Policy
Local Investments
Jack’s primary purpose is supporting local residents. In addition to providing comprehensive constituent services and successfully advocating for statewide policies to benefit local families, Jack has worked with colleagues on projects including expediting the flooding mitigation along Route 9 and the construction of a crosswalk across a dangerous part of Route 9, along with local earmarks including funds for the Framingham Public School Welcoming Center and playground accessibility, Framingham and Ashland pedestrian and bike path improvements, restoration of the Warren Barn, clean-up of the former Cadillac Paint location, renovations to the Framingham High auditorium, accessible vans for Framingham and Ashland Public Schools, a Framingham Mobile Health Clinic, and funding for a new outdoor patio for the Ashland Senior Center, along with additional funding for Jewish Family Servics of Metrowest, One Family, and OUT MetroWest.
House Progressive Caucus
From 2019 to 2026, Jack served as the co-chair of the 66-member Massachusetts House Progressive Caucus, prioritizing and passing vital legislation, including standing up to ICE, expanding and protecting abortion access and reproductive justice, combating climate change, investing in green energy jobs, supporting and celebrating our local vibrant immigrant communities, and expanding public education funding.
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government is responsible for over 350 bills concerning a wide array of issues important to cities and towns across the Commonwealth, including municipal finance, local governance, transportation, zoning, personnel, the environment, and animal welfare. Jack is honored to serve as the Chair of the Committee for the 194th Legislative Session.
Last session, Jack served as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight. As chair, Jack shepherded legislation that permits the Commonwealth to leverage interest on the Rainy Day Fund to compete for federal grants.
Public Health and Human Rights
Throughout his career, Jack has focused on advancing public health, combating gun violence, and protecting the rights of immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with disabilities, and members of the foster and adoption community. During his five terms in the House, Jack has secured landmark funding for individuals with Down Syndrome, created a pathway for internationally-trained physicians assist with our Comonwealth’s shortage of primary care physicians, expanded veteran bonuses to those wrongfully denied support, guarenteed access to ABA therapy for children with Down Syndrome, expanded the role of pharmacists in public health prevention services, passed the most comprehensive HIV-prevention laws in the country, established Massachusetts’ International Overdose Awareness Day, strengthened our assault weapons ban, ensured that young adults have access to public health prevention services, enshrined protections for LGBTQ+ seniors, and protected privacy in name changes to protect victims of intimate partner violence and transgender individuals,
International Leadership
In our hyper-connected world, politics are international and intersectional. As a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Equality Caucus, Jack has shared success in Massachusetts in a global context, including speaking on HIV-prevention policy in Buenos Aires and Berlin; participating in high-level human rights discussions in Sydney, Cape Town, and Lima; leading discussions on HIV discrimination; speaking on public health policy in Lisbon; and speaking at a major European political party’s Pride event.
During the pandemic, Jack’s global relationships helped him facilitate discussions between frontline doctors from Wuhan, China, and local physicians, along with discussions on emerging global best practices and economic strategies during the COVID-19 emergency.
Recently, Jack’s office hosted a staffer from the Prime Minister of Armenia’s office as part of a US State Department-funded exchange program. Their project in Boston and Yerevan explored techniques to expand early public consultation in the legislative process.
Youth Engagement
Jack is committed to engaging and equipping young people with the tools to participate in the legislative process and our shared movement toward greater social justice. He loves speaking to area classrooms about voting and state symbols and welcomes a group of Ashland and Framingham high school students each year for a "Student Summer Seminar."
Recently, in collaboration with Rep. Mindy Domb, Senator Jo Comerford, the Museum of Science, and leading paleontologists from Mt. Holyoke College, Amherst College, and Tufts University, Jack helped lead the Massachusetts State Dinosaur project. Together, they involved over 35,000 Massachusetts students in voting to nominate the state dinosaur and engaged thousands of families in their first conversations with their state legislators. The project generated national and international attention and continues to be a catalyst for discussions around women in S.T.E.A.M. and the legislative process.
Protecting Animal Welfare (PAW) Caucus
The bipartisan Protecting Animal Welfare Caucus is dedicated to furthering animal welfare practices and protections across the Commonwealth. The caucus meets monthly and works to support priority legislation presented and voted on by its members. Jack is honored to Co-Chair this Caucus alongside Representative Natalie Higgins. Last session, Jack took the lead in changing a previous law that disqualified potential foster families based entirely on the breed of the family’s dog. Now the Department of Children and Family employs behavioral analysis, opening up thousands more families to serve as foster parents.