Key Priorities
01
Education
Steve strongly believes in continued investment in our educators and students to guarantee that everyone has access to a great education and equal opportunities.
He has also supported key education bills throughout his terms, most recently supporting bills to increase access to career technical programs, establish tuition-free programs for public-school teachers at MA public colleges and universities, ensuring access to healthy school lunches, expanding school curriculum to include genocide education, and the Student Nutrition Act.
02
Social Justice & Equity
As your State Representative, Steve will fight to eliminate barriers preventing immigrants, communities of color, and other minorities from accessing the resources they need and deserve. He believes in a future where everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources, regardless of race, gender, religion, income level or sexuality.
As the original filer and sponsor for the CROWN Act in Massachusetts and the RAISE Act, Steve has played an extensive role in advocating for racial equity in schools, the workplace, and other public settings throughout the Commonwealth. He has also been a longtime advocate of expanding language access at the voting both and other state agencies/services. He has worked to ensure his office translates essential resources and provides translation services for Chinese and Spanish speakers.
03
Healthcare
Healthcare is a basic right and not a luxury. Everyone across the Commonwealth should have adequate access to basic healthcare.
Steve supports expanding access for working families, seniors, and those that need help the most while ensuring equal access to healthcare for all.
Steve has worked closely with many healthcare advocacy groups and nonprofits serving the Malden community. In 2019, he worked with Mass Senior Action to file two bills expanding the eligibility of low-income seniors for Medicaid and Medicare program coverage. Victory finally came after 3 years of rallies, testimonies and sign-on letters: Steve negotiated with colleagues and we were able to invest $73 million to expand eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program to 225% FPL in the FY23 State Budget.
04
Community Outreach
As a life-long Malden resident, Steve is not only proud to represent his home - he is also grateful for everything this community has taught him. It is extremely important to Steve and his team that everyone from the community feels comfortable reaching out, knowing that he will do everything he can to help someone in need. He is also a strong believer in supporting community organizations that give back and lend a helping hand to Maldonians.
Aside from volunteering at Bread of Life, Steve loves attending festivals and celebrations in downtown Malden including the recently established PorchFest!
05
Transportation & Infrastructure
Reliable and safe public transportation and local infrastructure has always been a key priority for Steve.
Working with both the MBTA and the City of Malden, Steve has written letters and advocated for more accessible and neighborhood-centric public transit plans that would connect Malden residents to essential services and job opportunities. He has also worked with Senator Lewis and the Malden legislative delegation to create a working group discussing the future of Malden Center Station as well as other public infrastructure issues in the community.
06
Voting & Elections
Steve has always been a strong supporter of election reforms to make the democratic process more accessible to all voters in Massachusetts.
He voted to establish permanent mail-in voting for all Massachusetts residents which will be available for the elections in November 2022. He has also been an active advocate for increased language options at the polls and on the ballot. Steve successfully secured $75,000 in the FY'23 State Budget for Malden to implement its Language Access Plan and was instrumental to negotiating $1 million in funding to establish the New American Voters Grant Program.
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07
Housing
Affordable and equitable housing has been a key issue since Steve was elected. He has been a strong advocate for providing the community with more affordable housing opportunities and supports efforts to increase access to homeownership.
One of his legislative priorities in the coming year is to continue pushing for his bill, which allows seniors, people with disabilities and people with low-to-middle income to terminate their lease without penalty or liability so long as they provide 30 days written notice to their landlord of placement in state or federally-run assisted living facilities, elderly housing or low or moderate income housing.
Environment & Sustainability
08
Representing a Environmental Justice Community, Steve makes it one of his priorities to ensure Malden as a community has the resources to take necessary steps to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
He was a strong supporter of the recent Off-shore Wind & Energy Bill which will put Massachusetts on a path to reach net-zero limit on greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It also expands Massachusetts's clean energy capacity, encourages the adoption of electric vehicles, reduces emissions from buildings, and fosters high-paying, green jobs for our workforce.
09
Economic Development
Since becoming a State Representative, expanding access to resources for small, local businesses have been one of Steve's priorities.
Steve has been a supporter of Malden's local economy for decades and continue to advocate for grants and economic initiatives to ensure equal access to resources and allow opportunities for small businesses to reach all corners of the Commonwealth.