Issue Position: Public Safety

Issue Position

Keeping our Communities Safe

Promoting public safety and keeping our communities safe is one of the most important functions of government. This is one of the reasons Jamie has been such a strong advocate for local aid funding, which helps support our local town fire and police departments. One of the best ways to keep our neighborhoods safe is to have adequate numbers of public safety personnel patrolling our streets, equipped with the resources they need.

Jamie also knows we must support the brave men and women who join our police and fire departments, often putting their own lives on the line to protect the safety of others. He's proud to have filed and help passed the MacNamara Law, which ensures that the family of any volunteer firefighter who is killed in the line of duty will not be left without financial support.

Jamie knows that protecting public safety goes beyond having strong fire and police departments, however. It means having:

* Safe roads, which is why he was proud to support "Melanie's Law", giving the Commonwealth the strictest drunk driving laws in the nation, especially for repeat offenders. Jamie also voted in support of Safe Driving legislation, which passed the Senate in March 2010. This bill would ban texting while driving and establish guidelines for assessing senior's ability to continue driving safely.

* Safe public transit systems, including regular maintenance and repair of our roads, bridges, and public transportation systems to ensure the public is safe while traveling. Jamie has supported efforts to raise more revenue for our transportation system to support this necessary maintenance work.

* Safe workplaces, which is why Jamie supported legislation mandating smoke-free workplaces, to protect citizens from the effects of second-hand smoke.

* Safe homes, which is why Jamie supported legislation requiring carbon monoxide detectors to protect residents in their homes, and why he has sponsored legislation this session requiring automatic sprinkler systems in all senior housing.

* Safe families, which means having strong anti-domestic violence protections in place and adequate support for victims. Jamie has been a strong advocate for shelters and other programs to help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

* Safe Schools, which is why he was the lead sponsor of bullying-prevention legislation, a version of which was passed by the Legislature and signed into law in 2010.

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