $9.5M in Capital Bond Bill For Greenfield Community College Childcare Center

Very often, the lack of quality childcare is an obstacle to lower-income families entering the workforce, or acquiring the necessary education and job training to qualify for a better job. Franklin County is one of the poorest areas of the state and I firmly believe this childcare center will play a significant role in helping to break the cycle of poverty for many Franklin County families.