One of my highest priorities as your State Representative has been to create jobs and job training opportunities for the people of Cape Ann. Working with our state, local, non-profit, and corporate partners, we have created pathways to new careers for the people on Cape Ann, which serve as models for communities throughout out Massachusetts. Some of these…
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has launched a new hiring and training employer grant program, “HireNow,” which will help employers quickly hire and train new workers and get more people back to work. The new program provides eligible employers with a $4,000 per employee grant, which can be used to cover training costs or as a…
Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to unanimously pass its spending proposal utilizing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) surplus funds. Funded at $3.82 billion, the bill addresses disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to facilitate recovery through one-time investments in housing, environment…
State Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, a literacy advocate who spearheaded the effort to join Parton’s Imagination Library, said she is thrilled by the number of families who are taking part and hopes that many more children will be registered so they too can receive these gifts. “If you can read, you can do anything,” Ferrante said.…
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is coming to Cape Ann! Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester), Senator Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Pathways for Children, and the First R Foundation announced today that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will be providing one engaging, high-quality book a month to children of Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, and Manchester from birth…
Cape Ann’s First R Foundation, a grass-roots literacy initiative, is working to ensure the power of words will not be lost on youngsters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, now in its 18th year, has pivoted to ensure that books get into the hands of youngsters and that the children see that community members and…
Last week, I voted along with my colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature to pass a Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) budget, which invests in programs and services across the Commonwealth. Funded at $46.2 billion, the budget aims to address the sweeping effects of the global pandemic by making targeted investments in housing, food security, and substance use…
Last week, I voted along with my colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass a Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) budget, which invests in programs and services across the Commonwealth. Funded at $46 billion, the House budget aims to address the sweeping effects of the global pandemic by making targeted investments in housing, food security,…
During the ongoing Massachusetts 191st General Court’s 2019-2020 session – which has been extended through action taken by the Legislature – the House of Representatives has passed emergency legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as major legislation relating to education, transportation, and climate change. Following a decisive vote in July to extend the…
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be allocating more than $50 million in federal CARES Act funds to benefit education in elementary and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities. The funding will improve early literacy, expand remote learning opportunities, and cover costs associated with reopening certain schools and colleges, as well as boost financial…
