Currently, I represent the 11th Suffolk District in Boston which includes some neighborhoods in Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester and Roslindale. As the Assistant Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee we review a number of bills, some of which affect those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Committee considers matters related to behavioral health, including substance abuse, homelessness, mental illness and mental health services, and Department of Mental Health oversight. In addition I serve on the Labor and Workforce Development Committee and the Public Service Committee.
Prior to serving in the legislature, I worked in the area of human services, healthcare, and community organizing and labor advocacy. Chairing the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse is the best job I’ve ever had. I’m staying in contact with the issues that we are addressing from a public policy in the state. I’d like to see awareness in the community that these are basic human needs we have to meet and to watch out for each other.
