Dear ,

Spring has been off to a lively start. We have officially moved out of the Bullpen in the State House and into Room 448. While we miss the activity in the bullpen, we love our new space and the view from the 4th floor. The positive camaraderie among house staff, legislators and our many visitors gives me much hope in these challenging times.

We have an active, engaged Commonwealth, and I'm proud to represent the 4th Barnstable.

Last week, the House budget was released and I filed earmarks to benefit the 4th Barnstable District. I am proud to announce that I will be advocating for state funding to support environmental, housing, children's services and food insecurity concerns. I'm also actively signing on to both co-sponsor bills and support amendments filed by my colleagues. If you'd like to track legislative efforts and budget information, click here to sign up to MyLegislature to follow specific bills.

One amendment I filed was to establish a Cape Cod Green Crab Trapping Program. A green crab task force was established on the North Shore about a decade ago to help combat the devastating impacts green crabs have on the shellfishing industry. After a visit with the Wellfleet Shellfish Constable, staff and local shellfish farmers, I am convinced we need a similar program on Cape Cod. I hope that we can address this invasive and serious environmental challenge.

Upcoming Community Office Hours

Please join us at the upcoming offerings below. We'll continue to set up these opportunities throughout the district at various locations.

Friday 5/9, Harwich Port Library, 2:30-4
Thursday 5/22, Eastham Public Library, 3-4:30

Constituent Spotlights

On March 28th, the Citizens Advisory Board of the Cape Cod and Islands Area Office of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services invited the Cape & Islands delegation to attend the 2025 Direct Care Workers Recognition Breakfast.

It was a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation to adult services direct care staff such as Janiana Brazzo from Latham Centers and Carlos Negron from the Kennedy-Donovan Center. Having spent almost a decade working in the field of disability services, this event was truly a highlight for me!

Do you know someone who should be recognized for their service or special accomplishment? Please send your request to gracyn.rountree@mahouse.gov  

Community Tours & Visits

My team and members of the Cape & Islands legislative delegation have visited and met with many groups and organizations in recent weeks including:

• Cape Cod Community College

• Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce

• Cape and Islands Realtors Association

• Massachusetts Nurses Association

• Cape Cod Regional Technical High School/Upper Cape Vocational Technical High School

• Meals on Wheels Cape Cod

• Orleans Elementary School

• Orleans, Chatham and Harwich housing authorities

• Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley

• Broad Reach Healthcare/Liberty Commons

• Cape Cod Commission

• Cape Cod Children's Place

• Community Development Partnership

• Outer Cape Community Health Center

• Inspector General Shapiro

• Harwich Republican Town Commitee

• Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell

• Wellfleet 246 Kitchen

Turnout was strong from Cape Cod advocates for Immigrants’ Day at the State House. During this uncertain time, it is necessary now more than ever to show support for our immigrant populations across the Commonwealth. There have been countless efforts to strengthen immigrants’ rights across the state, including Attorney General Cambpell’s packet of resources to help families prepare for immigration emergencies, with a focus on procedures for separating children from their caretakers. Please find this packet below, as well as check out the ACLU’s website for more information on Constitutional Immigrants Rights and a list of Massachusetts Benefits that will not impact the Public Charge analysis.

Emergency Planning Guide

Know Your Constitutional Rights | ACLU

“Safe to Use” Massachusetts Benefits

The Great Hall on Immigration Day.

First-Time Legislation Filing!

As the legislative session keeps moving forward, bills have been assigned to committees and are beginning to have public hearings. Two of the bills I am honored to have sponsored in the 194th Session include:

H.3962 – An Act Relative to the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act. 

Along with our entire community, I was devastated to learn about the tragic story of Shannon Hubbard and her infant daughter Maggie who lost their lives in a rental fire at an Airbnb without any smoke detectors. This legislation would help to prevent a tragedy like this from happening. 

