Gloucester lawmakers Senator Bruce Tarr and Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante have secured a significant amount of state support for innovative and important initiatives serving Cape Ann communities in the state’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget bill now on the desk of Governor Charlie Baker. The lawmakers authored, proposed, and successfully championed, amendments which will aid in public safety, water…
Arts and culture are important aspects of Cape Ann’s character and economy. Our history is full of artists capturing the spirit of Cape Ann: its natural beauty, our fishing traditions, and more. World-renowned artists such as Fitz Henry Lane, Winslow Homer, Paul Manship, and Walker Hancock have called Cape Ann “home” and captured its history…
Last week, I sent a letter requesting that the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Export Development hold a hearing on Cape Ann to determine the effects of the Trump Administration trade war with China on the Massachusetts lobster industry. I am concerned that two prominent Cape Ann seafood businesses, National Fish & Seafood and Pigeon Cove Whole Foods have recently shuttered…
In Boston, state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester pushed for a hearing in Gloucester by a joint committee of the Massachusetts Legislature on the Trump administration’s trade policies with China “and its effects on the Massachusetts lobster industry and corresponding ports.” In a letter to the leadership of the Joint Committee on Export Development, Ferrante…
Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) along with her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to pass legislation to protect public sector employees’ rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus v. American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCM) ruling. The bill enables Massachusetts employee organizations to charge non-members the reasonable costs associated with…
Last month, Governor Baker brought his cabinet to Cape Ann, giving our communities the opportunity to showcase local initiatives, highlight areas of concern, and discuss state investments. Senator Bruce Tarr and I started off the day by joining Secretary of Education James Peyser and Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta at Gloucester High School to have…
Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) and her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives have passed legislation to ban drivers from using hand-held electronic devices in vehicles unless they are in hands-free mode. “Distracted driving is a factor in too many dangerous and fatal motor vehicle accidents, and the House is proud to take this step…
Last week, the House of Representatives passed its FY2020 budget, including substantial investments in education, economic development, and local aid, as well as other areas. Here are a few highlights on issues that are especially important to our district because they will have a positive impact on Cape Ann. This year, the House Budget makes a down…
A bipartisan group of lawmakers want the MBTA to shelve planned fare hikes until the Tobin Bridge project is completed, arguing that the higher fares will add to traffic woes by deterring commuters from using public transit. In a letter to the T’s fiscal control board, the lawmakers said the 6 percent fare increases, which…
More and more each day, we have watched our friends and neighbors move off of Cape Ann because housing has become unaffordable. In order to maintain our communities of diverse social and economic backgrounds here on Cape Ann, we must address this issue. Let’s be honest, we all have relatives who find the current market…