If passed, the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act would require short-term rental platforms to provide verification of working smoke detectors. I had the opporunity to brainstorm implementation ideas with Senator Cyr who is co-presenting this biill in the Senate, local fire chiefs, and Tim Waldron, Shannon Hubbard’s father and a tireless advocate for this legislation. While many questions still remain about this legislation’s enforcement, I am eager to see this bill evolve through the committee process and hopefully become law. This bill was recently featured in the Cape Cod Chronicle.

Another bill I am proud to co-present with Representative Kip Diggs is H.2489 – Marnie’s Law. This bill would expand breast cancer education to include inflammatory breast cancer screening, subsequently lowering the number of women who are misdiagnosed or go completely undiagnosed due to the similar symptoms shared with more minor infections. This bill is named in memory of Marnie Robidas, who tragically passed away at age 37 from stage IV invasive ductal carnicinoma inflamatory breast cancer. "Marnie's Army" and Marnie's father John Schulenbrug have truly been extraordinary advocates to insist that change in education will save lives. 

Exciting News for the 4th Barnstable:

Vote to Adopt the Seasonal Communities Designation

Seasonal Communities Designation will be an article on many 4th Barnstable District upcoming town meetings. This designation was established to help communities with seasonal economies mitigate year-round housing challenges.

A seasonal community designation will provide many tools, such as allowing towns to establish a year-round housing trust without needing to go through the slow-moving home rule petition process. This Trust can be the vehicle for funds to be used to create attainable housing units.

To learn more about this important opportunity for our towns, visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/seasonal-communities

Please find your town’s warrant for Town Meeting here:

Chatham – Saturday May 10, 2025

Eastham – Monday May 5, 2025

Harwich – Monday May 5, 2025

Orleans – Monday May 12, 2025

Truro – Saturday May 3, 2025

Wellfleet – Monday April 28, 2025

Constituent Concerns

We have received many inquiries with concerns about the proposed changes to Vocational/Career Technical School admissions. I share your concerns as well. 

While the Board of Secondary and Elementary Education proposed the weighted admissions system to improve access to career technical education programs, school officials, parents, and government leaders alike have voiced worry over how these regulations may have unintended negative impacts. 

Our Cape & Islands delegation recently met with students, staff and technical school superintendents, and received updates on exciting new projects, such as the new plan for an Environmental and Veterinary Sciences Campus in Harwich, which would include Horticulture and Livestock Centers, outdoor classrooms, and much more. 

It's clear that Cape Cod Regional Technical High School is thriving thanks to its impressive students and faculty; any proposed changes to the admissions process should be considered with more input on their impacts. As a group effort to gain confidence on any proposed changes to vocational policies, on April 9th, the House passed legislation to establish a vocation admissions task force that would examine: 1) Chapter 74 admissions policies, 2) the collection , dissemination, and analysis of local and statewide data on Chapter 74 admissions and waitlists, and 3) the standard for review and enforcement on said policies and data. We are hopeful this task force will ensure diligent consideration of the proposed policy changes and determine next best steps for vocational admissions. 

We had so much fun with the students at Cape Cod Tech!

Upcoming Community Events

Join us May 8th at Pleasant Bay Community Boating from 9am - 1pm for the 2025 CARE Day!

CARE Day is an opportunity for volunteers to participate in a half day of service and education that benefits a local nonprofit tourism attraction by helping to repair or improve its infrastructure.

Lend a hand to help PBCB get ready for another impactful season of programming! Register today at https://givebutter.com/CAREDay2025

Kennedy Legacy Dinner

Please join me and fellow Democrats at The Kennedy Legacy Banquet and Awards, on May 10 at 5:15 PM. The event will take place at Emerald Resort, 35 Scudder Ave in Hyannis. We will celebrate our shared values and award the John L. Reed Community Service Award posthumously to Thomas Cahir.

To purchase tickets, click here.

Thank You for Your Support

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.

Please continue to reach out to me at Hadley.Luddy@mahouse.gov or Gracyn at Gracyn.rountree@mahouse.gov or to call my office at our new phone number: (617)722-2582 ext.8675.

We appreciate hearing from you!

Best,

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